1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[markb91]

Thanks! So you mash for 45-60 minutes?

Yup, then 60 minutes at boil for hop additions and dme

 

[Kirkwooder]

Yup, then 60 minutes at boil for hop additions and dme

Have you done this recipe before? I'm guessing not seeings as you said you can't wait to see how it turns out. