So Im wanting to experiment and learn more about grain and hops. I would like to experiment with small < 1gallon batches but im not sure it will work? Can you go that small and expect the small batch to taste the same when expanded 10x? Does any one have any pictures of their micro micro breweries?
Smallest AG Size possible??
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KuntzBrewing
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I would think it would be difficult to find or use equipment for batches that small, (like a 2lb capacity mash tun) using a regular mash tun would allow for extreme temperature loss due to the actual energy levels (2lbs of 153*F grain and 15lbs of 153*F grain are not equal in total energy) just like a giant block of ice has more energy than a cup of boiling water, you would almost have to make one yourself, like maybe a large plastic tupperware with a smaller one inside and then insulated foam inbetween, and then a lid that snaps on and maybe a thick styrofoam lid on top of that.
Or possibly the smallest styrofoam cooler you can get and then put a small tupper ware dish inside it with the insulated foam sprayed between these two. This idea seems more efficient actually. Then you could drill a small pipe through all the material and place it to enter the tupperware towards the bottom to eliminate as much dead space as possible, maybe just use a mesh filter screen similare to one in a french coffee press.
Or possibly the smallest styrofoam cooler you can get and then put a small tupper ware dish inside it with the insulated foam sprayed between these two. This idea seems more efficient actually. Then you could drill a small pipe through all the material and place it to enter the tupperware towards the bottom to eliminate as much dead space as possible, maybe just use a mesh filter screen similare to one in a french coffee press.
Whenever you scale you'll introduce some error.
If I were to try for anything less than a 3-gallon batch i'd go back to BIAB. Temp control is a little trickier than using a cooler-style mash tun, but you can work around that. Get a 5-gallon paint strainer bag at your local paint or hardware store, and go to town.
I think the hard part will be measuring hops consistently/accurately.
If I were to try for anything less than a 3-gallon batch i'd go back to BIAB. Temp control is a little trickier than using a cooler-style mash tun, but you can work around that. Get a 5-gallon paint strainer bag at your local paint or hardware store, and go to town.
I think the hard part will be measuring hops consistently/accurately.
YOu can do BIAB. HD sells 2 gallon pain buckets. You can mash in your kettle or buy a small 2 or 3 gallon round cooler. I do 1.75 all the time.
jmlabeck
Well-Known Member
I've done about 8 all-grain 1 gal brews, and several partial mashes, all BIAB. I love the system. I can do all-grain, in my apartment, on the stove, and it cost me 5 bucks for a nylon bag. No other cost. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to try an all-grain batch.
What??????
None of this is an issue. You can get a 2-3 gallon cooler and have no "temp control" issues.
As to measuring hops, switch to grams. Even the cheapest digital scale can handle the tiny amount of hop pellets necessary.
bmunos, folks do AG and Extract Batches down to 1 gallon sizes, (which is a 6 pack of beer), INCLUDING the folks on the Basic Brewing Podcasts.
There's a ton of threads on here for small batch brewing.
You can brew any sized batch you want. I do a lot of 2.5 gallon recipe test batches. You can even do 1 gallon AG brews. The basic brewing guys call that the six pack brew.
A recipe is scalable, so a 1 gallon recipe is 1/5th of a 5 gallon one....a 2.5 gallon one is half the ingredients.
2.5 gallons is one case of beer.
I use my normal 5 gallon mash tun for most of them, but I do a lot of Experiments, test recipes, or beers that I know I won't need/want more than a case of.
I sometimes use an unmodified 2 gallon cooler for a lot of my small btaches it holds up to 4 pounds of grain.
I just us a folding steamer in the bottom along with a grain bag. Just break off or unscrew the center post.
One of these, it helps to lift the grain bag above the spigot to keep the drainig from getting stuck.
I posted a lot of info in the mr beer thread that you may find helpful.
I posted some all grain small batchrecipes here, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/785533-post702.html
ANd a bit of a primer on AG with pics here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/738927-post659.html
But I mostly use my regular 5 gallon cooler mash tun which holds 14 pounds of grains...and 14 pounds of grain for a 2.5 gallon batch can be a mighty big beer.....
One of our memebers chubbykid had plans for a minikeg mashtun Mini Keg Lauter Tun - Chubby Kid Homebrew
THe basic brewing radio guys are big fans of tiny batch brewing...3/4 gallon (1 6pack) in a 1 gallon winejug fermenter.
