Throw away that colouring book!

A lot of our customers are split between all grain and extract brewing. And although my own first home brewing experience – like many – was extract, I soon got the bug to experiment and gain more control over what I was putting into my pint. I was keen to start all grain brewing but at the time it seemed a bit out of my league.

Eliminating obstacles

One of the things that was holding me back was all the faff of transferring the wort into different vessels for the mashing, boiling and sparging. I knew that doing so also increases the likelihood of my precious brew becoming infected and spoiling, and I didn’t want that risk.

Happily, shortly after I started the hop farm in 2017 I was given a BrewZilla* all grain kettle as a birthday present from my folks. The note read: “now you’re growing hops you might as well make beer from it too…”

The BrewZilla is awesome because you can mash, boil and sparge all within the same single kettle. So there’s loads less mess to have to deal with. Plus it’s got a timer on it so it warns you when you’re at the next stage of the mash up. Very handy when you’re nose deep in a pint or two, I can tell you!.

Since then I’ve fallen deeply in love with all grain brewing. OK, OK, it’s more than love. The truth is: I’m obsessed with it! It’s really addictive to try new recipes and experience for yourself how changing variables like timings and temperatures influences the final product. I guess that’s why they call it craft brewing!

A good comparison is this: extract brewing is like a colouring book. You’re guided to make something reasonably nice and creative but you’re limited as to what you can produce.

All grain brewing, on the other hand, is like painting your own masterpiece with far fewer limitations to cramp your creative style.

Embracing failure

It’s fair to say that all grain brewing is more complicated than extract brewing. But, for me, it’s the challenge that makes it fun! I love learning by mistake, trial and error; finding out what works and what doesn’t. I believe that doing is the only way of learning. I would also be the first to admit that I’ve probably thrown away more beer than I have actually drunk, especially in the first few years.

The power of community

But, over time, and with help from the amazing online community, my brewing has become more refined. Homebrew forums like thehomebrewforum.co.uk have been invaluable for getting advice and input.

So when you do eventually hit your target and produce that truly amazing pint – and then invite your friends over and drink the entire batch in one sitting – the sense of satisfaction and achievement is more than worth all the effort and the money.

Because, as we know, homebrewing is not about saving money. It’s about the joy of sharing (well, mainly gloating over) your stunning beer!