How to brew regularly without having a warehouse of beer on hand?

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Brak23

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Hey guys,

Ive been into all grain for about the last 5 or 6 batches I've done, and I think all but 2 have turned out poorly (low efficiency and perhaps some oxidation flavors). For me, repetition and frequency are the ways I am going to get better at this process, however, with 5 gallon batches I'm making more beer than me or my friends can consume to be brewing anything more than every 3-4 months. I got so frustrated the last time that I haven't brewed in about 7 months, but working on doing a batch of NE IPA this weekend. But I feel rusty now and second guessing myself on things.

How do you guys manage to brew so frequently in the early stages? It would be easier to give away a bunch of beer if I loved what I was making, but i'm not ever fully happy and I don't really want to start gifting beer out that I'm not proud of. I know its $30-50 a batch, but do you guys just dump what you don't like? I would love to brew every 6-8 weeks to keep refining my skills but I really don't know the best way to do that without having a warehouse of beer.
 
It's all about dedication.... if you have to drink 6 beers a day to keep your brew schedule, well then you need to suck it up and do it.

Another option is to go to smaller batch sizes. For example, a 2.5 gallon batch is also a convenient batch size and gives you a reasonable number of beers for your efforts. It also has the advantage of being small enough that you don't need to be concerned about things like high power electrical circuits, stronger pumps, or even large propane burners.

My normal batch size is 10G but i am considering a small electrical setup for making test batches and yeast starters.
 
Gift it with an explanation. Say that it is not up to your standards and ask for feedback. You may be a lot more picky than your friends. You may be picking up on very subtle flaws. They may like it a lot.

Drink more.

Brew smaller batches.

A batch of beer only lasts me a month or so if I don't share any.

When I started I had a wall full of beer bottles. I had approximately 10 -20 bottles of 10 different brews. I would take a few bottles of several kinds to chill. Then I had options for what I wanted on a given night. I slowed down some after that.

I don't throw any away unless it is terrible. I have only dumped 2 1/2 batches.
1) an experiment of a very high alcohol beer. It was extremely sweet. Used it for cooking dumped 1/2
2) a SMaSH 3 gallon batch using Pilgrim hops. After a month it looked like pea soup. Didn't even taste it. - dumped.
3) a smoked porter. Life got in the way, renovating for a move. It was in primary for over a year (the IPA also neglected for about a year was dry hopped and fairly good) Moving time - didn't want to bottle it and take up space in the Uhaul for the beer so I dumped it.
 
I agree with the smaller batches idea. The process may not be totally scalable with your equipment so see how much grain feels right and base batch size on that (it may end up 2 gallons or 4 but every bit helps).

I refined my process and equipment by making “house” beers. A chuggable saison is the backbone of my brewing and I’ve made it over 10 times on my current set up. I chose saison because you can’t really screw it up- the yeast will make sure it tastes like saison. I enjoy drinking it and at this point I’ve refined it to my favorite daily drinker. It let me really hone my process. My other approach is to make beers specifically for my wife, typically wheat beers which are challenging on my recirculating system but that challenge really exposes weaknesses that I need to address. It’s a simple beer that I don’t over sell and it serves as a blockade to bud light entering my home (a very poor blockade, I still don’t understand how my wife will buy a $14 bottle of Brett quad then the next day bring home a 24 of bud light).

And if you brew a big beer and feel good about it- stash those bottles. They will get better over time.

I probably average 6-8 weeks, but that’s misleading because when I get a Saturday to myself I brew like a madman. Take good notes and you can speed up the learning curve.
 
Brak23 said:
Hey guys,

Ive been into all grain for about the last 5 or 6 batches I've done, and I think all but 2 have turned out poorly (low efficiency and perhaps some oxidation flavors). For me, repetition and frequency are the ways I am going to get better at this process, however, with 5 gallon batches I'm making more beer than me or my friends can consume to be brewing anything more than every 3-4 months. I got so frustrated the last time that I haven't brewed in about 7 months, but working on doing a batch of NE IPA this weekend. But I feel rusty now and second guessing myself on things.

How do you guys manage to brew so frequently in the early stages? It would be easier to give away a bunch of beer if I loved what I was making, but i'm not ever fully happy and I don't really want to start gifting beer out that I'm not proud of. I know its $30-50 a batch, but do you guys just dump what you don't like? I would love to brew every 6-8 weeks to keep refining my skills but I really don't know the best way to do that without having a warehouse of beer.
Click to expand...

