1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[Yesfan]

I've done several of their recipes and they are good. But I like finding a clone I want to do and scale down. Just brewed up Highland's Gaelic Ale on Sunday. My first batch since May and got it going in my new fermenter controlled with the ebay temp controller. That thing is awesome and wish I would have done that way sooooner as I would have brewed over the hot ass summer.

Does that book have a lot of clone recipes? There's a few I would like to try and I've been eyeing it. One beer in particular is Negro Modelo. If funds are available, I may try to order this week as I got a 5 gallon batch that should be ready for consumption this weekend. Both of my one gallon batches should be ready to bottle the next weekend as well, so gotta maintain the pipeline!

 

[BigRock947]

When I started homebrewing 15 years ago, I was brewing 5 gallons batches because it was what everyone seemed to be doing. I was brewing less often and I wasn't able to try out as many recipes or experiment....so about 3 years ago, I went to brewing 2.5 gallon batches and brewing was fresh and new again. Now finding this thread, I think I'm going to try 1.25 gallon batches....what a great way to experiment with different ingredients and recipes. Lots of great information and help in this thread...especially for new brewers that might be intimidated to brew 5 gallon batches.

 

[Epimetheus]

.. which would be pico brews.

As a noob, I started looking for 7 and 10 gallon pots then thought
" I just wanna ferment something without straining my back!"

So I'm gonna mess around with gallon batches and have fun with consistency. I could do 5 different trials with the same stuff!

 

[MTate37]

Has anyone brewed the BBS Cranberry Wheat?

 

[rawkstar320]

Ah, well today I cracked openmy blonde ale, it was fantastic! Of course, as we all(small batch brewers) know, I only have 8 more left......

Guess I better get brewing!

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Drinking my first bottle of my first ever batch tonight

I likes it.

 

[HIlife]

I've started collecting these from the lab before they end up in the trash. I do mainly 5g batches but having a bunch of dark glass 4L carboys might encourage me to start playing with smaller brew sizes or just get crazy with yeast strains.

 

[ReaderRabbit]

Has anyone brewed the BBS Cranberry Wheat?

Not yet, but I plan to once the cranberries show up in the grocery store. I have to admit, I'm a little worried about that one. 1 cup of cranberries sounds like a lot for a gallon of beer but I'll find out when I try it out.

(And if it is too much, I only have a gallon of off-beer.)

 

[Calichusetts]

Has anyone brewed the BBS Cranberry Wheat?

Planning my own...went out to a bog the day after the harvested and got like 2 pounds of the floaters left...nothing like the freshest of the fresh.

 

[crispy44]

I've started collecting these from the lab before they end up in the trash. I do mainly 5g batches but having a bunch of dark glass 4L carboys might encourage me to start playing with smaller brew sizes or just get crazy with yeast strains.

I've been curious about using those from our labs as well. Isopropyl should be fine... what about acetone bottles? I'm not a chemist so I'be just played it safe for now

 

[Bootlegger_Brewery]

I was thinking to go cheap on my 1gal set-up and not make a chiller. How long does it take you guys to cool down 1 gal in a cold bath ?

For those who say they lose too much wort by taking gravity readings.... I just dump my hydrometer in sanitizer (wich is in my primary ferm. from the start) and stick the hydrometer in the wort without losing anything. Never had a problem with contamination do to this. Only reading you can't take this way is pre-boil because the wort is too hot, but i don't really care about pre-boil...

 

[Calichusetts]

I was thinking to go cheap on my 1gal set-up and not make a chiller. How long does it take you guys to cool down 1 gal in a cold bath ?

It takes at most 10 minutes...by the time I actually get it in my chill pot, get my yeast ready and set up transfer to my carboy, its in the 80/70s. Usually 5 minutes is what I am at.

 

[BigRock947]

Not yet, but I plan to once the cranberries show up in the grocery store. I have to admit, I'm a little worried about that one. 1 cup of cranberries sounds like a lot for a gallon of beer but I'll find out when I try it out.

(And if it is too much, I only have a gallon of off-beer.)

