I finished bottling my first batch yesterday. It is an extract Dunkelweizen. Will try the first one in 2 weeks. Very excited!! I will brew one more extract batch that came with my kit, it is an Amber ale. However, after that is done, I am moving on to all-grain. So, the question is, should I get the 10 Gallon Home Depot water cooler and go the DIY route? Or should I get a BIAB? Cost will be basically the same. What will yield better results? Thanks in advance!!
If you're talking about basic "bag in a brew kettle" type BIAB, there are a few things it can't do (or do as well) as a good insulated mash tun: - Best stability of mash temps possible - Vorlauf for clear wort (and less lipids) into the kettle - Ability to do a proper sparge Each brewer can decide how important those things are for themselves.
I started out using the Home Depot water cooler as a mash tun when I first went to all-grain. I made many batches using that tun with one kettle, then a gravity 3-tier system with 2 kettles. I have now decided to go electric and brew inside, so I traded all that in and got digiboil kettles, which is essentially a BIAB process. Both setups will have an end result of homebrew in your glass. Both setups have their plusses and minuses, so I'd say it comes down to how you want to brew and what headaches you'll deal with, or what capabilities you can't live without. Either way you'll learn with each batch and make changes to the next one.