Brew small batches. I don’t mean 2.5 gallons (320 fluid ounces of finished beer isn’t a small batch), but rather 1.25 or less gallons of finished beer.

Less ingredients, shorter heat times, less beer per batch with the opportunity to brew more.

I have traditionally brewed 1.5 gallons or less but am thinking of breaking the 1 gallon mark and brewing 0.65-0.75 gallons of packaged beer.

This way I can brew weekly or every two weeks and yield about 8 beers per session.

I’ve found that small batches work great with single smack packs of yeast as well. Even with high gravity batches, I often have enough to pitch, to save for the next batch, and to save for bottling yeast.

The choice is up to you but for me, it’s perfect.
 
I feel I need to address this $30 - $50 a batch comment. My average batch cost runs $10 - $20. This includes grains, hops, yeast, and any adjuncts. Even with a low price point, you never throw a batch out (unless it's just plain unhealthy), you drink your mistakes. It'll be a long reminder not to do whatever you did to mess it up again.
 
I agree with the smaller batches idea, but keep in mind that whatever is keeping your beer from being delicious is probably an easy fix after identifying the problem.
 
FloppyKnockers said:
....never throw a batch out (unless it's just plain unhealthy), you drink your mistakes. It'll be a long reminder not to do whatever you did to mess it up again.
Click to expand...
This is good advice. I'm currently halfway done suffering through a slightly scorched batch of hefeweizen. It's my second (and last!) scorched batch. I wouldn't foist these on anyone, so all 50 bottles will eventually be dumped.....down my gullet.
 
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The obvious answer is to brew smaller batches. My sweet spot is 2.5 gal. I can have several on tap at a time for variety and still get to brew often.

The real question for me is your quality. While there is reason to make sub par beer there is no reason not to understand why. My experience is that all recipes, within reason, produce good beer, even though you may not like the style. But actual sub par beer results almost always are a result of fermentation QC And yeast type. I would focus on a set up that will ferment at constant and lower temp range. I suspect if you get your beers to ferment at a constant and consistent 65-68 you will love your beer.

Reagarding yeast, I have found that liquid yeast, say Wyeast, produces better beer more consistently than dry yeast WHEN QC IS SUSPECT. That is my own experience, but yes I have and can produce the same quality beer with dry. But for a new brewer trying to work things out, using the liquid yeast will provide a more direct link to better beer and seems more tolerant to fermentation QC. But let’s NOT turn this into a yeast discussion. Just my thoughts YMMV
 
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Start kegging, then each night have a half a beer, then another half,.....

That's how I do it. I brew around once a month and drink almost all of it myself. I've only pitched 2 partial batches so far. One was unintentionally a session stout (drank about half of it before the next batch was ready to take it's place in the kegerator) and a NEIPA that got badly oxidized during transfer (I drank about a third of it before it was undrinkable)
 
It's been said multiple times, but just wanted to echo the "reduce your batch size" comment.

I do 3.5 gallon batches, get 17-18 650ml bottles from each batch, and typically those bottles will last me a 2-3 months, or more, as I don't drink the same beer repeatedly, so have a few available, plus I buy quite a bit of commercial craft beer.

If I did full-size batches I'd be swamped just like you.
 
Anyhowe said:
The obvious answer is to brew smaller batches. My sweet spot is 2.5 gal. I can have several on tap at a time for variety and still get to brew often.

The real question for me is your quality. While there is reason to make sub par beer there is no reason not to understand why. My experience is that all recipes, within reason, produce good beer, even though you may not like the style. But actual sub par beer results almost always are a result of fermentation QC And yeast type. I would focus on a set up that will ferment at constant and lower temp range. I suspect if you get your beers to ferment at a constant and consistent 65-68 you will love your beer.

Reagarding yeast, I have found that liquid yeast, say Wyeast, produces better beer more consistently than dry yeast WHEN QC IS SUSPECT. That is my own experience, but yes I have and can produce the same quality beer with dry. But for a new brewer trying to work things out, using the liquid yeast will provide a more direct link to better beer and seems more tolerant to fermentation QC. But let’s NOT turn this into a yeast discussion. Just my thoughts YMMV
Click to expand...

