Looking to upgrade from extract to All Grain

Basic setups can vary quite a bit. What's already in yours?

 

Brew in a bag! All you need is one huge grain bag. A colander also helps but is optional. Also helps if you make smaller batches as the bag is a little easier to lift out of the kettle that way. With creativity, BIAB can be done with 5 gallons or whatever else, with minimal equipment. When I do it, I use the kitchen stovetop and every soup kettle I can find (I have at least 3 big ones). Then basically do 3 boils at one time and combine near the end. With the same or similar equipment you could also incorporate a single or double "dunk sparge" if you wanted... just using whatever pots and kettles you already have in your kitchen anyway. It works! It makes great beer! For like zero extra dollars.

 

Is it actually a 5 gallon fryer, or is it a bigger fryer that allows you to boil enough (starting) wort to make 5 gallons of beer? What's the total volume? The answer could be important if you want to go all grain and possibly BIAB.

 

When I started I used a cooler for a mash tun. I made a manifold out of pvc.
There are endless possibilities to make an all grain set-up on the cheap!
What type of set-up interests you?

 

Yes, you'll need a bigger kettle for all grain. Then it's just a question of mash tun vs. Brew-In-A-Bag. I'd recommend building a mash tun, and go bigger than you think you'll need. You can play around with the "Can I Mash It" calculator at http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml to get an idea.

 

Its always cheaper to make your equipment on your own. To me, this is a big part of the hobby! Plus, you might have a lot of the needed equipment laying around.

 

I've been brewing 10 gallon batches on a system with 2 converted kettles as my boil kettle and mash tun. I use a 8.5 gallon pot as my HLT.

 

I think that could work, but depending on your starting wort volume (which will be more than your post boil target volume) and the vigor of your boil, it could be tight.

For the mash tun, it will depend not only on batch size, but also on gravity, i.e. high gravity/abv beers will need a bigger tun. That's why I linked the Can I Mash It calculator so you can experiment.

 

Size matters. Bigger the better, buy as large as you can comfortably afford. I regret that I purchased some smaller equipment when going all grain and have since been incorporating larger mash tuns (which I built from coolers) and larger boil pots. A little elbow grease and you can build your own equipment for probably half the price as you will pay for it completed. You might also have a bit of luck finding equipment on craigslist from homebrewers who have given up.

 

For somebody like you who continued the homebrewing hobby that is indeed a genuine concern. For the many others who started a bit and then quit homebrewing the issues are quit different.

Cheers!

 

+1 to biab as an inexpensive approach.

 

Yeah but bigger is always better, don't you know. It's the American way.