They demo the 6-pack IPA here
[ame=http://en.sevenload.com/shows/Basic-Brewing/episodes/PERGFAJ-01-12-06-Basic-Brewing-Video-A-Six-Pack-of-IPA]01-12-06 Basic Brewing Video - A Six-Pack of IPA - Basic Brewing - Video - sevenload[/ame]
and they also have done barleywines as well.
I ferment my 2.5 gallon batches in all manner of things, I have a 3 gallon better bottle, I also use 3 gallon water jugs, AND my old Mr Beer keg (it's perfect because you can even lager in your own fridge with it when you are starting out.)
You can even ferment a 2.5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy if you want, though I would say a 6.5 gallon carboy is a little too much headspace for my confort.
Hope this helps....any more questions feel free to ask...But look through ALL THE OTHER INFO first and I bet you, you won't HAVE any other questions. This has been thoroughly covered like just about everything else.
Look around for threads on apartment brewing and small batch brewing as well, there's a ton of them on here. Quite a few of us live in lofts or condos or apartments and have managed, even to turn out 5 gallon batches.
Hope this helps.
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One really annoying thing about going smaller, is a lot of things don't go smaller by scaling. For instance a 2-quart dead space may not be big with a 5-gallon batch, but it's huge with a 1 gallon batch.
If you boil 2 gallons for an hour you lose probably a gallon. If you boil 10 gallons for an hour you probably lose the same gallon.
If you boil 2 gallons for an hour you lose probably a gallon. If you boil 10 gallons for an hour you probably lose the same gallon.
petep1980 said:
With how cheap hops are, you can do much shorter boils than an hour and still get good hop utilization bu doing larger hop additions. You can do a 20 or 30 minute boil on a gallon batch no problem.
Calichusetts
Well-Known Member
I do A LOT of 1 gallon AGs, I don't even use a bag, no issues. Just because its basic doesn't mean its bad...good luck
I have limited experience (on my third batch), but I've only ever done 1 gallon batches. They've been BIAB, AG SMASH's and done on the stovetop. The biggest problem I've encountered is running out too quickly <grin>
Yes but then depending on your grain bill, you can run into DMS issues from the shortr boil.
For what it's worth I have done 1 gallon batches before, using stovetop BIAB. You can also use a smaller, narrower pot to control the boil-off rate.
cheesecake
Well-Known Member
i do 2 gallon all grain batches with a mr beer fermenter. works great
what i meant about temp control is that it is harder to keep your mash temp steady on stovetop BIAB (what i was recommending) than in a cooler style mash tun.
mash tun = get to temp, put lid on, leave it alone.
stovetop BIAB = watch thermometer and adjust the temp on your stove for ~1 hour.
the reason i suggested the stovetop BIAB is that the additional setup cost will be less than $2.
Not! I boil 2.5 gallons all the time and loose between .5 and .75 gallon depending on the "roll" of the boil.
Here is a video of a 1.75 gallon brew.
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Sithdad
Well-Known Member
I picked up a 2 gal fermentor bucket from my homebrew store. It was $5. My test batches are 1.25 gal into the fermentor and 1 gal into the bottling bucket. I've been testing recipes so I could come up with house brews. When I brew test batches I BIAB in my brew kettle. I picked up a digital jewelry scale off of ebay for ~$10 that weighs in grams in 0.1 increments.
My Brother in law just sent me a pic last week of a 1 gal set up he bought online.
It looks like an all grain set up called Every Day IPA.
If you don't want to scale things that might be a way to buy a kit for your first one and see how brewing one gals works.
It looks like an all grain set up called Every Day IPA.
If you don't want to scale things that might be a way to buy a kit for your first one and see how brewing one gals works.
A guy who introduced me to AG did a small batch with a small pot amd then used a coffee maker to sparge with. It's the smallest setup I've personally seen. I've got a 1g bev cooler I was toying with the idea of adding a screen to the drain and using it to make starters and testbatches but then I remembered I'm lazy.
bighorn_brew
Well-Known Member
I saw this 2 Gallon water cooler at wal mart and almost pulled the trigger...Firing up the turkey fryer and moving a half full keggle of water when its freezing and icy out is not always my idea of fun, esp. at night when kiddos asleep. And people will say that mini bathes are the same time regardless, but the last time I did a mini batch, I swear it took half the time.
