1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[sumbrewindude]

Welcome to the Small Batch Brewer thread, Doc!

That's a great collection of styles. The NB kits are either BIAB kits or partial mash kits (where you'll add in extract at the boil after steeping the grains). The two I looked up look like partial mash kits. Nothing wrong with those at all, you can definately get your feet wet with them.

The one thing I'd caution you about is that everyone's evaporation rate (which is what you're going for in the boil) is slightly different, so when they tell you to add 1.25gal of water and boil keep in mind that amount may not be correct! You might need more water than 1.25!

I'd recommend getting the pot that you intend to brew in, fill it with 2gal of water, and boil it for an hour. Once you're done, measure how much water is left - that'll tell you your evaporation rate. Once you know that, you can correctly guestimate how much water you'll need to reach your end volume. That way, if you're off you're only a little off.

Other than that, it's easy - have fun, read up on the process, and don't stress! Beer's as easy as you want to make it!

Have fun!

 

[sumbrewindude]

SBD - That Surly Furious sounds absolutely delish. Are you going by NB's recipe? I wonder what the "dry hop blend" is?

So got the hops for this last night, LHBS had Mosaic for the same price as the Nugget, so I went that route instead. Mosaic's a daughter of Simco so hopefully this change is for the better (I think it will be, anyway).

Nothing like changing up the menu at the last second... LOL. Three brews locked and loaded! Ready for the weekend!

 

[rave808]

Hey fellas I am brand new to brewing I just purchased a 1 gal brew starter kit and some boxed beer kits (Brown ale, IPA, Black IPA, Red, Bourbon Oak Porter) all from northern brewer. I was wondering if any of you had experience with these and any suggestions.

I bought a bunch of the northern brewer 1 gallon kits basically they r scaled down from their 5 gallon extract kits .....very fun to make


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[hehawbrew]

Yep, easy and fun! I just did their bomber barley wine. Def not the best barley wine, but for 12$ to yield a 10% BW, not too bad. Gonna let it sit a while, but it seems an affordable way to get my barley wine fix as I let my AG bakery wine age!


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[sumbrewindude]

Went and tried a new (for me) beer last night as part of a bottle swap with a couple guys at work (they got kits too for the holidays, so everyone made something different), a kolsch.

Holy cow that good. I almost had to pry the SWMBO's fingers off the glass. I know I've already got 3 recipes crushed and ready to go, but I think I'm going to have to make a trip to the LHBS for some pilsen malt and Wyeast 2565.

In other news - can I say how crazy it is (for a guy that usually doesn't do overly hoppy beers) to add 2.5+oz of hops to a 1.5gal batch? Brewing LIVID (Surly Furious adaptation) today.

 

[Owly055]

So got the hops for this last night, LHBS had Mosaic for the same price as the Nugget, so I went that route instead. Mosaic's a daughter of Simco so hopefully this change is for the better (I think it will be, anyway).

Nothing like changing up the menu at the last second... LOL. Three brews locked and loaded! Ready for the weekend!

I've recently begun all grain, after not having brewed anything for many years. What I want to do, is run a simple mash, perhaps just two row and nothing else, producing enough wort for 5 gallons. Then heat the wort to near boiling, and pour it into a brew bucket except for one gallon. Sap the lid on, and slosh the wort around in the bucket thoroughly to doubly sterilize, open the spigot to sterilize that, Then do a boil with a single hop...... Mosaic looks really great...... I've heard nothing but good about it. The next day, do a boil with a different hop, and so forth until I have 5 single hop beers. Use software to try to get the IBUs about the same, and then compare the results. Open 5 bottles of beer......... try each one, experiment with blending, etc.... Just to discover what works for me.


H.W.

 

[Danno77]

Just dropping in to post a pic of my setup. I've only done 1 gal brews with it so far, but I think I can get a half batch (2.5-2.75 gal) out of it depending on how much grain it takes.

The nice thing about what I have here is that the hardware on my Walmart pots and mini cooler can be moved to something bigger if I decide I want to! But, for now, everything can fit into a big Rubbermaid tub! I've even offered to lend the system to friends that are thinking about moving into AG brewing.

It's also fun pulling out the digital scale and separating the ingredients into fifths! who new that medicine containers would be good for hops? Good thing I'm a hoarder. (yogurt and coffee containers for grains)

I was considering a wort chiller, but I can drop temps for 1 gal in <10 minutes in the kitchen sink!


