Main issue Ive found brewing at this volume (12ish AG batches) is keeping ingredients fresh. Think my brewing had improved massively over the last few months but using hops in single digit grams and bits of grain here and there means my most recent brews have tatsed a bit unexcitng. Stepping up to bigger batches as I intend to do just means I can use all a recent order in one brew
1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!
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Calichusetts
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Invest in a grain mill. This is almost a necessary item at our size. You can store a couple pounds of grain in a cool and low humidity environment for a year, maybe longer. A couple pounds of a specialty malt could last a year. Or find a nice LHBS willing to sell you things under the 1 pound mark.
hoghead_homebrew
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Today is the day i've been waiting for. I popped the top on my 1st home brew!
It is Kick ass American Wheat from Midwest supply.
I put 6 of them in the cooler last night and took them to work today to test out.
Shared them with some guys at work after we clocked out and got good reviews! :rockin:
They turned out better than i expected and i cant wait to brew again!
It is Kick ass American Wheat from Midwest supply.
I put 6 of them in the cooler last night and took them to work today to test out.
Shared them with some guys at work after we clocked out and got good reviews! :rockin:
They turned out better than i expected and i cant wait to brew again!
Got started yesterday with a bang. First brew ever was the NB Bavarian Hefe, it's on the right. Later, I decided to brew the NB Chinook IPA, it's obviously on the left(process of elimination).
Both are fermenting away. I'm pretty excited. Right now, I'm planning to let the Hefe ferment for 8-9 days, and the Chinook for about 2 weeks. They've both been holding steady at around 68-70 so far. Anyone have any input?
Both are fermenting away. I'm pretty excited. Right now, I'm planning to let the Hefe ferment for 8-9 days, and the Chinook for about 2 weeks. They've both been holding steady at around 68-70 so far. Anyone have any input?
LucSkyywalker
New Member
Check with your LHBS...they make 2 gallon fermenters
Check out brewmasters warehouse.. Its brew builder allows you to create precise recipe with 1oz increments for all grains, then purchase the recipe and the grains for that recipe are all packaged together in one bag. Very reasonably priced too I got 5 different 1 gallon recipes ranging in price of 2.80 - 4.17 for just grain. Though you still have to buy the hops in 1 oz packages. oh and flat rate shipping of 6.99
EJay
Well-Known Member
Today is the day i've been waiting for. I popped the top on my 1st home brew!
It is Kick ass American Wheat from Midwest supply.
I put 6 of them in the cooler last night and took them to work today to test out.
Shared them with some guys at work after we clocked out and got good reviews! :rockin:
They turned out better than i expected and i cant wait to brew again!
That looks awesome. I'm about 4 days from popping the first top on one of those myself. It sure smelled good when I bottled it. I stuck with the recipe except I used US-05 yeast instead of the yeast that came with it. If it tastes as good as it smelled I'll be brewing that one again, or at least building the same recipe from straight grains.
I've also got a AAA Amber Ale about ready to drink too, I'll let you know how that tastes.
roastquake
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That's just break material
sumbrewindude
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Looks like a great cold break. Perfectly normal and encouraged!
shoreman
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I picked up a mr beer 2 gallon fermentor to brew small batches. The first 2 beers I've brewed were Belgian beers and they both didnt fully attenuate - finishing out at 1.020 - I pitched some s33 on the second and it's pretty warm so well see.
One of them had an overnight mash in the 140's and I specifically mashed low for attenuation????
Anyone else have this issue? Is it anything to do with the shape of the fermentor? I might go back to glass.
One of them had an overnight mash in the 140's and I specifically mashed low for attenuation????
Anyone else have this issue? Is it anything to do with the shape of the fermentor? I might go back to glass.
It's doubtful that the shape of the fermenter is causing it not to attenuate. You don't mention the temperature you fermented at, the o.g. of the beer, starter or not, or length of fermentation. My best guess is that yeast health has something to do with it, we'll need more information to help diagnose, however.
I will add that all the batches that I've done in a Mr. Beer fermenter had no problems with attenuation.
I will add that all the batches that I've done in a Mr. Beer fermenter had no problems with attenuation.
Did my first ~1 gal batch last night on my stove. Everything worked pretty well except I didn't have any way to measure volumes since I only did extract batches in my smaller pot. So I just went with it and ended up with an extra 1/4 gal at the end, so the OG was a bit low.
It also took a very long time to cool down. I didn't bother with my immersion chiller because I figured it would be quick to cool down the smaller volume, but I was wrong. I made a 5.5 gal batch last week faster than this 1.5 gal batch.
Oh well. I'll be better prepared next time.
It also took a very long time to cool down. I didn't bother with my immersion chiller because I figured it would be quick to cool down the smaller volume, but I was wrong. I made a 5.5 gal batch last week faster than this 1.5 gal batch.
Oh well. I'll be better prepared next time.
Calichusetts
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My ice batch takes from 8-12 minutes...I wonder why it took so long for you?
shoreman
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Ok, dry yeast t58 rehydrated plenty of yeast, sg 1.064, fermented in the 70's, 1week fermentation - pretty standard stuff and process I use for 5-10 gallon batches which always attenuate. That's why it's so odd that two in a row get stuck at 1.020 - I fermented this yeast down below 1.010 before?
