Test Batches for Gluten Free Beer

So I'm thinking about brewing up some Gluten Free beer in the near future with some of the recipes I've found around this site and others. Since I don't have the equipment to do a full 5 gallon batch, nor do I want to keep around a beer that doesn't turn out quite right, I've been thinking about doing 1 gallon test batches altering the ingredients as I go along with each one.

I know, I know - a lot of work for not a lot of beer, but hey, it's a work in process and hopefully will keep me from wasting a lot especially since gluten free beers all have their issues (head retention, mouth feel, color, etc.)

Here's the question: When doing a 1 gallon test batch- any idea how much water to start off with? Would I still do a 60 minute boil for such a small batch?

I've read that the hops are pretty scalable, but I wasn't so sure about the time. Oh- and I will use a whole packet of yeast for each test batch just to be sure.

Thoughts? Insights?

The bittering time stays the same, regardless of batch size. When I do test batches I start with a gallon, as my small fermenters are gallon jugs and I need room for krausen. I lose about 10% in the boil.

This would be my first time with beer and I am using gallon jugs as well. Do you leave much room for the krausen, about 3 inches, or more- I'm not sure what to expect with the Gluten Free beer.

I am thinking about doing some one gallon test batches myself, and i was thinking that I would use a three gallon carboy as a primary just because I have a couple. If I didn't have that i would split the batch between two one gallon jugs for headspace. Not knowing from experience if it were me I'd assume gluten free beer gets just as much krausen, but maybe someone else knows for sure.

Although i'm not with my glutard(in a nice way ) Fiencee anymore. I'm still interested. I put alot of research into trying to make her a brew.

So, I've done a little research- looks like the guys from Basic Brewing Radio did some 1 gallon (6 pack) batches. He started with 1.25 gallons (I think that's right) and ended with .75 gallons to go into the fermenter. This left enough headspace for the krausen. Another good idea was to use carbonation drops to carb the beer. I've checked and there are some that are available but Cooper's looks the most promising as it only contains dextrose. Just to be safe I've sent them an email to see if that is in fact the case- I'll post back once I know for sure.

Anywho- they also had a podcast where a gluten free brewery- Dark Hills- was speaking about their process. They said they mainly use rice and some sorghum. Any ideas on using rice as your main source for fermentable sugar....

So I said I would follow up with the response from Cooper's, and here it is:

"G’day Logan,

Yes as stated on the labelling they are glucose and sucrose.

Cheers, Frank.

Frank Akers
Home Brew Advisor
Coopers Brewery
Adelaide, SA"

So this looks promising, now to get the beer started.

Why wouldn't you want to carb the "normal" way? I had no problem bottle conditioning my gf batch.

I thought about it, but I didn't want to guesstimate how much beer I actually got out of the 1 gallon test batch to determine how much corn sugar to add.

So I'm going to do a stout and have roasted some unmalted quinoa. Hopefully this is dark enough to give the color I want. Some of the grains are completely black...



I'll also be adding dark candi sugar and I'm hopping with Kent Goldings.

The dark candi sugar may do it, but those grains won't get it near black. These were my grains in my GF recipe in my dropdown. Forgot about the picture, I'm going to add it to the thread.

Hm...good point and thanks for a reference picture here!

So are you going to post the recipes? All the linked threads seem to be a lot of questions and few answers.
I think it would be great to put together a sticky on this, I love normal beer and have no problems drinking it, but I always like to learn new things.
I mean, I had to look up quinoa. Some reason I thought it was something else.
Best of luck, and I hope you can come up with some great recipes.

We're actually trying to get a gluten free beer made for a friend who, until he was diagnosed, was a craft beer lover. I can't imagine being told I can't have that which I love so much, so we're trying to create a GF beer that's drinkable by the gluten tolerant as well as him. Let us know how these experiments turn out, I'm subscribed.

Im brewing up a stout Friday night, I'll let you know how it goes- take some pictures and report the progress as things come along.

Here are two of my yeast/hop schedules that I did, following ODaniel's recipe. I think they worked out great and it was my first attempt.

*note_ 3 gal. batches.

English E.S.B. (Batch #1)
yeast, S-04;
Use time oz variety form aa
Boil 60 mins 0.5 Magnum leaf 15.4
Boil 60 mins 0.25 Galena plug 13.0
Boil 20 mins 0.25 Tettnanger pellet 5.1
Boil 10 mins 0.25 Fuggles leaf 4.7
Boil 1 min 0.25 Goldings, EK leaf 5.0
Dryhop 7 days 0.5 Goldings, EK leaf 5.0
+ irish mosh@15 & gyp@60

WestCoast IPA (Batch #2)
yeast, S-05;
Use time oz variety form aa
Boil 60 mins 0.5 Centennial pellet 8.4
Boil 60 min 0.25 Centennial (but I was short and had to sub Chinook)
Boil 15 mins 0.5 Centennial (used Chinook)
Boil 10 mins 0.5 Cascade pellet 5.5
Dryhop 7 days 0.5 Cascade pellet 5.5
+ irish mosh & gyp

I don't have gluten issues, but I did enjoy my brew for what it was. My fav was #1, but the GF-friend liked #2 better... Personal preference.