I've never used cranberries only raspberries but when I did I would use like 2#. My first thought was it too much fruit but then I would open a bottle when it was ready and the raspberry flavor was very faint to almost none. Which lead me to change how I used the raspberries to gain the flavor I wanted but I was never happy with the outcome. I guess my point is that it may seem like a lot a cranberries but I'm sure BBS has it worked out and like you said its only a gallon. Makes me wish I was only making a gallon each time I tried to make a Raspberry Wheat Beer. Nothing worse than drinking 5 gallons of a disappointing beer when I'm too cheap to dump it out

 

[rawkstar320]

I was thinking to go cheap on my 1gal set-up and not make a chiller. How long does it take you guys to cool down 1 gal in a cold bath ?

For those who say they lose too much wort by taking gravity readings.... I just dump my hydrometer in sanitizer (wich is in my primary ferm. from the start) and stick the hydrometer in the wort without losing anything. Never had a problem with contamination do to this. Only reading you can't take this way is pre-boil because the wort is too hot, but i don't really care about pre-boil...

It used to take forever and a day, but I was pretty much just setting the pot in cold water....

This past brew, I planned ahead and saved ice for a few days, collecting a full gallon zip lock full...took maybe 10 minutes. It goes faster if you stir the wort as it chills. This keeps the hot wort from hanging out in the center of the pot.
I think this method should also save a significant amount of water compared to using a chiller.

 

[jwalk4]

It goes faster if you stir the wort as it chills. This keeps the hot wort from hanging out in the center of the pot.
I think this method should also save a significant amount of water compared to using a chiller.

Yeah, I agree with this, no need for a chiller with 1 gallon. I also stir the ice water around (*WITH A SEPARATE SPOON THAN THE ONE YOU STIR YOUR WORT*). I was quite surprised with the temperature change around the pot after just leaving it in the ice bath. Chills in no time.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I was thinking to go cheap on my 1gal set-up and not make a chiller. How long does it take you guys to cool down 1 gal in a cold bath ?

For those who say they lose too much wort by taking gravity readings.... I just dump my hydrometer in sanitizer (wich is in my primary ferm. from the start) and stick the hydrometer in the wort without losing anything. Never had a problem with contamination do to this. Only reading you can't take this way is pre-boil because the wort is too hot, but i don't really care about pre-boil...

takes me exactly 30 minutes to get from boil to 60 degrees in a kitchen sink with ice. for convience i use the bags of ice from the store

i use a small wash basin in the sink, and a bag of ice, put in the pot, and slowly fill with water.

wait 15 minutes, dump the water, refresh the ice, and repeat.

at the 30 minute mark, take off the lid and check the temp.

 

[MTate37]

Not yet, but I plan to once the cranberries show up in the grocery store. I have to admit, I'm a little worried about that one. 1 cup of cranberries sounds like a lot for a gallon of beer but I'll find out when I try it out.

(And if it is too much, I only have a gallon of off-beer.)

Based on amounts of fruit I've seen others mention for a five gallon batch I'm thinking one cup might not be enough for a gallon, especially for the short amount of time they are actually in the wort. At least it is only a gallon if out isn't great. I'm doing this one tomorrow so we'll see how it goes.

 

[HIlife]

I've been curious about using those from our labs as well. Isopropyl should be fine... what about acetone bottles? I'm not a chemist so I'be just played it safe for now

I'm actually using methanol bottles but that was the only picture I could find. Anything that is water soluble and not super toxic is fine, just rinse the bottle out like 9 or 10 times and let it air dry. Anything you don't rinse out will evaporate.

 

[MedBrewer]

Hiya guys I'm new and picked up a brooklynbrewshop everyday IPA kit today as my first brew, I also purchased 2 8.5 qt aluminum pots,steel strainer,and funnel. I live in nyc and would like to know if it's ok to use tap water, or should I go with bottle water? My building is old and don't know what could be in pipes mineral build up wise if that's even an issue? The water is ok to drink. Please feel free to add any advise or tips as this is my first batch . Much appreciated.
-MedBrewer

 

[Yesfan]

"If the water tastes good, then the beer will taste good". That seems to be a phrase I here/read often. I would think you would be ok, but it's also not going to break your bank if you decide to go with bottled water. After all, we're just talking a gallon here. Even if you need to top off the fermentor a bit due to boil off, that little of tap water shouldn't hurt. The short? Go for it!

