1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[Northumberlandmonkey]

A fella on the facebook page was looking for 1 gallon brewers, so I steered him here. Signed up as northumberlandmonkey. Not seeing the name anywhere?

Cheers mate I found it

 

[Lepetitnormand]

Cheers mate I found it

Welcome here

 

[Lepetitnormand]

Well today is another brew day, but a different kind, my first all grain. Yesterday was shopping day at austin homebrew, after reviewing info on how to reduce the brew session, I went ahead and got it all out and ready yesterday evening while I was getting the kitchen cleaned up after diner and boy it does make a difference I would say, now 20 minutes after being up, the mash is resting in a couple of blankets at 154

Recipe should get me a nut brown ale I hope :

1.5 lbs Maris otter
1 oz Crustal 120
1 oz chocolate malt
1 oz special roast
1 oz biscuit malt
1 oz carapils
0.6 oz acid malt

mash at 154 in 1.5 gallon of RO water to which I added a tad ( yeah I know this is highly scientific) under 1/4 tsp of calcium chloride.

Now the house is quiet as nobody is up yet, the only noise I hear are the bird chirping outside, once the mach is over, I will boil with 1/4 oz of Fuggle for 60 minutes and it will then ferment using Nottingham yeast I harvested from my precious batch 2 to 3 weeks ago, and hopefully by mid morning I will be done.

Now on to get some iced bottled in the bucket of my fermenting cider jug.

Happy brewing guys

 

[badlee]

Well happy first all grain brewmorning

 

[Northumberlandmonkey]

i will try this do you have any other scaled down recipes if so please send them to me

 

[Lepetitnormand]

i will try this do you have any other scaled down recipes if so please send them to me

You are adventurous, this is the first tim I brew it up, I have done a few 5 gallon recipe where I take the grain bill and make a division by 5 of all the ingredient there is a post above with a few all grain recipe, you can also watch basic brewing video, they have a bunch of 1 gallon recipe on their show

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM1T4qgHA5qv2uF8y7wC_CQ

 

[Northumberlandmonkey]

Excellent I'll subscribe to that now

 

[brewsitorloseit]

trying to do a Mad Elf clone for my next brew.

here's what i'm looking at:

• 3lbs Pilsner
• .6lbs Chocolate
• .2lbs Munich
• .4 oz Saaz @60min
• .4lbs cherries @15min
• .4lbs Honey @15min
• .2oz Hallertau @2min

any thoughts?

 

[ohiobeer29]

trying to do a Mad Elf clone for my next brew.

here's what i'm looking at:

• 3lbs Pilsner
• .6lbs Chocolate
• .2lbs Munich
• .4 oz Saaz @60min
• .4lbs cherries @15min
• .4lbs Honey @15min
• .2oz Hallertau @2min

any thoughts?

What yeast are you using and have you googled here to compare your recipe?

 

[Azbrewboy77]

New to forum & brewing ! Did an easy 5 gal extract , botched it totally ! Switched to 1 gal for more frequent practice , did 1st of 4 NB 1gal kits ,2 more fermenting . Just wanted to say love the 1gal thread . Ps I have everything for 5 gal brews , SS conical , brew stand

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Cherry Hill Wheat with Chokecherry Substitute

Monday evening (October 12th), I commenced with the most recent project in my attempts at homebrewing.

It started out as “Cherry Hill Wheat,” from Brooklyn Brew Shop: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/be...herry-hill-wheat-mix

For reference, here are the brewing instructions for this 1-gallon, all-grain mix: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/di...eat_Instructions.pdf

My original plan had been to make this with Flathead Cherries grown here in Montana, but unfortunately the crop that we got this year wasn't the best, so none of those cherries ever made it to me.

I was just about to go to the store and simply pick up a bag of cherries to use; however, while picking chokecherries with my son for syrup and wine, it occurred to me that these might work quite well with a wheat beer. Beyond that, the marriage of chokecherry and wheat in a beer would very nicely reflect my North Dakotan and Montanan heritage.

Those of you who have experience with chokecherries know that the extracted juice makes wonderful syrup with a unique flavor, quite different from the astringent quality that chokecherries have when eaten "straight off the tree." Taking that into account, I decided that this would be an experiment worth trying.

