1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[flipfloptan]

For those who have White lab vials leftover. They are great to keep your slurry in and use on your next 1 gallon recipe. Mr. Malty usually says 17ml of slurry, up to a month old, for normal OG 1 gallon beers. The white labs vial is 35ml. I use a whole vial of slurry for my 1 gallon brews. If I feel the vial may be to old, I just make a small starter to bring bag the yeast count. Take off the wort before pitching.

Using slurry will make your beers taste even better.

 

[YeastHerder]

I wonder what I need to get started and make my 4L batches each week.

If you are already brewing on a larger scale, the list is probably only the following:

1) the smaller fermentation vessel. I use:

http://www.naturalwanderings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Empty-apple-juice-jug.jpg

from a local grocery store. If you don't like apple juice, then that might not be as win-win as it was for me.

2) Smaller sized rubber stoppers. #7 fits 5 gallon glass carboys. #6 fits my 1-gallon jugs. If you can bring the jug with you to size them right, that will be best.

3) a kitchen scale that can weigh out the much smaller masses of hops. You may find yourself trying to accurately measure out only 3 or 4 grams of hops sometimes, so it needs to be sensitive and accurate.

I have been using this one, which is okay, but its accuracy is probably +/- 1 gram, so I'm not completely happy with it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001N0D7GA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[jwalk4]

Anyone make yeast starters for 1 gallon batches? Do you scale your water? DME? etc? for the smaller amount of yeast or smaller fermenter?

 

[Nierika]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here that might be helpful is the use of a foam control agent (aka Fermcap) in the fermenter. It helps keep the krausen in check and may eliminate the need for a blow off tube.

 

[flipfloptan]

Anyone make yeast starters for 1 gallon batches? Do you scale your water? DME? etc? for the smaller amount of yeast or smaller fermenter?

It's really not needed. The only time I have made a starter for 1 gallon batch is when my washed yeast was over 4 months old.

 

[SimonPascal]

I'm starting to brew 1 gallons this week. Just need to make my recipe.

 

[mb82]

I'm starting to brew 1 gallons this week. Just need to make my recipe.

I took all of my recipes in my brewing software and scaled them to 1.5 gal( the size I brew) and then if I want to brew a larger amount of something I can just multiply it by what whatever whole number gets me there. So I can brew from my recipes 1.5 gal 3,4.5,6 ect. Without scaling.

 

[SimonPascal]

I took all of my recipes in my brewing software and scaled them to 1.5 gal( the size I brew) and then if I want to brew a larger amount of something I can just multiply it by what whatever whole number gets me there. So I can brew from my recipes 1.5 gal 3,4.5,6 ect. Without scaling.

I have 2 recipes that I like and want to make a few more than that. So I am building a "test" recipe, just don't know what style yet.

 

[divrguy]

I took all of my recipes in my brewing software and scaled them to 1.5 gal( the size I brew) and then if I want to brew a larger amount of something I can just multiply it by what whatever whole number gets me there. So I can brew from my recipes 1.5 gal 3,4.5,6 ect. Without scaling.

Great idea!

 

[SimonPascal]

I took all of my recipes in my brewing software and scaled them to 1.5 gal( the size I brew) and then if I want to brew a larger amount of something I can just multiply it by what whatever whole number gets me there. So I can brew from my recipes 1.5 gal 3,4.5,6 ect. Without scaling.

I use brewmate.

 

[2ned-up]

+1 brewmate!!!!!

 

[Yesfan]

I brewed NB's Dead Ringer IPA earlier today. The recipe called to boil 1.25 gallons of water. I wasn't sure how my electric stove would do since this was the first time I was using it to brew, so I just went with a 1 gallon boil. Luckily for me, I remember to mark off my bucket and noticed I was a bit short of the 1 gallon mark......a quart shy, so I had to top off. LOL!.

 

[gwdraper4]

I took all of my recipes in my brewing software and scaled them to 1.5 gal( the size I brew) and then if I want to brew a larger amount of something I can just multiply it by what whatever whole number gets me there. So I can brew from my recipes 1.5 gal 3,4.5,6 ect. Without scaling.

Exactly! That's how I did it.

