Explain to the noob.
Extract is easier to buy/use?
On a side note, did you ever have Great Lakes Monster? It was amazing.
This is a pretty good article that explains the difference but in a nutshell,
Extract brewing is brewing with sugars that have already been extracted from malted barley while all grain brewing extracts the sugars from malted barley and first and then continues with the same brew process as extract brewing.
Extract brewing is quicker to brew though not any quicker to ferment, a lot less complicated, but the cons are that its is much more expensive than all-grain, and you have a lot less control over the variables that go into making great beer.
All-grain brewing takes a lot longer, is way more complicated, but is much cheaper and you have control over almost every variable that goes into making beer. It also requires more specialized equipment.
It's almost a no-brainer to go with extract for the first few brews.
I haven't had that beer as it is not distributed in my area (S Florida), but an Imperial IPA with 9% ABV is certainly my style.
If you want to duplicate that beer, it's a pretty easy beer to make and they even publish their
recipe on their website.
It would take longer though due to the higher alcohol content.