1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[dadshomebrewing]

I was kind of wondering the same thing about Pepsi bottles. I know I have heard its okay to use Pepsi 12 oz or 20 oz plastic to condition as long as you keep it out of the light. But yesterday I went shopping with SWMBO and we picked up a 1/2 liter bottle which I've never seen until now and thought that would be kinda cool to put 1/2 batch in. Anyone ever do this before?

people frown on it alot, but i can't imagine that there is anything wrong with doing it.

it's food grade plastic.

the one problem i would see is that when you open it you will lose about half your beer.

i've made ginger ale in them, and when the fermentation is done the bottle gets really hard from the pressure inside. I've never figured out how to open one without a mess. If that were my beer I would be really ticked.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

oh yeah... Merry Christmas to all

 

[cheesecake]

Merry Christmas everyone.


Sucks about your cranberry ale.

 

[divrguy]

people frown on it alot, but i can't imagine that there is anything wrong with doing it.

it's food grade plastic.

the one problem i would see is that when you open it you will lose about half your beer.

i've made ginger ale in them, and when the fermentation is done the bottle gets really hard from the pressure inside. I've never figured out how to open one without a mess. If that were my beer I would be really ticked.

Hmmm i would not like losing half of my beer. Didn't think it would become a geyser though thx

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Hmmm i would not like losing half of my beer. Didn't think it would become a geyser though thx

it was a freaking mess every single time.

i'm sure there is some sort of trick to it, but i never figured it out

 

[Leadgolem]

it was a freaking mess every single time.

i'm sure there is some sort of trick to it, but i never figured it out

You don't take the cap all the way off. You let the initial co2 pressure just hiss out. If it foams up to fast, you re-tighten the cap. Your brew isn't as fizzy as it would be otherwise, but you don't get geysers.

I've done this a few times when I ran out of bottles.

 

[cheesecake]

Your talking about a large difference in volumes. Your beer wilk be at a lower volume so there will be less pressure

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Merry Christmas... Here's one for you

 

[rawkstar320]

how much does a growler hold?

how about making a one gallon batch, and splitting it and giving each half a different treatment?

like dry-hopping half, or putting some sort of flavoring in half (like vanilla, honey, coffee, or fruit)?

Good thought. I sorta want to try a chai tea ale, so half gallon is probably a good way to go for that one

 

[rawkstar320]

my Christmas Cranberry Ale is nasty.

ick

opened a couple up for dinner last night... good thing i have three other batches sitting in bottles as backup.

this is a recipe that will not be tried again.

i may wait a couple more weeks and see if it improves, but it's already been 4 weeks in the bottles.

Had that happen with an apple crisp ale, I think it was an awkward recipe that became highly infected...nasty.

 

[Leadgolem]

Had that happen with an apple crisp ale, I think it was an awkward recipe that became highly infected...nasty.

I don't know. I've got a peach white cranberry wine that isn't showing much promise. I'll give it a couple months in the bottle, but really not a fan right now.

 

[JWB]

Should be getting my mason jars in tonight along with a grain mill so I can start storing 1lb of specialty grains (thanks again for the great suggestions and pics). getting the supplies tomorrow to brew an oaked Irish red this weekend, will put the recipe in the recipe section for critique before brew day. Now a quick question to my fellow small-batch brewers: when pitching yeast, do you try to calculate the correct amount to pitch (via a mr beer, malty, or similar calculator), or just pitch the entire vial/packet... And if the latter, do you have any worries about over pitching? Just finished reading a few posts citing some disadvantages/dangers of over pitching which I have never worked about; but it does make some sort of sense in my novel brewing mind that we are pitching 5 gallon packets in single gallon batches. Thanks again in advance! Look forward to the discussion!

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Had that happen with an apple crisp ale, I think it was an awkward recipe that became highly infected...nasty.

it's going to be a very long time before i try another beer with fruit in it.