I brewed this up last night...it was my attempt at a stout and it didn't get anywhere close to as dark as I was hoping. I started with about 1.25 gallons and ended up with a little less than .75 gallons. As I type this, the beer is covered and happily fermenting a few feet away.


It looks like muddy water


About .75 gallons of Gluten Free Beer

I am racking to a secondary to get it off of the massive amount of trub I have in a week and then another week later I will bottle it...I should get at least 6 out of this. If it tastes good, I'll definitely post the recipe since your supposed to test it first.

Oh, the OG was 1.084!!! I probably shouldn't have added the dark Candi Sugar...but we will see

Here's to nothing!

looks good. i'd be interested in the recipe, if you have time to post it.

HotbreakHotel said:

Not knowing from experience if it were me I'd assume gluten free beer gets just as much krausen, but maybe someone else knows for sure.

Click to expand...

This is the case.

lcasanova said:

Anywho- they also had a podcast where a gluten free brewery- Dark Hills- was speaking about their process. They said they mainly use rice and some sorghum. Any ideas on using rice as your main source for fermentable sugar....

Click to expand...

The way I understand it, rice lacks the enzymes to make fermentation happen, but the sugar works great. You require enzymes from Sorghum or something else that can make the fermentation happen though. I have not tried rice myself.

I started out with 2.5 gallon batches. Alot more scalable. Im more concerned at how to scale the yeast back on a 1 gallon batch. You may end up with acidic tasting beer or weird esters. I dont think your going to get the exact same flavor as a full or even half batch. However I would be curious as to how this turns out.
Keep us informed.

Before I forget, here is the recipe. I don't remember if I found it on here or somewhere else. Remember, it was for 1 gallon (actually .75 gallons going in to primary...who know how much for secondary)

3.2 oz Quinoa, dark roasted
1 lb 3.2 oz Sorghum syrup
3.2 oz Dark Belgian Candi Sugar (flameout)
1.6 oz Buckwheat flour (60)
.11 oz East Kent Goldings (60)
.11 oz East Kent Goldings (20)
Danstar Windsor Ale Yeast

I steeped the quinoa for 30 minutes between 152-160-degrees F. I added the bittering hops and the buckwheat flour for 10 minutes before I added the syrup. Racked it to primary when it was at 75-degrees and shook the hell out of it. I put about 1/2 the 11 g yeast pack into the wort. My O.G. was 1.084, probably because of the candi sugar, and right now it has a little less than 1 quart of trub leaving me with about 1/2 gallon of beer. Friday I will rack to secondary for 7 days, then bottle and carb with Cooper's Carbonation Tabs.

Why are you adding flour?

Don't ask

Bottled this last night, I had a lot of trub when transferring to secondary so I lost quite a bit of volume. So much that instead of getting a 6-pack I got about 4. There was enough left over to take a gravity reading and by my calculations the ABV is 8.1% so it will need a little longer to carb and mellow out. I'll still probably test one in 3 weeks but I will omit the flour next time...maybe in a mash I'd use it like the Aussie's do. See you in 3 weeks with pictures.

No pictures, but....

I tried one of these last night on a whim and the results- the sorghum flavor/taste is very noticeable but it is drinkable. The color is wayyyyy off from what I was shooting for and could use something to mask the sorghum flavor. I'll see how my others turn out and go from there, but I will call this a success.

On a side note, I mentioned earlier that I got about 4, truth be told, I got 4.75 bottles. Yeah, I know why only fill it up that much, well thats what was left and rather than throwing it out I decided to cap it and see what happened. Anyways- this is the one I tried last night and from what I've read, there is a science as to how full the bottle should be (the 1 inch of headspace) so the CO2 is absorbed into the liquid...well, as others would point out, not filling the bottle all the way would cause some issues, which it did! I got a nice sound when I opened it, but after about 5 seconds the massive foaming began, lesson learned firsthand!

Back on track- I'll try a full bottle while I'm bottling the American Brown Ale in my other post and take some pictures in the glass.

Opened up a full one tonight. Looks pretty good in the glass.



Smells sweet, the carbonation is right (thanks Cooper's Carb Tabs), doesn't feel thin, doesn't retain head and lacing isn't there. The taste is hard to describe, it's a little bitter right up front but it finishes sweet like I would say Redbridge does. Don't know if I'll use this recipe again, but the test batch was a good way to get started.

Nice work !