The Right Tools for the Trade

07/05/2023

By Jack Horzempa

Preface: Whether to brew via Extract (and specialty grains), Partial Mash or All Grain is a tradeoff.

There is an old saying: “There is more than one way to skin a cat” or in other words, there is more than one way to achieve an aim. In this instance I will be discussing the different techniques which could be used to homebrew a batch of beer: extract & specialty grains brewing, all grain brewing, and the hybrid partial mash brewing. There are tradeoffs to these differing techniques which we will explore further.

Time

Extract & Specialty Grain Brewing

For homebrewers who have busy lives, the quickest way to homebrew is the extract & specialty grains method. The vendor who makes the extract has already mashed the grains for you so this is one less step that needs to be done. There are even some extracts which are pre-hopped so the bittering is already taken care of and therefore no boiling is required, saving you time by skipping the boil step.

For people new to the homebrewing hobby, it is often recommended that you start off using the extract and specialty grain brewing method. It eliminates the mashing step with the result of one less worry concerning making your first batch. And since the malt extract vendor has conducted the mash, you are assured of obtaining quality wort (i.e., sugar water). If you conduct a first batch via all grain brewing and you screw up the mash you will obtain sub-par beer.

If you choose to also use a specialty grain such as crystal/caramel malt, a simple steeping process is needed. Place the specialty grains in hot (150 – 170 °F) water at a ratio of around 1 lb. specialty grains to 1 gallon of water and let it sit for 15 – 30 minutes. It is akin to mashing but the mashing process requires much more stringent control of the process.

All Grain Brewing

The all grain brewing method will result in the longest brew day since multiple steps need to take place. For example:

Milling the grains if you purchase non-milled grain (which is what I do)
The Mashing process:
- Warm up the strike water to a hot temperature (could take 15-20 minutes)
- Place the milled grains into the mash tun and stir for a few minutes (e.g., 5 minutes) to ensure even temperature and that no dough balls occur
- Let the mash sit for an extended period of time (I typically mash for 60 minutes)
The lautering/sparging process
- Batch sparging is the quickest method (about 10-15 minutes duration)
- Fly sparging takes longer, up to 45-60 minutes
Collect the mashed & lautered wort and conduct the boil

At this point the remainder of the brewing process is the same as for extract brewing except that a no boil method is not an option since hops need to be added for bittering. Bittering hops are typically boiled for 60 minutes.

The other time difference between extract brewing and all grain brewing is the time associated with cleaning up. There is a lot more equipment used for all grain brewing and consequently more time needed for this aspect.

Check out more info here:

Partial Mash Brewing

In partial mash brewing you conduct a mash with a lesser amount of grains, with the necessary process steps detailed above, so from a time perspective it is very similar to all grain. Given that the mashing aspect is of a smaller scale there will be a little bit of time saving. For example, if smaller equipment is utilized the time spent cleaning up afterwards is a little bit easier and could save you a little bit of time. Plus, less grains to mill.

Economics of Brewing a batch – Ingredient Cost

Extract & Specialty Grain Brewing

While extract & specialty grain brewing saves you time it is the most expensive method, as malt extract is more expensive than malt. Let’s take the example of brewing a 5 gallon batch of an American Pale Ale with an original gravity of around 1.053.

For an extract and specialty grain batch, let’s suppose for the fermentables 6 lbs. of Briess Pilsner DME (Dried Malt Extract) and 1 lb. of Briess 20L Crystal Malt. The cost of these ingredients, not purchased in bulk, would be approximately $39. In contrast for the all grain method you would need 9.5 lbs. Briess Pilsner Malt and 1 lb. Briess 20L Crystal Malt at a cost of around $18, a cost difference between the two methods of $21. If the ingredients were purchased in bulk the cost difference may vary but the general idea that extract & specialty grain brewing involves a tradeoff between time and money.

You still need to purchase the other needed ingredients such as yeast, hops, etc. which will be a common cost between the two methods.

For completeness, let’s consider a partial mash batch using 3 lbs. of Briess DME, 5 lbs. of Briess Pilsner Malt and 1 lb. of Briess 20L Crystal Malt. The ingredient cost is about $29, so in between the costs for extract & specialty grain and all grain.

Equipment Cost

The costs discussed above is on a per batch basis; in the business world this is referred to as a recurring cost. In order to brew the batches, you need the necessary equipment which will be considered as a one-time cost analysis. Based upon what has already been discussed it is easy to discern that the equipment setup for all grain brewing will be more expensive. For simplicity I will assume that for extract & specialty grain brewing it is done via a partial boil on the stovetop since this is how most beginning homebrewers brew.