I really don’t understand this liquid yeast thing. I am visiting white labs this weekend and plan on demanding an explanation from them so my mind might be changed by Monday. I can’t say that my QC is good because I don’t sanitize worth a damn (hint: it doesn’t f’ing matter!) but my beer is consistent and dare I say good. That said, I essentially sanitize and prevent oxidation for a living so my standards may be at a higher level than a novice. Please rehydrate dry yeast according to the package recommendations, they don’t waste ink on those instructions.

Edit: FloppyKnockers is an incredible username. Defer to what he says.
 
+1 for 1 gallon batches. I brew 6/1.5g into the ferment or which gives me 5L/1.25g finished beer. I brewed over 150 batches in my first 2 years and as a result my brewing skills are really good.
Everything about a small batch us easier and faster. Even measuring out the water is so much faster. You can brew while making dinner on a Friday night.
Glass demijohns and growlers are good for fermenting in, and one advantage of small batches is you can age beer easily. I have 2 sours and a Baltic porter aging at the moment, couldn't afford 3 extra kegs to do that with big batches.
Anyway, get yourself a cheap 2.5g pot and a biab bag and give 1g or 1.5g batches a try.
 
You really need to get a handle on your QC. Obviously you know that. Do you live in a fairly well populated area? Do you have a Local Home Brew Store near you? If so, ask if there are any homebrew clubs locally. If so, JOIN ONE! Go to a meeting. Tell them the problem you're having. Ask somebody to come over on a brew dayday to evaluate your process and give you hints about how to improve. There's no excuse for making bad beer over an extended period. Once you get down your sanitization process, your yeast health, and your fermentation temperatures, you will make consistently great beer!
 
I used to feel like some of the above posters and my mistakes were my responsibility to drink. I've since changed my mind. I typically do 2.5 gallon batches because even if I like a beer, I'm already antsy to get onto the next recipe. And if I don't like it, it's not as painful to pour it out.

I'll try to pawn it off on neighbors/friends letting them know I'm not happy with it. I've been surprised sometimes when they enjoy it. But I don't need to drink a case of a bad beer to understand it didn't work out. I learn the lesson, and move on.
 
Brak23 said:
Hey guys,

Ive been into all grain for about the last 5 or 6 batches I've done, and I think all but 2 have turned out poorly (low efficiency and perhaps some oxidation flavors). .
Click to expand...

My two cents - (and you can take this with a pinch of salt as I brew rarely but make meads and wine frequently) .
1. Is low efficiency a real problem for the home brewer? Right, you may need to buy another pound of grain or begin with a pint or two less water but isn't efficiency (all other things equal) really an issue for the commercial brewer who may be mashing enough grain for 500 gallons or more? So their low efficiency costs BIG bucks. Your low efficiency might simply mean that you should aim to bottle 4 gallons rather than 5. And ... could YOUR low efficiency be caused by whoever is milling your grains?
2. Oxidation sounds like a problem with your process. Can you bring in another brewer to watch your process?
3. There are a couple of (IMO) really good books with recipes for 1 gallon batches. And sure it's the same amount of work to make 1 gallon as it takes to make 5 but it is far easier to make five 1 gallon batches to tweak processes than to make five 5 gallon batches.
 
I started with 5 gallon batches. But had some efficiency issues at the start (also dialing in my system), so I decided to make 2.5 gallon batches instead. It allowed for more practice and allowed me to brew better beers in the end.
I got myself a small 10 liter (2.5 gallon) fermenting keg and just brewed as soon as i bottled. I had a continuous system of brewing bottling and drinking (of course).
 
Right now I am still an extract brewer. I brew every 2 weeks, at least 1 5 gal batch. I am also in the process of going BIAB. Since it is a little bit more involved and more mistakes can be made, I started with 1 gal batches. My first batch was, well a disaster sorta, I had over estimated my water,so my numbers were way off. I figured it’s a learning curve. As I am doing these 1 gal batches I see things that can be improved, and if I really mess up a brew, I won’t feel so heart broken over the 1 gal. I know the time frame is the same, well almost the same as when I do a 5 gal, but I spend a few dollars less, and my inventory is only 10 bottles versus 50.

