1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[bleme]

That spreadsheet Bleme linked to is great.

Thanks! I use it for my 5 gallon batches too because my cheapo scale only reads grams.

 

[jeffro30]

Going to be bottling my 1st one gallon batch today, I don't really wanna use the fizzy drops I got with my kit. Anyone have a good bottling sugar corn recipe for a Red Irish Ale? Thanks


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[sumbrewindude]

Going to be bottling my 1st one gallon batch today, I don't really wanna use the fizzy drops I got with my kit. Anyone have a good bottling sugar corn recipe for a Red Irish Ale? Thanks


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I usually use this priming calc because I like that it has all the styles listed:
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

That said, I didn't find an Irish Red ale on it, so I went with the default 2.2 which seems to be fine (for me), if you like American style carbonation you'll need to bump that to 2.4 or so.

According to the calc provided your beer is currently at 65F, you'll need 0.7oz to prime with.

While I'm at it, I'll readily admit that I've dropped dextrose (corn sugar) for priming/brewing. Sucrose (table sugar) does better for me, is cheaper, and actually needs less when you start getting into larger volumes. It's a win all the way around, and who doesn't have sugar in their kitchen.

 

[Owly055]

Owly,

While I really like the idea of reserving a gallon of wort for experimentation, the idea of pouring "near boiling" hot wort and "sloshing" it around scares me. You might want to look up hot side oxidation.

I do know people who, during cooler times of the year, store hot wort in a completely full, no air, carboy overnight, or even for a couple of days, before doing whatever they want to it. Maybe you could try that with smaller containers, and then complete 3 or 4 small batches over a few days. This technique could be useful for comparing SMASH batches.

DoD:

Your concerns are legitimate........... "sloshing" is not a good phrase here. Pressure increases with any agitation, and in a sealed container, that means swelling and the possibility of blowing the lid off. In general it's a bad idea.

What does work....... and I do it all the time with my kombucha, is to use a narrow neck glass jar........... I use growlers. I mix my sweet tea up double strength, and pour it boiling hot into growlers sitting in the sink. They are PREHEATED...... so they don't crack. I fill them to overflowing, and quickly screw the cap on. The cap is sterilized without sloshing hot liquid......... I always tilt them to get the air bubble away from the cap. It will keep indefinitely..... or so it seems. Saving 4 gallons from a 5 gallon pre boil would take 8 growlers......... one gallon jugs would be nicer.

The obvious problem with this is that you are still dealing with having to heat 5 gallons of wort. While you could heat separate smaller quantities easily enough, your runnings are going to vary in gravity, so at some point it all has to go together unless you want a higher and a lower gravity wort.

The idea has it's limits........ for the one gallon brewer...........but offers the advantage I mentioned of being easily able to try different hop schedules with identical wort.

Pico Brew is the ultimate solution for experimenting........

H.W.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

Oh, I think I just found the Wilser Brewer version that you are talking about SBD.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/index15.html

This one looks pretty amazing.

SBD: Any plans on designing a brew and entering it into a HB contest?

 

[sumbrewindude]

Craig - Yep, that's the one! Nice and contained, easy to store. That's the one I'm going to make when I get around to it.

AFA entering a HB contest, I'm honestly not sure. While I'm happy with my process (for now), there's still a lot I'm learning in regards to malts, percentages and ratios that I prefer in my beers. I am looking at joining a club so I can get some feedback from more than my friends and co-workers. Finding time with work/family will be challenging, though.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Broke open a bottle of the SWMBO's cran-apple cider I made for her a month or so back - dang this is tasty. Missed the carbonation amount, but overall it's light with just a kick of the cranberry and no sweeteners. Dry, clean, would make a great dinner drink. I'm surprised S04 behaved so well in it.

Only bad part is the rest of the gallon batch is bottled into 1L bottles, so it looks like it will be a dinner drink between the two of us (maybe more if friends stop over). Oh well, guess I'll have to make more.

 

[acarter5251]

I will be making my second batch tomorrow. It's going to be a light blueberry ale with a slightly higher ABV for the girlfriend. Hopefully it turns out good! As far as my first batch goes, I took gravity readings yesterday and today, and the gravity is sitting steady at 1.012 for an ABV of about 4.2%. There is still some krausen on the top though. I tasted the sample, and it tastes like beer! I will allow the fermenter to come to room temperature and let sit for another 2 weeks or so to settle. I may also cold crash the beer for a few days before bottling to clear it up even more.

