going through the change

[Bailey]

Only been brewing for 6 months or so and jumped straight in at the deep end with AG. First two brews were drinkable but totally over-hopped after being inspired by ipa's etc.
Since then, with plenty of reading from here (thanks!!), have'nt had a bad brew.

[jimp2003]

I did two kits - the Wherry and a Coopers kit then jumped into all-grain using the BIAB method and a year later moved onto 3 vessel all-grain. I still have the BIAB bag for when I want a nice easy brewday.

Kits have their place for those that don't have the time or space etc but to me they do not involve any actual brewing - they are really home fermenting kits.

[Belter]

they do not involve any actual brewing - they are really home fermenting kits.

thsee are my thoughts also

[Eric]

Yes, I think you are asking how long an apprenticeship you should serve doing kits before taking the plunge. If that is so, the answer is given above. You will learn some aspects of brewing from kits and extract, but AG is the total process, analogous to making a meal with skill from fresh ingredients compared to heating a ready made meal off a shelf.
If you want to make your beer, buy or make the necessary hardware in preference to buying part made beer. There is a lot to learn, like cooking, but there is lots of help available here as you raise your sights.

[FatGaz]

I did kits for about 2 years and then went straight on to AG - I enjoyed the kits at the time, but think I was ready for AG after a year. Extract/biab was never for me - couldn't see the point. I was lucky that about a month before I went AG, a very nice bloke from another forum (you know which one) who I had never met, invited me to his place to watch/help him on a brewday - better than any book!

[Belter]

I did kits for about 2 years and then went straight on to AG - I enjoyed the kits at the time, but think I was ready for AG after a year. Extract/biab was never for me - couldn't see the point. I was lucky that about a month before I went AG, a very nice bloke from another forum (you know which one) who I had never met, invited me to his place to watch/help him on a brewday - better than any book!

id love to have that opportunity but everyone on here lives up north

[Baldbrewer]

Where do you live Belter?

[Belter]

Where do you live Belter?

deepest darkest Cornwall. St Austell ales territory

[Matt12398]

I did kits for about 2 years and then went straight on to AG - I enjoyed the kits at the time, but think I was ready for AG after a year. Extract/biab was never for me - couldn't see the point. I was lucky that about a month before I went AG, a very nice bloke from another forum (you know which one) who I had never met, invited me to his place to watch/help him on a brewday - better than any book!

I was starting to worry where this story was going. I'm always wary of guys I've never met inviting to their place to watch. Especially after last time.

[darkonnis]

I did kits for about 2 years and then went straight on to AG - I enjoyed the kits at the time, but think I was ready for AG after a year. Extract/biab was never for me - couldn't see the point. I was lucky that about a month before I went AG, a very nice bloke from another forum (you know which one) who I had never met, invited me to his place to watch/help him on a brewday - better than any book!

I was starting to worry where this story was going. I'm always wary of guys I've never met inviting to their place to watch. Especially after last time.

Haha class!

I did 5 kits then dabbled with BIAB in a saucepan, found the results to be very meh (not big enough pans and I didnt have a clue) went to full AG and it is so much easier. I now understand all of it much better and am in the process of making a 70L system. I intend to eventually build a 1 vessel brew system with a full rims/herms (like a braumeister) but that's for the future.
In short, just go AG asap and you will never look back.

[Steve B]

I started with a wherry kit after dipping into kits in the 70's and finding them vile. The wherry kit was such a radical improvement on my previous experiences that I had to try extract on the principle that it was better still, then did the maths after a couple of extract brews and realised how much cheaper Ag brewing was. Never looked back.

[rval]

1 kit (coppers) and I just had to get AG ASAP. Started off with the cheap setup and grew it brew by brew. My first mash tun was a very cheap <£10 cool box. Didn't like the batch spraging so got two cheap brewing buckets drilled a few hundred holes in the bottom of one, make a hole just smaller than the size of a sifon tube. Stuck that in the bottom bucket put the second one inside it and covered it up in cheap radiator foil, worked like a dream.
Anyway point is you can almost get going right away on all grain, and you sound very ready.

[Lugsy]

I did kits for nearly a year with an increasing level of messing around with them. I wanted to go AG but was put off by the complexity and the necessary equipment expenses so I went for BIAB to see if I could make anything drinkable from grain without the outlay. I was absolutely delighted with the results even from my very first AG brew and although I'd always thought I'd go back and make a "Ditch's Stout" again I've never looked at a kit since. I eventually moved away from the single vessel set-up and bought a dedicated copper and converted a cool box to a mash tun about a year later. I'm not saying that my beer has improved over the BIAB's I used to brew but I like the gear that we "need" to accumulate with any of the hobbies us boys get obsessed with

[chrisheartsbeer]

Hi All, Thanks for the pretty comprehensive replies. The verdict seems to be - excuse the matrix reference - when you're ready, you'll know it! Or just - go for it. So the only thing stopping me seems to be funds at the moment. It hadn't even occured to me that it would be cheaper to brew from AG.

Thanks and cheers

[Normski]

I did Kits for about a year then did a couple of Extract brews. I then found out about BIAB. I then heard that Chris X-1 (Daab) thought it was a load of bollocks and, based on his opinion, decided to give it a go.

I've not looked back.