The brew went largely without incident, following the instructions above. As far as the chokecherries are concerned, there were some unknowns, as this is a bit of a departure from the instructions, with unique challenges that required thinking outside the box a little. The instructions advise adding 1 cup of pitted "regular" cherries with 2 minutes left in the boil; however, those with experience know that pitting chokecherries is kind of like herding cats - it just can't really be done in any practical way. With that in mind, I devised a plan that I hoped would be successful.

I took the chokecherries out of the freezer (a generous cup of whole chokecherries in a small ZipLock-type bag), put them in a small saucepan with half a cup of the same water I was using for brewing, and set them on the stove at low heat. Once the chokecherries were thawed and the water had heated a bit, they started to swell almost to the point of bursting. At this point, I shut off the heat and gently worked them over with a hand-held potato masher for a few minutes, then set them aside. Periodically throughout the brew, as I was able to, I took a few minutes to continue to mash the chokecherries further - always as gently as possible, so as not to crust the pits. I then added this mixture to my wort at the final 2 minutes of the boil. I caught a tiny sample of my "chokecherry mash" liquid as I was working them with the potato masher; the taste was wonderful: sweet, just a bit tart, with that beautiful chokecherry richness that has people collecting them by the bucketful at the end of summer.

This particular beer employs Fuggle hops, which are probably my favourite. This is an old, English hop that is primarily known for its aroma characteristics, which are earthy, woody and - for me - reminiscent of the grey, foggy morning when I picked these chokecherries with my youngest son during a drive in the mountains south of town. It was late summer, but the weather spoke of a cool, wet autumn day, and the leaves on the chokecherry bushes had already turned red and gold. If that image had a smell, it would - in my mind - be Fuggle hops.

The rest of the brew was uneventful; after the boil, I cooled the wort to below 70 degrees, then strained out the hops and macerated chokecherries and pitched the yeast. The beer is currently fermenting in our bedroom closet, where the temperatures are the most stable and "controllable." I checked on it Tuesday morning and this morning, and things seem to be going very well. Fermentation activity is a bit slow, but it is definitely happening. Tonight or possibly tomorrow, I will replace the blow-off tube with an airlock, and then leave it alone for about three weeks.

I am really looking forward to trying this creation, which incorporates an ingredient that is truly near and dear to me. In combination with the wheat beer, I think that the chokecherries are going to produce a great Montana-themed ale that will really be something special.

More as it happens, etc. &c….

Ron

 

[fuzzy2133]

New to forum & brewing ! Did an easy 5 gal extract , botched it totally ! Switched to 1 gal for more frequent practice , did 1st of 4 NB 1gal kits ,2 more fermenting . Just wanted to say love the 1gal thread . Ps I have everything for 5 gal brews , SS conical , brew stand

Careful, people will start offering their free equipment disposal services!

 

[brewsitorloseit]

What yeast are you using and have you googled here to compare your recipe?

I was going to use Safbrew t58.
The recipe I was going off of was is here:
http://lancasterhomebrew.com/troegs-mad-elf-clone/

So I was converting that to AG and scaling it down

 

[brewsitorloseit]

What yeast are you using and have you googled here to compare your recipe?

I was going to use Safbrew t58.
The recipe I was going off of was is here:
http://lancasterhomebrew.com/troegs-mad-elf-clone/

So I was converting that to AG and scaling it down

 

[kombat]

I was going to use Safbrew t58.
The recipe I was going off of was is here:
http://lancasterhomebrew.com/troegs-mad-elf-clone/

So I was converting that to AG and scaling it down

Well I see one problem right off the bat. You 1-gallon recipe should have 0.6 oz of Chocolate malt, not 0.6 lb. The way you have it written (0.6 lbs) would be the equivalent of 3 lbs of Chocolate malt in a 5 gallon batch, which would essentially ruin the batch.

There may be more, but that was the thing that jumped out at me initially.

