Moving to all-grain

[alcaponejunior]

Hey.  Active on various other forums and sites (some of you probably know me).  Been doing extract and partial mash for about a year.  Switching to all-grain 3.5 gallon batches after my last batch of extract is brewed this week.  I have a five gallon mash tun made from a cooler that is sufficient for most 3.5 gallon batches.  I chose that size because right now I'm in an apartment with an electric stove, and it's about impossible to boil more than about 4 gallons. 

Just picked up beersmith II and already I'm liking it. 

Cheers!

[piper55]

good luck al

[jomebrew]

All grain is great and feels like I am in full control of my destiny but if you don't have fermentation temperature control then you will probably not find your beers to be much different that partial mash and extract.   

Happy Brewing!

[BILLY BREW]

Hey Al! Going all grain is fantastic, especially with this program. I moved over about 2 years ago and the flexibility is fantastic!
For Giggles try a batch and toast your own grains for some outstanding flavors. And with all grain it is a lot easier to do.
Don't fall for the "masa Harina" grinder though. splurg and get a grain mill, you will be happy you did it.
Good luck and Happy Brewing

[philm63]

+1 to jomebrew's response regarding temperature control - this one thing makes a huge difference.

Welcome to the forum, and happy brewing!

[alcaponejunior]

Yeah temp control is the one thing that's easy here... as long as I like 68F (the closet is a very steady temp).   

In the near future I plan to have a freezer with a temp controller.  Near future being sometime soon, not precisely sure when... 

My first few batches will be very simple (IPA, pale ale, smash).  I plan to work on the process and tweak it before getting too complicated.

you can read all my processes, procedures, and recipes on my blog alcaponejunior.wordpress.com

cheers!