How to Level Up Your All Grain Brewing Process

Good morning. It officially feels like brewing season now that Autumn is in full swing. There’s something that feels right about brewing with a chill in the air. Time to pull out the brew kit and gross your family and friends out with the lingering smell of boiling wort.

-Brandon Copeland

FYI - If you did not receive the first Brew Great Beer newsletter “The Best Homebrewing Setup”, check your spam folder or read it online here. We updated our email to [email protected] to try to avoid issues in the future.

How to Level Up Your All Grain Brewing Process

We live in the golden age of information - anything you can possibly want to know how to do, you can find on the internet. Homebrewing is no different - there are thousands of articles, forums and videos out there on how to brew beer at home.

However, it’s easy to suffer from information overload. There are so many different opinions on the right way to do something, and you never know if the random person on a forum knows what they are talking about (spoiler alert: they don’t).

What’s the Easiest Way to Level Up?

I spent countless years of trial and error to get where I’m at today as an all grain homebrewer, and it involved many less than desirable batches of beer in the process. I recently found a way that you can skip these hardships and level up your game to brew great all grain beer every time.

Matt Giovanisci, the man behind the website and YouTube channel Brew Cabin, created a course called Level Up All Grain. Immediately when I see “online course” I get skeptical - there are too many internet gurus out there nowadays that it’s hard to confirm the credibility of the creator.

However, I did my homework and took the whole course (there are 40 videos of content) and I can say that I was blown away by the quality and depth of material that is covered in the course.

I actually learned a lot from watching the lessons - even with 10 years of homebrewing experience, there is still always more to be learned. His sections on water chemistry and canning beer were particularly interesting and gave me a lot of ideas for my next batch as well as my brewing equipment wish list... (I have my eye on this refurbished Cannular)

His homebrewing system is one of the best I have ever seen - if nothing else you will take the course and get ideas on how to improve your own system, even if it’s not the $20k brewery he built (guessing on price - probably cost more).

I would definitely say this course is advanced - if you are just starting with homebrewing or have never brewed all grain before, it may be overwhelming. However, if you at least have an all grain brew under your belt, this course could be a gamechanger in your brewing knowledge.

He goes through every part of the process - from recipe creation, ingredient selection, brewing equipment, milling grain, creating a yeast starter, best practices on brew day, fermentation, and even several videos on brewhouse cleaning. By the end of the course, you will know absolutely everything you could possibly need to know about brewing great beer consistently.

I don’t recommend things lightly, however after taking the entire course, I would without a doubt recommend it to anyone. Matt leads with integrity and it shines through the entire course, and he teaches all grain homebrewing much better than I ever could - kudos to him.

If you’d like to check out the course, click the link below. If you’re serious about upping your all grain brewing game, you won’t regret it.

FYI - We are an affiliate for the Level Up All Grain course, so if you purchase we will earn a percentage of the sale price. However, I only recommend products that I have personally tested/vetted myself, and I stand by the quality.

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Beer Trivia Question

🍺 What year did homebrewing become legal in the United States?

Read to the end to find out if you're right!

Homebrewing Equipment Highlight

Mighty Mill 2 Roller Grain Mill

One of the least sexy pieces of all grain brewing equipment is the grain mill. However, it can be one of the most useful upgrades that you make because it means you can start buying your grain unmilled in bulk. Buying unmilled grain means that if it is stored properly, it can last for years.

If you at least get your base malt in bulk, it will significantly reduce the cost of your brews over time. Not to mention then you always have grain on hand and can brew whenever you want without having to swing by the homebrew store.

I have had my eye on the Mighty Mill 2 Roller Grain Mill for a while because you can hook your drill to it and make it a much more automatic and relaxing process. My current grain mill might as well be from the 1940’s - I have to hand crank for what feels like an eternity on big beers. There are fancier grain mills out there, but for the price this one is hard to beat.

Here’s to hoping for a good Black Friday deal… 🤞🤞 Next week we will cover the best Black Friday deals we are seeing, so stay tuned!

What’s Brewing in the News

This isn’t new information, but it’s new to me and I think it’s noteworthy. A video game dedicated to homebrewing was launched late in 2022 and actually received pretty good reviews. I can’t believe I didn’t hear about it at the time.

The game, called “Brewmaster Beer Brewing Simulator”, takes you through the entire process of brewing from ingredient selection to cleaning. Apparently it’s “in-depth enough for beer making enthusiasts” according to this article.

If you’re interested in checking it out yourself, it’s $17.99 on Steam. I have to say, I’m tempted to give it a shot…

Last Weeks Poll Results: What Homebrewing Setup Do You Use?

All-In-One brewing systems took the top prize last week with just over 50% of the votes. Thanks everyone for your responses - it was awesome reading the comments about all of your different setups! It’s amazing how many ways there are to make beer at home, with no one way being better than any other.

And the Answer Is...

🍺 Homebrewing didn’t become legal in the United States until 1978. The law stipulated that a one person household could only produce up to 100 gallons of beer per year. Whoops…