 

[divrguy]

Should be getting my mason jars in tonight along with a grain mill so I can start storing 1lb of specialty grains (thanks again for the great suggestions and pics). getting the supplies tomorrow to brew an oaked Irish red this weekend, will put the recipe in the recipe section for critique before brew day. Now a quick question to my fellow small-batch brewers: when pitching yeast, do you try to calculate the correct amount to pitch (via a mr beer, malty, or similar calculator), or just pitch the entire vial/packet... And if the latter, do you have any worries about over pitching? Just finished reading a few posts citing some disadvantages/dangers of over pitching which I have never worked about; but it does make some sort of sense in my novel brewing mind that we are pitching 5 gallon packets in single gallon batches. Thanks again in advance! Look forward to the discussion!

I calculate just based on the batch size if its a packet. IOW, if I'm brewing a 1.5 gallon pale ale then I pitch about 3.5 grams worth of a packet or roughly 1/3. If I'm pitching liquid, I have opened up a vial and pitched 1/2 of a vial into a starter (or if not depending on the rate) and re-capped and stuck it back in the fridge for a month. Since I find dry yeast so much easier, I use it 95% of the time.

 

[JWB]

Thanks, Divrguy - I'm also assuming you keep/store the remaining dry yeast as well? I'm planning on using US-05 dry yeast for my next batch... I will try pitching half of the pack and saving the rest in the refrigerator. Thanks again!

 

[divrguy]

Thanks, Divrguy - I'm also assuming you keep/store the remaining dry yeast as well? I'm planning on using US-05 dry yeast for my next batch... I will try pitching half of the pack and saving the rest in the refrigerator. Thanks again!

Yep, I use one of the cheapo hand vacuum sealers that work on the zipper vacuum bags from Walmart. I just tape up the dry yeast and then vacuum pack it. I use it for corn sugar, hops in the freezer and anything I can think of since the bags are reusable.

 

[wwf4jericho]

So I am really into wanting to do this this one gallon thing but I had a question. Background first I have been primarily using Mr Beer LBK's and just using their HME's as a base and adding a lot to it. I have 9 batches under my belt.

If I were to get jugs like this: http://stores.mdhb.com/-strse-292/Jug,-1-Gallon-Clear/Detail.bok do I make the recipes based off 1gal of wort or do I do .75gal or .8gal. I know there needs to be space in the jug and thinking that would then make it such that the final product would need to be <1gal.

 

[divrguy]

So I am really into wanting to do this this one gallon thing but I had a question. Background first I have been primarily using Mr Beer LBK's and just using their HME's as a base and adding a lot to it. I have 9 batches under my belt.

If I were to get jugs like this: http://stores.mdhb.com/-strse-292/Jug,-1-Gallon-Clear/Detail.bok do I make the recipes based off 1gal of wort or do I do .75gal or .8gal. I know there needs to be space in the jug and thinking that would then make it such that the final product would need to be <1gal.

Well you're going to want to make your recipe based off of the final finished product. So you have to account for trub loss, Evaporation and etc . When you put it in the fermentor, you want to end up with a volume that is roughly 80% (+/-) of the volume of the fermenter so you have a little room for fermentation (krausen). I personally use 2 gallon buckets or 1.5 gallon containers so that I can end up with about a gallon of finished product.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

i do my recipes based on the volume of liquid going into the fermenter, which since i use a carboy, is one gallon, always

 

[divrguy]

Well you're going to want to make your recipe based off of the final finished product. So you have to account for trub loss, Evaporation and etc . When you put it in the fermentor, you want to end up with a volume that is roughly 80% (roughly) of the volume of the fermenter so you have a little room for fermentation (krausen). I personally use 2 gallon buckets or 1.5 gallon containers so that I can end up with about a gallon of finished product.

I think the fermenters that come with the 1 gallon kits from some of the beer supply houses are slightly larger than 1 gallon

 

[divrguy]

i do my recipes based on the volume of liquid going into the fermenter, which since i use a carboy, is one gallon, always

Dads, How big are your carboys are they the ones that come with the kits that are slightly bigger than a gallon?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

they are one gallon glass carboys, like the old wine jugs, or apple juice bottles.

if i really push i can squeeze a little more than a gallon in, but then i lose it in the blowoff tube anyway.

the absolutely BEST yield I've ever done is to get a little over 96 oz out of it, after trub loss, etc.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

here divr... these

 

[divrguy]

here divr... these

I have one of those from apple juice and i just scored a few more buckets from Safeway. I think I'm in for a porter this weekend.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I have one of those from apple juice and i just scored a few more buckets from Safeway. I think I'm in for a porter this weekend.

buckets are WAY better than one gallon glass carboys.

the big guy in the red suit forgot to bring me some, so i'm going to have to get some of my own.

seems to me that with a 2 gallon bucket, you could have a batch at 1 1/4 gallons, and after trub loss come out with an actual gallon of beer.

