How small of a batch could you brew?

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ReverseApacheMaster

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Lots of people ask about 2.5 gallon and gallon recipes, but how small of a batch do you think you could effectively brew that would have the same consistency and quality of a full five or ten gallon batch? Ignore the time or ingredient efficiency issues...

1/2 gallon? 32oz? 12oz??
 
HA this is a fun thought.

To keep with the spirit of it you cannot just brew a small batch and then take a picoliter from it. You must be able to go from grain to... test tube??...
 
I dunno, but I was considering building a 3-tier with a 1 gallon igloo cooler and a couple of camp stove burners... This reminded me of that.
 
If you could brew a 12oz batch you could ferment in a bottle and as fermentation comes to an end just cap it and let it naturally carbonate. You could mash in a coffee cup.
 
I've heard of homebrew clubs running a competition where members had to brew one pint of beer and submit it for judging. I think that would be really fun.
 
The 1 pint idea really appeals to me for some reason. Wonder if beersmith can help with a batch that small? Off I go to find out!
 
the smallest ones i do are 1/4 gallon experimental batches. you dont waste really any money on trying out those crazy brew ideas. also a fast brew and easy clean up.
 
Beersmith does accept a batch size of .13 gallons, which is roughly 1 pint. The total amount of water needed for my quick test is 1.61 gallons! This could really get interesting.
 
One thing about going down in volume is how precise and accurate you have to be with hop measurements. When I was doing 1 gal batches I went to grams for hop measurements for more precision and weigh using a reloading scale for accuracy. I stopped cause I felt I was not getting enough beer for the effort on brew day. So I went back to 2.5gl batches. Of course the 5gl guys can argue the same thing about the 2.5gl batches but you get the point. Even if the beer sucked I would still drink it. Every last bit. Although I still weigh hops in grams and use the reloading scale.
 
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