My first all-grain batch

After two years of extract kits I finally tried brewing from grain, with nothing new beyond a large pot and a grain bag sewn from voile curtain fabric.

I hit the mash temperature five degrees high, panicked, and added cold water until it was three degrees low. Lifting the bag took two people and a broom handle. The gravity came in at 1.046, lower than planned.

After three weeks in bottles it was a clear, nutty amber ale that friends assumed came from a shop. That was enough to make all-grain the default.