1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[treacheroustexan]

I passed on the induction burner for now and bought a $30 sous vide on Amazon. I’ve done three batches with it so far and doing another today. Sampled the first batch last night and it was delicious!

 

[HardyFool]

I passed on the induction burner for now and bought a $30 sous vide on Amazon. I’ve done three batches with it so far and doing another today. Sampled the first batch last night and it was delicious!

Nice! I've always been curious about using those for small mashes, so I'm very encouraged to hear it works

And hell, if you ever "upgrade" to a HERMS coil, you've got your dialed-in water heater right there, no need to regulate flow in order to regulate temp!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Nice! I've always been curious about using those for small mashes, so I'm very encouraged to hear it works

And hell, if you ever "upgrade" to a HERMS coil, you've got your dialed-in water heater right there, no need to regulate flow in order to regulate temp!

yeah, I brew my large batches with a grainfather and it works perfectly for heating the sparge water! Can’t beat it for $30.

 

[bleme]

I passed on the induction burner for now and bought a $30 sous vide on Amazon. I’ve done three batches with it so far and doing another today. Sampled the first batch last night and it was delicious!

Is there any way to inspect the heating element on the sous vide? I've thought about this but was concerned about the lifespan, circulating sticky wort through an element that was designed for water.

 

[Sebastian Weetabix]

Usually you just twist the lower cover and remove it to inspect the heating coil and the pump impeller.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Yep just twist it off to expose the element. It’s been recommended to circulate a vinegar/water mix through to clean it after your done brewing.

 

[jimdkc]

Usually you just twist the lower cover and remove it to inspect the heating coil and the pump impeller.

Depends on the model of the Sous Vide unit. I have 2 where you can twist off the lower cover to inspect everything, and 1 where you cannot!

The ones I have where you can do that are Annova and Monoprice. The other is NutriChef, and it can only be disassembled by removing a couple of plastic pieces and then removing a couple of screws.

Note that I haven't used any of these for brewing yet. The Annova is the one I use in the kitchen, and the other 2 were bought specifically for brewing experiments. I'll probably NOT use the NutriChef one for brewing. I'm not a big fan of its construction compared to the other two.

 

[Sebastian Weetabix]

I was lucky. I found a Polyscience Professional at a yard sale for fifty bucks. A quick disassembly, a few simple repairs and I have one of the best immersion circulators on the market.
Cleaning is a simple matter of circulating hot water with vinegar to remove scale.
BIAB with a permeable membrane to minimize grains clumping on the heating coil and the pump impeller and you have a wort making machine.

 

[bwible]

this may work

I use those for dry hopping in my 3 gallon kegs. I think they might be cheaper on ebay.

 

[bwible]

One of the simplest fermenters for 1 gallon is just a 2 gallon bucket with lid. You can easily drill a hole and attach your own spigot if you like.

Your homebrew shop should be able to sell you a slotted rubber grommet that converts the lid of any bucket to accept an airlock. You just drill a small hole in the lid and slip the rubber grommet into the hole. Then an airlock fits perfectly inside the grommet. These are sold as replacement grommets for the buckets they sell with pre-drilled lids in the homebrew shops. The grommet doesn’t cost much. Like this one:

https://www.keystonehomebrew.com/product/extra-grommet-for-bucket-lid-rubber/

You can also drill a hole in the lid to fit the small drilled rubber stoppers used for airlocks in a beer bottle, I think they are 1”. I use these when I’m making a starter in a beer bottle. Like this:

https://www.keystonehomebrew.com/product/rubber-stopper-2-drilled/

An airlock is still about a buck. (Don’t expect to also get the stopper in the picture.)

https://www.keystonehomebrew.com/product/airlock-3-piece/

 

[HardyFool]

Your homebrew shop should be able to sell you a slotted rubber grommet that converts the lid of any bucket to accept an airlock. You just drill a small hole in the lid and slip the rubber grommet into the hole. Then an airlock fits perfectly inside the grommet.

I do this too, and it's a solid move, especially if you want to be able to monitor the gravity of your beer throughout (via refractometer). I've found that the lids don't create a perfect seal, though, so you may want to cut out a gasket if that bothers you

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For those who are occasional listeners of Basic Brewing Radio/Video, in the April 2, 2020 ("Brown Ale or Brown Fail") Basic Brewing Radio episode, at minutes 27 to 34, there is a discussion on water chemistry when brewing using partial mash.

 

[HardyFool]

I'm going to make a full post soon, with brew day footage and pictures of each piece of gear and their magnificent Valhalla of a cabinet, but for now, here's a video I made of what I claim to be the most advanced one gallon brewery (shots fired!)

Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see or know, for instance the like 20 different mash heating options I've considered and how to build them all

Cheers!

 

[CascadesBrewer]

what I claim to be the most advanced one gallon brewery

I will give you that! Looking forward to the brewday video.

I am kinda surprised with all the money and effort that you put into the brewday equipment, that you ferment in that plastic pail thing.

 

[HardyFool]

I will give you that! Looking forward to the brewday video.

I am kinda surprised with all the money and effort that you put into the brewday equipment, that you ferment in that plastic pail thing.

