Fermenting in carboys?

I'm brewing my 1st AG batches this weekend, outside for the 1st time, on my new SQ14 burner. What could possibly go wrong, eh?

To keep things manageable and get a feel for the process, i'm making two 1-gal IPAs. I would love some advice /input beforehand. Here are some of my concerns:
1. Can I ferment a 1-gal batch in a 5-gal fermenter?
2. Can I split one of the batches & ferment in two 1/2-gal growlers as long as I have airlocks?
3. I've read about new burners putting off fumes. Should I pre-burn to try to burn it off?
4. Has anyone used Glacier hops? Any reports?

Any general suggestions? Thanks for any help you can offer!

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

I recently bought a SQ14 too and I love it but...YES, you should burn off the paint by bringing a gallon of water to a full boil. I can't say it would hurt your beer but in my opinion you'll want to be able to walk far away during this burn-in.
Regarding other suggestions...before you even start, write down the steps then as you do them record the times/temps/gravities/smells/feelings or anything else fun to refer back to before AG batch #2. Also, keep some spare hot water on a stove burner.
I'm sure others will comment on your other questions...
Why such small batches?
Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion, Brewsday. I will definitely take your advice & boil a gallon or two on Friday afternoon to clean it up. Funny, I wrote down my steps this afternoon and, while I'm usually not uptight during brewing or cooking, I am planning to grind my grains and measure everything out the night before just to make sure I can focus on the AG newness.

As for the small batches, I'm trying to kill about six birds with one stone:
-I want to make some small SMASH recipes to better get a grip on Chinook, Glacier, Nugget & Amarillo hops
-I want to test out my mash tun and temps with relatively small grain bills
-I only have a 5gal brew pot and I'm trying to do some small batches (planning a 3-gal batch of Biermunchers Centennial blonde after the SMASH runs) until I get my new 15+gal pot on my b-day (Nov 24)
-I need to get a feel for the new burner... Thx for the good report on the sq14

I'm stupid excited about this move to AG! Thanks again, man!

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

Piratwolf said:

I'm brewing my 1st AG batches this weekend, outside for the 1st time, on my new SQ14 burner. What could possibly go wrong, eh?

To keep things manageable and get a feel for the process, i'm making two 1-gal IPAs. I would love some advice /input beforehand. Here are some of my concerns:
1. Can I ferment a 1-gal batch in a 5-gal fermenter?
Yep... I would suggest getting a 3 gallon bucket from your local bakery/Wally World/etc., but the beer will fill the headspace with CO2, so either way is fine.

2. Can I split one of the batches & ferment in two 1/2-gal growlers as long as I have airlocks?
Sure, sounds like a pain to me, but different strokes, different folks.

3. I've read about new burners putting off fumes. Should I pre-burn to try to burn it off?
Like said before, you will want to.

4. Has anyone used Glacier hops? Any reports?
Haven't used Glacier yet, sounds tasty though.

Any general suggestions? Thanks for any help you can offer!

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

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You are going to love your SQ14... good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Thanks, Maffewl!

I don't know why a couple of 3-gal buckets never occurred to me. That's a much better idea than splitting btwn two growlers. I was trying not to buy another carboy.

I'll definitely report back, especially on the Glacier hops.

Cheers!

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

I've always wondered if you could ferment small batches in those big plastic jars pretzels or cheese balls come in at the warehouse club stores. I use one to measure water...prettty handy and nice clear plastic...plus, with the wide mouth they are easy to keep clean. Drilling for a standard grommet should be straightforward.

Just a thought and you get the jar free if you enjoy the munchies inside.

Brewsday said:

I've always wondered if you could ferment small batches in those big plastic jars pretzels or cheese balls come in at the warehouse club stores.

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I use those half full of clr and water to take the corona labels off.. You can jiggle 9 bottles into it.. You could definitely ferment in them!!

I sometimes use 2-liter Coke bottles for my starters... no foil necessary, just loosen the cap

maffewl said:

I sometimes use 2-liter Coke bottles for my starters... no foil necessary, just loosen the cap

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Funny you mentioned that.. For a test batch for st patties day I fermented in 3ltr bottles and racked into 2ltr bottles and force carbed with the carbonater caps.. Worked awesome!!

Edit: oh, it was for wich hopping profile I wanted to go with for a 5 gal batch of red