Thanks for those pointers. Since my last post it has occurred to me that, for my second brew day, I ended up with a pint more in my primary than I had intended. Obviously for the same amount of sugar in the wort that will reduce the OG. I imagine that it could be quite significant as 1 pint is about an extra 12% in a one gallon batch. I was following some guidance from elsewhere on these forums which suggested 1 1/4 quarts water per pound of grain in the mash and then 2 quarts water per pound for the sparge. I wonder how that compares to what other people are using? Presumably I would need a longer boil to reduce the volume down to the amount that I want in my primary.
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ericbw
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Yes, it can be tricky to get to the right volume. I usually end up with less after the boil and have to top it off, which is easier to do right.
I usually mash with about 1 1/4 Q per pound (most people say between 1.25-1.5 is good). I calculate my total boil volume, then subtract what will stay absorbed by the grain (about .1 gallon per pound). I sparge with whatever is required to get to my boil volume.
For a gallon, my system boils off about 1 gallon per hour, so total volume for the boil should be 2 gallons (8 quarts).
With 2.25 pounds of grain (1.055 OG), at 1.25 Q per pound = 2.8 Q MASH
Absorption (left in the grain after you drain it) is about .1 gallon per pound, so that's ) is .23 gallons (about a quart).
First runnings should be about 2.57 quarts.
Subtract the first runnings from your boil volume to get your sparge amount. 8 - 2.57 = 5.43 quarts SPARGE
That's how I do it, and it's been pretty consistent for me. I do have to top up at the end (usually a quart), so I probably boil off more like 1.2 gallons per hour. Like I said, it seems easier to me to boil down below what you want, then top off, rather than ending up with extra.
This will work if your only concern is OG, but to maintain the character of your recipe, you should probably scale the rest of your grain bill proportionally.
If you are using brewing software, you can adjust your efficiency to a lower setting and it should scale your ingredients for you.
I just bottled a gallon(UK) of kornol(Norwegian raw ale) only two and a half days after brewing.
OG was 1.065 and FG after 36 hours was 1.005.
If that is not surprising enough,the Kveik (Norwegian ancestral yeast) formed THE most compact cake I have ever seen in 7 years of brewing. It took me 10 minutes to be able to swirl it up to harvest it.
OG was 1.065 and FG after 36 hours was 1.005.
If that is not surprising enough,the Kveik (Norwegian ancestral yeast) formed THE most compact cake I have ever seen in 7 years of brewing. It took me 10 minutes to be able to swirl it up to harvest it.
I've done some reading on Raw Ales, and I'm intrigued! Do you have a 1-Gallon recipe?
Well,I wanted to go 50/50 pils munich,but had bugs in the grain.
So I went with 60% pils, 30% pale,5% each cara-ruby and cara-gold.
I have no juniper so subbed in kaffir lime leaves and mash hopped to about 10 IBUs with pellets(Columbus).
I mashed at 69.5c, but might push it to 72 next time.
I had to heat the wort back up,as it cooled to 27c and I wanted to pitch at 30c.
Used 100% well water which is soft-ish.
So I went with 60% pils, 30% pale,5% each cara-ruby and cara-gold.
I have no juniper so subbed in kaffir lime leaves and mash hopped to about 10 IBUs with pellets(Columbus).
I mashed at 69.5c, but might push it to 72 next time.
I had to heat the wort back up,as it cooled to 27c and I wanted to pitch at 30c.
Used 100% well water which is soft-ish.
So, if you have a bigger grain bill then you use more water to mash and less to sparge? I can see that means that you end up with the right pre-boil volume. How does it affect efficiency? What I had seen elsewhere was more grain = more mash water and also more sparge water = obviously too much volume. I certainly think that I will give your method a try.
Also I had been told simply to pour my sparge water through my grain. I have since found out about letting the grains steep in the sparge water for a while so I will be trying that too next time.
Yesterday I bottled my first brew. It is an amber ale that I got from http://www.thekitchn.com/collection/beerschool-521. While it was in the fermenter I thought that it looked way too dark for an amber but it was a lot lighter in the syphon tube. I guess that I will have to wait to see what it looks like in the glass. Feeling very impatient to drink it now.