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[DoD_Ales]

Owly,

While I really like the idea of reserving a gallon of wort for experimentation, the idea of pouring "near boiling" hot wort and "sloshing" it around scares me. You might want to look up hot side oxidation.

I do know people who, during cooler times of the year, store hot wort in a completely full, no air, carboy overnight, or even for a couple of days, before doing whatever they want to it. Maybe you could try that with smaller containers, and then complete 3 or 4 small batches over a few days. This technique could be useful for comparing SMASH batches.

 

[DoD_Ales]

I assume most small batch, one gallon dudes, use the stove? I have been looking at upgrading to a canning element. A power boost and better support. What do you think?

Canning element vs. standard 8" element. More turns. Higher wattage. Quicker boils! :rockin:

I wanted to thank you for this idea. SWMBO was kicking me out of the kitchen for scorching the range. The canner element works like a charm. Just completed a 3 gal. New Albion clone BIAB with no problems.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

For those that mill their own grain... Which grain mill do you use? I am not sure if I will ever get my Monster Mill back from my friend, and if I do not, I want to buy a relatively inexpensive one that is adjustable, to tide me over til the day when hell freezes over and I get my Monster back...

 

[sumbrewindude]

Craig -

Do a cost/benefit analysis on the mill. If you've got a great LHBS that will mill it for you, or let you use the mill it might save you some money in the long run. I know I really wanted to get one, but when I broke it down it would take me well over 2 years (brewing as I do now) to see a return investment in a $100 mill vs using my LHBS and having them crush it for me.

Obviously your case may be different.

In the end, I may just get a cheap $30 Corona and make some "Ugly Junk". That way if I need to order in some specialty grain, or do something that would need less than an ounce of something (which is the smallest unit my LHBS will sell) for a recipe I'll be covered.

I do know that the Cereal Killer (http://www.homebrewing.org/Cereal-Killer-Grain-Mill_p_2310.html) has a very loyal following around here, and the price is right. The dude that got me into this mess has a MonsterMill, and it's awesome - but more than I'd need. He routinely does 15gal batches, so he's getting his money's worth out of it.

In other news - first runnings on LIVID went for 16.5P :rockin: Sparge cooked out 6.8P, this is gonna be a beast....

 

[HomebrewCraig]

Hiya SBD:

I figure that if I can find one ~$50 I would be content. My old Monster was over $200 and I don't want to shell that much out again, especially if there's a possibility that I may get it back. And since the three LHBS within a half hour drive are not on my route to work, I'd not want to commit an hour on brewday to have the grain milled. And in the sprit of freshness, I'd rather not have milled grain sitting around for more than a week.

I did find this on Amazon, but it has no reviews...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064OEV6A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

LIVID sounds like it is going to be incredible? What's your ABV estimate? and IBUs?

 

[sumbrewindude]

Hiya SBD:

I figure that if I can find one ~$50 I would be content. My old Monster was over $200 and I don't want to shell that much out again, especially if there's a possibility that I may get it back. And since the three LHBS within a half hour drive are not on my route to work, I'd not want to commit an hour on brewday to have the grain milled. And in the sprit of freshness, I'd rather not have milled grain sitting around for more than a week.

I did find this on Amazon, but it has no reviews...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064OEV6A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

LIVID sounds like it is going to be incredible? What's your ABV estimate? and IBUs?

Craig -

That mill is a Corona Mill, and is what I was refering to about the "Ugly Junk". Here's the thread on it: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/

It's a bit of a read, but if you can find Wilser Brewer's second try, you'll have the basis for a GREAT mill. Basically a mill in a bucket, nice and compact. Might be easiest to start at the end and work backward on that one - it's had a few versions as the group got better at it.

As for the mill, Discount Tommy's got the best deal going on them. On eBay you can find them for around 25$ with free shipping sometimes, otherwise amazon has them for around $30 under Discount Tommy's name - finally, if you have a Walmart close, you can get the same mill from Walmart and have it shipped to store free for around $30 also: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Weston-Cereal-and-Multi-Grain-Mill/14223932

LIVID finished up at 17.7P into the carboy, estimated ABV of 7.6/75IBU, pitched with a gen2 Notty slurry. Hope to dryhop it with 1oz of Simcoe/Mosaic.

 

[rockstarpotion]

Hey! I'm wondering where people get their 1-3gallon recipes from? Or do you just usually scale it down from a 5 gallon recipe? I want to start all-grain as well.