I'm not sure. Obviously my tap water is warmer now and my basement is warmer than the winter. But I filled up my utility tub past the level of the wort. I had frozen a half gallon milk jug and 3 x 20 oz bottles of water a couple days before and I threw in some freezer ice packs we had in the water bath too. I was stirring the wort and stirring the bath water often. It felt like an hour (not sure how long, but it was longer than my IC). I actually designed my immersion chiller to fit into the 8 gal pot, so I could have used it, but I just figured it would be easier to not have to hook it up. You live and you learn.
Calichusetts
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I use bags of ice and/or ice from the freezer, I think more surface area helps. Throw some salt in it too.
DogboyBrew
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Is there somewhere that sells small batch kits?..I know NB does the 1 gal, but anywhere that sells 2.5-3 gal?
shoreman
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EJay
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NB (or maybe it was Midwest) has some 3-gal BIAB kits. Both do 1-gallon kits (NB are extract, MW are all-grain). Of course you can always just halve any 5- or 6-gallon recipe if you want 2.5-3 gallons.
Austin HB and Brooklyn sell 1 gallon kits. One of my LHBS has 1-gallon extract (+grain) kits on the shelf - homebrewheaven.com - not sure if the 1 gallon kits are on the site yet.
I've been scaling down 5-gallon recipes and just buying the grain straight from the LHBS which will sell in any increment. Its getting ridiculously cheap to do it this way - like $4-$5 a batch if I'm using the second-half of a yeast packet from a previous batch.
All of Midwest's 1-gallon kits have instructions with ingredients online, so I'm working my way through all of them.
I have a scaled-down Mack and Jack's African Amber clone in the fermenter that I'm just dying to taste.
1 week isn't very long for fermentation. I know you are fermenting in the 70's, and that should speed things along but it might take a little longer. Also, 140d overnight is a mash schedule that i've never done so perhaps that is causing part of it. Have you checked the gravity again? Is it still hanging out at 1.020? Everything else seems to be in order, so perhaps someone with more knowledge than me can give you some help.
shoreman
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Thanks, I'm letting the S33 go at it for 5 days or so and I'll check the gravity. I've been doing the overnight mash b/c of time issues but they ended up making alot of sense with most of the beers I brew (belgian). I start it at about 149 or so and it drops 7-8 degrees overnight - you get great efficiency (not something I really care about) but also wort that should be easy for yeast to chew through (highly attenuated beers).
It's odd, I'll try one more batch like this with a different yeast but I was wondering if anyone had issues at all with the MR. Beer fermentor b/c it is the one factor that is in question from my other process.
ericbw
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When I used it, it stalled for a while, then took off again. Swirl it to rouse it. Let it ride for at least 3 weeks. Maybe more.
sumbrewindude
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S33 is weird for me. I know there's a lot of folks that talk about the stall at .02, but I've yet to see it in the few times I've used it. It almost always rocks down do just above where S04 would finish at and holds strong.
I do agree with letting it ride though - I had a few beers from a friend of mine that used S33 and did the two week/bottle thing and after a month his bottles were WAY overcarbed - it took us a bit to figure out where the issues were as I hadn't used S33 at that point and he was just using whatever was in his kits.
I like it in the few brown's I've done, I want to try it in some lighter ales to see how it's flavor is with no roast to hide in.
I do agree with letting it ride though - I had a few beers from a friend of mine that used S33 and did the two week/bottle thing and after a month his bottles were WAY overcarbed - it took us a bit to figure out where the issues were as I hadn't used S33 at that point and he was just using whatever was in his kits.
I like it in the few brown's I've done, I want to try it in some lighter ales to see how it's flavor is with no roast to hide in.
plowboy25127
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Hello every one I'm new to beer done a lot of wine. But I just took the jump last weekend with bbs chocolate maple porter
Got every thing out and ready
(This is the first time I had to use a blow off tube lol)
Can't wait to have a cold one and brew up some other stuff
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Got every thing out and ready
(This is the first time I had to use a blow off tube lol)
Can't wait to have a cold one and brew up some other stuff
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
EJay
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Be sure to cover that or move to a dark place.
plowboy25127
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Oh it's down in the basement no light down there lol
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Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
GotDrunkThenLost
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I bought Brooklyn Brew shop chocolate maple porter and chestnut brown (didn't really think that one through as I've no idea where I'd find chestnuts at this time of year) largely because I wanted to be able to use the gear for some recipe testing and thought I might as well get some beer out of it as well rather than just getting the equipment.
Does anybody know what the recommended fermentation temps are for these particular kits? I can't see it on the instructions (says to pitch at 70F) and the yeast packets give no clues as to the strain.
Does anybody know what the recommended fermentation temps are for these particular kits? I can't see it on the instructions (says to pitch at 70F) and the yeast packets give no clues as to the strain.