BykerBrewer
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Uncruliar,
You have to take into account grain absorption. So, more grain in your recipe does require more total water. And I would advise sticking to a grain to mash water ratio that works for you... If you do, then yes, more grain = more mash water. You can try steeping the grains in the sparge water if that works best for you. I would, however, keep in mind that the more you play with variables in your brewing process the harder it is going to be to hit your numbers from batch to batch.
Also, no worries on the color of the beer. It is common for the beer to look darker in the carboy then in the glass. Let us know how it turns out!
Cheers!
At the moment I am very much experimenting with a view to working out a method that works best for me. Once I have worked out how to get my best efficiency then I will start aiming for consistency from batch to batch.
Sorry, haven't been on for awhile. Have you ever tried What Ales Ya in Glendale (maybe "the other store")?
Living in Peoria, I guess my go-to-place will be the Scottsdale store. I went to the Anthem store once and it was okay, but if it is gone, I guess I need an alternative.
I tried sampling a bottle of this Fat Tire clone after one week, two after two weeks and two after three weeks. The taste really developed to what I expected after the 3rd week, as well as the carbonation (by the way, I love it). This 1-gallon batch approach is really the best for me. Not being a large beer consumer (I may be somewhat large, but not my consumption), I won't have a lot to drink that just sits around.
NSMikeD
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I tried sampling a bottle of this Fat Tire clone after one week, two after two weeks and two after three weeks. The taste really developed to what I expected after the 3rd week, as well as the carbonation (by the way, I love it). This 1-gallon batch approach is really the best for me. Not being a large beer consumer (I may be somewhat large, but not my consumption), I won't have a lot to drink that just sits around.
Awesome. I ended up with 3 one gallon carboys (glass jugs) so I wouldn't rush the conditioning after the fermentation activity subsided. They really do get better after a month from pitching the yeast.
I did move up to 2.5 gallon batches after making my DIY mini kegerator, however my son asked me about making a mead today. I quickly thought about that 1 gallon equipment and we decided to green light a one gallon mead batch to see if we/he likes meads. We are inspired by Mary Izett's Speed Brewing Beer Smith Podcast on BeerSmith. This can very well turn into a fun side trip to share with friends and family who are not fans of bigger crafted beers we tend to brew for ourselves.
All possible with one gallon equipment
Thorsbrew
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While i dont think i'd go down to 1 gallon brews i do like to do 2-3 gallon brews but have more variety on hand. I cant finish 4+ 5 gallon kegs quick enough.
FranklinNewhart
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I normally brew 100 litre batches but if I am tackling a new recipe I like to do a test batch and that batch is usually only a gallon or less. My wife likes wine from the store and one that she likes comes in 3 litre bottles. Just a bit smaller than a gallon. Perfect for doing a test batch. I even have a 1 gallon growler to put them in. Between the three folks and two dogs in my house we can kill that growler in an evening.
Sorry if this is been answeeed a billion times. Tried to search but it's hard in my phone. Getting back into brewing with my one gallon hub. Last two extract kits I did have produced a lot of blow off. Last time I had the tube going into jar and that just flooded. This time Ii didn't ha e my tube so just had the airlock but underfilled the carboy and but t in a much cooler place hoping to slow it down but it still just overflowing with foam. So two parts. Is this batch good if I've had to take the airlock off multiple times and is there anything to help with this besides getting a bigger carboy or filling it lower? Thanks!
1. At this point I would just see it through to the end. There's increased risk of infection, but the signs of fermentation mean alcohol is being produced and the hops in the beer also act as an antimicrobial. CO2 pushing out also helps keep germs away. Hard to say for sure but if it was me I would just let it ride and see what I come up with at the end.
2. So many variables it's hard to know why you're getting so much Krausen. I would double check your recipes, make sure they're meant for 1 gallon batches and make sure you're following the recipe exactly...I.e. were you using a whole pack of yeast instead of half? Etc.
I always use blow off tubes, I don't really bother switching to an airlock anymore. Make sure the tube is just inserted enough to have a good seal. half inch to an inch is fine. certain grains can cause more Krausen...I think it was a wheat beer I made that clogged my tube once.
Also make sure you know where your gallon mark is on the jug. Mine it several inches below the neck of the bottle and the glass is embossed with a gallon line. If you end up with too much wort dont use it all, if you are a little sort, top off with water just to that gallon mark.
