1v5 gallon brews

I've brewed up 3 batches so far. One was brewed by bringing a gallon of water to a boil while the last two were made with bringing 5 gallons to a boil. The first batch was really good, the second was good, and the third was terrible (added too much spice and it didn't carbonate).

Are there some different steps or something I need to be aware of when I boil 5 gallons at a time instead of boiling 1 gallon? I used the same procedure when brewing all three times, the only difference between the three (besides different fermentables) was that I used more water.

Also, sorry if this has already been asked. I am not very adept with the search feature and key words.

Boiling 5 gallons vs. 1 gallon are really the same thing, just larger volumes. The quantity of extract/grain and hops and yeast will be different as well. The major difference is the time it takes to boil and the size of the kettle/pots/fermenters you'll use.

do you mean these were all 5 gallon batches but the first was a 1 gallon boil with 4 gallons of top off water?

Three different recipes (it sounds like) yielding three different results... Who would have guessed.

Another difference between partial boil and full batch boil (assuming you're fermenting less than 5 gallons here) is hop utilization. When you actually boil enough to end up with the total amount going into fermenter, you'll get better hop utilization.

Keep in mind, using different fermentables means you made three different beers. If you used different yeast or hops, guess what? You made three very different beers. Even fermenting the exact same recipe at different temperatures will result in different beers. It's like cars... A mini isn't the same as a BMW M5 or an Audi RS8. Sure, they're all cars with wheels and engines, but... Well, I hope you get the point.

Unless you held everything constant, same grain bill or malt extract, water profile, gravity, hop schedule, fermentation temps... it's probably more likely the recipe you didn't like as much. You said you over-spiced one. What was the difference between the first and second?
If I were you, I'd try brewing the first recipe scaled to 5 gallons. Hopefully you kept notes on your water, etc. The main difference between 1 and 5 is that you might get different hot/cold breaks. Hop utilization might be a little different since small weights are larger % differences in small batches vs large. Since it takes longer to cool, a zero minute addition might have a different profile in 5 than in 1. Tons of variables. Definitely repeat one you know you liked.

Thank you to everyone for the responses. Yes, I do mean that they were all 5 gallon batches but the first one I added the 4 gallons to.

I also do realize that different recipes have different results. I was just wondering if something was off. Like if I needed more hops or something else.

Mowi said:

Thank you to everyone for the responses. Yes, I do mean that they were all 5 gallon batches but the first one I added the 4 gallons to.

I also do realize that different recipes have different results. I was just wondering if something was off. Like if I needed more hops or something else.

Click to expand...

Without the recipes, no idea... What you're asking is akin to trying to have a doctor diagnose someone that they can't see, hear, touch, interact with in any way other than text. Also, that person isn't giving any real information, or gives it very slowly, in bits and pieces.

That does make sense, Golddiggie, and I probably should have realized that. The first beer I made was from a kit (specifically True Brew Oktoberfest Home Brew Beer Ingredient Kit).

For the second brew I used:
0.5 oz Crystal 40L
2 oz Cascade 1 Hop pellets
6 oz Hallertau Hop pellets
4 lb. Golden Light Malt
3.5 lb. Amber Malt
Irish Moss
SafAle US-05 yeast
Dextrose

After boiling I added liquid malt. Then I brought it Boiled

For the third I used:
4.0 lb. pale malt
3.5 lb. amber malt
0.5 lb crystal malt
1 lb clover honey
2.5 oz hallertauer hops
0.5 oz cascade hops
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Irish Moss
Y1056 American Yeast
Dextrose

Mowi said:

That does make sense, Golddiggie, and I probably should have realized that. The first beer I made was from a kit (specifically True Brew Oktoberfest Home Brew Beer Ingredient Kit).

For the second brew I used:
0.5 oz Crystal 40L
2 oz Cascade 1 Hop pellets
6 oz Hallertau Hop pellets
4 lb. Golden Light Malt
3.5 lb. Amber Malt
Irish Moss
SafAle US-05 yeast
Dextrose

After boiling I added liquid malt. Then I brought it Boiled

For the third I used:
4.0 lb. pale malt
3.5 lb. amber malt
0.5 lb crystal malt
1 lb clover honey
2.5 oz hallertauer hops
0.5 oz cascade hops
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Irish Moss
Y1056 American Yeast
Dextrose

Click to expand...

So three completely different brews were made. :cross: I think you've found at least one type of beer you'll not brew again. If the spice hit is too heavy right now, let it age out some and try it again. Give it a few months, and sample a bottle. You could be surprised at how it changes over time.

That is what I thought about doing. Thanks again for the help. I'm glad to know that it was not a mistake I made in the brewing process.