An astute observation, and I do have a glass one gallon fermenter with thermowell, but because it's a firm one gallon (no spare kräusen room), and becuase I can't add a sampling/racking port, I don't love it

There's a big mouth ~1.3 gallon glass fermenter with a sampling port, which I may buy soon

And I have drafted up a rough design for a ~1.5 gallon stainless conical, but that'd be comically expensive - a few hundred for the welds alone, and even if I know someone to do it for free, the stainless would set me back quite a bit. I'm not there yet!

(And the brew demon is a touch big for my taste)

 

[bwible]

What do you guys do about yeast? I have shyed away from using liquid yeast because it doesn't seem to lend itself to one gallon batches. An entire tube is massively overpitching or I am left with two thirds or so of a tube of yeast that I don't have much of a use for. As such I try to use dry yeast as much as I can. But there are several yeasts that just aren't available dry.

Yeast is the bane of 1 gallon brewing. Liquid yeast (White Labs or Wyeast) cost about $8 where I am. So just from a cost perspective, its not conducive to brewing 1 gallon at a time. I brew 3 gallons at a time, and I always try to use my yeast at least 3 times due to cost.

Something that gets overlooked - if you bottle (and bottle condition, as I’m assuming just about everyone here does. I don’t think anybody is filtering yeast and counter pressure bottling) then every one of your bottled beers contains yeast! After you open the beer and decant it into your glass, there will be a small amount of yeast in the bottom of each bottle - which you could feed with a little sterile wort and re-culture. A gallon should produce 10 bottles. Thats 10 potential yeast starters.

Sometimes if you buy commercial beer that is bottle conditioned, like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - that also contains some yeast you can culture up.

Good cost savings if you do it.

Even better - if you ask nicely at your local microbrewery, they will most likely give you some yeast. They throw it away, literally, all the time. Our local gave me a 12oz water bottle full to the top of fresh yeast. I made 8 beers out of that. Take in your own sanitized container and work around their schedule when they have time.

 

[T-Boy]

Does anybody use a yeast starter or some other alternative to make sure the yeast gets going good? I usually brew between 1 -2.5 gallon batches.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Does anybody use a yeast starter or some other alternative to make sure the yeast gets going good? I usually brew between 1 -2.5 gallon batches.

I don't really brew many smaller batches (1.25 gallons when I do), so I just typically use dry yeast, 1/2 pkg of either us-05 or Nottingham depending on what I'm brewing. The three beers I currently have fermenting are with us-05 that I bought off amazon - 3pkgs for $10.50 or $1.75 per batch. Never had an issue doing this.

 

[HardyFool]

Does anybody use a yeast starter or some other alternative to make sure the yeast gets going good? I usually brew between 1 -2.5 gallon batches.

I just pony up for a full yeast pack and pour in a fraction corresponding to what a yeast calc tells me, using a 100mL graduated cylinder. Easy, if by a few bucks the most expensive option

Starters are tight, but I've yet to make one where I'm not pouring in at least like .05-.1 gal (200-400 mL) of oxidized starter wort, which I don't love. I figure, if you have to cold crash the thing into a paste, how much better is that than a yeast packet? Probably somewhat - this is likely the best answer, though again, how in tarnation do you quantify how much to pitch? Yeast starter calcs can give you a % of the total amount of yeast to pitch, but again, this requires cold crashing and decanting the yeast into a fairly concentrated slurry to avoid oxidation off-flavors. Plus, they're a pain! I absolutely hate waiting for wort to cool, they introduce a risk, the cans of premade wort eviscerate the price advantage, they require more cleaning, and how much money are you saving? If you're a 15 gallon brewer making a lager, tons of money - if you're a one gallon brewer, negative money

Finally, there's dry yeast. In theory, if you're willing to roll the dice, you can use a packet for a few brews and at lower cost than liquid. My personal problem is very simple: the lack of variety. I make a good amount of Kölsches and British beers, in which I want very particular yeasts - but for the IPA brewer, this is a super smart and simple way to go

My strong suspicion is that the best move is to simply brew every two weeks, say, and use the same yeast cake for a few beers in a row. Pale ale -> dark mild -> Porter, say, or Kölsch -> "Schwarzbier" -> California Common, perhaps; though I'd be careful to get pretty clear wort if you're doing this, or you risk, I don't know, whatever off flavors result from hop and trub particles from a few batches back - if the beers are similar enough, this probably isn't a big deal, though this implies you should brew from light to dark or malty to hoppy

 

[T-Boy]

I have no problem hitting my target OG with my two 2 gallon HLT/ mash tun set up. My problem is with hitting my FG and getting it low enough. Right now for a 2 gallon batch I will simply pitch half of the packet of yeast. Don't get me wrong the beer is good and nobody complains but I know the ABV should be higher. I realize that it could be many factors, however, the reason I believe it has to do with the yeast is that the issue is even more pronounced when I make wine, country or with grapes. Friend of mine suggested I try Go Ferm to rehydrate the yeast and wake them up. Unless someone tells me otherwise that may be what I try first.