I took the advice from fellow members, ran down to Lowe’s picked up a 5 gal paint strainer, and 2 2 gal food grade buckets. I drilled a hole in the lids for the airlock. As I am doing these 1 gal batches, 8 do feel that my process is getting better, and I feel that when I everything I need to do a 5 gal batch, I will produce a better beer. Since I am still new to brewing, I am experimenting with SMaSH styles. Each brew that i have done, I have made a tweak here and there ( with notes taken). My efficiency is getting a little better, but not where I think it should be.

As it has been mentioned above, I would still share my beers and ask for honest critiques. With that, keep in mind of the style the beer is and what style the individual usually drinks, that will also have an effect.
 
Brak23 said:
all but 2 have turned out poorly (low efficiency and perhaps some oxidation flavors)....anything more than every 3-4 months....NE IPA this weekend....its $30-50 a batch.
Click to expand...

I understand the excitement over NEIPAs - but they have short shelf lives, are far more prone to oxidation and have expensive hop bills. So a NEIPA is not a great thing to do until you're confident in your basic process - but they're great for helping you to refine that basic process as they will show up mistakes that might be hidden by more forgiving styles. Ditto lagers. I'm pretty lucky in that my drinking beer of choice is a 4-5% pale ale, so there's lots of scope for experimenting and keeping myself interested tastewise whilst sticking to relatively minor variants on a simple SMaSH-ish recipe that allow me to practice consistency at a technical level.

Define low efficiency - I wouldn't worry about it as long as you're getting over 70% for < 1.060 worts. Below 70%, then you're probably doing something wrong that's easily fixed, but it could be as simple as needing a finer grind or paying attention to pH. Above 70%, all that really matters is that it's consistent - arguably an efficiency that varies from 74-82% is a poorer result than an efficiency of 72% every time.

As everyone is saying, there's nothing magic about a 5 gallon brew, I've gone down to ~3 gallons and split it so that I can have separate experiments with different yeasts and dry hop schedules. One thing to say about smaller batches is that in some ways you're even more vulnerable to oxidation, but if you can crack it on the small ones then it should be easy on the big ones! But if you're doing NEIPAs then I definitely would size your batches to be 6-8 weeks worth of drinking at most, certainly not 4 months.

I sympathise though, my ability to drink is definitely a limiting factor on my brewing frequency, and I've got too much Scots blood to just through away good beer...
 
FloppyKnockers said:
, you never throw a batch out (unless it's just plain unhealthy), you drink your mistakes. It'll be a long reminder not to do whatever you did to mess it up again.
Click to expand...

I disagree with that. The last thing I need in my life is to choke down calories I'm not even enjoying. I think it's reasonable that you can figure out what went wrong after a few pints. Why punish yourself further? Go the the store, purchase a few six packs for "research material", dump your mistake and get cranking on the next batch. I think it was Jay Goodwin who said they celebrate dumpers at the brewery. They know it's coming eventually and when they discover the one that has to go down the drain, they embrace it.

I guess I live more by the "life is too short to drink crap beer" motto and that includes your own!
 
I appreciate everyones advice on this. Its helpful to hear all of this.

I will start by saying that while I appreciate the sentiment of "drinking what you mess up", I do that in some capacity to just get through kegs, but its a bit demoralizing and overwhelming for me. Knowing that I have to drink my beer 40+ times out of my keg and not enjoy it as much as I want to each time.

It inspires me to try and figure out where im messing up, but thats why I want to be brewing more. So I think doing 2-2.5 gallon batches is what I should be considering. For me I need repetition, and I dont have the metabolism to consume 4-6 beers a night (though occasionally I do), so I think the suggestion of small batches is right for me. Ive tried 4-5 different things and im constantly getting 62% efficiency, which ive been correcting for but its too low to say "this is my life now" and keep correcting for it.

I want to have more of a quick turn brew cycle and I think 2.5 gallons will allow me to get through beer and brew more and tweak my setup till I can get 70ish efficiency. Then I can start refining the process better each time.

Additionally, I will admit ive struggling trying to brew things too complicated in the past. But they are beers I like, so moving forward I think ill be refining some of the basic styles until I get it.

Thanks everyone!
 
What are you doing that you are getting such low efficiency? Who crushes your grain, you or your supplier? Something has to be drastically wrong to consistently be getting 62%. What kind of water are you using?
 