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[HomebrewCraig]

As I look for recipes that appeal to me, I find them mostly in 5 or 10 gallon sizes.. I use software (BeerSmith) which will scale the recipe down to whatever batch size I wish. BrewTarget is a free, open-source homebrew software which can do the same thing. If you want to scale the recipes yourself, divide the ingredient bill by 2 to make a 2.5 gallon batch, or by 4 to make a 1.25 gallon batch, or by 5 if you make a 1 gallon batch. Converting to grams may be helpful, especially for some of the more minute amounts of ingredients.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

SBD: Good to see that third fermenter get put to use! Revvy's Ugly Junk project looks interesting.. I managed my way through nearly 400 pages of this thread, I am sure that thread will go quicker.
I will look into the mill and maybe take my own set of pics.

 

[BigRock947]

SBD: Good to see that third fermenter get put to use! Revvy's Ugly Junk project looks interesting.. I managed my way through nearly 400 pages of this thread, I am sure that thread will go quicker.
I will look into the mill and maybe take my own set of pics.

I used my "Ugly Junk" mill to grind up 2.5# of grain for a brew yesterday. It works really well for BIAB and small batches...It only took me about 10-15 minutes to crush up the grain. Another place to look for them is Wal-Mart.com plus free delivery to the store.

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[sumbrewindude]

LIVID took off last night, airlocks rattling the top, bubbles at least twice a second. Looks like the Eye of Jupiter in there...

To any of the small batch brewers thinking about saving your yeast, do it! I started a few batches ago, just collecting the cake and leftover trub with a little bit of bottled water into a 1qt sanitized mason jar (it's easy enough to do on bottling day). Just label and toss in the fridge for a few days and it'll separate out.

When you're ready to pitch, just decant off the old liquid and carefully pour the top half of the slurry into the carboy. Every one of my pitches like this take off like a rocket. I'm trying to see how far I can go with each culture, so far I've been able to get into a 3rd generation...


The Corona Mill/Ugly Junk project will probably happen this summer for me - I still want to make one eventually, but it's lower on the priority list than things like a fermentation chamber or keezer.

 

[bleme]

Hey! I'm wondering where people get their 1-3gallon recipes from? Or do you just usually scale it down from a 5 gallon recipe? I want to start all-grain as well.

I use this spreadsheet most of the time:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsJukKCXJXsEdFNpNC1Wc3hMYkVReUhVS0tCaVplenc&usp=sharing

 

[sumbrewindude]

That spreadsheet Bleme linked to is great. I used that for a while until I figured out how to use BrewTarget. Now I use Brewtarget for everything so I can see what happens if I have to make a change immediately during brewing.

 

[bleme]

That spreadsheet Bleme linked to is great.

Thanks! I use it for my 5 gallon batches too because my cheapo scale only reads grams.

 

[jeffro30]

Going to be bottling my 1st one gallon batch today, I don't really wanna use the fizzy drops I got with my kit. Anyone have a good bottling sugar corn recipe for a Red Irish Ale? Thanks


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[sumbrewindude]

Going to be bottling my 1st one gallon batch today, I don't really wanna use the fizzy drops I got with my kit. Anyone have a good bottling sugar corn recipe for a Red Irish Ale? Thanks


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I usually use this priming calc because I like that it has all the styles listed:
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

That said, I didn't find an Irish Red ale on it, so I went with the default 2.2 which seems to be fine (for me), if you like American style carbonation you'll need to bump that to 2.4 or so.

According to the calc provided your beer is currently at 65F, you'll need 0.7oz to prime with.

While I'm at it, I'll readily admit that I've dropped dextrose (corn sugar) for priming/brewing. Sucrose (table sugar) does better for me, is cheaper, and actually needs less when you start getting into larger volumes. It's a win all the way around, and who doesn't have sugar in their kitchen.

 

[Owly055]

Owly,

While I really like the idea of reserving a gallon of wort for experimentation, the idea of pouring "near boiling" hot wort and "sloshing" it around scares me. You might want to look up hot side oxidation.

I do know people who, during cooler times of the year, store hot wort in a completely full, no air, carboy overnight, or even for a couple of days, before doing whatever they want to it. Maybe you could try that with smaller containers, and then complete 3 or 4 small batches over a few days. This technique could be useful for comparing SMASH batches.

DoD:

Your concerns are legitimate........... "sloshing" is not a good phrase here. Pressure increases with any agitation, and in a sealed container, that means swelling and the possibility of blowing the lid off. In general it's a bad idea.

