All-Grain Brewing vs Extract Brewing — What's the Difference?
Quick answer: Extract brewing uses malt extract as the base, so you skip mashing. All-grain brewing starts from crushed malted grain that you mash in hot water to turn its starches into sugars. Extract is simpler and quicker; all-grain gives you full control but needs more equipment and a brew day of several hours. Most beginners should start with a beer kit, move to extract, then try all-grain.
There are three main ways to brew beer at home: a beer kit, extract brewing and all-grain brewing. They all make real beer. The difference is how much of the work you do yourself, how much equipment you need and how much control you get over the recipe.
The three methods compared
| Beer kit | Extract brewing | All-grain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you start with | Pre-hopped malt extract plus yeast | Unhopped malt extract, hops, sometimes steeped grains | Crushed malted grain and hops |
| Brew day | Under an hour | A couple of hours, including a boil | Several hours: mash, sparge, boil, chill |
| Extra equipment | Fermenter, airlock, hydrometer, bottles | Plus a large pan for boiling | Plus a mash tun, a large pot and bag, or an all-in-one system |
| Recipe control | Low. You can tweak sugar, yeast and dry hops | Good. You choose the hops and their timing | Full control over every ingredient |
| Best for | First brews | Your second or third step | Brewers who want to design their own beers |
Beer kits: the easiest start
A beer kit contains malt extract that has already been hopped, plus a sachet of yeast. You dissolve it in hot water, top up with cold water, check the temperature and add the yeast. Most standard kits make 23 litres (about 40 pints).
Kit beer has a reputation for tasting "home-brewy", but that usually comes down to fermentation, not the kit. Clean and sanitise properly and keep the temperature steady, and kits make very drinkable beer. Premium kits such as Woodforde's or the Mangrove Jack's Craft Series go further. You can also improve any kit by swapping table sugar for spray malt or brew enhancer.
What is extract brewing, and is it worth doing?
Extract brewing uses unhopped liquid or dried malt extract as the base, boiled with your own hops. Early hop additions add bitterness and late ones add aroma. Many brewers also steep a little crushed specialty grain for colour and flavour.
The malt extract provides the fermentable sugar, so you skip mashing. It's the ideal next step after kits: you learn recipe design, hop timing and fermentation control without the extra kit and time all-grain needs. You can brew almost any style this way and make genuinely excellent beer. Our malt extract guide covers the ingredients.
Equipment for extract brewing
You need little beyond a standard kit setup: a large pot (at least 10 litres) for the boil, a heat source, a 25-litre fermentation vessel, a hydrometer, and a cleaner and sanitiser such as VWP (rinse it off) and ChemSan (no rinse). A straining bag is handy for steeping specialty grains.
What is all-grain brewing?
All-grain brewing is making beer entirely from malted grain, the way breweries do. You do the mashing yourself: crushed grain steeps in hot water so enzymes in the malt convert its starches into fermentable sugars. The sweet liquid (wort) is drained off, boiled with hops, cooled and fermented. It gives you the most control over colour, flavour, body and character.
The mash
The mash usually runs at around 65–68°C for 60–90 minutes. Higher temperatures (67–68°C) give a fuller-bodied, slightly sweeter beer. Lower temperatures (64–65°C) give a drier, more fermentable wort.
Brew in a bag: the easiest way into all-grain
With brew in a bag (BIAB), you mash all the grain in one large pot, held in a nylon straining bag. When the mash is done, you lift the bag out, let it drain and boil in the same pot. No separate mash tun is needed. A small 5-litre batch on the kitchen hob is a cheap, low-risk way to try it: see How to Make Beer at Home on Your Hob.
Equipment for all-grain
- A way to mash and boil: a large pot and bag, a mash tun and kettle, or an all-in-one system such as the Grainfather. For a full 23-litre BIAB batch you'll want a pot of at least 30 litres.
- A thermometer to check the mash temperature
- A wort chiller or an ice bath to cool the wort quickly after the boil
- Your usual fermentation vessel, hydrometer and bottling equipment
Learn more in What Is a Mash Tun? or browse our all-grain equipment and ingredients.
Choosing malts, hops and yeast
A typical all-grain pale ale might use 4–5 kg of pale malt such as Maris Otter as the base, 200–500 g of crystal malt for colour and sweetness, and small amounts of specialty malts for character. All-grain uses the same hops and yeast as extract brewing. A reliable ale yeast such as Gervin GV12 is a good all-round choice.
Which is better for beginners?
Extract brewing is the right first step beyond kits. It teaches recipe design, hop use and fermentation control without the complexity of mashing, and most experienced all-grain brewers started this way. That said, a small brew-in-a-bag batch on the hob shows that all-grain doesn't have to be a big leap.
- Start with a kit. It builds the habits every method shares: cleaning, sanitising, temperature control and using a hydrometer.
- Upgrade the kit. Try better yeast, spray malt instead of sugar, and dry hops.
- Move to extract once you want to choose your own hops.
- Go all-grain if you enjoy designing recipes and don't mind a longer brew day.
Can you make great beer with extract?
Yes. The quality ceiling is very high, and most drinkers can't tell a well-made extract beer from an all-grain one. Some styles benefit from precise mash control, but for most everyday styles extract gives excellent results.
When should you move to all-grain?
Move to all-grain when you want full control over the grain bill, mash temperature and water chemistry. Many extract brewers never switch and keep making excellent beer. The step up is only worth it if you enjoy the extra process.
Browse our malt extracts, crushed malts, hop pellets and yeasts, or read our hop guide and yeast guide.