 

[Northumberlandmonkey]

Sunday fun-day tomorrow. going bottle my first all grain kits bonnie lass brown ale & pernickety porter . and also do my first one from scratch. Bought all the ingredients for the recipe below.
i found this recipe on http://www.basicbrewing.com/

Title
Black as Molasses Stout
Description
Thick, syrupy, nice malt/hop balance with a solid hint of molasses/diacetyl and some tang to counter the sweetness. You should achieve an OG of ~1.079 and FG of ~1.024 for an ABV ~7.2%. Cheers...
Ingredients to add as water is heated and removed when temperature reaches 170°F
160gm Carafa III
160gm Chocolate Malt
92gm Flaked Oats
Ingredients to add at the start of the boil (malt extract, bittering hops, etc.)
150gm Dark DME
6gm Challenger Hops(7.5%AA)
Ingredients to add fifteen minutes before the end of the boil (flavoring hops, etc.)
500gm Dark LME
200gm Molasses
8gm Malto-Dextrine
4gm Williamette Hops(4.8%AA)
Ingredients to add five minutes before the end of the boil (aroma hops, etc.)
4gm Williamette Hops(4.8%AA)
Add after wort has been cooled to pitching temperature
.5gm Nottingham Yeast
Instructions
This is a 1 gallon batch. Start with 1.25 gallons for boil. 25gm of Dextrose is sufficient for priming.
Submitter
niland

 

[Lepetitnormand]

the amount of ueast seems really low, generally athird to half a package seems to be the norm for a 1 gallon batch

 

[phug]

The low pitch might be to stress the yeast into making diacetyl

 

[phug]

Otherwise I usually pitch one fifth of a package

 

[TonyKZ1]

I brewed an American Pale Ale, an 1G extract recipe from Craft-a-Brew using one lb of Breiss Golden Light DME along with steeping grains, Perle hops for bitterness and Cascade hops for aroma. I used a muslin bag for the steeping grains and a smaller one for the hops, using the bag for the hops made for much less mess left behind in the wort so I was able to pour more of it into my fermentor.

 

[PiCzech]

Love 1 gallon batches. Just added a temperature controller to the set up. As for yeast, I usually take a ruler to the white labs vial, make 5 divisions, and pour in one division each batch. Hasn't let me down yet.

 

[Northumberlandmonkey]

Well got the black strap stout on the go its OG was 1.062 hope itvturbs out ok i plan on making this 1 gallon barleywine recipes I found on brewtoad next with a Christmas porter.
Is there anything you would add to this list before I put my online order in ?

View attachment 1445262919952.jpg

 

[Azbrewboy77]

I'm gaining so much knowledge & experience on these 1gallon batches !!!

 

[Azbrewboy77]

Suppose to have pictures

 

[brewsitorloseit]

Well I see one problem right off the bat. You 1-gallon recipe should have 0.6 oz of Chocolate malt, not 0.6 lb. The way you have it written (0.6 lbs) would be the equivalent of 3 lbs of Chocolate malt in a 5 gallon batch, which would essentially ruin the batch.

There may be more, but that was the thing that jumped out at me initially.

Yikes! Good catch.

I've got
2.8lbs pilsner
3.2oz Munich
0.6oz Chocolate
____
0.8lb cherries
0.4lb honey
_____
0.4oz Saaz
0.2oz Hallartau
_____
Safale t-58

And then I'll use honey when it's time to bottle!

 

[Sharkbrewingco]

I'm curious to know what thermometers everyone is using for their one gallon batches. I am having some issues with my dial thermometer. I'm thinking about going digital or installing a brewmometer in my kettle. May be bit much for a very small kettle.

 

[fuzzy2133]

All you really need is an accurate pocket thermometer for smoking and grilling.

 

[mirogster]

Some time ago, it was bit of a hype about Thermapen thermometers. I managed to source one for a discount price . But before I used (actually sometimes still do) an alcohol thermometer.
So far so good

 

[Samaran]

A bit creapy.... And that's not a terrible price. Are the lids drilled with a gromet already.

On another note I didn't boiloff what i planned last night and had a but extra so I threw it in a glass oberwies bottle and pitched some lager yeast in it. We will see how that turns out

 

[ericbw]

I'm curious to know what thermometers everyone is using for their one gallon batches. I am having some issues with my dial thermometer. I'm thinking about going digital or installing a brewmometer in my kettle. May be bit much for a very small kettle.

The cheapest one at Walmart. I also bought a more expensive one, but the numbers are small, the display got wet and doesn't work right, and it really goes through batteries fast. So I went back to the cheap one.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

CDN thermometer, cheap, accurate, tuff.

 

[Sharkbrewingco]

Thanks for the replies. Next questions. Hope they are not earlier in this post. Do you use a kettle or cooler as your mash tun? If cooler, do you use a false bottom, SS braid or copper? What size mash tun do you use? I use a 2 gallon cooler with a bazooka. I am thinking about changing that out to see if I can increase my efficiency. I am getting between 70-72% depending upon what I am brewing.

