A few people are asking about AG (All Grain), Greg said he's going to gome up with a 'How To' guide after his next brew, so I'd thought I'd do a little guide on what equipment is needed.

Why change from kits to AG???
Verity
Its all your own work
Customisation
Experimentation
More Fun
Man take water, man make water to beer!

What are the basics I need??

You need the kit what you used for making kits with (Fermenting bin + airlock, Paddlle, Syphon, Steriliser, Hydrometer and a Thermometer)

What are the special AG items I need?

Boiler
A boiler is need to well…….boil the wort to produce a beer there a few types on the market, heres a run through of them:

Electrim Boiler

Good Value for money boiler

Pros:
Excellent Value
Light
Easy to fix if anything goes wrong

Cons:
Plastic
Longer to warm up
Exposed element

Burco Boiler

From the famous boiler makers of Burnley.

Pros:
Stainless Steel
Concealed element (makes cleaning eaiser)

Cons:
Need to fit hop strainer
Costs more
Needs slight modification of wiring to get constant boil
Brupaks Electric Boiler - Enamelled Steel

The one I use! Made by brupak

Pros:
Designed for brewing
Quick boil
Well made

Cons:
Cost
Bulky

Although there is a method to brewing called BIB (Brew In the Bag) where you steep your grains in a mesh bag in your boiler using the thermostat to maintain temperature, I would recommend a mash tun, the reason being in a boiler the grains at the top will be a lower temperature compared to those next to the element, this will effect the sugar taken out of the grain, in a mash tun the temperature is maintained at a even temperature through out the grains!

A mash tun like this produces a constant temperature, gives a good extract and is fitted with a wort strainer!

Mash Tun

What other stuff can I buy but don’t strictly need

Immersion Chiller
The name says it all, immerse in your wort and it chills the wort to get a cold break, before I got a IC I would drain my boiler off into a Fermentation Bucket and put the fermentation bucket into a cold bath to cool! But its best to invest in one eventually as they produce a important stage of the brewing process called the ‘Cold Break’ where the proteins coagulate and drop out of the wort, helping gain a clear beer, the IC also helps create a quicker pitching temperature for the yeast.

Digital Thermometer
More accurate than a glass one

What equipment will I need that I have already?

Kitchen Scales
To weigh out hops and grains.

Stopwatch, kitchen timer or phone
To time your mash, also to know when to add hop additions etc.

Recipe
There is many good books on the market:

If you want one to run you through the process of AG The Big Book of Brewing by David Line is a good read but some of the recipes are a little dated.

If you after recipes of British ales: Brew Your Own British Real Ale By Graham Wheeler & Camra is a good choice.

Some american books are quite good, some with wacky recipes in (i've got one that has a recipe that includes Hemp, Poppy seeds, Shiitake Mushroom, Bourbon, Tequila and Coca-Cola in the Ingredients) but most of the recipes don't go that far and make great beers.

If you after designing your own recipe a great tool is Beersmith (a computer programme)