A Beginner's Guide to All-Grain Brewing

What Is All-Grain Brewing?

All-grain brewing is the process of making beer entirely from scratch — starting with malted grain rather than pre-prepared malt extract. It's how professional breweries make beer, and it gives home brewers the greatest possible control over the colour, flavour, body, and character of their finished beer.

If you've been brewing with kits or malt extract and you're ready to take the next step, all-grain brewing is a deeply rewarding progression. It requires more equipment and a longer brew day, but the creative freedom it unlocks is unmatched.

How Is It Different from Kit or Extract Brewing?

In kit and extract brewing, someone else has already done the mashing for you — the malt has been converted, concentrated, and packaged. In all-grain brewing, you do the mashing yourself: you steep crushed grain in hot water at a specific temperature to convert the starches in the malt into fermentable sugars. This liquid (called wort) is then boiled with hops, cooled, and fermented.

The Mashing Process

The mash typically takes place at around 65–68°C for 60–90 minutes. This temperature range activates the enzymes in the malt that break down starches into sugars. Higher mash temperatures (67–68°C) produce a fuller-bodied, slightly sweeter beer; lower temperatures (64–65°C) produce a drier, more fermentable wort.

Brew in a Bag (BIAB) — The Easiest All-Grain Method

The simplest all-grain method for home brewers is Brew in a Bag (BIAB). You mash all your grain in a single large pot using a nylon straining bag to hold the grain. When mashing is complete, you simply lift out the bag (allowing it to drain) and proceed to the boil in the same pot. No separate mash tun required.

What Extra Equipment Do You Need?

• A large stockpot (at least 30 litres for a 23-litre batch)
• A nylon straining bag for BIAB
• A thermometer to monitor mash temperature
• A wort chiller or ice bath to cool the wort quickly after the boil
• Your usual fermentation vessel, hydrometer, and bottling equipment

Choosing Your Malts

A typical all-grain pale ale might use:

• 4–5kg pale malt as the base (providing fermentable sugars and body)
• 200–500g crystal malt for colour and sweetness
• Small amounts of specialty malts for character

Explore the full Thomas Fawcett crystal malt range at Brewco.uk to start building your grain bill.

Hops and Yeast

All-grain brewing uses the same hops and yeast as extract brewing. Choose your hop varieties based on the style you're brewing — see our hop varieties guide for help. A reliable ale yeast like Gervin GV12 is a great all-round choice.

Is All-Grain Worth It?

Absolutely. While the brew day is longer (typically 5–6 hours versus 1–2 for a kit), the results can be extraordinary. You're in complete control of every aspect of your beer — and there's enormous satisfaction in brewing something truly from scratch.

Get started with all-grain brewing at Brewco.uk.