As of late i have been brewing 2.5 gal batches a lot! i've been getting roughly 3.5 gal into boil kettle losing 1 gal over the hour and putting 2.5 gal into my 7.9 gal plastic bucket. I have yet to have a problem with the head space in the bucket. I don't secondary or check gravity readings until 2 weeks, if the FG is where it should be i bottle.
So it can be done in a generous amount of head space, just not ideal. Also one smack pack will do the job without a starter in 2.5 gal!!
bighorn_brew
Well-Known Member
Wow! C-Rider, very nice video. I assume that was you? Very nice tutorial on all grain brewing, I wish I had seen that earlier in my brewing career, I would have gone all grain ALOT sooner. One of the best vids I've seen! Good job!
Calichusetts
Well-Known Member
That's a brooklynbrewshop.com kit. I highly recommend them for small batch brewing, that is their specialty...at least until you can get your first recipies down
ReverseApacheMaster
Well-Known Member
I do small batches all the time. I do a lot of one gallon batches to try out new recipes/styles. I do BIAB on the stove and ferment in a 5L wine jug. It's a little more than one gallon so you can bottle a full gallon. I get around 10 beers out of it.
The jump from one gallon to three or five gallons is not significant to your brewing if you are brewing on the exact same system on the small batch as the big batch. Different equipment always has an effect on minor points of a beer so if you do a one gallon BIAB on the stove but a five gallon with a cooler and mash tun, there may be some differences between the batches. The most important thing, IMO, is to treat the small batch the same way you would a large batch so employ the same precision and technique because any laziness on your part will also create a difference between the small and large batch. You have to be more cautious with mash temperatures because it's easier to get your strike or sparge water too hot and decide just to go ahead and use it. You should also pitch the proper amount of yeast. Do not under or over pitch. You still need to aerate. Etc.
The jump from one gallon to three or five gallons is not significant to your brewing if you are brewing on the exact same system on the small batch as the big batch. Different equipment always has an effect on minor points of a beer so if you do a one gallon BIAB on the stove but a five gallon with a cooler and mash tun, there may be some differences between the batches. The most important thing, IMO, is to treat the small batch the same way you would a large batch so employ the same precision and technique because any laziness on your part will also create a difference between the small and large batch. You have to be more cautious with mash temperatures because it's easier to get your strike or sparge water too hot and decide just to go ahead and use it. You should also pitch the proper amount of yeast. Do not under or over pitch. You still need to aerate. Etc.
mistercameron
Well-Known Member
Calichusetts said:
That's how I was introduced to brewing. It's really straightforward and now I have a 1 gallon test kit.
Tks for the nice words. Yup that was me, all of me. Check out my signature and you 'll see the many beers I can have going at once doing the small batches.
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
bengerman said:
I have found the opposite to be true.
I do a stovetop BIAB in a 20 qt aluminum kettle "mash tun," and when the mash is over I do a dunk sparge in a separate kettle. My 20 qt mash tun fits into my oven. After I've doughed in and stabilized at my desired mash temp, I put the kettle into the oven, which I've preheated to 200 F. I keep the oven on for a few minutes just to regain the heat that was lost when I opened the door, and then I turn it off. After an hour mash, I find that I've lost maybe one or two degrees.
Oven mashing is truly a set-and-forget system. In the one year that I've been brewing, it's one of the best discoveries I've made (thanks to the helpful people on HBT, of course). It allows me to make 2.5 - 3 gallon batches in my kitchen without special equipment, and I also use it for test batches down to 1 gallon.
Pete's right, boil-off rate can cause a big issue for small batches.
The boil-off amount is not dependent on the size of the batch. So, if you normally boil off 1.5g per hour with a 12g boil (me), you will boil off the same when boiling 3 gallons. I.e., it's a constant depending on how you put heat into your pot, and not the amount of wort in the pot.
bellinmi88
Well-Known Member
bellinmi88
Well-Known Member
Inside the MLT
erikhild59
Well-Known Member
You can use a small round cooler to mash in. I have one that's the same shape as my 5 gal , its just 1.25 gal.
I wonder if that would be good for a partial. 2g would cover what, 4-5 pounds tops?
I tell how much in my initial post.
Sorry, I must have missed it. Will go back and look for it. Thanks.
CompassBrewing
Well-Known Member
How do you guys scale your yeast down?
