Split the Wort?

Hey all...I'm getting stuff together to brew my first batch, and I have a question about buckets. This is going to be an extract brew (I know, most of you are all grain), but here's my problem:

I have managed to locate some food grade buckets, courtesy of the Golden Rule Restaurant (they made me put that in there),but they are only 4.7 gallons, and only have a standard kitchen size (9 qt)stock pot to brew in. I'm considering using the method John Palmer describes, boiling up a lesser amount of wort, then "cooling" it by adding cold water in the fermentation buckets. With a pot that will barely hold 2 gallons along with the extracts and hops, is it really going to be a wise idea to separate it into 2 different buckets to ferment? Are 2 gallons going to be enough "wort concentrate" to break down the sugars and dilute them into the water, or am I going to have to come up with a different idea?


Thanks!

So I assume your final volume is 5 gallons? If so, what you are doing is just a partial boil, which is fine. Hop utilization will be slightly different from a full boil. Pour into your buckets, and then pour between the two to mix well. Just make sure it is cooled to less that 80 when you add the yeast (if you plan on ONLY using the top-up water, it might not get it cold enough. Put you undiluted wort, in its pot, into a sink full of ice to cool.).

Ok....yes, I'm only planning on a 5 gallon 1st batch (I'd hate to make a full 10 only to find out I screwed something up and get to watch 10 gallons of beer fertilize my neighbor's flowers!).

I'm going to use bottled water, since my tap water here is terrible. If I froze some of it, and used it in the top-water (the ice that is) would that help cool the wort, or am I simply asking for trouble when I do that?

Yes you can do what you describe, while not ideal, it will work. Sanitize the containers you will be freezing the sanitary water in as well.

There is also a method known as the Texas two step, that can benefit small pot brewers. Basicly you brew half a batch, pitch the yeast, and then brew the second half and add that to the fermenter as well.

Won't the second batch be too hot after pitching the yeast?

and then comes the question about aeration. Aren't we supposed aereate the wort before pitching the yeast? (I'm so confused...lol).

Texas Two-Step is mentioned in the link below. Scroll down to one of the actual two-step recipes. You'd cool the 2nd batch wort before combining with the initial batch. I think you would skip aeration if the main batch is already fermenting.

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Techniques - Extract Method to your Madness

A two gallon pot is limiting. I might be inclined to brew smaller batches than 5g.

Brau_Haus said:

Won't the second batch be too hot after pitching the yeast?

and then comes the question about aeration. Aren't we supposed aereate the wort before pitching the yeast? (I'm so confused...lol).

Click to expand...

With your two gallons of wort you can add say 2 gallons to one bucket and 1 gallon in the other pour you cooled wort into the one with 1 gallon then just pour back and forth between the two buckets this will mix the top off and aerate the wort prior to pitching

ok....let me ask this:

if I split the amount of malt extract in roughly half, as well as the hops in half, and follow any given recipe as for time, use something similar to the texas two step method and brew the batches individually (one right after the other) and then mix the cooling worts, will this alter the flavor vs. using all of the malt and all of the hops in the recipe in one slightly less volume of brew, due to the limitations of my brew pot, then do as springer has suggested and "wash" them back and forth between the 2 buckets to mix and aerate?

believe me, folks, this isn't going to be a long term thing...right now it's a financial thing as well as an experience thing...I'm seriously looking forward to the day I pop the top on my first all grain brew....I just need to work my way up to it first.

Brau Haus,

You can mske it a complicated or as simple as you desire...if you wish...boil it all up in your smallish pot...dilute w/ cold water or ice and pitch yeast and you will make beer...the suggestions offered were only based upon potential improvemnets if you want to jump through hoops...otherwise just "fire it up", RDWHAHB and make some beer. Or as Nike says...just do it!

You can certailnly make some decent brew w/ limited methods.

Go ahead and dive in the pool...you should be in the fermenter by now.

wilserbrewer said:

Go ahead and dive in the pool...you should be in the fermenter by now.

Click to expand...

wilserbrewer, at the moment, it's a financial issue that is the only thing keeping me out of the fermenter. I'm still collecting the items I need and since I'm on a very limited budget, I can only pick up those things I need one at a time.

I'll get there....sooner or later...but for now, I'm learning and getting my brain wrapped around the how so that when that first brew day is here, I'll have my steps all laid out and ready.

Thank you for the vote of confidence though!