 

[MedBrewer]

Very true Yesfan, I do not mind at all buying a few gallons to brew. More than anything I'd like to know if thre is any advantage/disadvantage to brewing with tap if you live in an area that is known to have good water. I have heard that Six Point and Brooklyn Brewery use tap water here in Brooklyn... then again that may be total BS. Also more than anything any tips from any one for my first brew tomorrow would be very appreciated , I know there is much experience here to be told. Thanks all in advance!

 

[MedBrewer]

Another question... any purists out there that grow grain/hops to brew 1-2gal batches? That would be very interesting to me, especially if achieved in an apartment

 

[NoHawk]

I don't live in an apartment, but I do have wild hops that grow around my house. I've brewed with them before, and they're pretty mild. They worked well in a brown ale.

 

[MedBrewer]

That is super cool to me! More power to you NoHawk

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I brewed a clone of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, with yeast captured from 3 bottles, they were questioned, arguably mistreated, and made to ferment this batch. I used a maple syrup bottle glued to the fermenter as a blow off:

 

[JKaranka]

Hiya!

First post in the forum, I've been following what's going on for a few weeks as I've just started brewing. Based in Wales, so everything's a bit different (e.g., I'm waiting to cask my ale, not to keg it). I have two imperial gallon demijohns and a five gallon one. I think that once the mead in the gallon demijohns is ready they are going to move into fermenting and conditioning some sturdy stuff like barleywine or heavy-ish porter.

Currently my first batch in the big boy is a Northdown single hop mild with roast and crystal rye for adding complexity to the malts. (Anybody has experience with crystal rye or rye in milds?) Wish me luck!

 

[dadshomebrewing]

do you guys try to make yeast starters for small batches, or do you just pitch the yeast at the end of the brew?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Very true Yesfan, I do not mind at all buying a few gallons to brew. More than anything I'd like to know if thre is any advantage/disadvantage to brewing with tap if you live in an area that is known to have good water. I have heard that Six Point and Brooklyn Brewery use tap water here in Brooklyn... then again that may be total BS. Also more than anything any tips from any one for my first brew tomorrow would be very appreciated , I know there is much experience here to be told. Thanks all in advance!

i'm as new as it gets, but if the water is good to drink, why wouldn't it be just fine to brew with?

you are going to boil the crap out of it anyway.

especially in a city with good water.

 

[flipfloptan]

do you guys try to make yeast starters for small batches, or do you just pitch the yeast at the end of the brew?

No starter needed. Use mrmalty.com as a guideline. Since I have begun using mrmalty.com no need for blow off tubes. This allows me to get a couple of more gallon jugs fermenting in fridge with saved space.

 

[flipfloptan]

Baseball, 1 gallon brewing and family. Never thought I would like baseball but sat in kitchen while kids watched the baseball game last night. Actually enjoyed the game.

End of baseball game spent quality time with kids, watched sports, had laughs and ended up with a gallon of Heretic Style porter and farmhouse ale bubbling away this morning.

This 1 gallon brewing is good for us multi taskers. I would have been in the garage by myself if I made a 5 gallon recipe plus would only have one style of beer.

There is something to this 1 gallon brewing. Don't get me wrong 4 hours in a garage by yourself has it merits.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Baseball, 1 gallon brewing and family. Never thought I would like baseball but sat in kitchen while kids watched the baseball game last night. Actually enjoyed the game.

End of baseball game spent quality time with kids, watched sports, had laughs and ended up with a gallon of Heretic Style porter and farmhouse ale bubbling away this morning.

This 1 gallon brewing is good for us multi taskers. I would have been in the garage by myself if I made a 5 gallon recipe plus would only have one style of beer.

