1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Leadgolem said:
I was going to say something clever, but divrguy beat me to it... 4 times.
Click to expand...

Had a lot of coffee today... Lol .... Sorry. But I just had a Stone Sublimely self righteous. May have to clone this... Deelish and 8.7%
 
See what I struggle with brewing in winter is fermentation control the other way- our house is about 58 F in winter (old porous house) and Ive had US-05 struggle with temps. Time for some lagers!!
 
^^^ Its 58 even in your living spaces? You must own some thick sweaters.

Also, most homebrew suppliers carry carboy, or "brew" belts that can keep carboys warm. Though I can not vouch for their effectiveness because I haven't had to use one.
 
jwalk4 said:
^^^ Its 58 even in your living spaces? You must own some thick sweaters.

Also, most homebrew suppliers carry carboy, or "brew" belts that can keep carboys warm. Though I can not vouch for their effectiveness because I haven't had to use one.
Click to expand...

Haha, our house is 275 years old. The walls myswell not exist in January.
One other question, any of you built a one gallon kegging system? Saw it over on the NB forums, you could run it off a paintball tank. Would it be worth seven pints a batch...?
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=61167

Williams Brewing also sells ~7 L kegs if you have deep pockets. Just a thought
 
bellmtbbq said:
One other question, any of you built a one gallon kegging system? Saw it over on the NB forums, you could run it off a paintball tank. Would it be worth seven pints a batch...?
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=61167

Williams Brewing also sells ~7 L kegs if you have deep pockets. Just a thought
Click to expand...

I keep trying to think of other positives other than not having to use priming sugar. And I still got nothing other than dividing up a 5 gallon batch for storage.
 
jwalk4 said:
^^^ Its 58 even in your living spaces? You must own some thick sweaters.

Also, most homebrew suppliers carry carboy, or "brew" belts that can keep carboys warm. Though I can not vouch for their effectiveness because I haven't had to use one.
Click to expand...

go back about 2 or 3 pages in this thread.

divrguy (i think) had a post answering this very question for me
 
fuzzy2133 said:
I keep trying to think of other positives other than not having to use priming sugar. And I still got nothing other than dividing up a 5 gallon batch for storage.
Click to expand...

I think it's also my old house but I screw up priming sugar often , sometimes I get flat beer even when I measure and age. I've had a few Brett infections which have made bottle bombs. Maybe that's the excuse?
 
dadshomebrewing said:
go back about 2 or 3 pages in this thread.

divrguy (i think) had a post answering this very question for me
Click to expand...

It's called flexwatt heat tape. I buy it from reptilebasics.com by the foot. They also sell a clip that snaps into them. About 2 to 2.5 feet completely wraps a 5 or 3 gallon bucket and will keep it toasty warm. My shed has been in the fourties and fifties lately and this wrap keeps it at temp. You could put 2 - 1 gallon fermenters on a section and keep them at temp just sitting on them.
 
divrguy said:
I was kind of wondering the same thing about Pepsi bottles. I know I have heard its okay to use Pepsi 12 oz or 20 oz plastic to condition as long as you keep it out of the light. But yesterday I went shopping with SWMBO and we picked up a 1/2 liter bottle which I've never seen until now and thought that would be kinda cool to put 1/2 batch in. Anyone ever do this before?
Click to expand...

I primarily use clear soda and soda water bottles. I store the filled bottles in an opaque storage bin in a closet to minimize how much light it sees. Haven't had any skunky beers in a year of use and the flexible plastic is easier to handle than glass.

As for gushers, occasionally I'll have an issue but it helps to quickly pour some of it into a glass (only an inch of beer, the head will get pretty high) and then put the cap back on tightly. It'll foam some more and then calm down, I'll repoen it and pour some more. If the carbonation's still a little aggressive, I'll re-cap it until there's clear headspace in the bottle. By the third time, it'll be fine. It helps that I usually bottle in 33-oz bottles, which is a little more than two glasses, so if there's a problem I'm only dealing with it once.

However, I don't have a problem very often with gushers but they can be dealt with.
 
i have to ask this... where did you get the screen name ReaderRabbit

that was the very first software product i bought for my very first pc, in 1984 (i think).
 