I gave up on 5 gallon batches a few years ago. I now do 2.5 or 3 gallon (3 or 3.5 allowing for fermentor loss).

Easier to manage.
Can keep more variety on hand.
Slightly shorter brew day (Small volume boils faster and cools faster)
A 5 gallon pot is plenty for a full wort boil.
If, per chance, a batch goes south, it hurts a lot less to dump 2.5 gallons versus 5 gallons.

Six months after starting home brewing (1989?) I was in the kitchen cooking up a batch and looked in the corner and counted 7 cases on hand.

All the Best,
D. White
 
FloppyKnockers said:
I feel I need to address this $30 - $50 a batch comment. My average batch cost runs $10 - $20. This includes grains, hops, yeast, and any adjuncts. Even with a low price point, you never throw a batch out (unless it's just plain unhealthy), you drink your mistakes. It'll be a long reminder not to do whatever you did to mess it up again.
Click to expand...

Can't bring myself to agree with the second part. I've tossed a couple batches simply because they were recipes that didn't work out. They were experimental batches that simply didn't turn out. Not my fault, unless I should have been prescient and wasn't.

Beer drinking should be about enjoyment, not penance! :)
 
I have brewed a couple of small batches and when they are good it is really disappointing to run out so fast!!
I never have enough variety. 5 gallons or small batches.
The shorter brewday for me does not make up for not getting enough beer.
I have my rig set up for 5 gallon batches. I brew with a 3 vessel system and never do a full wort mash.
As I said earlier I have only dumped 2 1/2 batches and one of those was a 3 gallon batch, another was neglected.

I get panicky if I only have 7 cases of beer on hand!!
 
I brew 2.5 gallon to 4 gallon batches, depending what I'm making. I use both 5 gallon and 2.5 gallon kegs, but sometimes I still bottle. Kegging will solve some of your oxidation issues compared to bottling. Between my house and my g/f basement fridge I usually have 5-6 kegs tapped, but I don't really drink all that much, I've cut back to 4-5 pints a week, So my beer lasts a long time. (OK, 4-5 pints a week is my target, but I go over that more than I should)
I brew a lot in the cool springtime and save up kegs of lager and lighter ale in the summer, when my consumption increases. I usually don't brew at all in the summer, unless I run out of something. So I guess I do have a "warehouse of beer" like the OP was trying to avoid, but I like having lots of variety and I like my lagers to age a while anyway. I usually have 30-40 gallons of cider/wine plus various meads and a big collection of commercial beer and cider, so a casual observer might think a total alcoholic lives in this old house.
Brewing 1 gallon batches seems like a waste of time to me, but to each his own, some brewers do 20 gallon batches and think my 2.5 to 4 gallon brews are a waste of time.
Get a grain mill and a scale and buy base malt by the bag and hops in bulk and you'll cut those $40 brew prices down pretty fast.
 
If you’re not happy with your batches so far I would second the advice to avoid trying an NEIPA

Stick to simple recipes and smaller batches until you learn your equipment and set up, so many new brewers fall into “my first homebrew is going to be a 15% stout barrel aged for a year” or some crazy idea of adding weird ingredients

I’ve been brewing almost 7 years and just recently i brewed my first ever lager, followed the myburger recipe(simple recipe other then lager temp control) in brewing classic styles, i shared a growler with my buddy at work and now he no longer buys commercial pilsners because i “ruined” him

TL:DR Stick to a very simple recipe and smaller batch size
 
Brak23 said:
Ive tried 4-5 different things and im constantly getting 62% efficiency, which ive been correcting for but its too low to say "this is my life now" and keep correcting for it.
Click to expand...

62% isn't the end of the world - let's face it, it's just a dollar of extra grain in the mash. From a personal point of view, I would feel niggled until I'd got it consistently up to 70%. But from a end-beer point of view, it's something that's easy to correct for, just add a bit of malt extract or even kitchen sugar to the final wort in order to hit the target OG - there's calculators out there to help you with that. So in that regard, poor efficiency shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the beer other than the niggle-ness.

Brak23 said:
I will admit ive struggling trying to brew things too complicated in the past. But they are beers I like, so moving forward I think ill be refining some of the basic styles until I get it.
Click to expand...

