1 Gallon Batches

I recently got a bunch of 1 Gallon Glass jugs so I can do some small batches to really test out some hop combonations and not have 5 gallons of something that doesn't work. For such a small batch what would be the best way to make beer, BIAB, or my usually all grain set up but at a much smaller scale? Any help on this would be great.
Thanks

Rau71 said:

I recently got a bunch of 1 Gallon Glass jugs so I can do some small batches to really test out some hop combonations and not have 5 gallons of something that doesn't work. For such a small batch what would be the best way to make beer, BIAB, or my usually all grain set up but at a much smaller scale? Any help on this would be great.
Thanks

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I finally got all the equipment to start doing small test batches, and I plan on doing a BIAB tea bag style. Mash your grain in a bag in 1 vessel, then heat up sparge water in another, when it comes time to sparge lift up bag, let it drain a bit, then dunk it in sparge water.

Check out this thread...lots of great information about 1 gallon batches.

http://https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/1-gallon-brewers-unite-311884/

This is just me but when I'm doing my 1-gallon BIAB test batches I just say screw the efficiency and a full volume mash without a sparge or mashout. When I go small I go for simplicity.

And yes, as you can tell, I'd suggest BIAB. It is a nice way to mix it up from all grain so you don't get bored of your process and it gives you something new to learn. I enjoy it. Time saved is pretty negligible but it is significantly easier for me because I don't need to haul up the cooler and burner up from the basement and then bring those back down to clean.

2 and 3 gallon pots along with a strainer for the sparging. Pretty ghetto, pretty simple, and yet I get 70% which I am okay with

Didn't think of this at first but if you are doing a one gallon batch in a one gallon jug you should think about blowoff tubes from the beginning. I usually ferment mine in three gallon better bottles and figure that the headspace won't matter because the CO2 from fermentation will push any oxygen out.

Mumbly said:

I finally got all the equipment to start doing small test batches, and I plan on doing a BIAB tea bag style. Mash your grain in a bag in 1 vessel, then heat up sparge water in another, when it comes time to sparge lift up bag, let it drain a bit, then dunk it in sparge water.

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I'm getting ready for my first all grain batch. 1 gallon because I don't have money or space for 5 gallon equipment, but I do have a 2 gallon cooler floting around....

I think I'm going to do it this way. Mash in the cooler at the 1.25/1.3 quarts/gallon, with my grains in a bag, remove the grains, then dump the the "first runnings". Dump my sparge water in the now-empty cooler, put my grains back and then I should be sparged...

Who knows how efficent this will be (especially since this will be my first all grain and I'm not gonna mess with PH or anything like that), but I'll have beer when it's done so it's all good. Relax, dont worry and drink a homebrew right?

Mumbly said:

I finally got all the equipment to start doing small test batches, and I plan on doing a BIAB tea bag style. Mash your grain in a bag in 1 vessel, then heat up sparge water in another, when it comes time to sparge lift up bag, let it drain a bit, then dunk it in sparge water.

Click to expand...

Okay, so I've done a number of small batch BIAB, but have never thought to do BIAB like this. Now I'm smacking myself in the head. Brilliant!

inhousebrew said:

This is just me but when I'm doing my 1-gallon BIAB test batches I just say screw the efficiency and a full volume mash without a sparge or mashout. When I go small I go for simplicity.

And yes, as you can tell, I'd suggest BIAB. It is a nice way to mix it up from all grain so you don't get bored of your process and it gives you something new to learn. I enjoy it. Time saved is pretty negligible but it is significantly easier for me because I don't need to haul up the cooler and burner up from the basement and then bring those back down to clean.

Click to expand...

Same here, I do it as simple and quick as possible. 1 pot, quick and dirty.