All grain brewing  is making beer from raw malted barley. Instead of using malt extract and water to create your wort, you will be creating your wort from scratch using the malted barley grains. The all grain process gives the brewer more control over the finished product.

Advantages of all grain brewing over extract brewing is this fine control over your beer. Things an all grain brewer can control that an extract brewer cannot (because the mashing process is already done for them) includes but is not limited to the following:

• Head retention
• Mouthfeel
• Color
• Flavors (All grain brews are quite distinctive in their flavors compared to extract only brews…)

Head retention can be helped/hurt by different rest temperatures, ingredient choices (oily additions can/probably will have a negative effect…), and alcoholic strength. Mouthfeel can also be affected by the different rest temperatures. Color is affected obviously by the choice of ingredients, as is flavor. A side note for newbies (Different grain ratios are not the only aspect in determining flavor. Yeast, fermentation temperature, aeration, hops, water hardness/softness—all have a role to play in flavor perception).

To brew your first all-grain beer, you will need a few extra pieces of equipment than if you were brewing with extract. A mash/laughter tun is essential and can be purchased or made DIY. A boil kettle which can hold a minimum of six gallons during a rolling boil is something else you will need to purchase.

During the all grain brewing process, the grain must be held at certain controlled temperatures in order to convert starches into sugars. These sugars are what the yeast will eventually convert into alcohol during fermentation. Holding the grains at certain temperatures for a certain amount of time is also known as ‘mashing,’ and is the initial step in the all grain process. Most homebrewers use one hour as a standard amount of time to mash the grains.

Building a mash/laughter tun is relatively simple and can be done using a Gott, Rubbermaid, Igloo style cooler, or practically any other brand picnic cooler with a large enough capacity to hold the grains and water. Most of these coolers come equipped with a drain valve on the side near the bottom of the cooler. A rubber hose can be attached to this to create a fully functional low-key, low cost mash/laughter tun. For a slight upgrade you can install a ball valve with a threaded nipple so you have control over the flow. A toilet hose braid can be dissembled and used as a filter.

Here are a few external links which are great guides to building a mash tun at home:

• Don Osborn’s Cheap N Easy Mash Tun

If you are interested in purchasing materials to build a mash/laughter tun, they are available via the links below. If you make a purchase by clicking the links, we receive a small percentage from Amazon. This helps us with things like domain registration fees, and monthly web site hosting.

For a beginners walk-through into an all grain brew day, please see our article “Beginners Guide: Walk-through of an All Grain Brew Day“