 

[Owly055]

I've been using 2 gallon ice tea jugs for fermenters....... Yorkshire brand, clear glass with a metal lid. I tape the lid with electrical tape, as there is no seal otherwise. They work great, and I can see what's going on. That's worth something!

I am just now mashing a 2.5 gallon batch, and it will go in a 3 gallon plastic ice tea jug... perhaps just a bit small...... time will tell. This is a really nice jug made from clear acrylic with a slight green tint, and the lid fits very tightly. I drilled a hole for the fermentation lock using a soldering iron........... I wanted something transparent, with a spigot.

Anybody else using these kinds of jugs for fermenters?

H.W.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Owly -

Should work fine as long as you're not using some crazy vicious yeast in the mid 70F's. If it works, go for it. I have no issues at all with plastic, though I prefer PETE over the alternatives. I've been using home recyclable water jugs - their cheap ($5), come with good water already, are PETE, and fit my standard carboy stoppers. When they get too nasty to worry about, I'll just recycle them and pick up some new ones.

One thing I found out that's pretty cool - because of the mold ripples on the bottom of the bottle, all the yeast/trub goes to the low parts, and holds it there when I tip the bottle during siphoning. That said, they are a little more of a pain to clean out than a regular, smooth sided bottle.

 

[Owly055]

Owly -

Should work fine as long as you're not using some crazy vicious yeast in the mid 70F's. If it works, go for it. I have no issues at all with plastic, though I prefer PETE over the alternatives. I've been using home recyclable water jugs - their cheap ($5), come with good water already, are PETE, and fit my standard carboy stoppers. When they get too nasty to worry about, I'll just recycle them and pick up some new ones.

One thing I found out that's pretty cool - because of the mold ripples on the bottom of the bottle, all the yeast/trub goes to the low parts, and holds it there when I tip the bottle during siphoning. That said, they are a little more of a pain to clean out than a regular, smooth sided bottle.

Your discovery about mold ripples holding trub is significant I think......... There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't have inserts to accomplish the same thing......


H.W.

 

[doc8402]

Ok fellas my stuff got here today and it dawned on me that I did not get a hydrometer. I know big mistake but my question is other than figuring out ABV and spec grav is it required to brew an extract kit? I mean beer was brewed with out it for so long and I don't think my first kit beer will be my best. Thoughts?


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[rave808]

Leave it in fermenter for three weeks should be fine if doing low to medium gravity ales


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[sumbrewindude]

Ok fellas my stuff got here today and it dawned on me that I did not get a hydrometer. I know big mistake but my question is other than figuring out ABV and spec grav is it required to brew an extract kit? I mean beer was brewed with out it for so long and I don't think my first kit beer will be my best. Thoughts?


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The extract will help, but you'll need to be accurate with your volumes. Rave808's right, leave it be for 3 weeks after you make it, and you should be fine.

I'd still get one, they're cheap enough and you have to have one for a FG measurement. I do get more milage out of my refractometer vs my hydrometer but both are necessary tools IMO.

 

[HomebrewCraig]

Oh the temptation.. AIH is having a special on the Cereal Killer, 99 bucks, free shipping....

 

[doc8402]

Rave808 and sumbrewindude thanks for the advice I had planned on 3 weeks based on what I have going on. I plan on getting one soon just my hours and my lhbs are in sync currently.

Any suggestions on what kit to do first I have: black IPA, IPA, caribou slobber (american brown), red ale, oak bourbon porter


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[sumbrewindude]

Craig - yep, read lots of good things about the Cereal Killer. Seems like a great deal for the money, lots of happy folks on here with their. I'm still going to end up with Ugly Junk - I'm plenty happy with the LHBS's double crush. I'm getting 83%+ with a single batch sparge and a 75min mash.

BTW - found a bar up here with Central Water's Bourbon Barrel Stout on tap. Holy cow does it have the bourbon flavor in it! Much more than I remember - I had one, a Maibock and sampled the wife's New Belgium Snapshot (which was tasty too). I'll be heading back for one - and only one - again soon.