What does work....... and I do it all the time with my kombucha, is to use a narrow neck glass jar........... I use growlers. I mix my sweet tea up double strength, and pour it boiling hot into growlers sitting in the sink. They are PREHEATED...... so they don't crack. I fill them to overflowing, and quickly screw the cap on. The cap is sterilized without sloshing hot liquid......... I always tilt them to get the air bubble away from the cap. It will keep indefinitely..... or so it seems. Saving 4 gallons from a 5 gallon pre boil would take 8 growlers......... one gallon jugs would be nicer.

The obvious problem with this is that you are still dealing with having to heat 5 gallons of wort. While you could heat separate smaller quantities easily enough, your runnings are going to vary in gravity, so at some point it all has to go together unless you want a higher and a lower gravity wort.

The idea has it's limits........ for the one gallon brewer...........but offers the advantage I mentioned of being easily able to try different hop schedules with identical wort.

Pico Brew is the ultimate solution for experimenting........

H.W.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

Oh, I think I just found the Wilser Brewer version that you are talking about SBD.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/index15.html

This one looks pretty amazing.

SBD: Any plans on designing a brew and entering it into a HB contest?

 

[sumbrewindude]

Craig - Yep, that's the one! Nice and contained, easy to store. That's the one I'm going to make when I get around to it.

AFA entering a HB contest, I'm honestly not sure. While I'm happy with my process (for now), there's still a lot I'm learning in regards to malts, percentages and ratios that I prefer in my beers. I am looking at joining a club so I can get some feedback from more than my friends and co-workers. Finding time with work/family will be challenging, though.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Broke open a bottle of the SWMBO's cran-apple cider I made for her a month or so back - dang this is tasty. Missed the carbonation amount, but overall it's light with just a kick of the cranberry and no sweeteners. Dry, clean, would make a great dinner drink. I'm surprised S04 behaved so well in it.

Only bad part is the rest of the gallon batch is bottled into 1L bottles, so it looks like it will be a dinner drink between the two of us (maybe more if friends stop over). Oh well, guess I'll have to make more.

 

[acarter5251]

I will be making my second batch tomorrow. It's going to be a light blueberry ale with a slightly higher ABV for the girlfriend. Hopefully it turns out good! As far as my first batch goes, I took gravity readings yesterday and today, and the gravity is sitting steady at 1.012 for an ABV of about 4.2%. There is still some krausen on the top though. I tasted the sample, and it tastes like beer! I will allow the fermenter to come to room temperature and let sit for another 2 weeks or so to settle. I may also cold crash the beer for a few days before bottling to clear it up even more.

 

[Owly055]

I've been using 2 gallon ice tea jugs for fermenters....... Yorkshire brand, clear glass with a metal lid. I tape the lid with electrical tape, as there is no seal otherwise. They work great, and I can see what's going on. That's worth something!

I am just now mashing a 2.5 gallon batch, and it will go in a 3 gallon plastic ice tea jug... perhaps just a bit small...... time will tell. This is a really nice jug made from clear acrylic with a slight green tint, and the lid fits very tightly. I drilled a hole for the fermentation lock using a soldering iron........... I wanted something transparent, with a spigot.

Anybody else using these kinds of jugs for fermenters?

H.W.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Owly -

Should work fine as long as you're not using some crazy vicious yeast in the mid 70F's. If it works, go for it. I have no issues at all with plastic, though I prefer PETE over the alternatives. I've been using home recyclable water jugs - their cheap ($5), come with good water already, are PETE, and fit my standard carboy stoppers. When they get too nasty to worry about, I'll just recycle them and pick up some new ones.

One thing I found out that's pretty cool - because of the mold ripples on the bottom of the bottle, all the yeast/trub goes to the low parts, and holds it there when I tip the bottle during siphoning. That said, they are a little more of a pain to clean out than a regular, smooth sided bottle.

 

[Owly055]

Owly -

Should work fine as long as you're not using some crazy vicious yeast in the mid 70F's. If it works, go for it. I have no issues at all with plastic, though I prefer PETE over the alternatives. I've been using home recyclable water jugs - their cheap ($5), come with good water already, are PETE, and fit my standard carboy stoppers. When they get too nasty to worry about, I'll just recycle them and pick up some new ones.

One thing I found out that's pretty cool - because of the mold ripples on the bottom of the bottle, all the yeast/trub goes to the low parts, and holds it there when I tip the bottle during siphoning. That said, they are a little more of a pain to clean out than a regular, smooth sided bottle.