The first thing I would do is calibrate your hygrometer/refractometer - it could be that you're hitting your numbers, and just not measuring them properly.

The second thing I would point out is to make sure you have the most important equipment in any brewery - a pen and paper. Write down everything, so that you know what you did if things go right or wrong. You said two batches went well - what was different about them?

FWIW, I think the best way forward for you is not to compromise too much on the hop side of things, so hopefully you will still be making beers that are as hoppy as you want them to be, but just simplify the grain bill as that's what affects your efficiency. I'd definitely go all-barley for a bit, and even go down to just a single malt - basic 2-row, Otter or whatever - and keep it below 1.060. You should have no excuse to not get decent efficiency off 100% pale barley malt, then you can start to add speciality barley malts like dextrin malts, and in subsequent batches you can really screw up your mash ;) by adding in stuff like wheat and oats. But you should be happy drinking a 100% pale malt beer with your usual hop bill even if it's not quite as "perfect" as you are ultimately hoping for. At this stage, you just want to get a base recipe that works, it's then a lot easier to troubleshoot.
 
Funny, I think. I have been brewing since 1980 or thereabouts. I will let you do the math, but I have been brewing for a few years. I wonder how many brews.... but I digress. I do brew some nice beers once in a while; not once have I ever measured or even cared about efficiency.
 
Anyhowe said:
Funny, I think. I have been brewing since 1980 or thereabouts. I will let you do the math, but I have been brewing for a few years. I wonder how many brews.... but I digress. I do brew some nice beers once in a while; not once have I ever measured or even cared about efficiency.
Click to expand...

Then how do you formulate a recipe for a brew? Brewing with the exact same ingredients on a system that gets 62% vs 80% are going to result in two different beers. I'm not one to get hung up on how high of an efficiency, rather how consistent can your system be? I know my system gets me 75% every time for a normal strength brew. Too low efficiency and you are probably doing something wrong. High efficiency, then you can cut back on ingredient amounts. It's not something to obsess over, but if you want consistency and the ability to brew the beer you set out to brew, you have to know the efficiency of your system. If you are taking gravity readings, then efficiency is just a calculation.
 
Buy a few 2.5- or 3-gallon kegs and do smaller batches. That's what I do on all my non-IPA batches since they don't go nearly as fast.
 
PADave said:
Then how do you formulate a recipe for a brew? Brewing with the exact same ingredients on a system that gets 62% vs 80% are going to result in two different beers. I'm not one to get hung up on how high of an efficiency, rather how consistent can your system be? I know my system gets me 75% every time for a normal strength brew. Too low efficiency and you are probably doing something wrong. High efficiency, then you can cut back on ingredient amounts. It's not something to obsess over, but if you want consistency and the ability to brew the beer you set out to brew, you have to know the efficiency of your system. If you are taking gravity readings, then efficiency is just a calculation.
Click to expand...
Back in the day the word efficiency did not even exist in the homebrew world. And today, with the better malting and control processs, beer is pretty simple: Mash for 90 min at around 152 degrees and boil for an hour. Hop as you like for style and taste and the beer will be great.

For my 2.5 gallon batches 6-8 # of grain and 30# of water gets me in the 5-7% abv range. So yes I suppose very indirectly efficiency is built in. I have no idea what it is or isn’t. I adjust from there. Hmmm, maybe add a # of sugar for a double...

I adjust recipes for taste. I give no direct thought to what ever my efficiency is or isn’t. Never taken a ph readng in my life. I worry about sanitization, yeast health, fermentation QC and Ibu’s. Focus on these things and the beer, of what ever style, with what ever method you use, and your beer will be excellent, every time.
 
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I've been in the same boat. As much as I enjoy beer and brewing I really don't drink that much lol. I rarely ever have a beer during the week and probably average less than 4 on a weekend. It's been said plenty, but I think you could look in to smaller batches. One gallon all grain brews are super easy to do on the stove top. They heat and cool so fast. I really like doing those and it allows me to experiment or make small batches of specialty things I know my wife won't enjoy. I do 3 gallon biab for my normal batches, with the occasional 5 gallon if I know it's going to be a frequent request (i.e. a pumpkin ale that I'll have all autumn, a watermelon wheat I'll have all summer)
 

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