You can purchase ‘basic’ homebrewing kits at your LHBS (Local Homebrew Store) or similarly from MoreBeer:

The itemized list of the MoreBeer kit:

This Kit Includes:

Food Grade Plastic Six Gallon Ferrmenter with spigot, stopper and airlock
Food Grade Bottling Bucket with spigot
Mesh bags for steeping grain and hops on Brew Day
Thermometer for easy temperature management
Hydrometer for making key sugar measurements
Transfer Tubing
Bottling Wand with shut off valve
Sturdy Bottle Capper
50 Bottle Caps
Bottle Cleaning Brush
Star San Sanitizer for true sanitizing

And the MoreBeer folks remind you that you will also need:

A Brewing Kettle
A Beer Ingredient Kit for each batch you brew
(48) 12 oz or (24) 22 oz cappable Beer Bottles or a Home Kegging System to

package your beer

It is common for beginning brewers to use what is called a partial boil. This means using a smaller kettle to boil their extract & specialty grain kits using a smaller kettle (i.e., a partial boil) and they will top off with water in the fermenter to achieve the batch size (5+ gallons of wort in the bucket). In contrast all grain brewers need a large kettle (e.g., 8-10 gallons) to boil the entire contents of the wort (i.e., post boil volume of 5+ gallons). I started my homebrewing using a 16 quart kettle I bought at a local department store (I paid less than $30). An 8/10 gallon kettle of higher quality (thicker) stainless steel will cost over $100.

Other items not listed above which are needed for all grain brewing with estimated prices are:

Burner (to boil about 7+ gallons of wort): $125 - $300
Wort Chiller to cool down 5+ gallons of wort): $65 - $250
Mash tun (e.g., a Coleman/Igloo Cooler type): $170 - $200 (cheaper if you build

your own)
Grain mill (if you mill your own grains): $120+
etc.

I used the catch all phrase “etc.” above since all grain brewers will have more equipment than the above listed items but the general idea is that the equipment needed for all grain is more extensive with associated greater cost as compared to extract & specialty grain brewing.

Over the past few years, vendors have developed what are termed all-in-one systems for all grain brewing which cost in the range of $400 - $1000+ depending on size and features. For all grain brewers who prefer not to assemble their homebrewery themselves, this is an option.

For partial mash brewing the equipment cost, just as discussed for the ingredient costs, will be in between extract & specialty grain brewing and all grain brewing. When I brew a batch using partial mash, my equipment list is:

5 gallon kettle
Grain bag
Mini Lauter Tun for fly sparging

My total cost for the above was less than $100. I conduct the mash by placing the 5 gallon kettle in the oven for 1 hour at an oven maintained temperature of 150 °F.

Mashing in the oven

Fly sparging using a Mini Lauter Tun

Quality Considerations

Extact vs. Grain

All grain brewers will often claim that brewing with grains will result in ‘better’ beer. The implicit assumption of that statement is that the homebrewer has the experience and skills to conduct a proper mash. For beginning all grain brewers this can be a challenge as numerous aspects need to be properly controlled such as:

Is the mash at a proper pH?
For a single temperature infusion mash, is the temperature maintained at the target temperature for the duration of the mash (e.g., a 60 minute mash)?
For a step mash, were all of the target temperatures properly achieved and maintained?
Were the grains properly milled (e.g., the correct gap setting on the mill)?
Were the grains properly stirred at the beginning of mash such that no dough balls occurred?
etc.?

An advantage of brewing with malt extracts is that the vendor has already conducted the mash so the potential errors illustrated above are not a concern.

One aspect of brewing all grain that I think is a potential benefit is that you have a greater selection of malts to choose from vs. the limited number of extracts that are available. For example, I prefer to use Pilsner Malts that are produced in Europe (e.g., Weyermann Pilsner Malt) when I homebrew my German/Czech style beers. For my palate these European malts provide the desired malt flavor that I have not been able to achieve using the extracts available.

Another aspect of brewing all grain is that you have greater control of the fermentability of the wort. With extract the fermentability is ‘set’ by the vendor producing the extract. In all grain brewing you can control the mashing regime (e.g., which target temperature you choose for a single temperature infusion mash) to adjust the fermentability of the wort. When I homebrew my Kölsch beers I use 100% Weyermann Pilsner Malt and mash at a lower temperature (e.g., 148 - 149 °F) for 75 minutes to achieve a very fermentable wort which I think is appropriate for this beer style.

