this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2023
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Homebrewing - Beer, Mead, Wine, Cider

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First time posting here, but looking for pointers to good extract beer recipes. My friend and I have been all-grain brewing for a couple of years, but I recently became a father for the first time, which cuts down my spare time significantly! I'm finding that I just don't have the time for all-grain brewing any more, so I was wondering if folks had good recommendations for extract based recipes, which might work better in my new time-poor lifestyle? :)

My friend and I have been pretty varied in our previous brews, from spiced stouts to wheat beers to mild ales, so if it's good, we'll probably like it!

Thanks in advance!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wow are you me? I've been considering selling my equipment the last few months for this exact same reason. An 8 hour brew day isn't in the cards for me anymore with a 2 year old. I hadn't thought of swapping back to extracts. This would shave a few hours off the brew for sure. I made about 20 different recipes using extracts several years ago and noticed that the best ones tended to be lighter. I don't have any recipes since extract brewing is rather straightforward but after being spoiled with all grain for years I'd suggest sticking with ambers, cream ales, or similar. Always add a bit more hops than you would with all grain since extracts in large quantities can add a tininess that you want to control for. Thanks for the idea too!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

If you have the money, consider an all-in-one system like Grainfather. Brew days can be 4-5 hours without rushing and most of the day can be handled via a programmable controller.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ha! I can imagine it's a common experience.

Thanks for the tips, and a good shout about the hops, I'll bear it in mind. Amber ales tend to be my go to session beer, so we could definitely cope with making a few of those!

I'm genuinely not sure if the couple of hours saved will make it realistic, but it was the only way of significantly cutting the time down we could think of.

Good luck yourself. I'm really in my fatherhood journey, but enjoying it so far!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It's definitely a ride but a welcome and satisfying one for sure. Cheers!