1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[bmwmunk]

Whoops. Posted wrong pic in last message. Here is the pic from this morning.

 

[BigRock947]

Just made my first ever gallon of beer last night. It's in the Carboy right now. Curious. Is there a target room temp for fermentation? Right now the room, my storage closet is 50 degrees F. Is that too cold? Also, I noticed a separation in the beer. Is that normal? Thanks for any help!

Lots of factors involved with that question. Are you brewing an ale or lager? Which yeast did you use?

Just to calm your fears, no its not too cold. The beer/wort will actually be warmer than room temperature during its high point of fermentation. So cooler is usually better than too warm. An ale yeast will ferment cleaner at cooler temps but will take longer to do its job. RDWHAHB or a craft beer in your case since this is your first beer.

 

[bmwmunk]

Lots of factors involved with that question. Are you brewing an ale or lager? Which yeast did you use?

Just to calm your fears, no its not too cold. The beer/wort will actually be warmer than room temperature during its high point of fermentation. So cooler is usually better than too warm. An ale yeast will ferment cleaner at cooler temps but will take longer to do its job. RDWHAHB or a craft beer in your case since this is your first beer.

Thanks for replying. It's an IPA kit from Brooklyn Brew. Not sure what yeast it is.

Thanks again for the reply!

 

[cheesecake]

I would put it someplace a bit warmer to get fermentation a chance to start then move it there when it starts. It's a ale yeast. And seperation is normal

 

[BigRock947]

Thanks for replying. It's an IPA kit from Brooklyn Brew. Not sure what yeast it is.

Thanks again for the reply!

Your welcome. The first one is always a little nerve racking but I'm sure it will be a good beer. Now the hard part is waiting.

 

[BigRock947]

There seem to be a lot of us from the Chicago area here

I was beginning to notice that as well

 

[cheesecake]

Were taking over...

 

[cheesecake]

How do most of you bottle your 1 gallon batches? I've had a few ideas but just trying to figure out which one makes the most sense

 

[MTate37]

How do most of you bottle your 1 gallon batches? I've had a few ideas but just trying to figure out which one makes the most sense

I've only bottled one so far, and I racked to my 6.5 G bottling bucket. Afterwards it seemed like big equipment for such a fast job. Thinking about either making a gallon bottling bucket or trying to do it with an auto siphon, hose and bottling wand for my next batch.

 

[Yesfan]

I used a 3 gallon bucket I got from the bakery dept at my local BiLo as my small batch bottling bucket. I'll probably get a mini-siphon later on as the one I got with my NB starter kit seems too big and clunky for smaller batches.

 

[BigRock947]

I've only bottled one so far, and I racked to my 6.5 G bottling bucket. Afterwards it seemed like big equipment for such a fast job. Thinking about either making a gallon bottling bucket or trying to do it with an auto siphon, hose and bottling wand for my next batch.

This has been on my mind as well. I'll probably use my 6.5 gallon bottling bucket for the first time. I've got a "L" shape piece and small rubber stopper that fit inside my bottling faucet so I leave a tiny amount of beer behind.

If you haven't checked Revy's thread on bottling its a must read. I've been brewing off and on for 15 years and it helped me.

Back-up plan is to go to the hardware store to buy a 2-gallon paint bucket and drill a hole that will fit the faucet I already have.

Plus I may try to bottle 2 brews the same day.

 

[flipfloptan]

I bought a two gallon bucket from home depot and use my spigot from big bucket for my 1 gallon batches. much easier than the auto siphon. drill hole a little lower so you can get all the beer out.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Were taking over...

Go bears

 

[dadshomebrewing]

How do most of you bottle your 1 gallon batches? I've had a few ideas but just trying to figure out which one makes the most sense

I do very low maintenance bottling.

1. I use a two gallon kitchen stock pot, wash it and sanitize it.
2. Use a small sauce pan to boil a cup of water, and add priming sugar for 10 mins, and cool in the sink. Pour into now sanitized stock pot.
3. Secondary carbon on the kitchen counter. Stockpot on the floor. Simple siphon from one to the other.
4. now siphon from stockpot into bottles.
5. Simple and the entire process takes about 30 minutes

I haven't quite got the beer making process down yet, but I'm really good with the simple siphon.

Gotta be worth something

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Btw... It helps with keeping the floor clean if you put the bottles in a dishpan with paper towels on the bottom.

 

[jwalk4]

... Unrelated because its a 3 gallon brew, but I dry hopped my IPA just now. It smelled a little like beer, but mostly like stagnant water. So, I'm glad I dry hopped it, I just hope it doesn't taste like it smells.

