For starters, I'm a stove top brewer who has been partial mashing for about a year. I like the flexibility it gives me, the room it takes up (or doesn't) and the extra steps/toys incorporated into it. I don't really have plans at this point to make the leap into all-grain. I'm sure that there are benefits to it, but I'm pretty happy with the beer I make and don't feel like I'm cheating myself or the legions of Bearded Brewing fans (that's a joke), by not moving into all-grain. I can mess around with different specialty grains, base malts and have been happy with the turn out. I also still make extract beers, and have been perfectly happy with that
as well. In fact two of my most popular beers, Inky's White and Whitefish Cranberry Wheat, are extract recipes.Last year for Christmas I asked for a mini-draft system. I originally got the mini kegs, but after several uses, I switched to the 1 1/2 gallon plastic vessels. The mini kegs always exploded when I tapped them and they seemed to lose carbonation quickly. I think this is because there's a piece that connects the dispenser through a rubber bung to the keg, and its not very secure. So instead I've been very happy with the plastic bottles and the tap-a-draft dispenser. I don't have the money or room currently to go to a kegging system, and this satisfies that need. Plus its nice because I can bottle half the batch to give away and have some on tap. Also, I never like drinking one beer style for too long, so its nice to be able to have a small amount on tap, and still have enough other beers. For those on a budget, I'd recommend the TAD system and I've had no problems with it.
Salud!
-The Bearded Brewer
4 comments:
I totally support extract or mini mash brewing. I think that any sort of brewing at all is good in that getting to the roots of what we consume makes us more conscious of what we buy when we buy. And having more consideration for what we're purchasing is never bad.
But I have gone over to the all grain side of the force. It was amazing. I think if someone is minimash brewing, it's very easy to go that extra step. Even on a gerry rigged crap ass system like the one I set up.
Anyway, I love the blog. Integrating the brewpub and beer reviews makes it a little more open to non brewers who don't know, nor are they interested, in the difference between a lauter and a sparge.
Kevin,
Orginally I went to partial mashing (after reading Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing...my bible) because I thought that eventually I might go full bore into all-grain. I might eventually since I'm enjoying aspects of it with partial mashing, it'd be a fairly easy step at this point. But after talking to a guy at my LHBS, I don't know how much more I'd gain at this point. But who knows, I can always be convinced to buy more toys and make the process more intricate.
Thanks for the feedback on the site. I love brewing, but I also just love beer and the beer culture. And I find myself addicted to blogging...so I gotta find stuff to talk about while the beers are conditioning:)
And I would like it to be more accessible, because to be honest I don't always know everything I'm doing and there's plenty of experts on the web about the finite details of brewing.
I enjoy your site as well and I've been meaning to add you to my links.
Salud!
Great site. It's cool getting a peek at other people's setups. Thanks for the tour. I hope you don't mind me adding you to the link list on my blog.
Brian
nanobrewer.wordpress.com
Thanks Brian, I like your blog as well. I'm glad you were interested in the setup...I actually think it was a bit excessive and out of boredom to "film" it, but glad you were interested.
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