DME vs. grain

[_CJ]

Looking for opinion on using grain vs. DME. Costs, taste, etc.

I'm not really familiar with using grains except small amounts of specialty grains to add flavor to my darker beers.

I pay about $24.00 for a seven pound container of light DME. So for a typical 6% pale ale that uses six pounds, it costs me about $20.50. I changed up the recipe in my calculator to use all grain and it shows that I would need 18 pounds of American 2 row, and would cost about $25.00.

I really like my pale and feel it's every bit as good as most that I buy in the liquor store, so what would the advantage of going to all grain be?

[Snotty]

18# of 2 row to get what you get out of 7# DME? That sounds way off! I read someplace that it is .75 of DME = 1# of grain. Most of my AG recipes don't even come close to 18# of grain.

With Grain, you have better control over flavor profile, color and character of the end product. I have gone AG and won't go back to DME unless I am just looking to up the fermentables and I can't mash eough grain.

[Jeepindog]

Bill is right about the formula. Your calcs are waaaay off. More like 8 lbs, not 18. Secondly, brewing all grain allows YOU to determine what your wort profile will be, not some factory that made your extract. You have infinite control over your brew in terms of color, sugars, and flavor, to name just a few. Also, extract brewing can certainly yield some mighty tasty beer, but an properly brewed all grain beer will almost always taste better, more complex, etc. This depends on the brewer, of course, hence the words "properly," and "almost always."

It's easy to brew AG, not very expensive to get into, and much cheaper than extract. I can brew batches for less than $12. I buy grain in bulk, hops in bulk, and usually use 5-6$ liquid yeast from a starter. If you reuse your yeast, the cost per batch can go under $10, depending on style. Obviously a barleywine or Imp Stout will cost more, but compare their OG to an extract brew, and you're still saving TONS of cash. An AG setup will pay for itself within 10 or less brews.

[_CJ]

Well, I used 40% steeping efficiency for the calculator, are you guys saying you get 80%? I used my recipe, pulled out the DME, and added grain until the alcohol and color were about the same.

Here's the calculator I use:
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator

It's been pretty much on the money for all the brews I've made so far.

[Jeffro600]

If your happy with how your DME beers are turning out, then just stick with it. Grain is more of a pain in the butt than i want to deal with and more equipment that i dont feel like bothering with so i usually stick with extracts. Ive tried several all grain types and really didnt notice much of a flavor difference in comparison to their extract counterparts. The differences, if any seem to be very subtle. But as others have pointed out, it allows you to control all aspects of your beer vs a preset color or flavor that you get with extracts. I dont think in terms of drinkability your going to notice much of a quality difference between the two and most wont...connoisseurs might be able to pick out the differences, but i doubt 98% of the population will notice.

[ColoradoXJ13]

I just recently started making AG beers...

Yes, there is a fair bit of investment, I built a 10 gallon MLT which all in all probably cost about $60

I got a free keg and made a keggle, but that was $20 in cutting discs and tools to use my friends angle grinder...and I'll probably end up spending another $65 for some sort of bulkhead/siphon/hop stoppper system I will build or buy.

AG takes more time, but I think it is more fun. I just like the idea of mashing as opposed to buying LME/DME, sort of like I would rather make a cake from scratch rather than make one that comes in a box...not that there is anything wrong with it, and I have made a number of good extract brews.

Once I get all the equipment settled though, I should be able to brew a batch for $25 or less, I was spending close to $50 on my extract batches.

[xjmatt]

If you want to save cash and make good beer all grain is the way to go in the long run no doubt about it. Sure you invest a little more up front in the gear but you save a ton in ingredients especially buying in bulk. Last time I bought grain I went in with a bunch of other brewers and got a pallet from North Country Malts. I paid $27 per 55lb sack of Marris Otter, so 50 cents a lb. Bought hops in bulk from hops direct and I reuse and reculture yeast.

Said and done I can make a 5 gallon batch for about $10 and that includes the propane. All grain takes a little more time on brewdays but I've really come to enjoy it. You spend an hour prepairing the mash then doughing in. Then you have 60 minutes to get ready for the next step. Boil takes 60-90 minutes. In that time I've cleaned up everything from the mash and sanitized my fermenter. If it's a nice day I can usually find time to smoke a Montecristo in there too :D

[Jeepindog]

Once I get all the equipment settled though, I should be able to brew a batch for $25 or less, I was spending close to $50 on my extract batches.

I would say with 100% certainty, LESS! (If you are talking about beers up to about the 1.075 range, it can be as little as $15. If you're buying all of your grains and hops and buying new liquid yeast at a homebrew shop for every brew, then it can definitely still be less than $25. A bit more for BIG beers. Try buying your grains from you HB shop in bulk, and REALLY save some $$$.)