 

[divrguy]

here divr... these

buckets are WAY better than one gallon glass carboys.

the big guy in the red suit forgot to bring me some, so i'm going to have to get some of my own.

seems to me that with a 2 gallon bucket, you could have a batch at 1 1/4 gallons, and after trub loss come out with an actual gallon of beer.

That's my favorite size bucket. The bakery's have them and recently found them at Lowe's.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

thanks...

note to self... road trip to lowes to look at home appliances on Saturday. take SWMBO so it's her idea to look at buckets.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

here's a question, what do you guys use for temperature control if you don't have a fridge available?

some kind of wash tub and an aquarium heater?

strangely, it's harder for me to work out the temp control in the winter (with running the heater in the house) than it was when the weather was warm.

 

[divrguy]

Reptilebasics.com Has the Flexwatt Heat strips. You can buy them by the foot. Use an old extension cord and solder them into the strip OR buy the clips that they have online. WAY cheaper than buying the fermwrap at the LHBS. The only thing is you need a way to control the temp of the strip. I have my gear in a very cold spot. I have mini fridges with these laying in the bottom of them. I hook them up to one the EBAY Aquarium controllers called the STC-1000 They ship from China for about $20 and they work great!

 

[cheesecake]

buckets are WAY better than one gallon glass carboys.

the big guy in the red suit forgot to bring me some, so i'm going to have to get some of my own.

seems to me that with a 2 gallon bucket, you could have a batch at 1 1/4 gallons, and after trub loss come out with an actual gallon of beer.

Or I can give you some for free

 

[Jeff95370]

Im still very new to home brewing with my first batch currently fermenting. I was wondering if you guys could tell me some places to order one gallon kits. I know i can scale down a five gallon kit but i would perfer to just order a one gallon kit. Thanks.

Go to www.brooklynbrewshop.com they have really good, reasonably priced kits

 

[cheesecake]

Northern brewer has some amazing kits. There black ipa is great and there prices are less then bbs

 

[Jeff95370]

I just did my first batch yesterday with a kit my wife got me for Christmas. Here's a question for all of you experienced guys: does anyone name and label their beer?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Yes... I name and label all my beers... And there is little, if any logic to the naming selections, as you can see by the list below

 

[Jeff95370]

Yes... I name and label all my beers... And there is little, if any logic to the naming selections, as you can see by the list below

What do you use for your labels?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

My wife bought me some sticky labels from Avery at office max or Walmart or somewhere.

Before then I used masking tape for everything.

Now all my labels say "masking tape brewing" on them as part of the legacy.

There is actually a whole set of threads on this topic in the forum, and some incredibly talented people have done good work in the area, especially with photo-shopping the labels

Be careful though. You don't need to pay money for anything except the paper and ink.

 

[divrguy]

What do you use for your labels?

I use the little itty bitty folder labels like 1/2 x 1"

My wife bought me some sticky labels from Avery at office max or Walmart or somewhere.

Before then I used masking tape for everything.

Now all my labels say "masking tape brewing" on them as part of the legacy.

There is actually a whole set of threads on this topic in the forum, and some incredibly talented people have done good work in the area, especially with photo-shopping the labels

Be careful though. You don't need to pay money for anything except the paper and ink.

+1 make them cheap and small if you have to have them that way they are easy to get off. Unless of course you give them away for a present. Then, go crazy..lol

 

[Leadgolem]

I was going to say something clever, but divrguy beat me to it... 4 times.

 

[Jeff95370]

Here's what I'm going with.

 

[divrguy]

Here's what I'm going with.

Dude that's hilarious.. Lol