1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[divrguy]

How's everyone been

Good cheese...how about you? I've finally been able to get back to bigger batches after some extended small batch brewing and put about 20 gallons into the pipeline. Summers coming so I need to store up. How's your new system working out?

 

[ianmatth]

Wyeast and White Labs claim you only need a single pack for a 5 gallon batch, which is 100 billion cells if it is fresh, so if Safale has 10 billion cells/gram then 10g will give you 100 billion cells. 100 billion cells will cut it for a 1.028 OG beer, but I doubt too many us of are brewing 3.2% ABV light beers. In reality if you pitch 100 billion cells into 5 gallons of 1.040 OG wort, by the time it has attenuated to 1.020, it will have close to 600 billion cells, just think of it like a big starter, so it will obviously get the job done, but apparently that's not the best way to do things.

 

[bleme]

I don't think yeast can count. If I pitched 6 packs of dry yeast (which is ridiculous!), they are still going to multiply, so your made-up example doesn't demonstrate anything useful at all.

 

[pulseyou]

Again, don't see those. Safale recommends a pitching rate of 50 grams per hectoliter which would be 10 g of dry yeast per 5 gal of beer. A packet has 11.5 enough for roughly six. 1/3 of a packet for one gallon is plenty of viable cells and I have done hundreds of batches without esters, side effects, lagging or whatever. You will also find tons of brewers that will suggest the same that 1 packet is plenty for 5 gallons. Every kit from every online seller that will supply dry yeast for a 5 gallon batch (average gravity) recommends 1 packet. So....... There must be some sort of conspiracy right? Lol cheers!

"hundreds of batches"...come on now...

 

[divrguy]

I don't think yeast can count. If I pitched 6 packs of dry yeast (which is ridiculous!), they are still going to multiply, so your made-up example doesn't demonstrate anything useful at all.

Great point ...and I can't believe I got sucked into the argument...lol

 

[Tabb]

I like cake.

 

[drinkdrankpunk]

Well I am getting ready to move to Germany and im pretty sure my set up is just going to be too much so I ordered some smaller things and just did my first test run of a 1 gallon batch and..... this is great. I am super excited about this. I was gonna jump on here and post some of my reasons for going this route and why I like it but I think in the two hundred something pages its probably already been covered. So ill just say small batches are a lot of fun and im hooked.

 

[divrguy]

Well I am getting ready to move to Germany and im pretty sure my set up is just going to be too much so I ordered some smaller things and just did my first test run of a 1 gallon batch and..... this is great. I am super excited about this. I was gonna jump on here and post some of my reasons for going this route and why I like it but I think in the two hundred something pages its probably already been covered. So ill just say small batches are a lot of fun and im hooked.

Moving for work, fun or military? And yes... Lots of fun!

I'm visiting Germany first time ever this year. So stoked!

 

[Leadgolem]

I like cake.

So do I, and pie. Especially custard pie, like cheesecake.

 

[user 83772]

Just wanted to check in and see how all my small-batch brethren have been doing. Been going through a rough time here at Casa de Battlegoat, but I haven't stopped brewing. :cross:

Hope everyone's doing well and has lots of stuff bubbling away - if you excuse me, I'm off to catch up on about a month and a half of neglected threads.

 

[ianmatth]

I don't think yeast can count. If I pitched 6 packs of dry yeast (which is ridiculous!), they are still going to multiply, so your made-up example doesn't demonstrate anything useful at all.

But instead of multiplying by a factor of close to 6, they will only multiply by a factor of 3 because yeast concentration increases. Anyway, I'm not suggesting pitching 600 billion cells into 5 gallons - unless you're brewing a high OG lager - I'm just explaining why 100 billion cells can ferment 5 gallons of beer that is over 1.030 OG. For instance I think it's pretty well known that you should pitch a little over 200 billion cells in 5 gallons of a 1.060 OG beer, but 100 B cells may very well get the job done, and that is what my example demonstrates.

 

[sumone]

Hey guys, My frat brothers have finally came in handy! I was just given 3 1 gallon wine bottles. Since I only have a 5 gallon pot I figure I can start making some "practice" all grain beers! That way Ill have the process down when I finally have the cash to upgrade to a bigger kettle

 

[bleme]

Hey guys, My frat brothers have finally came in handy! I was just given 3 1 gallon wine bottles. Since I only have a 5 gallon pot I figure I can start making some "practice" all grain beers! That way Ill have the process down when I finally have the cash to upgrade to a bigger kettle

Wine bottles aren't designed to hold the pressure of carbonation.

