1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

I do 1-gallon meads and such and I love the idea of doing 1-gallon beers. Would anyone care to share photos of their 1-gallon all-grain setup? I am confused about the bias method vs methods requiring sparging, etc. thus far I am an extract + steeping grains brewer at 5-gallons. 1-gallon batches may gain me spousal support for larger batches if they are successful. How do you scale yeast for 1-gallon?

Cheers,
-Blake

This is the thread for me. I'll be brewing for the first time this weekend - an all grain one gallon batch of brown ale from the Brooklyn Brew Shop book. I didn't get a kit, but instead purchased the basic ingredients from Midwest. I got all the equipment I need, plus enough grain, hops and yeast to do two batches for the same price as one of their kits. The kits are neat, but I love getting more for my money.

Space and variety are the two reasons I'm starting out with small batches. A lot of people think that everyone should have room for a 5 gallon carboy, but my husband and I are living with our 8 month old son in a small one bedroom apartment. There just isn't space for one right now, but a gallon jug I can manage.

I also like the idea of getting to try new beer more often than a larger batch would afford. Wish me luck this weekend - I'm excited to get the ball rolling.

blakelyc said:

I do 1-gallon meads and such and I love the idea of doing 1-gallon beers. Would anyone care to share photos of their 1-gallon all-grain setup? I am confused about the bias method vs methods requiring sparging, etc. thus far I am an extract + steeping grains brewer at 5-gallons. 1-gallon batches may gain me spousal support for larger batches if they are successful. How do you scale yeast for 1-gallon?

Cheers,
-Blake

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I hit 70% using two pots and a strainer. I use a 12 quart pot for mashing (You want to use something low, the higher the water line in the pot, the less heat you will use) and a 16 quart for my boil (avoid boilovers). I mash for a little over an hour then dump the grains into one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VZOOOY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Get one that matches the diameter of your pots (hopefully your pots are the same size) so you can simply put the strainer on top of the pot, dump in your grains.

Let it drain for a minute, I often lift it up and tilt in several directions, then put the grains on top of the other pot, and SLOWLY pour the wort back through the grains, try to pour over every area but more than half through the middle. Repeat two more times.

Add the grains back to the mash pot, add your sparge water. I also have a 1 gallon pot I transfer my wort to and start heating up immediately. Stir like crazy, wait a few minutes. Repeat the whole process. I have hit 75% but my last 6 batches are all 69.5% And this is with precrushed grains as well.


Thats it. I have a few other small mesh strainers I use to pour the wort through into a chill pot to capture all the hop material, etc. A smaller pot is nice to chill in because I can easily fit it in my sink/ice-bath

As for yeast...a half pack without rehydration will take care of most beers, even higher gravity like I usually do. 3 grams is usually what you need. I often do double batch brewdays so I can use the whole pack right there.


No pics as of now, doing a fathers day triple batch brewday (Just got citra, simcoe, centinneal and summit for a few single hopped IPAs and my tasty original recipe) but I will take some then...good luck!

Well....there you go! I never knew people brewed in batches smaller than 5 gallons. I was introduced to this craft doing 5 gallons at a time. I love having 2 cases of beer when I am finished.

Calichusetts said:

Add the grains back to the mash pot, add your sparge water. I also have a 1 gallon pot I transfer my wort to and start heating up immediately. Stir like crazy, wait a few minutes. Repeat the whole process. I have hit 75% but my last 6 batches are all 69.5% And this is with precrushed grains as well.

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Hi Calichusetts,

Can I just ask you to clarify what you're doing in this step? It sounds to me like you take the first runnings and recirculate them through the grain a couple of times, then basically soak the grains for a few minutes in your sparge water, collect second runnings, recirculate THOSE through the grains a couple of times, then dump the second runnings into the boil kettle along with the first runnings. Is that more or less it?

My procedure has been to collect the first runnings, then to pour the sparge water through the grain into the same pot as the first runnings, then to circulate the whole volume of wort once or twice through the grain again. My efficiency seems to be in the low to mid 60s, so I'm wondering if I can boost that a bit by adopting something more like your method.

Thanks!

ZedBrewer said:

Hi Calichusetts,

Can I just ask you to clarify what you're doing in this step? It sounds to me like you take the first runnings and recirculate them through the grain a couple of times, then basically soak the grains for a few minutes in your sparge water, collect second runnings, recirculate THOSE through the grains a couple of times, then dump the second runnings into the boil kettle along with the first runnings. Is that more or less it?

My procedure has been to collect the first runnings, then to pour the sparge water through the grain into the same pot as the first runnings, then to circulate the whole volume of wort once or twice through the grain again. My efficiency seems to be in the low to mid 60s, so I'm wondering if I can boost that a bit by adopting something more like your method.

