My first experience making beer came after buying a can of malt extract, that would supposedly make great tasting beer in 4-6 weeks. At the time I was naive enough to believe that all I had to do was add water, boil, and let it sit for a few weeks, and voila, good beer! I let it ferment for about 3 weeks before bottling, let it sit for two more weeks, and than opened a bottle with great anticipation! I was terribly disappointed. What I had was a watery liquid with a faint, beer like taste. I dumped out every bottle.
Still convinced that it was possible to make great beer at home, I began searching for a better method. It wasn't long before I discovered a new type of beer kit from my local home-brew shop. These kits included malt extract like the previous one, but also included some grains and hops, and gave me the option of using liquid yeast. The cost was a bit more than the first one, but the final product was guaranteed to be much better. I steeped the pound or so of grains in about 4 liters of water as per the directions, then added the malt goo, and set it to ferment. At this point I was also introduced to two stage fermentation, 1 week in the primary and 2 weeks in the secondary. Again I followed all directions, bottled and waited a few weeks. The final product was a bit better, with a bit more flavor, but still very watery and not something that I could enjoy drinking.
I made a few of these "extract with specialty grains" kits and managed to come up with a process that produced an enjoyable beer, with good flavor and body. But I wanted more. Still determined to make a better quality beer, and get more in-tune with the brewing process and science, I have decided to tackle "All-Grain" brewing.
After a lot of research into the brewing process, and the purchase of some quality equipment I am finally ready to take the plunge into All-Grain brewing. I would also like to document the process from the start, and hopefully share my adventure with others.
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