No sign of infection, some white yeasty clumps on top, but not infection I'm pretty sure.





God, it better not be infected......

 

[cheesecake]

Ok some very good ideas. I just transferred my citra SMaSH and dry hopped it so in about a week or 2 ill be bottling it

 

[BigRock947]

Btw... It helps with keeping the floor clean if you put the bottles in a dishpan with paper towels on the bottom.

I bottle over the open door of my dishwasher. If anything spills, when i'm done I just close the door no more mess.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I bottle over the open door of my dishwasher. If anything spills, when i'm done I just close the door no more mess.

That's good, too

 

[cheesecake]

I bottle over the open door of my dishwasher. If anything spills, when i'm done I just close the door no more mess.

That's how I do it too

 

[cheesecake]

I think I'm going to build a 2 gallon mash tun. And say forget the 2.5 gallon batch setup all together. I'm really enjoying the 1 gallon batches and the ease of brewing and cleanup involved.

 

[UnderThePorchBrewing]

I think I'm going to build a 2 gallon mash tun. And say forget the 2.5 gallon batch setup all together. I'm really enjoying the 1 gallon batches and the ease of brewing and cleanup involved.

absolutely agree with above
was collecting parts etc for a 2.5 to 3 gallon electric setup, no longer have the need. With 1.25 Gallon batches and 2 hr start to finish with extract and 2.5 with all grain it's easy. plus last batch (a partial mash) I bottled the batch from 2 weeks prior during the boil. The ease of mash boil bottle and cleanup all in 2 and a half hours was fantastic. am now brewing every one or two weeks without spending a whole weekend day doing it as I can do this on Wednesday nights when I get home a little earlier

Got a 2 Gallon coleman didn't even have to convert the drain, don't use it. I use a nylon mesh bag in a modified BIAB for the mash lift the bag of grains to drain and then dump the wort into the brewpot from the cooler. for mashing I put the top on and open the spout on the lid and place a long stemmed thermometer down into the grain bed to monitor temperature

 

[cheesecake]

I was in the process of doing that too. I still may build the brew pot with pid but ill downsize the pot. It will be a mini setup of my larger stuff. I was going to do the ball valve but now I'm not didn't think of the grain bag in the cooler

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

Bottling this week for the first time, but I am going super simple. Getting some carb tablets to drop in the bottles and just racking from secondary straight to bottles. No use moving it more than it has to, just have to watch out for all my hop trub. Think I'm going to do my first mead this week too. I have reached a full pipeline now, I love it. Gonna bottle, rack to secondary and brew every week now(unless I'm not doing a secondary or something needs more age)

 

[eanmcnulty]

There seem to be a lot of us from the Chicago area here

Apparently, we have the best pale ale in the country according to GABF!

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

Apparently, we have the best pale ale in the country according to GABF!

I've only had two of the three...I don't go north very often so I haven't been to Piece yet

 

[cheesecake]

I purchased some carbonation tabs but im not sure if im going to use them. i may just use dextrose. im building up my recipes in beer smith and planning on making a decent order of specialty grains and some base grains and some hops.

i have 25 lbs of 2 row coming and i have no idea what im going to do with it. trying to brew some larger beers but its still not using enough grain

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

I purchased some carbonation tabs but im not sure if im going to use them. i may just use dextrose. im building up my recipes in beer smith and planning on making a decent order of specialty grains and some base grains and some hops.

i have 25 lbs of 2 row coming and i have no idea what im going to do with it. trying to brew some larger beers but its still not using enough grain

Then just brew more often haha

 

[cheesecake]

yeah most recipes are using 1-2 lbs of grain. i already have 10lbs of 2 row. and i just inserted my order into rebel brewer and its like a 80 dollar specialty grain order. i can cheapen it up a bit by just ordering the oz that i need but i might as well start stocking up

 

[Leadgolem]

To answer an earlier question... I usually make wine/mead or something else odd in a 1 gallon batch. I bottle in 4 750ml wine bottles. You could just about do the same thing with 4 625ml beer bottles. You'd have a little left over, but not much after you deduct for some loss in decanting, and headspace... Not to mention a tasting sample or two.

For procedure, I stick a funnel in the bottle neck. Pour into the bottle from the fermentor until it's full. Move funnel to the next bottle and repeat. I usually do this in an enormous mixing bowl I have, or the sink.

There are a couple of minor tricks to it. First is, don't tilt the fermentor all the way back up until you have poured everything you want out. If you do, you'll mix the trub back in with the rest of the liquid. The other is, don't over fill the bottles. It's easy to watch the amount of liquid in the bottle, and forget that there is some in the funnel.

Happy brewing.