Thanks!

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I too was getting low 60s with your method. You are correct...I run the "first runnings" through the grain 3 times, allowing about a minute for it all to drain each time as I lift the strainer and tilt it in different directions. Add them back to the sparge, stir like crazy and let it sit for a few minutes, the repeat the draining process. I am not recirculating the first runnings with the sparge, that is already heating up.

Other things that have helped me are stirring fairly often during the mash, every 5 to 10 minutes, not using a bag, and extending my mash to 75 minutes. Once I get my own grain mill I can really see how well this works but I haven't fallen below 70% in quite some time now.

Good luck!

Thanks very much for the clarification!

My 1st batch was a brooklyn brew shop summer wheat. Yech. But i was intrigued enough to keep trying. Found a lhbs and bought ingredients for a pale that turned out really well. I did the 2-pot sparge thing maybe 3 times before switching to single pot biab.

Got tired of ending up with 7 grolsch bottles after all that work and upgraded to 7.5g kettles and a 10g mash tun, but i have some 1g test batches planned.

And fwiw i think the bbs kits are an OK way to start but if you have an lhbs you can jump into 1 gallon biab for less money with some help from anyone who was brewed before.

TimpanogosSlim said:

And fwiw i think the bbs kits are an OK way to start but if you have an lhbs you can jump into 1 gallon biab for less money with some help from anyone who was brewed before.

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I started with BBS, and that's basically where most of my current process comes from, though I don't use their kits any more.

But all this raises another question that's been flitting around in my head. If I were to just do a full-volume mash in one pot, then dump the contents of the mash pot through a strainer or colander into the boil kettle and let it drain for a few minutes, is that really any different from BIAB?

Another way to put the question, I guess, is what purpose does the bag serve in the BIAB method, other than giving you a convenient way to separate the grains from the sweet wort?

Thanks!

ZedBrewer said:

I started with BBS, and that's basically where most of my current process comes from, though I don't use their kits any more.

But all this raises another question that's been flitting around in my head. If I were to just do a full-volume mash in one pot, then dump the contents of the mash pot through a strainer or colander into the boil kettle and let it drain for a few minutes, is that really any different from BIAB?

Another way to put the question, I guess, is what purpose does the bag serve in the BIAB method, other than giving you a convenient way to separate the grains from the sweet wort?

Thanks!

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BIAB lets you use a single pot for the whole process, and you don't lose as much heat when you pull the bag out as you do when you pour from one pot to the next.

Also the grain bag (which is frequently a nylon paint strainer bag that costs just a few dollars) catches more sediment than the strainer.

I pull the bag from the pot to my steamer pan so it drains into that,so i still use a few pots with BIAG.Actually 3 with sparging water steeping.

I've completed 18 batches of 1-gallon brews since January 12th. I started using the BBS kits (the English Brown Ale and then the Everyday IPA) and followed their instructions. I've since converted to 1-gallon BIAB and have hit 70% efficiency consistently. My process is simple. I use a 3 gallon stainless steel stock pot with a built in strainer for pasta. I line the pot and strainer with a paint strainer bag from Home Depot. The built in strainer makes it so the bag doesn't sit on the bottom of the pot and burn. I calculate the amout of water I need, erring on the side of an additional 1/2 quart or so. I add my grains and stir until I reach my mash temp (I use an online calculator to determine strike water/etc.). Once mash temp is reached (usually about a minute of stirring), I cover, wrap in towels, and put in a pre-warmed (and then turned off), oven for 60 min. After 60 min, I put the pot back on the stovetop and stir as I bring the temp and grains up to 170. Once 170 is hit, I cut the heat, cover again, and let it sit on the stovetop for 10 minutes to "mash out." After the 10 minutes are up, I pull out the pasta strainer and bag. I squeeze the ever lovin be-jesus out of the bag as I crank the heat on the kettle, achieving my boil.

I'm right on the mark, give or take a few cups or so, with my amount of wort each and every time. I haven't "topped off" with water since about batch number 4 or 5. Sometimes I have a little too much left over, but its usually gunky and hot break material anyway.

I've got this system down and I'm loving it. Prep time is about 15 min. I clean up while I mash and boil. And my final clean up is about 15 min.

I brewed a 1g Vienna/Centennial SMaSH yesterday using the BIAB technique with a 12qt stock pot and 5g paint strainer. It was much easier than my first patch. It still took around 3 hours but I only needed one pot which made everything easier.

nbolmer said:

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

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This would be a great idea.

Can anyone point me to a thread where recipes about 1 gallon brews are discussed? I feel that to experiment with large quantities is risky and potentially wasteful but am also not sure about recipes. If I intent to make a 5th of a regular batch do I just use a 5th of the ingredients?