Your discovery about mold ripples holding trub is significant I think......... There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't have inserts to accomplish the same thing......


H.W.

 

[doc8402]

Ok fellas my stuff got here today and it dawned on me that I did not get a hydrometer. I know big mistake but my question is other than figuring out ABV and spec grav is it required to brew an extract kit? I mean beer was brewed with out it for so long and I don't think my first kit beer will be my best. Thoughts?


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[rave808]

Leave it in fermenter for three weeks should be fine if doing low to medium gravity ales


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[sumbrewindude]

Ok fellas my stuff got here today and it dawned on me that I did not get a hydrometer. I know big mistake but my question is other than figuring out ABV and spec grav is it required to brew an extract kit? I mean beer was brewed with out it for so long and I don't think my first kit beer will be my best. Thoughts?


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The extract will help, but you'll need to be accurate with your volumes. Rave808's right, leave it be for 3 weeks after you make it, and you should be fine.

I'd still get one, they're cheap enough and you have to have one for a FG measurement. I do get more milage out of my refractometer vs my hydrometer but both are necessary tools IMO.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

Oh the temptation.. AIH is having a special on the Cereal Killer, 99 bucks, free shipping....

 

[doc8402]

Rave808 and sumbrewindude thanks for the advice I had planned on 3 weeks based on what I have going on. I plan on getting one soon just my hours and my lhbs are in sync currently.

Any suggestions on what kit to do first I have: black IPA, IPA, caribou slobber (american brown), red ale, oak bourbon porter


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[sumbrewindude]

Craig - yep, read lots of good things about the Cereal Killer. Seems like a great deal for the money, lots of happy folks on here with their. I'm still going to end up with Ugly Junk - I'm plenty happy with the LHBS's double crush. I'm getting 83%+ with a single batch sparge and a 75min mash.

BTW - found a bar up here with Central Water's Bourbon Barrel Stout on tap. Holy cow does it have the bourbon flavor in it! Much more than I remember - I had one, a Maibock and sampled the wife's New Belgium Snapshot (which was tasty too). I'll be heading back for one - and only one - again soon.


Doc - If it were me, I'd go: red ale, Caribou, IPA, Black IPA, Oak/bourbon Porter.
Reason being (without knowing the specifics of the recipies) that'll get your feet wet with the easier ones, let you use that knowledge with the IPA's, then you'll be prepared to deal with the bourbon/oak - which really isn't that difficult, but I learned the hard way to respect oak. It can easily get away from you, especially if they're chips. Less is more with them, that's all I'll say - you might really dig it.

 

[FatsSchindee]

Rave808 and sumbrewindude thanks for the advice I had planned on 3 weeks based on what I have going on. I plan on getting one soon just my hours and my lhbs are in sync currently.

Any suggestions on what kit to do first I have: black IPA, IPA, caribou slobber (american brown), red ale, oak bourbon porter


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Not sure which yeasts you plan on using for each... But if any of them use the same yeast, you can save some $ by repitching the yeast from a previous batch. For example, maybe brew the IPA first, then use that yeast for the black IPA next. Or the red ale, and then the brown ale after that, then the porter even after that. Depending on the strength and color of each... You generally want to go smaller to larger, and/or lighter SRM to darker. You may not want to use the whole yeast cake, though (though overpitching may not be too much of an issue for a one gal batch)... Look up yeast washing and use a yeast calculator to see how much of the slurry to pitch.


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[IvanBrew]

For those interested by the Tap-A-Draft bottle conversation (for 1.5 gal fermenters), I received my order for (3) of them today.

I'd seen this picture of the bottle on Amazon:

and this one on Morebeer (which is where I ordered):

What I received is this:

Either there are multiple versions of this bottle out there, or there's been a mfg change.

Unfortunately, with the round bottom, I'm going to have to find a creative way to keep these upright to make them useful as fermenters.

I could return them, I suppose, and re-order from the Amazon source, but I'm debating if it's worth it...

 

[IvanBrew]

As a follow up:

I'll give a thumbs up to Morebeer's customer service. I just got off the phone with them. He checked their other warehouse, finding the same thing: All the bottles they have do have rounded bottoms. Because they differ from the picture online, they offered to return them at no cost to me, including return shipping.

I haven't decided that's what I want to do yet, but it's good to know they'll take care of it if I do return them...