Lastly I wouldn't worry too much about Krausen coming through the tube and into your water/sanitizer cup. That's sort of the purpose of the blow off tube. Unless it's truly bursting and making a huge mess just let it be.
Sorry for the lengthy post hope it helps.
Your batch should be fine. I'd just take the airlock off and loosely cover it with sanitized foil.
You could try a couple drops of Fermcap to prevent foaming, or look into larger primary fermenters... maybe 2 gallon buckets?
You could try a couple drops of Fermcap to prevent foaming, or look into larger primary fermenters... maybe 2 gallon buckets?
Griffin495
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Try asking at the bakery in your grocery store to see if they have any buckets. I got two-gallon buckets that had been used for frosting and one 3 gallon bucket that had been used for donut glaze (not fun to clean out once it had dried out and hardened). Just drill some holes in the lids for your airlock.
That, or Lowe's generally carries 2 gallon food safe buckets in their paint department.
Awesome, I shall look into that. Will a Home Depot bucket work? I don't want to mess up with the wrong bucket 
I was hoping to make this my last extract and try a biab type process next. So definitely learning some things here. My last batch did turn out fine (it was beer and was drinkable) but ended up not being what I was hoping.
I was hoping to make this my last extract and try a biab type process next. So definitely learning some things here. My last batch did turn out fine (it was beer and was drinkable) but ended up not being what I was hoping.
1 gallon of blue moon clone in the carboy this past Sunday. All grain, first time doing BIAB. So far so good.
I prefer 1 gallon batches because A) I don't drink a lot of beer for health reasons and B) 1 gallon I can do full mash and boil on the stove top inside.
I prefer 1 gallon batches because A) I don't drink a lot of beer for health reasons and B) 1 gallon I can do full mash and boil on the stove top inside.
Griffin495
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Awesome, I shall look into that. Will a Home Depot bucket work? I don't want to mess up with the wrong bucket
I was hoping to make this my last extract and try a biab type process next. So definitely learning some things here. My last batch did turn out fine (it was beer and was drinkable) but ended up not being what I was hoping.
I'd want to be sure that it was labeled somewhere "food safe". I was getting some supplies the other day to finish up my deck and outdoor cooking area, and the buckets I saw didn't say anything about being food safe. They did say #2HDPE and I thought that meant they were food safe but from looking online I see that:
"All food grade buckets are made of HDPE #2 (high density polyethylene),
but not all HDPE #2 buckets are food grade.
Buckets that are not food grade may out-gas and leach into the container, as well as into the contents held within the container.
HDPE #2 buckets that are not food grade may have been manufactured with a non-food-grade mold release agent.
In some processes, a mold release agent is what is used to help get the newly shaped plastic off of the hard mold that it was shaped from during the manufacturing process. Without the release agent, the new plastic shape will likely stick to the mold. Some mold release agents enable much faster production than others, but may be toxic to your health if later used with food.
Other processes apparently do not use a mold release agent and only use high pressure compressed air to blow the bottles into shape on the inside. No mold release agent of any kind is used inside the bottles of this process.
If you are unsure, you might simply contact the supplier or manufacturer to confirm."
So, I'd say better safe than sorry and if its not labeled food safe, don't use it. Also why I suggested asking a bakery. If it came with food (and you can wash it and get rid of any odors" then its probably safe for you to use. I've gotten every size bucket from 2 to 3 to 4 gallon sizes for free there.
Griffin495
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That would work as well if you want to pay $20 + their $7.00 flat rate shipping...
Cheaper to just ask a bakery. All they could do is say no. I make a point to go by the bakery in my grocery store every time I go grocery shopping and ask. The last time the lady said " I don't know what you do with all these buckets, but you must have a bunch of them by now". When I told her they were for making beer, she told me I better bring her some if I want anymore.
That would work as well if you want to pay $20 + their $7.00 flat rate shipping...
Cheaper to just ask a bakery. All they could do is say no. I make a point to go by the bakery in my grocery store every time I go grocery shopping and ask. The last time the lady said " I don't know what you do with all these buckets, but you must have a bunch of them by now". When I told her they were for making beer, she told me I better bring her some if I want anymore.
I live right by Northern Brewer and have a gift card and get 15% off at the class I take....but, a free bucket at a bakery would be better.
Pit: the beer looks good, but what's in that interesting looking pour bottle behind it? Haha
lol, it's an almost empty bottle of red pepper infused olive oil!
