"Relax... Don't Worry... Have a Homebrew!"

-Charlie Papazian

All Grain Brewing!

2/22/01: Update! I brewed my first all grain batch last night. It went very well, overall. I have a page up so you can see pics and info on the momentous occasion.

Many people are content to stay with extract brewing and never bother with all grain. Extract brewing is the easiest form of brewing by far, as all you have to do is bring a gallon or two of water to a boil, throw in the extract and hops, cool and pitch yeast. You can be done in an hour or so. It's also the cheapest way to brew, initially. You can use your spaghetti pot and you don't have to mess with any fancy "mashing" equipment. However, there's a seduction to all grain brewing for me. I'm intrigued by the basic concept of converting grains to sugars which then ferment to beer. It's becoming involved with beer in the most intimate way. But also, I am intrigued with all grain brewing on a budget. I see all the fancy equipment out there, which can easily run a homebrewer 1-2 thousand dollars, and I cringe. On a more realistic level, homebrewers typically seem to spend around $500 on all grain equipment. This doesn't count kegs and bottles and such. I would like to stay at half that amount. Here's where I'll track my progress and offer you tips for making great all grain beer on a budget! Please visit often, as I'll be posting pics and updated items I'm purchasing.

Check out one of Albuquerque's better microbreweries...

Thanks for visiting!