O.T Any all grain brewers out there?

I have not done a scratch brew because a craft brewer in my city packages and sells fresh wort and they change the recipes all the time.  I basically have to finish it off in some carboys, add sugar and yeast, wait and then bottle.  What I can say is that brewing beer is not as forgiving as making wine so use that star san on everything or it will go bad.  Also beware of light and hot temps while in the carboy process, you want a nice dark room or cover it somehow but still be easily accessible.  The sugar you use matters, and so does the yeast.  High quality yeast will make a huge difference, and different yeasts can yield different flavors.  If you can get find liquid yeast at a local brew supply you will have many more options because there are only so many dry yeast varieties available.  I have been told that liquid yeast will flocc better but I do not know if it is true.

Interesting. Have a local U-Brew with maybe ten 10 gallon kettles. After brewing their recipes a number of times, they let me bring in some of my own ingredients and just charge me for what I use, plus $40 for their equipment. Usual batch is 12 dozen 355ml bottles for under $100. 

Having started with extract I can say the all grain isn't all the much more complicated. I used to think it was but in some ways it is more basic. It does require some extra equipment though.

I will say it usually goes much better when you brew sober.

Griffin said:

Wow!! I gotta say you are jumping in the deep end before learning how to swim. I've got my 5th batch of brew fermenting right now, have read two books on home brewing and countless threads on forums and I'm still not ready to go all grain. I feel like I learn more stuff every day and am taking notes all the time. Why don't you start easy and then expand? At least go with a partial lme first and see how it goes? You can still get good beers that way. I'm a chemist and some of the stuff I have read still has my brain swimming. All the temps and break downs and all that. I'll get there, but still need some time. What research have you done so far into all grain?

Although you can get as deep as you wish in the chemistry of brewing the fact of the matter is the Monks who were making beer centuries ago were not chemists and had little knowledge of exactly what was happening in the brewing process yet still made beer.  I highly recommend reading John Palmers "how to Brew" but really if you get the basic idea and follow a recipe you will usually make good if not great beer be it all grain or otherwise.  I mean really its as simple as this:

Grind grain

heat water to a good strike temp (165 works for me)

DOugh in try to get a mash temp in the 150-158 range (depending on the beer)

If its too hot add ice

If it too cold add boiling

stir

Put lid on mash tun

in 30 minutes stir

let it sit for another 30

Heat up some sparge water

vorlauf (look it up)

drain off first runs to boil pot

add sparge water to grains

vorlauf

drain sparge water to boil pot

boil (add 60 minute hops when liquid gets boiling)

add additional hops as recipe calls for

cool

drain to fermenter

take gravity

add yeast

move fermenter to a place you can regulate temps (I usually keep it around 165 ish depneding on beer)

prime and bottle when final gravity is where you want it

THere are detail missing but thats the basics

+ 10000 on Beersmith! 

I agree that note taking is helpful if you don't like re-re-reinventing the wheel.  Also helps when you make a really awesome brew and want to make it again.  I failed to take any notes on a brew recently and it turned out to be the best beer I have ever brewed.  Sadly I have no recollection of my recipe or hop schedule. :(

MississippiSlim said:

The main thing is to learn your system (notes from each brew).  I think the best piece of equipment to make consistently good brews is a fermentation chamber that you can control the temp of the fermentation with.  I use a refridgerator with a temp controller.  I have a pretty much ghetto brew system but with good temp control I am able to consistently brew good beers (at least they are good to me)

Temp control for home brew will almost always result in success. For 5 gallon batches, I bungee an old water bed heater around the primary/secondary carboy. Dial the temp and forget it. 

I do not use a secondary, the yeast has always settled well and the siphon I have also has a little filter on the end so I go right from primary to bottles.  The water bed heater is a great idea.