They make 5l mini kegs that you can use, but I did a lot of research on them and decided it wasn't worth it for me. There is also that tap-a-draft systems which are 6L I think which would work too.
 
JollyIsTheRoger said:
They make 5l mini kegs that you can use, but I did a lot of research on them and decided it wasn't worth it for me. There is also that tap-a-draft systems which are 6L I think which would work too.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've read about both of those as well and I guess I may be stubborn or just enjoying the way I do beer now because even though I keep looking, I still feel like my system works now, it's pretty easy and it's cheap
 
I thought about doing some kind of kegging system. I finally determined I like just bottling in beer bottles. Even a small kegging system seemed kinda expensive. A wine dispensing system, IE: wine bag in a box in the fridge, wouldn't allow for carbonation. Neither would a regular beverage dispenser.

I understand why people keg batches when they need to deal with 5 gallons of brew. Honestly though, it just isn't that big of a deal for me to bottle 1 gallon of brew. It's also cheap. I usually get the bottles for free from my friends, and a gross of oxygen absorbing caps costs like 4 bucks.
 
Picking up some cool hops from Rebel Brewer today- I usually buy 3-6 oz of hops at a time and they last me a month or two and then I order again. $2.99 super saver shipping on hops, they have a moderate but interesting selection with great prices

Really excited to try Centennial, Mosaic, and Pacific Jade, all supposed to be awesome, fruity hops. Really psyched. Also getting an ounce of tettnang for lagers and such.
 
Leadgolem said:
I thought about doing some kind of kegging system. I finally determined I like just bottling in beer bottles. Even a small kegging system seemed kinda expensive. A wine dispensing system, IE: wine bag in a box in the fridge, wouldn't allow for carbonation. Neither would a regular beverage dispenser.

I understand why people keg batches when they need to deal with 5 gallons of brew. Honestly though, it just isn't that big of a deal for me to bottle 1 gallon of brew. It's also cheap. I usually get the bottles for free from my friends, and a gross of oxygen absorbing caps costs like 4 bucks.
Click to expand...

And bottling is kinda relaxing too. With a brew of course..

bellmtbbq said:
Picking up some cool hops from Rebel Brewer today- I usually buy 3-6 oz of hops at a time and they last me a month or two and then I order again. $2.99 super saver shipping on hops, they have a moderate but interesting selection with great prices

Really excited to try Centennial, Mosaic, and Pacific Jade, all supposed to be awesome, fruity hops. Really psyched. Also getting an ounce of tettnang for lagers and such.
Click to expand...

2.99 is a great deal. I haven't tried rebel brewer maybe I'll give them a shot. I have been reading about pacific jade and mosaic too and i think mosaic would make a great SMASH
 
divrguy said:
Yeah I've read about both of those as well and I guess I may be stubborn or just enjoying the way I do beer now because even though I keep looking, I still feel like my system works now, it's pretty easy and it's cheap
Click to expand...

"it's cheap"

yep... do you know how many batches of beer it would take, at less than a gallon a batch... to even remotely touch the cost of a kegging system?

and there is the other part... we would probably empty a keg in a single sitting, especially if there were friends over.

makes great sense for the big batch guys, but not for me
 
bellmtbbq said:
Picking up some cool hops from Rebel Brewer today- I usually buy 3-6 oz of hops at a time and they last me a month or two and then I order again. $2.99 super saver shipping on hops, they have a moderate but interesting selection with great prices

Really excited to try Centennial, Mosaic, and Pacific Jade, all supposed to be awesome, fruity hops. Really psyched. Also getting an ounce of tettnang for lagers and such.
Click to expand...

are those whole hops?
 
Im not sure its worth it for such a small amount of beer. I thought of setting something up for that and the mini kegs are a pain to clean so I was leaning towards tad or reusing the coors kegs
 
dadshomebrewing said:
are those whole hops?
Click to expand...

Nah... Pellets. I like working with them in one gallon batches, don't loose as much to absorption.

Also thinking about picking up 4 oz of Summer (AU) hops. Delicate flavor/aroma hop, apricots and melon, a little spiciness, apparently.
 
