zacster

Recipes 

Maybe it isn't worth the trouble, but does anybody do a half batch, 2.5g instead of the usual 5?

If I'm going to make unusual beers I know that I don't need 2 cases. I just can't imagine drinking more than a few honey or cherry or whatever beers before I get tired of the taste. Usually a 6 pack is all I really need.

I don't think it would matter if I just halve the ingredients, or maybe split the flavorings into 2 batches. There isn't anything magical about 5 gallons. It's all an art anyway. The only thing is the prep time remains the same, except for the bottling, so I don't save anything there.

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• Bottled and drinking:American IPA, a little over-carbonated in the bottle. Not bad if you let it settle out
• Bottled and waiting:All-grain American Lager (first all grain) - Still flat after 6 weeks.
• Bottled and waiting:Irish Dry Stout. Didn't get the water from Dublin though
• In primary:Stone Ruination clone, except I didn't hit the gravity. It is still good though.

Ya know, they're like rabbits, except they do it solo

EvilTOJ

Recipes 

I know at least one HBT'er (benny blanco) makes 1 gallon batches as mad scientist experiments. If you're willing to put in the same amount of work for a gallon as for 5 gallons, well, then it's your beer, doo it!

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

david_42

Recipes 

I don't make half batches, but I do split batches. I've done different yeasts, different fermentation temperatures, dry hopping and adding steepings or other flavorings.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

Revvy

Recipes 

The guys at basic brewing radio/video are big proponents of small batch brewing...

There are several audio & video podcasts on that subject on basicbrewing.com

I'm working on an article about doing small batch allgrain in mr beer fermentors...I'm reformulating some of my 5 gallon PM recipes into 2.5 gallon AG batches.....and blowing the dust off my little brown keg.

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The Open Heart Surgery Recovery "Dramedy" continues!

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

FatMonsters

Recipes 

This is what I did for my mint chocolate stout and spiced winter ale; I made 3 gallons of each, kinda as a limited release since i wasn't sure how much I'd want or how well it'd be received. But now looking back, I wish I had made the full 5 gallons of the stout, its really good. The spiced winter is still harsh and mellowing, so I guess it'll be for winter 2008 by the time it comes into its own, so hard to tell if I'm going to regret only 3 gallons...

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Drinking: Brown Ale, Belgian, Apple Ale
Planning: Scotch Ale, Stout

malkore

Recipes 

I sometimes do 3gallon batches, all grain, in the cold winter months using my kitchen stove.

that still nets you a full case and about a 6pack.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

Brewbeard

Recipes 

Right now all I can do are partial mashes. I was thinking about doing a 2.5 gallon batch that would just be the wort from the partial mash. It would give me a taste of all grain brewing.

XxonValdez

Recipes 

I plan on doing 2.5 gallon batches as I got all my equipment from an old lab in the basement of my research building, i got a bunch of 4L Erlenmeyer flasks to brew in with buildt in blow off attachments in the necks, not ideal but it was free and will function very nicely. I also got a bunch of stir plates and a vortexer as well as a bunch of other cool glass bottles and some really nice volumetric flasks in a bunch of different sizes, also got a CO2 regulator out of the place as well, it was a pretty fun day ....anyhow yes I do half batches.

zacster

Recipes 

Maybe once I get an inventory built up I'll do some smaller batches of specialty beers then. At this point I have my 2 batches going, and I'm going to do a third as soon as the fermenter is free. I'm thinking one heavy beer and one flavored and maybe a spiced beer. Since no one in my house really drinks any of these even on an occasional basis they'd only be for guests/parties/tastings.

With a half size batch I can do an almost full boil too.

One other question, does it matter if I just use my 5 gallon bucket and carboy? That's all I have and I'm not buying any more, my wife will kill me.

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• Bottled and drinking:American IPA, a little over-carbonated in the bottle. Not bad if you let it settle out
• Bottled and waiting:All-grain American Lager (first all grain) - Still flat after 6 weeks.
• Bottled and waiting:Irish Dry Stout. Didn't get the water from Dublin though
• In primary:Stone Ruination clone, except I didn't hit the gravity. It is still good though.

Ya know, they're like rabbits, except they do it solo

Danek

Recipes 

Nah, that'll be fine. That's what I do for my experimental split batches, with no ill-effects.

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Bottle conditioning: Pliny the Elder clone; Tramp's Overcoat Barley Wine
Next up: Vanilla Porter