Thoughts on a 3 Gallon Batch System

[rhern053]

I find myself dumping the last 1-2 gallons of my 5 gallon batches because:

a) I'm the only one drinking it (and it takes a while), and
b) I like to brew more frequently (so I dump to make keg space).

This is a problem a lot of people have had, so I figured maybe there are some people out there who can tell me if this system will work for 3 gallon batches.

Mash in 5 gallon Igloo cooler.
Boil in 5 gallon stockpot (leftover from my extract days).
Primary in 6.5 gallon bucket (not worried about headspace).
Secondary in 3 gallon BB (or glass carboy if I end up buying one).
Keg and force carb in 5 gallon corney (until I buy a 3 gallon one).

Seems like it should work. Am I forgetting anything?

 

[Grizzlybrew]

It doesn't sound like it. In fact, you could probably eliminate starters for most beers and just use a single yeast pitch and still have adequate populations being pitched.

 

[randomsample]

Sounds fine, but I'd try to find someone to give the extra beer to if it was me. I like to bottle a few from the keg to give away.

 

[rhern053]

Sounds fine, but I'd try to find someone to give the extra beer to if it was me. I like to bottle a few from the keg to give away.

So do I, but all my friends are BMC drinkers.

I won't quit 5 gallon batches. In fact, I'll probably still do them frequently for "house" beers that are sessionable and popular. The 3 gallon system is more for beers that I like but don't drink as often. My first, for example, will be a barleywine.

 

[usfmikeb]

I face a similar tradeoff, as most of the beers I brew go in a reasonable amount of time. However, for some of the more special beers, they take me longer to drink, your example of barleywine fits the bill here. However, rather than reduce the size of the batches, I went in a different direction. Instead, I added another kegerator to the house. More taps, so I'm not hogging a limited supply with a beer that only I will drink.

 

[wailingguitar]

Why not bottle the last couple gallons or a certain amount right from the start once it's carbed? Have some to give to friends, take places or put up...

 

[copyright1997]

Why not bottle the last couple gallons or a certain amount right from the start once it's carbed? Have some to give to friends, take places or put up...

Bingo. I keg my beers, but frequently will bottle the last gallon or whatever to a) free up keezer space b) save a couple from the batch to later compare. Works great. See https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I guess I'm in the same boat as everybody else in thinking you should bottle the rest of the keg and store it away to trade with other homebrewers, etc.

However brewing three gallon batches is not much different from brewing five gallon batches. You probably still want to make starters to make sure you are pitching appropriate numbers. Otherwise all your equipment seems appropriate for that volume.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Another thought: a little parti-gyle brewing might help too. Or split batches anyway...

A few months ago I went to brewing 10-gallon batches exclusively. Before that, 10-gal batches were reserved for my house brews. But, now with limited brewing time, every chance I get is 10 gallons.

Example: I just brewed 10 gallons of a 1.047 stout and split it into 2 carboys. One carboy is getting 1 lbs. of lactose; the other is getting 2 lbs DME & 2 lbs. sugar added at high krausen (this one will also be oak cube aged). Result - 10 gallons brewed = 5 gallons milk stout & 5 gallons Oak aged Imperial Stout.

Maybe you could do the same on a smaller scale. It takes a little more planning, but adding different malt, hops, yeast, etc. can produce a wonderful variety of beers from the same base beer.

 

[smokinghole]

Just keep brewing 5 gal. Then you can bottle a case straight off. Easy Peasy. I have the opposite of a problem. I was brewing 5 gal batches and finding that I wanted more. So I started brewing at least 7.5 gal to net at least three cases worth of drinking on all beers. Then on low gravity ones meant for mass quantity drinking I do about 9 gal worth. I bottle everything though. Either way I figured the amount of work was the same except at bottling time to make more beer. So why not make more?

 

[alemonster]

I brew 3 gallons. I mash in 7.5 gallon igloo cooler. boil in a 42 quart kettle. ferment in 3 gallon glass carboys. Love it, but getting ready to get a bigger fermenter. I do like the idea of brewing a bit more beer. save the 3 gallons for Bigger beers. At least that is what I think for now. I keep looking at all of those cool three burner brewing rigs!!

 

[strambo]

Makes perfect sense. I normally brew partial mash 5 gal batches, but recently did an AG BIAB 2.5 gal batch that I'm fermenting in a 5 gal Better Bottle. It is going to be a birthday beer for my wife. I think I'll keep this practice up for experimental or high grav. brews that I can't drink 5 gal. of anytime soon.

 

[RM-MN]

So do I, but all my friends are BMC drinkers.

Maybe you need to find new friends?

Have you thought hard about why you secondary your beer? Lots of us are learning that it isn't necessary. That would cut out the need for the 3 gallon carboy and would let you make whatever size brew you want, be it 1 gallon or 4.3 gallons.

Have you considered BIAB. I think it was just made for a 3 gallon brew, all done in one pot right on the kitchen stove. Chill it in the sink and right into the fermenter. One pot to wash and a paint strainer bag of grain to dump out and rinse.

 

[jkarp]

Mash in 5 gallon Igloo cooler.
Boil in 5 gallon stockpot (leftover from my extract days).
Primary in 6.5 gallon bucket (not worried about headspace).
Secondary in 3 gallon BB (or glass carboy if I end up buying one).
Keg and force carb in 5 gallon corney (until I buy a 3 gallon one).