I'm brewing gents! I'm trying a double batch simultaneously .. I'm prepped well but I'll see just how well I can multitask... I'm sure I will have a story or two...lol

Man I need some smaller pots. I have 2- 1.5 gallon batches one in 5 gallon pot and 1 in a 10 gallon lol

image-1164099343.jpg
 
dadshomebrewing said:
i have to ask this... where did you get the screen name ReaderRabbit

that was the very first software product i bought for my very first pc, in 1984 (i think).
Click to expand...

I played a lot of educational video games as a kid (I wish Agent USA got updated the way Oregon Trail does) and I always liked the sound of Reader Rabbit, even if I didn't like the game by the time I got to try it. Plus, my Chinese zodiac sign is the rabbit, so it put two things about me together.

divrguy, that was what I thought when I saw your pic, "Those pots look pretty big for a small batch!" :)
 
20121229_135259.jpg




I think the smallest batch I can pull off in this setup is 1.25 gallons thats so I dont risk dry firing the element. Right now im running auto tune too get it set right. Then its getting a good scrubbing and I may be brewing a batch tomorrow to test it out
 
divrguy said:
I'm brewing gents! I'm trying a double batch simultaneously .. I'm prepped well but I'll see just how well I can multitask... I'm sure I will have a story or two...lol

Man I need some smaller pots. I have 2- 1.5 gallon batches one in 5 gallon pot and 1 in a 10 gallon lol
Click to expand...

Looks like fun. What are you brewing
 
cheesecake said:
I think the smallest batch I can pull off in this setup is 1.25 gallons thats so I dont risk dry firing the element. Right now im running auto tune too get it set right. Then its getting a good scrubbing and I may be brewing a batch tomorrow to test it out
Click to expand...

Dude that looks awesome!
 
cheesecake said:
Looks like fun. What are you brewing
Click to expand...

Have a Santiam SMASH and a Porter. Done with mash for both and just added first hops to both. So far so good. I switched my 10 gallon for my 7.5 but I will still have a big evap rate on this pot. Lots of surface area
 
divrguy said:
Have a Santiam SMASH and a Porter. Done with mash for both and just added first hops to both. So far so good. I switched my 10 gallon for my 7.5 but I will still have a big evap rate on this pot. Lots of surface area
Click to expand...

I have an iPod and my phone doing my timers so I don't get confused. Stickies on the hops too

Man does my backyard smell great!! Lol
 
cheesecake said:
20121229_135259.jpg




I think the smallest batch I can pull off in this setup is 1.25 gallons thats so I dont risk dry firing the element. Right now im running auto tune too get it set right. Then its getting a good scrubbing and I may be brewing a batch tomorrow to test it out
Click to expand...

holy crap, cheese... i'm impressed
 
Just finished putting everything up and cleaning. Good day except my OG on the Santiam SMASH came out high because I evaporated about an extra quart. May have to go pick up another small cheap 4-5 gallon pot
 
I just bottled my first AG, one gallon hefewiezen.

It's a pretty special one, as all the grains were homegrown and home malted, and the hops are from my backyard, too.

Wouldn't have had the guts to try a small, AG batch if not for this thread. Thanks everyone!
 
BorealBrewer said:
I just bottled my first AG, one gallon hefewiezen.

It's a pretty special one, as all the grains were homegrown and home malted, and the hops are from my backyard, too.

Wouldn't have had the guts to try a small, AG batch if not for this thread. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

That's awesome! I wouldn't even know where to begin to malt my own grains. Good job!
 
I mixed up 3 batches tonight. A 3 gallon batch of blueberry wine, the first accidental batch came out so well I thought I should make enough that I will actually let some age. :) A 1 gallon of cranberry wine. Plus a 1 gallon of whatever it is you get when you ferment real maple syrup.

I finally have a couple days off and it was time to scratch the brewing itch. :mug:
 

Similar threads

D
Small batch (1 Gallon) ingredients
Replies
8
Views
417
hotbeer
hotbeer
C
Best brewing system for 5-15 gallon batches
Replies
25
Views
1K
Ninoid
Ninoid
D
Looking for a Kettle
Replies
28
Views
1K
DuhokBrewer
D
D
First Recipe: 1 Gallon Maris Otter / Goldings SMaSH (Comments, suggestions?)
Replies
6
Views
413
Northern_Brewer
Northern_Brewer
A
Looking for guidance & opinions on what to buy for my setup.
Replies
4
Views
417
fluketamer
F
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top