Smaller Batch Tests

How hard is it to get started in brewing smaller batches. I really enjoy the brewing process, and have enjoyed the one batch I've made for about the last 3 weeks.

Short of becoming an alcoholic, how can I push more batches through so I can start experimenting with new recipes to really figure out what I really like? I'd like to go beyond DME's and do some real grain brewing. I'd like to maybe try some dry hopping, and stuff like that. Maybe do some 1/2 or full gallon batches? I've got a dozen slip top bottles, so I can start doing some bottling on top of the kegging I suppose, plus they're cheap enough that I can get 1-2 dozen more. I'd like to do a batch a week as opposed to doing a batch a month!

I think it's fair to say I'm an addict now. I can't spend a day away from the forums. I'm reading just about everything I can get my hands on. Constantly going to ebrew to look at what I should do next.

Drink more or have a weekly poker party. I do 10 gallon batches and brew every other week. I couldn't imagine going through the entire process for a gallon.

You must enjoy cleaning.

There is a ton of small batch threads on here, including those in the similar thread box below.

You can brew any sized batch you want. I do a lot of 2.5 gallon recipe test batches. You can even do 1 gallon AG brews. The basic brewing guys call that the six pack brew.

A recipe is scalable, so a 1 gallon recipe is 1/5th of a 5 gallon one....a 2.5 gallon one is half the ingredients.

2.5 gallons is one case of beer.

I use my normal 5 gallon mash tun for most of them, but I do a lot of Experiments, test recipes, or beers that I know I won't need/want more than a case of.

I sometimes use an unmodified 2 gallon cooler for a lot of my small btaches it holds up to 4 pounds of grain.

I just us a folding steamer in the bottom along with a grain bag. Just break off or unscrew the center post.



One of these, it helps to lift the grain bag above the spigot to keep the drainig from getting stuck.







I posted a lot of info in the mr beer thread that you may find helpful.

I posted some all grain small batchrecipes here, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/785533-post702.html

ANd a bit of a primer on AG with pics here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/738927-post659.html

But I mostly use my regular 5 gallon cooler mash tun which holds 14 pounds of grains...and 14 pounds of grain for a 2.5 gallon batch can be a mighty big beer.....


One of our memebers chubbykid had plans for a minikeg mashtun http://sites.google.com/site/chubbykidhomebrew/Home/equipment/mini-keg-lauter-tun



THe basic brewing radio guys are big fans of tiny batch brewing...3/4 gallon (1 6pack) in a 1 gallon winejug fermenter.

They demo the 6-pack IPA here

[ame]http://en.sevenload.com/shows/Basic-Brewing/episodes/PERGFAJ-01-12-06-Basic-Brewing-Video-A-Six-Pack-of-IPA[/ame]

and they also have done barleywines as well.

I ferment my 2.5 gallon batches in all manner of things, I have a 3 gallon better bottle, I also use 3 gallon water jugs, AND my old Mr Beer keg (it's perfect because you can even lager in your own fridge with it when you are starting out.)

You can even ferment a 2.5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy if you want, though I would say a 6.5 gallon carboy is a little too much headspace for my confort.

Hope this helps....any more questions feel free to ask...

Oh, and you don't have to do anything with hops in terms of hop utilization, except scale it in the same proportion, as you do your grain. Nothing else.

BendBrewer said:

You must enjoy cleaning.

Click to expand...

Star San makes it fairly simple?

Oh. Then what Revvy said

You can also introduce your friends to brewing. That way you can help them when they brew and you can split costs and the final product. Or you can tell people if they buy you ingredients you will brew it and they get the final product as long as you get to keep so many bottles.

I'm trying to experiment as much as possible with single batches of wort. So I'll take the finished wort, transfer it into multiple small fermenters, and pitch different strains/amounts of yeast. Or use the same yeast in two fermenters and dry hop in one. Or ferment one at a different temp than the other. etc, etc, etc.

After fermentation, I can even mix one or more in various degrees to experiment w/ the flavors generated by more than one yeast strain.

At bottling (using a gram scale) I can experiment by adding various types of priming sugars directly to the bottles.

Long story short - you can learn & experiment to a significant degree with a single batch w/o the trouble of brewing seperate worts each time.