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JeffoC6 · 03-10-2012, 05:22 PM

I'm tired of hearing all you big boy 5-Gallon brewers telling us 1-Gallon brewers to step up.

A lot of us brew 1-Gallon batches because that's all we have room for right now, not because we're afraid of stepping up our game. Trust me, if I could, I would, but in the meantime I'm actually really feeling the 1-Gallon game. Here's why:

Brew Day takes me about 3-4 hours, which includes cleanup.

I know one of the main points from 5-Gallon brewers is that "if you brew something amazing, you only have 10 bottles of it." My response- "Yea? So?" If I brew something amazing, chances are I'll brew something else amazing, and then perhaps I'll go back and brew that amazing beer again. And again.

5-Gallon brewers are always so quick to tell me- "Why put all that work in for just 10 beers." I'm not sure about you guys, but I don't consider my brew days as "work." I'm an insurance underwriter by day, but thoroughly enjoy cooking and now, brewing. I love the processes, and feel that it actually calms me. So work? I think not...

And lastly, I love the fact that I always have new things coming out of my pipeline. Yea, I just finished up drinking a really great IPA kit, but as sad as I may be to see it go, I can't wait to crack open my Weinstephaner Dunkel clone next! I'd rather have a few of LOTS of things than 50 of the same thing for 3 weeks.

So to all you big boy 5-Gallon + brewers out there, don't be so quick to hate on us 1-Gallon brewers. While eventually we'll graduate to your status, in the meantime, we're totally feeling what we've got going right now, and it's just as enjoyable for us, as it is for you.

*Disclaimer*
This thread is not meant to pick a fight or evoke negativity. It is simply in jest, although, steeped in believed truths

amd133mhz · 03-10-2012, 05:34 PM

I have been brewing partial extract kits 5 gallons,and I want to make a 1 gallon batch but have no idea how to either cut ingredients from a 5 gallon kit,which I wouldn't really wanna do anyways. I was thinking cutting a mr beer kit between two 1 gallon fermenters,

any ideas on that?

any ideas on making 1 gallon batches?

Thanks

**Revvy** · 03-10-2012, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amd133mhz

I have been brewing partial extract kits 5 gallons,and I want to make a 1 gallon batch but have no idea how to either cut ingredients from a 5 gallon kit,which I wouldn't really wanna do anyways. I was thinking cutting a mr beer kit between two 1 gallon fermenters,

any ideas on that?

any ideas on making 1 gallon batches?

Thanks

If it's a 5 gallon recipe, just divide the recipe by 5....Beer recipes are scalable. a 1 gallon recipe is 1/5 the ingredients of a 5 gallon batch, a 2.5 gallon batch is half the ingredients of a 5 gallon batch....

**Revvy** · 03-10-2012, 05:45 PM

Honestly Jeff, I haven't seen many brewers turn their noses up and small batch brewing, and if they do, we hit them with a rolled up newspaper. Over the last few years small batch brewing has been looked at as being OK....Even one gallon batches thanks to the Brooklyn Brew Kits.

The basic brewing folks I think went a long way into given 1 gallon batches cache.

Plus it's never been sneered at for wine/mead and cider makers. I gallon batches are quite common on that front.

I prefer 2.5 gallon batches for small batch beer brewing, because 2.5 gallons = 1 case of beer.

But there's nothing wrong with 1 gallon batches if folks want to brew them. In fact I'm looking for some 1 gallon wine jugs as we speak.

tom_gamer · 03-10-2012, 05:51 PM

I would say the negativity towards 1 gallon brewers comes from people because of the little additional time needed to brew 5 gallons vs 1.

If 1 gallon works for you, then great keep it up. Also I wouldn't consider it stepping up, going extract to all grain is stepping it up.

**Brewskii** · 03-10-2012, 05:51 PM

I pilot my cockamamy ideas in 1 gallon batches.

Like the pros only smaller. This way I don't end up with 3 cases of imperial spinach extra special vanilla stout eisbock!

nbolmer · 03-10-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffoC6

I'm tired of hearing all you big boy 5-Gallon brewers telling us 1-Gallon brewers to step up.

A lot of us brew 1-Gallon batches because that's all we have room for right now, not because we're afraid of stepping up our game. Trust me, if I could, I would, but in the meantime I'm actually really feeling the 1-Gallon game. Here's why:

Brew Day takes me about 3-4 hours, which includes cleanup.