 

[gwdraper4]

Yep that's how I do it, except I use a siphon and spring loaded bottle filler. Guess I'm just lazy...haha

I just realized I have 5 batches bottled. I was going to make a few batches this weekend, but just realized I might run out of bottles! How many regular homebrewers have thus kind of selection?

+1 to 5 batches bottled. I love having the variety small batch brewing provides, plus I get my fix every week with a new creation!

 

[divrguy]

+1 to 5 batches bottled. I love having the variety small batch brewing provides, plus I get my fix every week with a new creation!

Me too! Here's a mini stout batch waiting to be bottled. LINK

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Me too! Here's a mini stout batch waiting to be bottled.

What type of bottle is that? It looks cool

 

[divrguy]

What type of bottle is that? It looks cool

Picked up at tap plastics. They are food grade and inexpensive. Full volume is 2.6 gallons LINK

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Picked up at tap plastics. They are food grade and inexpensive. Full volume is 2.6 gallons LINK

Thanks for the link!

 

[Leadgolem]

I currently have 6 batches bottled, if you count the applejack. Plus 2 leftover partials from older batches.

Woot, for variety.

 

[Revvy]

James Spencer of basic brewing fame just posted this on Facebook.

Brewing a weird little six-pack robust porter today. -James

 

[tom_gamer]

James Spencer of basic brewing fame just posted this on Facebook.

Nutella Porter? That sounds amazing!

 

[bleme]

Nutella Porter? That sounds amazing!

If you like hazelnut I guess. I think it tastes like mud.

 

[flipfloptan]

If you like hazelnut I guess. I think it tastes like mud.

Plus it smells like BO.

 

[2ned-up]

The second ingredient in Nutella is Palm Oil..... which is a lipid and will more than likely completely kill any chance of head retention! It may be tasty but aesthetically awful! If you want to get the flavors from Nutella. I would suggest taking the Nutella and cooking it down first and then putting it in the chill chest. Once it is chilled, skim the fat that solidifies off the top. Then go abouts your brew day and use the modified lipid free Nutella!

 

[SimonPascal]

The second ingredient in Nutella is Palm Oil..... which is a lipid and will more than likely completely kill any chance of head retention! It may be tasty but aesthetically awful! If you want to get the flavors from Nutella. I would suggest taking the Nutella and cooking it down first and then putting it in the chill chest. Once it is chilled, skim the fat that solidifies off the top. Then go abouts your brew day and use the modified lipid free Nutella!

Cocoa powder! I can only tell you that.

 

[Revvy]

Perhaps you might want to consider that James Spencer, probably is doing it "correctly" whatever way he's doing it? I've found a lot of times the "theory" that doing "x" is going to affect head retention tends not to actually occur, like so many folks are so sure it will. I've used tortilla chips, and chocolate, in the mash tun and have had perfect head in those beers.

If you're really curious, then why don't you actually check on the basic brewing site, and see if he posted a video, or email him, or write to him on facebook.

Folks on here have managed to make peanut butter beers, with really peanut butter, and have had fine head.

 

[Leadgolem]

I tried nutella for the first time today. Yummy yum. I'm going to have to do something with it...

 

[rawkstar320]

Perhaps you might want to consider that James Spencer, probably is doing it "correctly" whatever way he's doing it? I've found a lot of times the "theory" that doing "x" is going to affect head retention tends not to actually occur, like so many folks are so sure it will. I've used tortilla chips, and chocolate, in the mash tun and have had perfect head in those beers.

If you're really curious, then why don't you actually check on the basic brewing site, and see if he posted a video, or email him, or write to him on facebook.

Folks on here have managed to make peanut butter beers, with really peanut butter, and have had fine head.

Very true, plus in a one gallon batch - what do you have to lose?

 

[SimonPascal]

Very true, plus in a one gallon batch - what do you have to lose?

One gallon is nearly a lab test size. I brewed a common bitter, with fuggle in first wort hopping. East Kent golding in my boil. One thing is: I lost nearly 50% of my water in my 60 min boil. What did I do wrong?

 

[Calichusetts]

One gallon is nearly a lab test size. I brewed a common bitter, with fuggle in first wort hopping. East Kent golding in my boil. One thing is: I lost nearly 50% of my water in my 60 min boil. What did I do wrong?

This is common...I boil from 2.2 gallons down to 1.05 gallons. Though it takes me anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours to do that. I'm guessing its your pot size or the intensity of the boil