TheGingerBrewer said:

Can anyone point me to a thread where recipes about 1 gallon brews are discussed? I feel that to experiment with large quantities is risky and potentially wasteful but am also not sure about recipes. If I intent to make a 5th of a regular batch do I just use a 5th of the ingredients?

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Basically...hops don't always scale the best, especially when going down 20% but its that simple. In my personal experience, always go a little lower with crystal and honey malts as well. They tend to be a little overpowering (unless thats what you are after) with 1 gallon batches. Even 5% can really begin to be an in your face aroma and flavor but everyones palette is different

I am brewing up my Pilgrim Abbey Pomona Ale this weekend...I should probably get around to posting the recipe. Its a damn tasty IPA with orange, grapefruit and tangerine

I am a 5 gallon brewer and kind of a agree with the why waste the time, but I do believe in "to each their own".

My point I want make is that, if you're going to make batches that small, why not do BIAB? It seems to me that you would waste extract otherwise, I doubt they make enough for only 1 gallon. And it would probably taste better too.

Just my $0.02

tom_gamer said:

I am a 5 gallon brewer and kind of a agree with the why waste the time, but I do believe in "to each their own".

My point I want make is that, if you're going to make batches that small, why not do BIAB? It seems to me that you would waste extract otherwise, I doubt they make enough for only 1 gallon. And it would probably taste better too.

Just my $0.02

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I don't think we are talking about extract...I am certainly not. Its not always about time or quantity either. I can go up to 5 gallon, and might, probably 3 gallons, but I like the experimentation and for some, its about equipment, space, and financial constraints. And like many in the post have pointed out...we actually like 1 gallon

What do you guys use for a fermenter when brewing 2.5 or 1 gallon batches?

Wouldn't a full carboy or bucket be too much head space and lead to "off flavors"?

jwalk4 said:

What do you guys use for a fermenter when brewing 2.5 or 1 gallon batches?

Wouldn't a full carboy or bucket be too much head space and lead to "off flavors"?

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I use 1 gallon glass jugs currently. When I eventually step up to 2.5 gallon batches i'll use a Mr Beer fermenter or a 3g carboy.

There's a lot of talk about time here, including multiple posts alleging a small batch takes less time. My question to that is: How?

Don't you still have to do a 60 minute mash and a 60 minute boil?

Also, not to be argumentative, but this thread has had a dual effect on me: A) It's making me consider trying to do a small batch BIAB for fun, and I love the idea of SMaSH recipes this way. B) It has a distinctive vibe like all 5G brewers are somehow snobbish toward 1G brewers. I have never noticed that on the boards.

I get it if it actually saves time, but if you enjoy brewing, and the OP seems to have an attitude similar to mine, which is somewhat of a zen/calming thing, then why would that even be a factor?

I am very interested in the 1g batches but am still confused about the yeast. Most recipes I've found call for liquid yeast making the small batches expensive having to buy a $7 pack of yeast. How can I translate to similar flavored dry yeasts? I've looked at the online calculators but am still a newbie so it is a bit confusing.

Anyone have any real good 1g batches I can try at first? Nice pale ale or kolsch or summer beer?

I haven't washed/reused any yeast yet but have 3 batches in primary that I am considering doing.

jbaysurfer said:

There's a lot of talk about time here, including multiple posts alleging a small batch takes less time. My question to that is: How?

Don't you still have to do a 60 minute mash and a 60 minute boil?

Also, not to be argumentative, but this thread has had a dual effect on me: A) It's making me consider trying to do a small batch BIAB for fun, and I love the idea of SMaSH recipes this way. B) It has a distinctive vibe like all 5G brewers are somehow snobbish toward 1G brewers. I have never noticed that on the boards.

I get it if it actually saves time, but if you enjoy brewing, and the OP seems to have an attitude similar to mine, which is somewhat of a zen/calming thing, then why would that even be a factor?

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You are correct, you still need the same 60 minute mash and boil. However, the time it takes to heat your mash and sparge water is shorter since it's a lower quantity, the time it takes to heat the wort to boil is shorter, the time it takes to cool it is shorter. All of this adds up to a decent time savings.

I'm a little in between. Although I only have 3 brews under my belt I have stepped it up a gallon each time. Mostly because, like you said, I don't have the room or equipment to go for a 5g and you only get 10 - 12 bottles out of it. Being someone who enjoys to share and have other try the brew, I then only get about half of that again. So I went to 2g and now at 3g which is still small enough given the space yet big enough that I can share it around and enjoy a good few bottles myself!