I know one of the main points from 5-Gallon brewers is that "if you brew something amazing, you only have 10 bottles of it." My response- "Yea? So?" If I brew something amazing, chances are I'll brew something else amazing, and then perhaps I'll go back and brew that amazing beer again. And again.

5-Gallon brewers are always so quick to tell me- "Why put all that work in for just 10 beers." I'm not sure about you guys, but I don't consider my brew days as "work." I'm an insurance underwriter by day, but thoroughly enjoy cooking and now, brewing. I love the processes, and feel that it actually calms me. So work? I think not...

And lastly, I love the fact that I always have new things coming out of my pipeline. Yea, I just finished up drinking a really great IPA kit, but as sad as I may be to see it go, I can't wait to crack open my Weinstephaner Dunkel clone next! I'd rather have a few of LOTS of things than 50 of the same thing for 3 weeks.

So to all you big boy 5-Gallon + brewers out there, don't be so quick to hate on us 1-Gallon brewers. While eventually we'll graduate to your status, in the meantime, we're totally feeling what we've got going right now, and it's just as enjoyable for us, as it is for you.

*Disclaimer*
This thread is not meant to pick a fight or evoke negativity. It is simply in jest, although, steeped in believed truths

Is mocking 1 gallon brewers actually a thing? In 15 years, I've never seen someone upbraided simply for brewing smaller. Weird.

A Homebrew club I was in actually had a really fun competition - to brew one pint of beer, all grain. I have to tell you, it is a ton of fun devising a way to mash and boil in tiny quantities. I made a miniature 3 tier pyrex system, and scaled down a recipe that I had made many times. Turned out nearly identical to the 10 gallon version.

JeffoC6 · 03-10-2012, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nbolmer

Is mocking 1 gallon brewers actually a thing? In 15 years, I've never seen someone upbraided simply for brewing smaller. Weird.

A Homebrew club I was in actually had a really fun competition - to brew one pint of beer, all grain. I have to tell you, it is a ton of fun devising a way to mash and boil in tiny quantities. I made a miniature 3 tier pyrex system, and scaled down a recipe that I had made many times. Turned out nearly identical to the 10 gallon version.

Its not really "mocking." Its more of those comments made in random threads when 1-Gallon brewers are asking for help/scaling down/etc., ya know the one's I'm talking about: "Just brew a 5 gallon batch. If you have enough room for 1-Gallon, you have enough room for 5-Gallons." Or, "Why not just do 5-Gallons? I can't fathom putting in all that work for 10 beers."

I see it constantly, especially when asking a question. Best thing about those comments are that my original question remains unanswered hahaha.

TrubHead · 03-10-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy

Honestly Jeff, I haven't seen many brewers turn their noses up and small batch brewing, and if they do, we hit them with a rolled up newspaper. Over the last few years small batch brewing has been looked at as being OK....Even one gallon batches thanks to the Brooklyn Brew Kits.

The basic brewing folks I think went a long way into given 1 gallon batches cache.

Plus it's never been sneered at for wine/mead and cider makers. I gallon batches are quite common on that front.

I prefer 2.5 gallon batches for small batch beer brewing, because 2.5 gallons = 1 case of beer.

But there's nothing wrong with 1 gallon batches if folks want to brew them. In fact I'm looking for some 1 gallon wine jugs as we speak.

Also prefer 2.5 gallon batches (current equipment limits up to 3 gal brewing). Last 2 all grain batches have been 3 gallons but thinking about dropping to 2.5 gallons for numerous reasons.

nbolmer · 03-10-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffoC6

Its not really "mocking." Its more of those comments made in random threads when 1-Gallon brewers are asking for help/scaling down/etc., ya know the one's I'm talking about: "Just brew a 5 gallon batch. If you have enough room for 1-Gallon, you have enough room for 5-Gallons." Or, "Why not just do 5-Gallons? I can't fathom putting in all that work for 10 beers."

I see it constantly, especially when asking a question. Best thing about those comments are that my original question remains unanswered hahaha.

Ahh. I see what you mean. They're legitimate questions though - new brewers might not understand that the effort, time, and equipment involved to brew 1 or 5 gallons is about the same, and were going 1 gallon just out of timidity, which is why 5 is the standard homebrew batch. If one gallon makes ya happy, go for it, but it's unusual enough to evoke questions.

On the other hand, JUST focusing on your batch size and not answering your original question would be annoying.

EDIT: If enough people are doing this, how about a mini-batch forum category here?