Small batch tips

[nmichalik]

I'm the only beer drinker in my house despite my best attempts otherwise. I wanted to cut a recipe in half and was wondering if there are any tricks or adaptations that I'll need to make other than half of the ingredients, with times or temps or anything else.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Scale recipes with software, don't just cut recipes by fractions (e.g. 5 gallon recipe, use 20% of all ingredients for 1 gallon batch) because the smaller boil volume will change hop utilization.

 

[jmf143]

If you're brewing all-grain you can cut recipes by fractions. However, you can't cut your water volumes by fractions due to the constants in your process (tun loss and evaporation rate). Hop utilization won't change because your pre-boil OG is the same in both recipes. Hops don't care if they are in a 5 gallon batch or half of them are in 2 two and a half gallon batches.

Edit - pre-boil OG can't be the same. Now I'm doubting myself. I did look in Beersmith and halved a 5 gallon recipe. All the ingredients were exactly half as much in the 2.5 gallon batch as in the 5 gallon batch. Maybe me and Brad are both wrong.

 

[Calichusetts]

boil-off is a biatch with small batches, I only do small batches and have found that using a higher grain bill allows for more water (batch-sparging) and with boil-off, you get the right amount after boil with a slightly higher gravity, which I enjoy

 

[nmichalik]

I haven't ventured into all grain yet, im waiting for the brew shop to have a class but they're bogged down now that it's trendy to home brew

 

[poislb]

I haven't ventured into all grain yet, im waiting for the brew shop to have a class but they're bogged down now that it's trendy to home brew

No need for a class, you tube can have ya going by the weekend...Seriously, you tube has some great stuff..

 

[Revvy]

Scale recipes with software, don't just cut recipes by fractions (e.g. 5 gallon recipe, use 20% of all ingredients for 1 gallon batch) because the smaller boil volume will change hop utilization.

Actually you can cut your recipes in half, or scale them, the hop utilization worry is another one of those little things folks always bring up but in reality is negligable. We can't detect the subtle difference, if any that truly happens.

 

[eanmcnulty]

I use Beer Smith to make/scale recipes. I tinker with them quite a bit, but using the software makes it pretty easy. When I went all-grain I didn't want to purchase a lot, and I am also the only one driking my beer mostly. I tinkered with 2.5g no-sparge batches by getting and modifying a 5g cooler with a spigot and a stainless steel braid. I was getting about 60% efficiency which wasn't a problem with the smaller grain bill. That worked for a while, but when I started going for bigger beers I had to start sparging. I usually get 65-75% efficiency now.
Over time I got a bunch of 3g Better Bottles (6 now!), and I upped the batch size to 3g due to losses in transfer.
One real nice benefit is bottling is a breeze (only 24 12oz bottles).
Good luck!

 

[C-Rider]

I too am the only beer drinker in the house except when company arrives after a hike then the number grows. I do 1.75 (appx) into the bottling bucket which gives me about 18 bottles. I have a 5 gallon cooler and a paint strainer bag and a 4 gallon kettle. I do BIAB all the time and get efficiency runs about 70-75%. I use BeerSmith to create my recipes

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nYwf86unc4&list=UUdObnyKPx3hfPdYd9-PcuUg&index=5&feature=plcp]German Imperial IPA - YouTube[/ame].

 

[Coldies]

I built a small electric BK for my small batch brews on my RIMS system. I also do a no sparge for my smaller batches. I always just cut my recipes in half and have never noticed any difference. I think there great for test brews.

 

[BPhad]

Great Video C-Rider - can't wait to try this myself.