What you see are the crushed pepper flakes clinging to the sides of the bottle. Reminds me I need to get up to Seattle and pick up some more :rockin:Well I had my first bottle last night.
First issue was that it was undercarbonated. I'm sure that there was active yeast in the bottle as there was a small but noticeable layer of yeast sediment. Maybe it just needs a bit longer than the 8 days it had had; I will see what it is like next weekend. Or maybe I didn't add enough priming sugar. Either way I can improve on that next time.
Second issue was the question of what kind of beer it is. In the glass it is very dark, almost black - so clearly it isn't the amber that I had been aiming for originally. Playing about with some brewing software and looking at beer style guidelines I could say that it is a rather low strength American stout (ABV 3.7%) or a very bitter mild (IBU 40). However, as I am not planning on entering any competitions, it doesn't really matter what I call it.
On the upside it was a very drinkable pint. The bitterness was balanced by a rich toffee/caramel flavour. I am very much looking forward to bottling brew number 2 next week and starting brew number 3.
First issue was that it was undercarbonated. I'm sure that there was active yeast in the bottle as there was a small but noticeable layer of yeast sediment. Maybe it just needs a bit longer than the 8 days it had had; I will see what it is like next weekend. Or maybe I didn't add enough priming sugar. Either way I can improve on that next time.
Second issue was the question of what kind of beer it is. In the glass it is very dark, almost black - so clearly it isn't the amber that I had been aiming for originally. Playing about with some brewing software and looking at beer style guidelines I could say that it is a rather low strength American stout (ABV 3.7%) or a very bitter mild (IBU 40). However, as I am not planning on entering any competitions, it doesn't really matter what I call it.
On the upside it was a very drinkable pint. The bitterness was balanced by a rich toffee/caramel flavour. I am very much looking forward to bottling brew number 2 next week and starting brew number 3.
Bottle carbonating usually takes at least 2 weeks... maybe 3! (Of course, I usually try one at 1 week, too!)
Question for people doing BIAB.
I have been using a 5g cooler to do my mash, then transferring to my kettle. Is that the best way to go? I have been kicking around the idea of just using my kettle. It's 10qt, and I usually shoot for around 5qt as my final volume.
My concerns are, is it big enough? Will it hold the temp up?
I have been using a 5g cooler to do my mash, then transferring to my kettle. Is that the best way to go? I have been kicking around the idea of just using my kettle. It's 10qt, and I usually shoot for around 5qt as my final volume.
My concerns are, is it big enough? Will it hold the temp up?
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I have done 2G batches in a 4G kettle. Shortly before mash I put my oven on low, then shut it off and put the whole kettle in the warmed oven. I also wrapped kettle in a thick blanket and beach towels. Only lose a few degrees or so typically.
NSMikeD
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If it's working for you, don't change it. I put my kettles in the oven, but i would prefer a cooler, since I think they hold hold temperature better. The smaller the batch, the harder it is to hold temperature.
Put aluminum foil shiny side down on top of the mash it helps hold the heat in.
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I started with 1G but now do 2 to 2.25G all grain biab. Use recipes from this site scaled down to my size. Works out great for me.
Brownalemikie
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Yep, I upped my brews to 2 and 2 1/2 gallon batches. Simply use a calculator to double the specialty grains, malt extract and hops. One packet of yeast is plenty for a double batch. Btw, I use a 4 gallon brew pot.
You can make it any size you want. I have made 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 gallon batches. I just bottled a 1 pint batch made from wort that would have overfilled my bucket. As an experiment, I used lager yeast in the small part of a batch of Irish Red Ale. When I bottled my one pint, I tasted a bit. It's very good, next year I might ferment half with lager yeast.
That would work as well if you want to pay $20 + their $7.00 flat rate shipping...
Cheaper to just ask a bakery. All they could do is say no. I make a point to go by the bakery in my grocery store every time I go grocery shopping and ask. The last time the lady said " I don't know what you do with all these buckets, but you must have a bunch of them by now". When I told her they were for making beer, she told me I better bring her some if I want anymore.
They're actually only $13. The $20 option is an upgrade to their Small Batch Starter Kit and includes some tubing and FermCap...
http://www.northernbrewer.com/little-big-mouth-bubbler
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