And yes I also enjoy that small batches seem to force you to brew more often and gives you the chance to try a lager variety of recipes!

i've only done one "1 gallon" batch, and it was actually just below 0.9 gallons - need to leave some headpsace for krausen in that 1-gallon jug.

i've recently purchased a 3-gal carboy, so i can make 2.5 gallon half-batches. my amarillo/optic smash is currently fermenting in it. i like the idea of not having to commit to a full batch. if my half-batch experiments work out, i'll make a full batch. otherwise, i'm out only half as much ingredients.

there is some time savings in making smaller batches but it's not a huge savings, and it's certainly not linear. for me it takes 5 hours to make a 5 gallon batch, my 1 gallon batch was close to 4 hours. so if effeciency was a concern, it makes more sense to make bigger batches for only a slightly larger investment of time.

TheMan said:

You are correct, you still need the same 60 minute mash and boil. However, the time it takes to heat your mash and sparge water is shorter since it's a lower quantity, the time it takes to heat the wort to boil is shorter, the time it takes to cool it is shorter. All of this adds up to a decent time savings.

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Ah ha! That makes total sense. Thanks.

cbehr said:

I am very interested in the 1g batches but am still confused about the yeast. Most recipes I've found call for liquid yeast making the small batches expensive having to buy a $7 pack of yeast. How can I translate to similar flavored dry yeasts? I've looked at the online calculators but am still a newbie so it is a bit confusing.

Anyone have any real good 1g batches I can try at first? Nice pale ale or kolsch or summer beer?

I haven't washed/reused any yeast yet but have 3 batches in primary that I am considering doing.

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2 grams of dry yeast! Then I save my pack in a baggie in the fridge.

kc1123 said:

2 grams of dry yeast! Then I save my pack in a baggie in the fridge.

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Have you had luck reusing your dried yeast after 7 days?

Honestly, I've only saved it, not reused it. I'll let you know soon.

kc1123 said:

Honestly, I've only saved it, not reused it. I'll let you know soon.

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Let me know how it goes. I would love to be able to save dry yeast for more than the recommended 7 days.

BlakeL said:

Let me know how it goes. I would love to be able to save dry yeast for more than the recommended 7 days.

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I've used Nottingham after 30+ days in the fridge after opening. Munton's, too.

And i make bread with saf instant active dry bread yeast that expired in 1998 while on an unrefrigerated shelf, that i opened in 2002 and keep in a jar in the freezer.

I've reused Notty 3 days, 7 days and 11...all with sucess. I highly recommend double brew days to get your money's worth out of it. If you happen to be bottling a lager that day, your using a full pack

Calichusetts said:

I've reused Notty 3 days, 7 days and 11...all with sucess. I highly recommend double brew days to get your money's worth out of it. If you happen to be bottling a lager that day, your using a full pack

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I would love to do double brew days but my honey do list would not allow that . I think my schedule will be brewing every two weeks so I'm hoping I can go through a pack of US-05 after three batches with no problems.

BlakeL said:

I would love to do double brew days but my honey do list would not allow that . I think my schedule will be brewing every two weeks so I'm hoping I can go through a pack of US-05 after three batches with no problems.

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Based on my experience i'm betting you should be fine, especially if you rehydrate before pitching.

I reused some Nottingham open 9 days ago. It's working! I was slightly worried though, as I am with every brew.

kc1123 said:

I reused some Nottingham open 9 days ago. It's working! I was slightly worried though, as I am with every brew.

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That's good to hear! I'm committed to using one packet for at 2-3 beers over a month so i'll let you guys now how it turns out.

One other experiment I'm going to try is brewing a beer over two days. I'll mash late at night and boil for a few minutes to kill everything off. After that i'll just cover and leave the full boil for the next morning. I can also put everything in my 2 gallon bucket the night before so I have everything sanitized and ready to go. The reason I'm doing this is because I don't have much time to brew during the day and I don't want to stink up the house right before bed with the boil.

BlakeL said:

That's good to hear! I'm committed to using one packet for at 2-3 beers over a month so i'll let you guys now how it turns out.

One other experiment I'm going to try is brewing a beer over two days. I'll mash late at night and boil for a few minutes to kill everything off. After that i'll just cover and leave the full boil for the next morning. I can also put everything in my 2 gallon bucket the night before so I have everything sanitized and ready to go. The reason I'm doing this is because I don't have much time to brew during the day and I don't want to stink up the house right before bed with the boil.

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I would assume that as long as you boil it after the over night that you won't eine a risk.

tom_gamer said:

I would assume that as long as you boil it after the over night that you won't eine a risk.

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That's what i'm hoping for. I really hope this turns out well because it will make things easier for me. When I brew at night it stinks up the whole house and i'm not in bed till 1 AM and when I brew early in the morning I usually don't finish up till 1 PM which throws off my day.