 

[Aristotelian]

Thanks for the replies. Next questions. Hope they are not earlier in this post. Do you use a kettle or cooler as your mash tun? If cooler, do you use a false bottom, SS braid or copper? What size mash tun do you use? I use a 2 gallon cooler with a bazooka. I am thinking about changing that out to see if I can increase my efficiency. I am getting between 70-72% depending upon what I am brewing.

I just do it in the kettle (16 Qt) using a pillow case for grain bag.

68%, no sparge. I have no desire to increase my efficiency. For a 1G batch I figure I am losing about 4 cents worth of grain. That is fine with me to have one less vessel to clean and one less step in my process.

 

[fuzzy2133]

I just do it in the kettle (16 Qt) using a pillow case for grain bag.

68%, no sparge. I have no desire to increase my efficiency. For a 1G batch I figure I am losing about 4 cents worth of grain. That is fine with me to have one less vessel to clean and one less step in my process.

Um pillow case!? A paint strainer bag would have been cheaper. And yes I would like to see a picture of that.

OT: I BIAB and stick it in the oven until it is time for the boil. Others wrap the kettle with blankets or sweaters.

 

[Aristotelian]

Um pillow case!? A paint strainer bag would have been cheaper. And yes I would like to see a picture of that.

OT: I BIAB and stick it in the oven until it is time for the boil. Others wrap the kettle with blankets or sweaters.

I will take a picture the next time I brew. The paint bags looked too big for 1-gallon batches, and I had a white pillow case lying around that went with an old pair of sheets that we never use.

 

[ericbw]

Thanks for the replies. Next questions. Hope they are not earlier in this post. Do you use a kettle or cooler as your mash tun? If cooler, do you use a false bottom, SS braid or copper? What size mash tun do you use? I use a 2 gallon cooler with a bazooka. I am thinking about changing that out to see if I can increase my efficiency. I am getting between 70-72% depending upon what I am brewing.

I use a strainer bag for 1 gallons (BIAB), but would love to have a baby mash tun like that. I have a 5 gallon cooler mash tun for larger batches.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

I'd go BIAB for anything less than 2.5 gal, I don't think you gain anything with an extra vessel with that small a volume.

 

[Opiate42]

Thanks for the replies. Next questions. Hope they are not earlier in this post. Do you use a kettle or cooler as your mash tun? If cooler, do you use a false bottom, SS braid or copper? What size mash tun do you use? I use a 2 gallon cooler with a bazooka. I am thinking about changing that out to see if I can increase my efficiency. I am getting between 70-72% depending upon what I am brewing.

I just use a 4qt pot with a nice heavy glass lid. Not perfect but works.

Have been thinking of modifying a 2 gallon cooler jug for a small batch mash tun but haven't gotten around to it yet, and I'm not that handy, afraid I'll screw up the modifications so bad It'll make the cooler useless. :smack:

That and I'm fidgety in my mashing stage, constantly checking temps, a mash tun takes that away and I don't know if my nerves can handle that

 

[ericbw]

I just use a 4qt pot with a nice heavy glass lid. Not perfect but works.

Have been thinking of modifying a 2 gallon cooler jug for a small batch mash tun but haven't gotten around to it yet, and I'm not that handy, afraid I'll screw up the modifications so bad It'll make the cooler useless. :smack:

That and I'm fidgety in my mashing stage, constantly checking temps, a mash tun takes that away and I don't know if my nerves can handle that

If you have a paint strainer bag, just fit it inside the cooler, then lift to drain.

If you get the right parts, it is very easy to swap out the spigot. Just make sure to avoid zinc parts on the inside (washers, nut, couplers, etc.). It can be hard to find those parts that aren't zinc.

It's VERY easy - even I can do it!

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I just use a 4qt pot with a nice heavy glass lid. Not perfect but works.



Have been thinking of modifying a 2 gallon cooler jug for a small batch mash tun but haven't gotten around to it yet, and I'm not that handy, afraid I'll screw up the modifications so bad It'll make the cooler useless. :smack:



That and I'm fidgety in my mashing stage, constantly checking temps, a mash tun takes that away and I don't know if my nerves can handle that

I actually made one and found it to be a waist of money. With a batch his small it is hard to keep the temperature stable. I have gone back to using paint strainer bags for biab. Found it easier to maintain temperature on the stove top.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1446551580.701636.jpg