AIGHT, a few questions

welp, after re-decorating my house via my first brew exploding, i've decided to push forward.............i can't stand loosing.

a couple questions that will most likely become more as this thread goes:

1) looking at recipes, i see 0.5 oz here and 1.5 oz there....do you guys use scales to get it exact or are you eyeballing it? reason i'm asking is i don't have a scale, but would like to get going again, make a smaller batch using what i have left over from the first disaster.

2) considering my first question, should i just wait and get ingredients to make a full 5 gallons again?

again, i'm at work and writing off the cuff....i've got more questions but i wanted to start w/ the first i had on my mind.

thanks, gator

I think a lot of people here use a scale to measure the half ounces. The only thing I ever use in half ounces is my hops. I get my hops in 1 ounce packages and just eyeball it to about half the package. Works for me.

My postage scale was $7 and the bin holds almost exactly 1/2 ounce of whole hops! Some of my recipes actually go down to 1/4 oz. on hops. It's worth the money.

Personally, I don't like batches smaller than 5 gallons. It's gone too soon.

As for the scale...drop $30 or less on a digital kitchen scale. Most of them go down to the 1/10th oz. I like to be exact with my hops, so it's worth the money for me.

I brewed for two years without one. But after having it I find myself using it for just about every batch. I even check the hops to see if they have added more or shorted me some. Like Evan! said you can drop 30 or so bones and get a good digital one
just my .02
JJ