Want to try extract will fv converted to boiler be enough

[Nolski77]

Hi, I've been brewing kits for a couple of years and only recently began to experiment by adding dme to the wort which has gave pleasant results.

A friend of mine has started extract brewing and gave me a sample. It blew my brews away, so I quite fancy giving it a try.

I've had a look at various places, this site/yuotube etc and basically can't see the wood for the trees.

I have a few questions though;

Would a converted fv (5 gallon) be sufficient to start extract brewing?

Am I right in assuming that I wouldn't need a mashtun?

The temperature, I've seen some instructions saying you need a rolling boil for 1-1.30 hours, whereas others have suggested the temp should be 65.c

I think I may be getting mixed up with all grain there but like I say I've bombarded myself with info these past few days so I'm a little confused.

Thanks.

[Troutman47]

I've not done extract brewing, I do all grain, but what I can tell you is an ordinary FV is not suitable to use as a boiler, you need a thicker plastic, I think it is PP.

I got mine from Copper Kettle, they tell you if it is suitable for use as a boiler, come in 33 and 60l sizes and will cut the holes for your elements and tap for free.

Cheers

[AnthonyUK]

If you get a boiler you may as well go BIAB. There are significant benefits to this over extract IMHO.
Go for a 33l minimum or a preferably a 40l e.g. a Buffalo urn.

[raiderman]

You're going the way I did.When I was 15 I brewed kits for a year and then moved into extract - using a bloody big pan! Eventually I bought one of those 5 gallon bins with a kettle element in - and they are thicker. Thats fine for extract and I used one for all grain for years, they didn't call it BIAB back then, but it worked for me. I've got a 2 element 50l stainless pot now and the extra power is a big assist getting up to the boil. I don't have a mash tun and wouldn't know what to do with it if I did! The gig advantage of extract over kits is being able to use hops of your choice and start brewing the beer you really like to drink. The limitation with extract is taste, with all gain you can brew better han the pub and exactly what you like. The last Jims cambridge meet up was in a pub running a beer festival, and I honestly think our stuff way better than the pints we we're buying. Unless you can get pale malt extract, the other big limitation with extract is getting darker beers and not being able to brew citra based breakfast beers as I believe the style is called! If you're temped by all grain, , BIAB is relatively quick, with a full mash and a 60m boil I can start around noon and be through before tea,even if you go through an extract phase first, getting a bigger boiler now makes sense.

[Nolski77]

Thanks for the replies folks. I'll take your advice and not convert the youngs fv that I have.

There's a home brew shop near me I plan to pop in to see if there's anything similar to the pp vessel that trout man recommends. Unfortunately I don't think I can afford a metal boiler but will be scouring the free ads from now on.

I'm also liking the sound of biab and had a quick google. Would some muslin sown together suffice as a bag or does the bag need to be made from something stronger?

[Jocky]

The gig advantage of extract over kits is being able to use hops of your choice and start brewing the beer you really like to drink. The limitation with extract is taste, with all gain you can brew better han the pub and exactly what you like. The last Jims cambridge meet up was in a pub running a beer festival, and I honestly think our stuff way better than the pints we we're buying. Unless you can get pale malt extract, the other big limitation with extract is getting darker beers and not being able to brew citra based breakfast beers as I believe the style is called! If you're temped by all grain, , BIAB is relatively quick, with a full mash and a 60m boil I can start around noon and be through before tea,even if you go through an extract phase first, getting a bigger boiler now makes sense.

A couple of things I take issue with there:

You can make pale beers with extract - use extra light dry extract and only use 20% of it in the full boil, adding the other 80% 10 mins from the end.

You can produce a decent extract beer of most styles, but it works best for lighter beers where malt complexity isn't a big concern. Hoppy light beers (ala Oakham Citra) work really well because of this. Wheat extract with the right yeast produces a pretty decent wheat beer too. English ales are a problem though as they are really all about the malt, and you just don't get the complexity from steeping some crystal.

I am pretty much an all extract brewer, and I can say that going to extract is a good and fairly easy step to make. I found that kits didn't come close to the quality of beer I can produce now, but they gave me a grounding in the process (and what can go wrong!). Going to BIAB or even a partial mash will make a world of difference again.

[DaveyT]

Lots of sound advice there.
I've got a pan that I boil my extract brews in and it was expensive enough for me to regret not buying a boiler instead. At some point, though, I want to still elements and a tap onto it and maje it into a boiler.
Three years in, though, it's more than paid for itself. Raiderman's right about beers better the pub has to offer. I'm starting to think it's because I have so much control I can make exactly what I want to drink. Plus playing with recipes is ace!
Happy brewing.

David