Any suggestions for recipe experiments...brewing small quantities?

So if I wanted to try making some wild new recipe...would there be any good way to do so in a smaller batch?

(then later be able to double/triple/etc. the ingredients?)

Anyone have any working methods for this?
I could really end up with something that just doesn't taste right and having 5 gallons of it would be a spectacular waste.

Also, with smaller fermenters, I could try several experiments at a time and save on the cost of a larger fermenter and also save space. If I were to try 3 or 4 different recipes...where am I going to store all that while it ferments for 2 weeks? I don't have a large area to store that.

Any suggestions?
A half gallon or a gallon would be an ideal size....Could I convert a spring water gallon bottle into a fermenter?

tom_m said:

So if I wanted to try making some wild new recipe...would there be any good way to do so in a smaller batch?

(then later be able to double/triple/etc. the ingredients?)

Anyone have any working methods for this?
I could really end up with something that just doesn't taste right and having 5 gallons of it would be a spectacular waste.

Also, with smaller fermenters, I could try several experiments at a time and save on the cost of a larger fermenter and also save space. If I were to try 3 or 4 different recipes...where am I going to store all that while it ferments for 2 weeks? I don't have a large area to store that.

Any suggestions?
A half gallon or a gallon would be an ideal size....Could I convert a spring water gallon bottle into a fermenter?

Click to expand...

1 gallon jugs, like the type that they have at Whole Foods filled with apple juice, are great for stuff like this. A #6 stopper with a hole in it for your airlock works great. Obviously you'll have less than 1 gallon of beer in the end after trub losses and headspace/blowoff, but you'll get the point. You could brew in a 1/2 gallon growler (or 2L bottle for that matter), but to me I don't see the point. I've made starters just about that big But it would be possible, absolutely.

As far as where to store it, that's something you'll have to figure out. We don't see into your home to tell you where things will fit. Also, why are you thinking about doing 3 or 4 at a time while experimenting? Like one batch split into three fermenters with three different yeasts? Or three different recipes with one yeast? Each one will be work in itself, including note-taking, gravity measuring, taste testing, and brewing it up in the first place. That is four different starts and ends. Why not just do one start a time (or 2?), so you can keep track of things as they happen, and you'll have a sixpack or so to drink in the end.

Well yea, I don't expect anyone to know the space I'm working with =) Except for the fact that with 1 gallon jugs or growlers (great idea) I can store more than I could with 6 gallon carboys...

The note taking I don't mind. The time is not super important, I have four burners on the stove...If I were to make two or three even at a time, it's quite possible, over the course of an hour, to take notes on what I added and when... Also possible to then quickly cool down and put into fermenters. The items aren't as heavy, quicker/easier to clean, etc.

Reading the original gravity is not a intensive or long process... Nor do I really need to worry about cleaning the tube/meter ... I can just measure and dump the wort. I'm not trying to save every ounce for drinking. I'm trying to find something that tastes good and experiment.

Also why a 2 liter jug is ok too is because if I can get a liter of beer...It should be enough to know if it tastes good or not and if I want to make a larger quantity. Though I'd probably go with a gallon fermenter / half gallon of beer.

Thanks for the ideas on containers to use!

I don't know why I never thought of this. I've got a couple of recipes fleshed out but wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to an entire 5 gallon batch if it's not exactly what I want.