Seems like it should work. Am I forgetting anything?

At the risk of self-promoting... Countertop Brutus 20

5 gal cooler is plenty, ferment in whatever works (I recently switched to fermenting in modified 5 gal cornies and love it), and kegging small batches is definitely no problem. You'll want a bigger kettle though. Even with only 0.5gal/hr boil-off, you'll be starting with 4-4.5 gal pre-boil plus need room for the break. I use a 7 gal stainless turkey fryer pot and often need every inch of it.

 

[Burgs]

I find myself dumping the last 1-2 gallons of my 5 gallon batches because:
a) I'm the only one drinking it (and it takes a while), and
b) I like to brew more frequently (so I dump to make keg space).

I found myself in this exact position a little while back, so I went to doing 2.5 gallon batches. The thing that really sucked was how much beer I lost to trub and hop absorption. I may have saved an hour on my brew day doing smaller batches, but to me it wasn't worth it.

I like the split batch suggestion. That's what I'm keeping my smaller carboys around for. Ferment half with Brett, sour half, oak half, etc.

 

[rhern053]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll stick to 5 gallon batches, but do 2.5 - 3 gallon batches for experiments or high gravity beers. Yesterday I bottled off a 12 pack of my IPA from the keg in less than 10 minutes. I will just start giving brews away to the friends of mine that like it so I don't have to watch it go down the drain.

This just means I have to start saving and rinsing bottles again. Nooooooooo!!!!

 

[Skelator]

I made the switch from 5 gallon batches to 3 gallon batches. Right now, im in my IPA stage where im just messing around with different hop combinations and single hop ipa's. I found being able to do full boils workedsbest, and since i only have one 5 gallon pot, id just boil 4 gallons. Not to mention I also broke my 6.5 gallon carboy so all i had was a 5 gal and good luck fermenting 5 gallons in a 5 gallon cb. So in the end, I like the 3 gallon batches because i dont end up with 1-2 extra 12 packs in my closet when my next beer is ready to drink. My gf doesnt drink a lot of beer, i dont give much away, and i dont drink 3+ beers every night. For me, 3 gallon batches work best.

 

[TheMan]

The problem is that when you bottle that last gallon or two that it just ends up sitting around. I don't give out a lot of beer and have a hard time going through 5 gallons quick enough. No desire to mess with bottles anymore. I have been contemplating the 3 gallon batch thing. Maybe I'll give it a shot.

 

[C-Rider]

I find myself dumping the last 1-2 gallons of my 5 gallon batches because:

a) I'm the only one drinking it (and it takes a while), and
b) I like to brew more frequently (so I dump to make keg space).

This is a problem a lot of people have had, so I figured maybe there are some people out there who can tell me if this system will work for 3 gallon batches.

Mash in 5 gallon Igloo cooler.
Boil in 5 gallon stockpot (leftover from my extract days).
Primary in 6.5 gallon bucket (not worried about headspace).
Secondary in 3 gallon BB (or glass carboy if I end up buying one).
Keg and force carb in 5 gallon corney (until I buy a 3 gallon one).

Seems like it should work. Am I forgetting anything?

Sounds good to me. I'm doing slightly over 1/2 of your idea, 1.75 gal) brews. Love the variety I wind up w/and pretty much I'm the only one drinking by stuff so why sit there w/50 bottles?

You could ferment in a 5 gallon bucket as well. W/my small batches I use 2 gallon buckets. Would love to have some 3 gallon buckets to do slightly larger batches. I now brew about every week and a half.

 

[oldskooldawgz]

I am starting with 2.5 to 3 gallon biab batches because of limitations and it is nice less cost on the ingredients side which is important to me plus i get to brew more often which will help hone skills needed for when i can move on to a larger scale.

 

[Tykees]

Question. Can you keg 3 gallons ina five gallon keg though? If he has 5 gal kegs and only makes a 3 gallonbatch?

 

[smokinghole]

Yes

 

[Wig]

I find myself dumping the last 1-2 gallons of my 5 gallon batches because:

a) I'm the only one drinking it (and it takes a while), and
b) I like to brew more frequently (so I dump to make keg space).

This is a problem a lot of people have had, so I figured maybe there are some people out there who can tell me if this system will work for 3 gallon batches.

Mash in 5 gallon Igloo cooler.
Boil in 5 gallon stockpot (leftover from my extract days).
Primary in 6.5 gallon bucket (not worried about headspace).
Secondary in 3 gallon BB (or glass carboy if I end up buying one).
Keg and force carb in 5 gallon corney (until I buy a 3 gallon one).

Seems like it should work. Am I forgetting anything?

I would skip the secondary and just go from primary to keg. You can 'secondary' it as it carbs.

 

[spenghali]

Question. Can you keg 3 gallons ina five gallon keg though? If he has 5 gal kegs and only makes a 3 gallonbatch?

Yes you can, you'll just be wasting some extra CO2 during your initial purging.

I've just recently started doing 2.5-3 gal batches and love it. I brew twice a week now. Usually one big, different, or just plan whacky beer that I'll bottle, and then a 5.5 g batch of some house session pale ale or whatever that I keg.

I recently started working at a bakery and have access to all the free 4 gallon pails with airtight lids I want, now I just need to see if their supplier has any malt....