Going All Grain with Gordon Strong – BeerSmith Podcast #16

by Brad Smith on May 26, 2011 · 5 comments

This week we go all grain with Grandmaster brewing judge Gordon Strong. Gordon tells you how to make the leap from extract brewing to all-grain, including basic equipment, how to do a simple infusion mash, and sparging. Gordon also shares his thoughts on his new book “Brewing Better Beer” which was just released.

Download the MP3 File – Right Click and “Save As” to download this mp3 file

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/beersmith/BSHB-16-All-Grain-Strong.mp3]

Reminder: The BeerSmith 2.0 Preorder is Open!

You can preorder your copy of BeerSmith here – including discounts for preorders and an additional discount for existing users!

Topics in This Week’s Episode (44:20)

  • This week’s guest is Grandmaster brewer and 3 time Ninkasi award winner Gordon Strong. Gordon is also the author of the new book Brewing Better Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers. Gordon shares his thoughts on how to transition from extract to all grain brewing.
  • In the announcements, I cover the upcoming launch of BeerSmith 2.0 – for both PC and Mac. The preorder is open now at a discount – so grab your copy now. This is a complete rewrite of BeerSmith from scratch – the most significant new release in the 8 years since the original BeerSmith was published.
  • Gordon gives us his thoughts on partial mash brewing – and urges people to consider moving directly to all grain instead.
  • He walks us through the equipment needed for an average brewer to move from extract to all grain brewing.
  • We talk about crushing grains, and using them in a relatively short time after crushing them.
  • Gordon explains the infusion mash – the simplest technique to start out with.
  • We talk about sparging and lautering, including basic techniques for fly sparging, batch sparging, and avoiding a stuck sparge.
  • Gordon talks about full wort boils and the importance of cooling your wort quickly
  • He gives some sound advice on brewing with a buddy before you jump right into all grain alone!
  • Gordon shares his thoughts on his new book “Brewing Better Beer” oriented towards advanced brewers. The book was just released and has been selling very well on Amazon.

Thanks again to Gordon Strong who was kind enough to appear on the show!

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast

Great News! We’ve been featured in the New and Notable podcasts on iTunes.

Subscribe on iTunes

If you are not using iTunes, you can subscribe using this feed:

  • http://feeds.feedburner.com/BeersmithcomHomeBrewingBlog

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (use the links in the sidebar) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Note: The link to Mr Strong’s book is an Amazon Affiliate link – if you order a copy I will receive a few dimes in commission.

Related Beer Brewing Articles from BeerSmith:

Enjoy this Article? You'll Love Our BeerSmith Software!
  Don't make another bad batch of beer! Give BeerSmith a try - you'll brew your best beer ever.
Download a free 21 day trial of BeerSmith now

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Peter Heilmann June 3, 2011 at 7:06 pm

I thoroughly enjoyed the Free Trial. However, considering how fast I go through desktops and laptops I hesitate at a download version. I saw 6 months ago that Amazon.com is going to offer a CD-ROM when it becomes available. That would suit my needs better. When might be available? And what is the plan for future updates to keep the program current? Downloads? any info would be appreciated! TIA

Brad Smith June 6, 2011 at 10:18 am

Peter,
You can always download a current copy, but I also will put ISO links at the bottom of my download page so you can burn a disk image if you like. We do have some CD-ROMs we distribute through the major brewing suppliers here as well – so perhaps you can order one from them when the new version has been released.

Brad

Steve Acord June 8, 2011 at 1:44 pm

Just pre-ordered my 2.o Version. I love the trial version. Cant wait!
Thanks for a great tool..

Steve

Leave a Comment

{ 2 trackbacks }

Previous post:

Next post: