Not long after any homebrewer begins brewing, someone will ask him or her the big “all-grain” question: “Have you gone all-grain yet?” It provokes one of several responses:
- “Me? I went all-grain after four batches.”
- “Gone all-grain? I started all-grain.”
- “Wow. I was a partial-mash guy forever, but I made the upgrade to all-grain just two months ago.”
- “I still brew extract, but as soon as I have the space, I’m going all-grain!”
Some also adorably (but not necessarily mistakenly, so long as they’re not using any dehusked malts) say they’re going “whole-grain,” which is, I suppose, more or less true but still sounds as if they’re brewing with nothing but bran muffins.
But you know what you almost never hear? “Nope, not me. I’m sticking with extract. I just don’t think all-grain beers are going to be any better than what I can make with extract, and in fact extract saves me time and offers distinct benefits besides!”