Doc - If it were me, I'd go: red ale, Caribou, IPA, Black IPA, Oak/bourbon Porter.
Reason being (without knowing the specifics of the recipies) that'll get your feet wet with the easier ones, let you use that knowledge with the IPA's, then you'll be prepared to deal with the bourbon/oak - which really isn't that difficult, but I learned the hard way to respect oak. It can easily get away from you, especially if they're chips. Less is more with them, that's all I'll say - you might really dig it.

 

[FatsSchindee]

Rave808 and sumbrewindude thanks for the advice I had planned on 3 weeks based on what I have going on. I plan on getting one soon just my hours and my lhbs are in sync currently.

Any suggestions on what kit to do first I have: black IPA, IPA, caribou slobber (american brown), red ale, oak bourbon porter


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Not sure which yeasts you plan on using for each... But if any of them use the same yeast, you can save some $ by repitching the yeast from a previous batch. For example, maybe brew the IPA first, then use that yeast for the black IPA next. Or the red ale, and then the brown ale after that, then the porter even after that. Depending on the strength and color of each... You generally want to go smaller to larger, and/or lighter SRM to darker. You may not want to use the whole yeast cake, though (though overpitching may not be too much of an issue for a one gal batch)... Look up yeast washing and use a yeast calculator to see how much of the slurry to pitch.


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[IvanBrew]

For those interested by the Tap-A-Draft bottle conversation (for 1.5 gal fermenters), I received my order for (3) of them today.

I'd seen this picture of the bottle on Amazon:

and this one on Morebeer (which is where I ordered):

What I received is this:

Either there are multiple versions of this bottle out there, or there's been a mfg change.

Unfortunately, with the round bottom, I'm going to have to find a creative way to keep these upright to make them useful as fermenters.

I could return them, I suppose, and re-order from the Amazon source, but I'm debating if it's worth it...

 

[IvanBrew]

As a follow up:

I'll give a thumbs up to Morebeer's customer service. I just got off the phone with them. He checked their other warehouse, finding the same thing: All the bottles they have do have rounded bottoms. Because they differ from the picture online, they offered to return them at no cost to me, including return shipping.

I haven't decided that's what I want to do yet, but it's good to know they'll take care of it if I do return them...

 

[sumbrewindude]

Do you have access to some large PVC? Without knowing the dimension on those bottles (they look like the Party Pig bottles to me, with those little feet and the fact it's supposed to be on it's side - your original pic looks like the ones you'd get from the old Miller/Coors party boxes), you could cut some rings of PVC pipe (like 8" or 6") and rest them upright in the rings.

Otherwise maybe some 2gal buckets cut down?

A 2x12" with some circles cut in it?

 

[HomebrewCraig]

SBD: Huzzah! Glad to hear that the beer was better/different than the last time that you tasted it. I believe, based on the strong bourbon flavor and the ABV, that bourbon is an ingredient, as well as a fermenting container.

I have a few old Red Line Hot Wheels to sell on Ebay to use as seed money for some of the pricier hobby purchases.. I've had a few of the Camaro Hot Wheels sell for nearly $300 apiece. I just need one or two more like that, and the wifey-unit won't have a complaint about what I do in the mancave.

 

[IvanBrew]

Do you have access to some large PVC? Without knowing the dimension on those bottles (they look like the Party Pig bottles to me, with those little feet and the fact it's supposed to be on it's side - your original pic looks like the ones you'd get from the old Miller/Coors party boxes), you could cut some rings of PVC pipe (like 8" or 6") and rest them upright in the rings.

Otherwise maybe some 2gal buckets cut down?

A 2x12" with some circles cut in it?

They measure roughly 7" in diameter, plus the embossment where the feet are. 8" PVC might work. I have no idea what short lengths of it goes for, but it'd be worth a look. I could also make some wood crates (kinda like using milk crates for 5 gal carboys). I've probably got enough scrap wood on-hand to make that a no-cost equation for me...

 

[beerlover87]

For those interested by the Tap-A-Draft bottle conversation (for 1.5 gal fermenters), I received my order for (3) of them today.

I'd seen this picture of the bottle on Amazon:

and this one on Morebeer (which is where I ordered):

What I received is this:

Either there are multiple versions of this bottle out there, or there's been a mfg change.

Unfortunately, with the round bottom, I'm going to have to find a creative way to keep these upright to make them useful as fermenters.

I could return them, I suppose, and re-order from the Amazon source, but I'm debating if it's worth it...

I want one with the tap!! Actually I would need to because I have the 2.5 Gallon fermentor. Gonna get a couple batches under my belt before I invest tho

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[sumbrewindude]

Ivan - you'll need to look for a few scraps of 8" PVC , you don't want to pay for a 10' length, trust me. I think the wood frame would be the way to go, if you already have the raw materials available.

Beerlover - Go cornie! More cash up front, but that's the direction I'm heading. That and a beer engine with some polypins for fun.

As long as we're talking about beer storage, I need to get off my rearend and make some slat crates for my bottles. My original cardboard boxes are starting to get ragged, and I'd hate to lose a batch to a box giving out.

Should I make them for 12's, 16's, or 24's? I'll always have a few stragglers, but those get cleaned up pretty quick.

 

[Owly055]

I want one with the tap!! Actually I would need to because I have the 2.5 Gallon fermentor. Gonna get a couple batches under my belt before I invest tho

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What I see is a cone bottom fermenter ;-) ........... Turn it upside down, and put a spigot in it.........but I don't know how you would get a spigot attached.......... Kind of like building a ship in a bottle. I see a hole in the bottom (now the top), a spigot on the side, and a valve on the bottom........... Your trub collects in the bottom tapered portion, giving you more recoverable beer if your spigot was located properly.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

I haven't yet brewed a batch as small as one gallon............... I've done 5 gallon batches in the past, 2 gallon ones recently, and now a 2.5 gallon one. 2.5 - 3 gallons is optimal for me due to equipment size.

As the big boys point out, the time involved in brewing small is far more per bottle of beer than brewing 200 gallons. Our arguments in favor of small batch size is space, equipment size, and variety. Also if we screw a batch up, it's only a few bottles..............

But here's the real liability................ I suspect this applies to most of us........ I'm like a kid in the kitchen. I have to taste everything. I taste the wort, hot and cold, I chew on hops, and I can't wait to try the latest batch. Give it a few days in the bottle, and I have to open one and try it........ a few days later, another. When the carbonation level is decent, the incentive to "see how it's doing" becomes greater. Is it improving in the bottle? Yesterday's bottle was an improvement over the one two days ago, I wonder what till taste like today? "Yes! That's a definite improvement! I'll have another one in a couple of days" ............. "I had one only yesterday......I'd better wait..... Oh what the hell, I'll try one today" ............. Oops. That last one was really good, but there's only 2 left!

............ It's bad enough with two gallons, I can't imagine with 1!!

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

I haven't yet brewed a batch as small as one gallon............... I've done 5 gallon batches in the past, 2 gallon ones recently, and now a 2.5 gallon one. 2.5 - 3 gallons is optimal for me due to equipment size. H.W.

Oops...........That doesn't sound good ;-(....... by equipment size I mean the size of the pots I have to work with............. ;-)

Thought I ought to clarify that before someone else had fun with it ;-).


H.W.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Owly - I hear you on the sample issue. The only thing that gets me by is that with 3 fermenters running constantly, there's always something to sample and check on by the time I get around to cracking a finished beer. It was hard initially, but once the pipeline was up and running I actually find it harder to NOT find a reason to brew than to get the kitchen dirty. I just love brewing - and there's just so much data to play with, it encourages me to continue brewing.

AFA your conical idea, I thought about something similar but what I came to the conclusion was that the angle of the PET bottle at the mouth is not steep enough to effectively collect the yeast/trub to drain. You might get it down there, and it might drain a little, but it's not steep enough to use the weight of the wort to push the yeast/trub out.

I even looked at the smaller 4gal HDPE inductor tanks, and after running the numbers on the slope, it's got the same issue.

Honestly, other than looking really cool, I'm not positive that conical would really benefit small batch brewing. Yeast harvesting is relatively simple, and with the smaller volumes you could easily set up a farm and culture before pitching vs trying to reclaim afterward.

Still scratching my head on the topic, honestly.

 

[IvanBrew]

AFA your conical idea, I thought about something similar but what I came to the conclusion was that the angle of the PET bottle at the mouth is not steep enough to effectively collect the yeast/trub to drain. You might get it down there, and it might drain a little, but it's not steep enough to use the weight of the wort to push the yeast/trub out.

There actually used to be a commercially available product to turn a carboy into a conical this way. It never came into favor for exactly the reasons you mention...