 

[user 83772]

I'm pretty sure he means to use them as fermenters, bleme.

 

[drinkdrankpunk]

Moving for work, fun or military? And yes... Lots of fun!

I'm visiting Germany first time ever this year. So stoked!

Military.but Im looking at it as a three year vacation/beer/wine sampling event/ travel around Europe as much as I can for the duration. Should be cool I guess. Kind of excited to try to bring some interestingbeers of my own there and show them a thing or two about beer.

 

[bleme]

I'm pretty sure he means to use them as fermenters, bleme.

I see. I read that as 31 wine bottles instead of 3 one gallon bottles!

That will work then!

 

[Leadgolem]

It's interesting, my last batch of high ABV cider tasted nothing at all like the current one I'm drinking. I was thinking they should be about the same, but looking at my notes the process I followed with the other batch was totally different.

 

[BigRock947]

It's interesting, my last batch of high ABV cider tasted nothing at all like the current one I'm drinking. I was thinking they should be about the same, but looking at my notes the process I followed with the other batch was totally different.

Which one do you like better?

I try to take very detailed notes so I can replicate the same beer twice but some days are better than others

 

[user 83772]

So, it seems as if I'm beginning to get a halfway decent pipeline going. Started drinking my Raspberry Brown Ale a few days ago, just bottled a two-gallon batch of Brandon O's Graff, and now I'm pretty much set to brew again!

I could use a bit of help with my upcoming recipe though. It's a Ginger Wheat, and broken down to two gallons, it looks like this:

Safale-05
Batch Size: 2 gallons
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
IBU: 11.9
Boil: 60 min

38oz. Breiss Wheat DME
22g shredded ginger @60
22g shredded ginger @20
22g shredded ginger @5
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 60
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 30

My problem is that the recipe calls for 2lbs. 6oz. DME, but I have 2lbs. Short of buying another pound and having the leftover ten ounces kicking around until I brew again (which may be a little bit), what are my options to make up the missing six ounces of fermentables? I'm not super familiar with wheat beers, so I'm not lookng to do anything fancy or exotic that will alter the flavor overly much. I have some agave nectar on hand that I considered using, but I have no idea how much to use.

Any advice?

 

[ericbw]

So, it seems as if I'm beginning to get a halfway decent pipeline going. Started drinking my Raspberry Brown Ale a few days ago, just bottled a two-gallon batch of Brandon O's Graff, and now I'm pretty much set to brew again!

I could use a bit of help with my upcoming recipe though. It's a Ginger Wheat, and broken down to two gallons, it looks like this:

Safale-05
Batch Size: 2 gallons
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
IBU: 11.9
Boil: 60 min

38oz. Breiss Wheat DME
22g shredded ginger @60
22g shredded ginger @20
22g shredded ginger @5
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 60
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 30

My problem is that the recipe calls for 2lbs. 6oz. DME, but I have 2lbs. Short of buying another pound and having the leftover ten ounces kicking around until I brew again (which may be a little bit), what are my options to make up the missing six ounces of fermentables? I'm not super familiar with wheat beers, so I'm not lookng to do anything fancy or exotic that will alter the flavor overly much. I have some agave nectar on hand that I considered using, but I have no idea how much to use.

Any advice?

If you leave it out, it will be a slightly lower gravity and ABV. is that something you could live with?

 

[user 83772]

I'd rather not leave it out - hence my post.

 

[bleme]

I haven't used agave nectar but it would probably be OK. Just subbing 6ozs, brown sugar or honey would probably work too.

Do you know what the purpose of the multiple ginger additions is? I've never seen them spread out like a hop before.

 

[user 83772]

No idea why they're split up like that, it's just what the recipe calls for. There's also a "dry hop" step with an addition of 22g of ginger soaked in about an ounce of vodka for a week added during secondary. My wife goes nuts for ginger, so I figured it looked like a good recipe to try.

 

[Leadgolem]

Which one do you like better?

I try to take very detailed notes so I can replicate the same beer twice but some days are better than others

Yeah, me too.

