1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Why not try for a single bottle like this guy? Do you have the luxury of time to kill on a hobby? A single bottle expresses that luxury in the most pure form.

375ml Brewers UNITE! (with apologies to anyone who brews this batch size on a regular basis):

I'm tired of hearing all you small boy 1-Gallon brewers telling us 375ml brewers to step up. A lot of us brew 375ml batches because that's all we have room for right now, not because we're afraid of stepping up our game. Trust me, if I could, I would, but in the meantime I'm actually really feeling the 375ml game.

 

[Nick Z]

I am jealous. Well done!

 

[Nick Z]

I did my Everyday IPA kit today. I think I screwed it up rather hard. After I had cooled the wort I only had about half a gallon. It was supposed to produce a gallon and change. I suspect I had the heat on too high during the boil and drove off a lot of liquid. Or maybe my sparging wasn't very good. It seemed to take forever for the liquid to completely drain out of the grains.

But, in the spirit of being stubborn I went to the brew shop and got some extract powder and grain. I am going to try three different recipes (all at one gallon) from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. They were five gallon recipes so I just divided everything by five and pulled out my mini scale to measure things in grams.

 

[Dwight]

375 ml batch size!?! I'm impressed. I couldn't stand not having a second bottle to compare to. If only to see diff in conditioning an extra day or two (weeks) would do. And if you get a perfect result, can't duplicate it, does it become that mythical, one that got away. Makes it hard to share/show someone else.

Curious, can a single bottle be a 'batch' size.

 

[ba-brewer]

Yes to the batch size.

Could use the small 8oz coke bottles to get a second bottle.

Take your bottle to the 375 brew club and share using thimbles or shot glasses depending on the meeting turn out.

 

[HemanBrew]

With what do you guys clean your brewing equipments, fermentes, siphons and bottles? Do you use something like PBW?

Is it totally forbidden to clean with normal kitchen washing liquids? (as was said in beersmit podcast)

I have cleaned my kettle in dishwasher and used kitchen washing liquids for everything else. Good rinse afterward... And starsan to sanitizing. Is this OK or NO WAY?

 

[HemanBrew]

With what do you guys clean your brewing equipments, fermentes, siphons and bottles? Do you use something like PBW?

Is it totally forbidden to clean with normal kitchen washing liquids? (as was said in beersmit podcast)

I have cleaned my kettle in dishwasher and used kitchen washing liquids for everything else. Good rinse afterward... And starsan to sanitizing. Is this OK or NO WAY?

I meant dishwashing liquids that you normally use washing dishes (by hand).

 

[ba-brewer]

I use oxyclean free for cleaning my brewing equipment. I also use bar keeper friend for cleaning stainless kettles.

I think the recommendation to not use kitchen washing liquids is because of the scents they add to most.

Recall seeing something about residual soap on glassware can effect head retention.

 

[Immocles]

I use PBW on pretty much everything. It really does a good job of cleaning your gear. I had used dish soap on my kettle a few different times as well though, but not on anything with fermentation or later (cold side)

 

[RainyDayBrewer]

I’ve used my stock pot after a trip through the dishwasher and had head retention problems. Now I still use the dishwasher, but will give it an extra careful extra hot rinse before using it to brew.

 

[RainyDayBrewer]

I’ve used my stock pot after a trip through the dishwasher and had head retention problems. Now I still use the dishwasher, but will give it an extra careful extra hot rinse before using it to brew.

And PBW if there is any residue...

 

[HemanBrew]

Ok, thanks everyone. I bought some PBW.
Another question I'm wondering: Why shouldn't I bottle "the last half bottle"?
I have seen many writings that you shouldn't bottle the last half bottle (if not able to bottle whole bottle at the end of your bottling).
So why is this? What does it do to the beer?

 

[BongoYodeler]

Ok, thanks everyone. I bought some PBW.
Another question I'm wondering: Why shouldn't I bottle "the last half bottle"?
I have seen many writings that you shouldn't bottle the last half bottle (if not able to bottle whole bottle at the end of your bottling).
So why is this? What does it do to the beer?

Half a bottle of beer generally means you also have a half bottle of oxygen.

 

[HemanBrew]

Half a bottle of beer generally means you also have a half bottle of oxygen.

And that oxidize the beer?... or just less carbon dioxide?

 

[ba-brewer]

And that oxidize the beer?... or just less carbon dioxide?

For sure a better chance of oxidation, not sure of the second part. I have filled partial bottles(closer to full than half) and would usually sample those first.

 

[Immocles]

Same here. I usually stick a cap on it if it’s close to the “shoulder” of the bottle. And that’s generally my sampler at 2 weeks.

Otherwise I just drink it flat while cleaning up.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

Ok, thanks everyone. I bought some PBW.
Another question I'm wondering: Why shouldn't I bottle "the last half bottle"?
I have seen many writings that you shouldn't bottle the last half bottle (if not able to bottle whole bottle at the end of your bottling).
So why is this? What does it do to the beer?

Why not? Throw it away? Certainly not. Drink it flat. Use it for testing. Sure, there is air in the bottle with the beer. See how it tastes after a week. Great beer has been created by people who tried this and that from brewing to bottling.

 

[InspectorJon]

If there is not too much air in the bottle one can add a little clean water. Then there is always the 200ml bottle.

 

[ba-brewer]

There are also small coke bottles, 8oz I think. Soda bottles in general are good if you want to do high carbed type beers.

 

[HemanBrew]

Do you guys use bottling bucket or do you use siphon to transfer your beer to bottles?
If a bottling bucket, what size for 1 gallon? Do you get all the beer out from the bucket via spigot? Any good photos of good 1g bottling buckets?

