Many Small Brews, or Few Big Brews?

Jefe · 11-02-2006, 11:14 PM

Question:

As a "new" brewer, I have grandiose dreams and schemes and would like to brew just a hundred different varieties of beer right away so I can try and taste and decide on the ones I really like.
(I also want to create an online catalogue of the recipes I've tried, or others have given me permission to use).

Would it be strange to brew 3 or 4 1 gallon or 2 gallon batches at once instead of 2 5 gallone batches at a time?

With a 6-10 week turn around on simple brews, it would seem to make sense to simply do more brewing and get more experience.

**Yuri_Rage** · 11-02-2006, 11:17 PM

I know a few folks around here try their recipes out in 1 gallon batches, but most usually scale them up after experimenting.

For me, I just overdo everything, so I brew at least 5 gallons at a time and have recently taken to brewing 15 gallons. I'm a "many big brews" kinda guy.

**Baron von BeeGee** · 11-02-2006, 11:18 PM

I think some people do follow that strategy. For me, I had sampled so many beers before I started brewing I had a pretty good idea of what appealed to me but I still occasionally stumble across something new I want to try. I normally try to find a commercial example first, though. I thought I wanted to try a rauchbier, but after drinking a Schlenkerla I changed my mind.

Also, imagine you make an awesome batch but only have 1g!

**Chairman Cheyco** · 11-02-2006, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baron von BeeGee

Also, imagine you make an awesome batch but only have 1g!

My first AG brew was a half-batch and it was awesome and gone very quickly. Brew more and invite your buddies over to drink it.

Evan! · 11-03-2006, 12:05 AM

I dunno...for me, most of the "cost" of a batch is the time spent brewing. So if I'm going to invest time in the process, I figger I might as well make all I can.

Ol' Grog · 11-03-2006, 02:06 PM

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, the new brewer and the wait. That was my hardest part. Your anxious, curious and above all, desperate. Just brew like crazy and make sure you have enough bottles and/or kegs. It's worth the wait. I say take the plunge and just make the standard 5 gallon batches. If you get into splitting parts up, you risk a greater likely hood of contamination.

KopyKat · 11-03-2006, 02:19 PM

I started in Feb and have brewed 14 batches of 5 gallon brews. I am now scaling back. Too much beer on hand and when I brew one that I am not crazy about, I am stuck with 5 gallons.
I will only brew lagers in 5 gallon batches from now on. I like to try a lot of different styles and recipes so I am going to be doing 2 1/2 gallon or less of each batch.
If you just want the same beer each time or have a lot of people to drink the beer, then I would do 5 gallon batches. If like me you want to try a lot of different beers and don't have a bunch of people to drink it up, go smaller.

Jeff Meyers · 11-07-2006, 01:38 PM

Scroll to the middle of the page linked below. I've had a blast using my pilot system. I make 2 to 3.5 gallon batches with it.

http://www.sabrewers.org/meyersbrewery.htm

**olllllo** · 11-07-2006, 04:16 PM

Bear in mind that a beers character can change with aging. You are more likely to see the effects of aging beer if you have a larger quantity on hand.

Also, 5 gallon batches IMO are at the right size because of the challenges in boiling, cooling wort, managing temperature, storing. All of these are also learning experiences that help when you want to scale up to 10+ gal.

mew · 11-09-2006, 03:32 AM

I'm planning on doing exactly that, brewing five different gallon-batches instead of one five-gallon batch. If I really like something, I can attempt to recreate it using my five-gallon fermenter.