 

[HardyFool]

I have no problem hitting my target OG with my two 2 gallon HLT/ mash tun set up. My problem is with hitting my FG and getting it low enough. Right now for a 2 gallon batch I will simply pitch half of the packet of yeast. Don't get me wrong the beer is good and nobody complains but I know the ABV should be higher. I realize that it could be many factors, however, the reason I believe it has to do with the yeast is that the issue is even more pronounced when I make wine, country or with grapes. Friend of mine suggested I try Go Ferm to rehydrate the yeast and wake them up. Unless someone tells me otherwise that may be what I try first.

This may not be the whole story, but yeast packets are surprisingly big underpitches for 5 gallons - plugging in 1.060, 2 gal, and 5.5 g of dry yeast into this calculator shows that you're pitching half what's required, meaning possibly a stuck fermentation and likely some off flavors (maybe as little as heightened ester production)

So maybe pitch the whole packet, and when in doubt, use the calc

Also, the only other big obvious thing I could think of is a super high mash temp, like I dunno...155˚+. I take it you measure your mash temps and that isn't the case? (I'd be surprised)

 

[bwible]

My strong suspicion is that the best move is to simply brew every two weeks, say, and use the same yeast cake for a few beers in a row. Pale ale -> dark mild -> Porter, say, or Kölsch -> "Schwarzbier" -> California Common, perhaps; though I'd be careful to get pretty clear wort if you're doing this, or you risk, I don't know, whatever off flavors result from hop and trub particles from a few batches back - if the beers are similar enough, this probably isn't a big deal, though this implies you should brew from light to dark or malty to hoppy

This is exactly what I do. With American Ale yeast, lets say. I will start with a blonde ale, use that yeast cake for a pale ale, then use that yeast cake for a brown ale or an amber ale, then finally I will use that yeast cake for a barleywine. After that, I won’t use it again due to stress on the yeast.

Light to dark, weak to strong. Its the order that beer judges use to taste and judge beer also.

Breweries usually have one house strain they use for everything. Yeast is a significant cost to even a microbrewery too - when you are talking about having enough yeast for 250 gallons of beer - which is a standard 7 barrel system. So none of them are making 10 different beers with 5 different yeasts.

 

[T-Boy]

Also, the only other big obvious thing I could think of is a super high mash temp, like I dunno...155˚+. I take it you measure your mash temps and that isn't the case? (I'd be surprised)

Yes, I very much monitor that. I'll try using that calculator and if it give me the whole pack that is what I will pitch. I am brewing a stout next going to supplement the fermentable with Steen's Pure Cane syrup https://www.steenssyrup.com Thanks to all for the helpful advice!

 

[Leezer]

Does anybody use a yeast starter or some other alternative to make sure the yeast gets going good? I usually brew between 1 -2.5 gallon batches.

For my 2.5G batches I always make a starter (liquid yeast only), use about 2/3 of it and discard the rest. For a recent 1G batch, I used a lesser amount of the starter and saved the rest in a sanitized mason jar, with a plan to use that as a starter for a future batch.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Yeast is the bane of 1 gallon brewing. ... I brew 3 gallons at a time

I brew six-pack and 12-pack batches (roughly a gallon) and don't find yeast to be "the bane of 1 gallon brewing". Maybe "YMMV" applies here?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For a recent 1G batch, I used a lesser amount of the starter and saved the rest in a sanitized mason jar, with a plan to use that as a starter for a future batch.

Earlier, I was going to say that someone was doing this, but no one was talking about it. Looks like I was half right. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Leezer]

This will be a new experience for me, but trying new things is part of the fun!

 

[bwible]

I brew six-pack and 12-pack batches (roughly a gallon) and don't find yeast to be "the bane of 1 gallon brewing". Maybe "YMMV" applies here?

If you’re getting it free someplace, thats great. But like I said, liquid yeasts cost $8. I can BUY a 6 pack of very good beer for $10. So why is it worth anybody’s time, energy or money to BREW a 6 pack for more than that?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Yeast is the bane of 1 gallon brewing. ... I brew 3 gallons at a time

I brew six-pack and 12-pack batches (roughly a gallon) and don't find yeast to be "the bane of 1 gallon brewing". Maybe "YMMV" applies here?

If you’re getting it free someplace, thats great. But like I said, liquid yeasts cost $8. I can BUY a 6 pack of very good beer for $10. So why is it worth anybody’s time, energy or money to BREW a 6 pack for more than that?

FWIW, the title for this topic is "1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!"

Dry yeast costs $3 to $5 for a five gallon pitch. For dry yeast and my gallon-ish batches I pitch 1/4 of a package (and don't measure cost per bottle).

When I start using liquid yeast, I'll figure out how to do the same (pitch 1/4 of a package and don't measure cost per bottle).

So why is it worth anybody’s time, energy or money to BREW a 6 pack for more than that?

Typically, a 12-pack is all that I want (6-packs are typically "experimental"). When I want more beer (per batch), I brew a larger batch size.

 

[OnePlate]

Brewing very small batches can be fun! It's all about what your time is worth and having fun. You can take any hobby to the extreme from spending 1000s of dollars on automated systems to spending the time to brew exactly two bottles of all-grain experimental beer in your InstantPot.