Partial Mash

The partial mash method is a compromise in that you can affect some level of control through your selection of grains and how to use them as well as selecting an appropriate malt extract to complement the wort from the grains selected. For my homebrewing I choose to conduct a partial mash when brewing my Classic American Pilsner. I choose to conduct a mash using some corn (flaked corn) which needs some malt to convert the starches in the corn; corn lacks the enzymes (Diastatic Power) to self-convert. My partial mash consists of 2 lbs. of flaked corn along with 5 lbs. of 6-row Pale Malt. I then add 2.25 lbs. of Briess Pilsner Dried Malt Extract to achieve my target OG of 1.050. I could brew this beer via all grain brewing but the Partial Mash method is a bit easier (saves me a little bit of time/effort) and I am very happy with the resulting beer.

Example of Brewing a Beer Using the Three Different Methods

I will discuss how one could homebrew an American Pale Ale using the three different methods. In my opinion if the beers are properly brewed you will achieve comparable results via all three methods. A homebrewer may choose one method over another due to considerations such as cost, time expended, etc.

American Pale Ale stats

OG: 1.053

FG: 1.013

IBU: 42

Color: 5 SRM

Alcohol: 5.3%

Wort volume: 5.5 gallons

Extract (and specialty grains) recipe

Ingredients:

6 lbs. Briess Pilsen Dried Malt Extract (DME)
1 lb. Briess 20L Caramel Malt
1 ounce German Magnum hops (10% AA)
0.5 ounce Cascade hops (6% AA)
1 ounce Centennial hops (9% AA)
Safale US-05 dry yeast (1 sachet)

Additional items:

1 tsp. rehydrated Irish Moss flakes (last 15 minutes of boil)
½ tsp. Wyeast yeast nutrient (last 10 minutes of boil)

Directions:

Steep caramel malt in 150 – 170 °F water for 15 - 30 minutes. Add DME, stirring vigorously while adding to dissolve in the water and bring to a boil.

Add the German Magnum hops at the beginning of the boil, then boil vigorously for 60 minutes in an uncovered brew kettle. Add rehydrated Irish Moss for last 15 minutes of boil. Add 0.5 ounces of Cascade hops for the last 10 minutes for a flavor addition; also add yeast nutrient. Add 1 ounce of Centennial hops at end of boil for aroma addition.

Ferment warm per the recommended fermentation temperatures of the yeast vendor. My preference for fermenting with US-05 is a temperature of 68 – 70 °F. Package when primary fermentation is complete.

All Grain recipe

Ingredients:

9.5 lbs. Briess Pilsen Malt (or Briess 2-row Brewers Malt) Note: assumes a 75% brewhouse efficiency
1 lb. Briess 20L Caramel Malt
1 ounce German Magnum hops (10% AA)
0.5 ounce Cascade hops (6% AA)
1 ounce Centennial hops (9% AA)
US-05 yeast (1 sachet)

Additional items:

1 tsp. rehydrated Irish Moss flakes (last 15 minutes of boil)
½ tsp. Wyeast yeast nutrient (last 10 minutes of boil)

Directions:

Mash at a water-to-grist ratio of 1.5 qts/lb. Adjust brewing water (e.g., add lactic acid) to achieve a mash pH of 5.2 – 5.4. Mash at 153 °F for 60 minutes. Sparge until approximately 7 gallons of wort is achieved (tailor amount based upon your boil off rate to obtain 5.5 gallons of wort post boil).

Add the German Magnum hops at the beginning of boil then boil vigorously for 60 minutes in an uncovered brew kettle. Add rehydrated Irish Moss for last 15 minutes of boil. Add 0.5 ounces of Cascade hops for the last 10 minutes for a flavor addition; also add yeast nutrient. Add 1 ounce of Centennial hops at end of boil for aroma addition.

Partial Mash Recipe

Ingredients:

5 lbs. Briess Pilsen Malt (or Briess 2-row Brewers Malt) Note: assumes a 75% brewhouse efficiency
3 lbs. Briess Pilsen Dried Malt Extract (DME)
1 lb. Briess 20L Caramel Malt
1 ounce German Magnum hops (10% AA)
0.5 ounce Cascade hops (6% AA)
1 ounce Centennial hops (9% AA)
US-05 yeast (1 sachet)

Additional items:

1 tsp. rehydrated Irish Moss flakes (last 15 minutes of boil)
½ tsp. Wyeast yeast nutrient (last 10 minutes of boil)

Directions:

Mash malt at a water-to-grist ratio of 1.5 qts/lb. Adjust brewing water (e.g., add lactic acid) to achieve a mash pH of 5.2 – 5.4. Mash at 153 °F for 60 minutes. Sparge until approximately 3 - 4 gallons of wort are achieved. If conducting a full boil add additional water and DME such that approximately 7 gallons of wort is achieved (tailor amount based upon your boil off rate to obtain 5.5 gallons of wort post boil).

Ferment warm per the recommended fermentation temperatures by the yeast vendor. My preference for fermenting with US-05 is a temperature of 68 – 70 °F. Package when primary fermentation is complete.

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