There is something to this 1 gallon brewing. Don't get me wrong 4 hours in a garage by yourself has it merits.

my day today will be similar.

sons are coming home for the day/weekend... will be making home brew and watching Notre Dame football.

pretty cool

 

[MTate37]

Just finished brewing the BBS Cranberry Wheat...my first venture into an all grain brew. It took about 40 minutes longer than I had planned and temps were a little shaky at the beginning, but my brewing assistant app says that I should get an SG of 1.050 with 75% efficiency and that's what I got so I'm pretty happy.

The sample was a little more bitter than I expected but hopefully it will mellow a little over time. The recipe recommended one cup of cranberries, but I went over a little and the flavor isn't very noticeable. If it isn't stronger after fermentation maybe I'll secondary on top of some fresh cranberries. Can't wait to see how it comes out.

 

[rawkstar320]

i'm as new as it gets, but if the water is good to drink, why wouldn't it be just fine to brew with?

you are going to boil the crap out of it anyway.

especially in a city with good water.

Because some water contains different chemicals such as "chloramine" (not chlorine) that makes beer taste like a band aid. Bottled water allows a higher level of constancy, I personally use tap water. Tastes fine, if I decide it doesn't taste fine, I'll start using bottled.

 

[BigRock947]

I brewed a Holiday Spiced Beer yesterday...1.25 gallons. It went really well...5 hours total from start until clean-up. How was your brew day/weekend?

 

[gwdraper4]

Here is a tip of the day for the small batch brewers that are using DME or LME for your base. While your specialty grains are steeping in a small pot, mix your DME/LME with water to get the volume you are looking for and start to bring that to a boil in your brew pot. Once you a hit a boil, pour your specialty grains through a strainer into your brew port and rise if desired. Helps shave some time off of brew day or night. Cheers!

 

[rawkstar320]

I brewed a Holiday Spiced Beer yesterday...1.25 gallons. It went really well...5 hours total from start until clean-up. How was your brew day/weekend?

brewed a Belgian blonde (ish). A little low on my og, and barely hit 1 gallon...lame. But I'll post it on my blog later.



Oh and check out the new addition, a stainless steel prep table! $25, but it was a bear to get into my basement.

 

[BigRock947]

Awesome set-up and nice table. I like when people post pictures of their brewing process, its great to see how other people do things. I always think I should take some pictures but I don't remember until after I'm done.

Too bad about your lower volume and OG...I've been having the opposite problem. I do BIAB so I have my HBS double mill my grains. I was getting 75% efficiency and planning accordingly then all of a sudden I'm hitting 90%. I think my HBS adjusted their grain mill...oh well.

 

[rawkstar320]

Awesome set-up and nice table. I like when people post pictures of their brewing process, its great to see how other people do things. I always think I should take some pictures but I don't remember until after I'm done.

Too bad about your lower volume and OG...I've been having the opposite problem. I do BIAB so I have my HBS double mill my grains. I was getting 75% efficiency and planning accordingly then all of a sudden I'm hitting 90%. I think my HBS adjusted their grain mill...oh well.

I've been at 50% using my diy mash tun. This round I tried a finer grind, (corona mill) so next time I'll try heavier. Will see!

I'm hoping the table will allow me to t rack secondaries, grind grain, and bottle all in one place. This way I'm not running up and down stairs to use the kitchen.

 

[BigRock947]

I've been at 50% using my diy mash tun. This round I tried a finer grind, (corona mill) so next time I'll try heavier. Will see!

I'm hoping the table will allow me to t rack secondaries, grind grain, and bottle all in one place. This way I'm not running up and down stairs to use the kitchen.

I hear ya about going up and down the stairs. Some brew days its feels like I was on a Stair Master all day

Before you change anything, I would try doing your process the same way again and add a little more base grain to make-up for your lower gravity. With the 1-gallon brew day, you'll only need to add 1/4 to 1/2# or so of grain

 

[rawkstar320]

I hear ya about going up and down the stairs. Some brew days its feels like I was on a Stair Master all day

Before you change anything, I would try doing your process the same way again and add a little more base grain to make-up for your lower gravity. With the 1-gallon brew day, you'll only need to add 1/4 to 1/2# or so of grain

I have added more grain actually (see blog for Chocolate maple porter) and it worked great. 50% is a little low though, I would like to at least hit 70 ish. Grain is cheap, but might as well try to save some.