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

Do you guys use bottling bucket or do you use siphon to transfer your beer to bottles?
If a bottling bucket, what size for 1 gallon? Do you get all the beer out from the bucket via spigot? Any good photos of good 1g bottling buckets?

I siphon.

 

[Immocles]

Siphon as well. I set it so the end is hovering and not sitting in the cake. Then snap a potato chip bag clip on the siphon at the opening of the jug to hold it in that spot.

 

[ba-brewer]

I use 2gal food safe buckets from home depot or lowes from the paint department, then siphon into the bottles. I like the bucket for thorough mixing of the priming sugar without messing with the settle yeast in the primary.

I have put corn sugar into bottles then filled on top of it a few time with good results, but the last time I did it to capture some extra beer from a larger batch I kegged they got contaminated. If I do it again I will make a simple syrup solution so I can sterilize it.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

I use 2gal food safe buckets from home depot or lowes from the paint department, then siphon into the bottles. I like the bucket for thorough mixing of the priming sugar without messing with the settle yeast in the primary.

I have put corn sugar into bottles then filled on top of it a few time with good results, but the last time I did it to capture some extra beer from a larger batch I kegged they got contaminated. If I do it again I will make a simple syrup solution so I can sterilize it.

I used the drops for my first batch brewed. One day I may try mixing the priming sugars but the drops make just to easy.

 

[ba-brewer]

I used the carbonation drop before and they are quite easy to use for sure. Only thing I did not like was the ones I used caused a krausen ring in the neck which scared the unknowing.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

I used the carbonation drop before and they are quite easy to use for sure. Only thing I did not like was the ones I used caused a krausen ring in the neck which scared the unknowing.

Interesting. I'll keep an eye on mine and see if the krausen ring develops.

 

[ba-brewer]

I think the ones I used may have had DME in them besides sugar.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Do you guys use bottling bucket or do you use siphon to transfer your beer to bottles?

mini-siphon (pre-primed), transferring directly from the fermenter into bottles. It's a one gallon batch, so I'll dose bottles with sugar. Carbonation tablets worked well for me when I used them.

@IslandLizard (in a different topic) will save me bunch of keystrokes today ...

...
To prevent transferring any stray hop pulp I use a fine nylon mesh filter baggy around the bottom of the racking cane (which also has the inverter tippy mounted) and start siphoning from the middle of the fermenter, lowering it as the beer level drops. Don't stick that racking cane all the way on the bottom. With about a gallon left, tilt the fermenter toward the cane to keep the siphon well deep.

... as I do this as well.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

I think the ones I used may have had DME in them besides sugar.

I read another thread concerning DME making a Krausen ring. Interesting for sure. I looked at my bottled brew....I see a ring. Hope I'm not making bottle bombs!

 

[ba-brewer]

Nothing to be worried about from the drops themself, it is just non homebrewers might see the ring as funk or something gone bad.

 

[mashpaddled]

I use 2gal food safe buckets from home depot or lowes from the paint department, then siphon into the bottles. I like the bucket for thorough mixing of the priming sugar without messing with the settle yeast in the primary.

I have put corn sugar into bottles then filled on top of it a few time with good results, but the last time I did it to capture some extra beer from a larger batch I kegged they got contaminated. If I do it again I will make a simple syrup solution so I can sterilize it.

I also use a two gallon paint bucket but I drilled a hole for a spigot so it works exactly like its larger cousin. I measured out how low I could get to the bottom so there would be as little deadspace in the bucket as possible.

 

[HemanBrew]

I also use a two gallon paint bucket but I drilled a hole for a spigot so it works exactly like its larger cousin. I measured out how low I could get to the bottom so there would be as little deadspace in the bucket as possible.

So how much beer left in the bucket in the end?

 

[ba-brewer]

you can tilt the bucket to minimize loss.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

Hefeweizen and brown ale doing its thing.

 

[ba-brewer]

@Buick Beer Gardens, what kind of fermentor is the larger one, how much will it hold?

 

[Immocles]

i really need to get a couple little mouth bubblers. I brewed a gallon mosaic pale ale today and looking at that picture vs my jug and blow off tube (cuz it’s gonna go, without question) makes me realize how much easier I could make my life.

 

[Buick Beer Gardens]

@Buick Beer Gardens, what kind of fermentor is the larger one, how much will it hold?

https://www.morebeer.com/products/4-gallon-fermenter-lid-spigot.html

Hold three gallons. This is a two gallon kit. Leaves plenty of head space so a blow off tube is not required.

 

[user 263363]

i really need to get a couple little mouth bubblers. I brewed a gallon mosaic pale ale today and looking at that picture vs my jug and blow off tube (cuz it’s gonna go, without question) makes me realize how much easier I could make my life.

There are also plastic little BMBs now that have spigots if that’s your jam. I picked up a couple and I haven’t touched the glass ones since. These are by far the best things going for ~1 gal brewers.

 

[Immocles]

There are also plastic little BMBs now that have spigots if that’s your jam. I picked up a couple and I haven’t touched the glass ones since. These are by far the best things going for ~1 gal brewers.

Oh? I like the sound of that.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

There are also plastic little BMBs now that have spigots if that’s your jam. I picked up a couple and I haven’t touched the glass ones since. These are by far the best things going for ~1 gal brewers.

I think Northern Brewer used to sell plastic/PET versions but I have not seen them for months. Fermonster has one, but my understanding is that it might hold around 1.2 gals, but not as much as the LBMB.