The batch from August last year is far and away better then the one from December. The ingredients are pretty much the same. Both had gravities about 1.110. Both got about the same amount of green apple solids.

There were four main differences.
1. I made a starter with the August batch. The December batch was just pitched directly from dry yeast.
2. The August batch ended up with spices in primary, and some spice extract. I was simmering cinnamon and cloves in a tea bag, and it ripped. I added the liquid anyway with the ground spices and all. The December batch had no spice addition.
3. The August batch was moved to secondary after 8 days, and degassed. The December batch was moved to secondary after 10 days, no degassing was done.
4. The green apples were added to the August batch after it had gone 8 days in secondary. The green apples where added to primary in the December batch, and removed when it was moved to secondary.

I found the apple flavor of the December batch to be lacking. The complexity of the flavor was also lacking. Don't get me wrong, it's still good cider. The August batch was fantastic though.

So, it seems as if I'm beginning to get a halfway decent pipeline going. Started drinking my Raspberry Brown Ale a few days ago, just bottled a two-gallon batch of Brandon O's Graff, and now I'm pretty much set to brew again!

I could use a bit of help with my upcoming recipe though. It's a Ginger Wheat, and broken down to two gallons, it looks like this:

Safale-05
Batch Size: 2 gallons
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
IBU: 11.9
Boil: 60 min

38oz. Breiss Wheat DME
22g shredded ginger @60
22g shredded ginger @20
22g shredded ginger @5
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 60
3g Cascade 6.2AA @ 30

My problem is that the recipe calls for 2lbs. 6oz. DME, but I have 2lbs. Short of buying another pound and having the leftover ten ounces kicking around until I brew again (which may be a little bit), what are my options to make up the missing six ounces of fermentables? I'm not super familiar with wheat beers, so I'm not lookng to do anything fancy or exotic that will alter the flavor overly much. I have some agave nectar on hand that I considered using, but I have no idea how much to use.

Any advice?

Honestly, I'd just sub the missing DME with brown sugar. It's a little more fermentable then the DME, so you would end with something a bit drier. It will also be a little darker and have a little bit of a twang from the molasses.

If you don't like the flavor of the molasses, you could even just sub table sugar. That will be even a little drier, and won't contribute to flavor or color. Normally that could be a problem, but you are going to get a lot of flavor from the ginger in secondary.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

For someone with experience. I'm gonna build a mashtun cooler for my 1 gallon batches I was wondering 2 things though first which is a better way for using the filter, doing the braid tubing or going with the false bottom? Second is a 2 gallon cooler enough? I know you don't want a ton of deadspace in the cooler, and I can get a 5 gallon cooler for cheap, but I'd rather get the right tool than the cheap one.

 

[Jbird]

For someone with experience. I'm gonna build a mashtun cooler for my 1 gallon batches I was wondering 2 things though first which is a better way for using the filter, doing the braid tubing or going with the false bottom? Second is a 2 gallon cooler enough? I know you don't want a ton of deadspace in the cooler, and I can get a 5 gallon cooler for cheap, but I'd rather get the right tool than the cheap one.

As I have read a false bottom will work great. Doing the braided tubing is nice but I have heard of it clogging and if you hit it with a mash paddle it might come lose, so make sure you get it nice and tight.
Not sure if this would work but you could get a mesh screen and put it over the hole. You could use liquid nails to secure it or epoxy. There is a 100 ways to skin a cat.
Good luck let me know how it turn out. I have yet to build one but might be in the market to give it a try.

 

[Leadgolem]

I'd be careful about what kind of adhesive you use inside of a mash tun. GE silicone I is used by a lot of people in fish tanks, and some of those buggers are uber sensitive to chemicals.

 

[Amesanite]

My first taste of my first homebrew. This is Edworts Haus Pale Ale. After carbing only a week I just HAD to taste one. It's a 1.5gal batch. Loving it!!

 

[Ostomo517]

My first taste of my first homebrew. This is Edworts Haus Pale Ale. After carbing only a week I just HAD to taste one. It's a 1.5gal batch. Loving it!!

Looks tasty! Nice job, get crackin on another batch!!

 

[Amesanite]

Looks tasty! Nice job, get crackin on another batch!!

Oh I'm way ahead of you. I'm brewing my fourth batch right now. A honey orange hefe.