1 gallon batches

[dano83]

Hello, I am new so feel free to harass me appropriately.

I have never made my own beer but am going to start soon. I came across the 1 gallon method so I think I will start with those since I'm just a poor machinist. My question is, can you take any 5 gallon recipe and cut everything by 1/5 to get the right amount for a 1 gallon batch? Sorry if thats a retarded question but just wanted to verify. I like most kinds of beer but am really only interested in making ipas. Thanks

 

[Pkrd]

In general yes, but you might find some efficiency differences in your process which will need to be dialled in over a few batches.

 

[kev211]

I suggest going here. You can build recipes, so as long as you have a recipe for a 5 gallon batch, you can modify numbers to match.

Edit, might help if I put the website Brewers Friend

 

[aprichman]

Extract batches should scale perfectly but like pkrd mentioned if you're mashing there may be some minor differences that need adjusting.

 

[frankjones]

Brewers friend has a nice feature to scale batches up or down. I tried it out and compared it to figuring manually. It's spot on.

 

[RM-MN]

Since you are a poor machinist, you might want to avoid purchasing too small and then purchasing again as your desire for more beer grows. I'd suggest that instead of getting the setup for a one gallon batch you invest a bit more and get the equipment for a 5 gallon batch, then start with a 2 1/2 gallon batch. That should be enough to fill a case of bottles which might last you long enough to start another batch to be done when the first one is gone if you don't drink much of it. If you decide that you have enough money saved up to buy more ingredients, you still have enough room in your equipment to make a 5 gallon batch later and won't need to purchase more equipment.

 

[brewmesomewater]

Hello, I am new so feel free to harass me appropriately.

I have never made my own beer but am going to start soon. I came across the 1 gallon method so I think I will start with those since I'm just a poor machinist. My question is, can you take any 5 gallon recipe and cut everything by 1/5 to get the right amount for a 1 gallon batch? Sorry if thats a retarded question but just wanted to verify. I like most kinds of beer but am really only interested in making ipas. Thanks

I love 1 gallon batches man! So check it out, I started out by dividing the ingredients by 5 but then I realized that on a 1 gallon batch I hit 90% efficiency consistently.

Let's say the recipe is for 5 gallons. It called for 5 # MO and 5# 2 row. Okay so the percentages for the recipe are 50% MO and 50% 2 row. So now let's also say the recipe was based off 100% effiency and you only get 75% efficiency.

5# MO /5 = 1# for one gallon
5# 2 row / 5= 1# for one gallon
(At 100% effiency)

Being your system has less efficiency you would have to multiply the ingredients by .25 (25% difference in the recipe and your systems effiency) and add that amount to your ingredients, meaning 1.25# of each to obtain the closest results to the recipe.

I hope this helps man I'ma bit drunk but it made since in my head!

 

[LostBoyScout]

As another option there are 3 gallon carboys around that you could make a 2 - 2.5 gallon batch with, and I feel like with an IPA you'll appreciate getting a bit more beer volume. 1 gallon is great for heavier beers or experiments with a high chance of failure, but if you're careful and do some reading before your first brew, the first batch will probably be quite enjoyable already.