EJay
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I don't know what BBS recommends, but you're usually safest to pitch/ferment in the mid 60's. I have an unused downstairs bathroom that stays a pretty constant 66f and that has been working well. Yeast typically throw off more esters at temps above 70, which normally isn't what you want, unless you're trying for that (in, say, some Belgian or Hefeweizen styles).
According to the recipes in their book, the Porter uses Nottingham and the Brown uses Safale S-04. I'd try to keep both in the mid-60s.
Hello all, this weekend I will be brewing my first beer. I got 1 gallon Cream Ale kit from Norther Brewer.
Everything seems pretty clear, I just have one question about bottle conditioning.
The kit uses the fizz drop things for priming. I understand the priming to kick off a little fermentation to create Co2.
My question is overall time @ room temperature. I know it could take 2 weeks to fully carb, after that, can I leave them unrefrigerated? I plan for it to turn out drinkable beer and may drink them all asap, but if I wanted to let them sit a month or two, must they be refrigerated? I don't have unlimited fridge space and if all goes good I will be doing many more brews and may have to rotate 6-8 bottles at a time through the fridge.
Everything seems pretty clear, I just have one question about bottle conditioning.
The kit uses the fizz drop things for priming. I understand the priming to kick off a little fermentation to create Co2.
My question is overall time @ room temperature. I know it could take 2 weeks to fully carb, after that, can I leave them unrefrigerated? I plan for it to turn out drinkable beer and may drink them all asap, but if I wanted to let them sit a month or two, must they be refrigerated? I don't have unlimited fridge space and if all goes good I will be doing many more brews and may have to rotate 6-8 bottles at a time through the fridge.
sumbrewindude
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Yep, someplace reasonably warm and dark. Mine usually end up in the furnace room for a couple weeks, then into the fridge!
Have fun!
Have fun!
I've done the 5 gallon version of that kit and they were drinkable at 2 weeks, noticeably better at 3 weeks and peaked at 4 weeks. I also saw improvement in the ones that were in the fridge for at least 3 days.
That was before I started cold crashing all my beers and the amount of yeast sediment I had in my bottles showed it. If you can drop the temp below 40F for a couple days before you bottle, it really helps clear them up and there is still plenty of yeast left to carb.
At bottling, I added some bourbon vanilla extract to 2 gallons and those bottles took an extra month to mellow out.
How'd that turn out? Sounds really good.
It turned out really good but I probably had 20 people try both versions side-by-side and a little less than half preferred the vanilla.
I ran into a few probably minor problems while doing an Everyday IPA (Brooklyn Brewing) recipe. It was my first time expanding to two gallons so I could use my Brewdemon fermenter. As far as I know I essentially measured by, and went with doubling the 1-gallon recipe. This included following the hop schedule for a 60-minute boil (Columbus at boil, then Cascade at 45, 30, 15, 5 and what would be 0/off hear). However, as the time was expiring it seemed that I had in excess of two gallons, so I let it boil for 10 more minutes. As it is, I did have more than two gallons (maybe half to full quart more); although my OG was a bit higher than expected, so maybe no reason to complain in that regard.
My question has to do with the hop profile, as pertains to both that additional boil after last hop additions AND the fact that, due to circumstances, the ale has remained in the fermenter for about 4-5 weeks, and I will probably not get to bottle it until mid-July.
As far as I know, leaving it in the fermenter should not ruin the beer, but could affect the hop profile somewhat. With that in mind, I am considering taking advantage by doing a dry hop in the ferment for the next 10 days or so until I am able to bottle.
I hope that makes sense overall. Let me know if there are problems with this line of thought. My specific question would be quantity: I do have an unopened pack of Simcoe pellets in the freezer. How much should I be using, placed in a hop bag and placed in the fermenter?
My question has to do with the hop profile, as pertains to both that additional boil after last hop additions AND the fact that, due to circumstances, the ale has remained in the fermenter for about 4-5 weeks, and I will probably not get to bottle it until mid-July.
As far as I know, leaving it in the fermenter should not ruin the beer, but could affect the hop profile somewhat. With that in mind, I am considering taking advantage by doing a dry hop in the ferment for the next 10 days or so until I am able to bottle.
I hope that makes sense overall. Let me know if there are problems with this line of thought. My specific question would be quantity: I do have an unopened pack of Simcoe pellets in the freezer. How much should I be using, placed in a hop bag and placed in the fermenter?
EJay
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FYI I opened one of these up yesterday - it has been carbonating about 20 days and it was an awesome little lawnmower beer. I think my efficiency on this one calculated out to 62%. Bitterness balance was spot on and there was just enough late-hop aroma to tell is was Cascade and make it interesting, but not at all overpowering. I >think< I used organic 2 row in this one but I will need to check my notes.
The only real fault was it was cloudy. I hadn't used any fining agents. I'll put the rest in the fridge and see if it clears up over time. I was really pleasantly surprised at how good it was because an early hydrometer sample was quite harsh. I didn't love the color since it was so pale and even had a hint of green in the color.
I think I'll definitely do more SMASH brews. Not bad for three ingredients - one grain, one yeast, one hop. Remarkable flavorful.
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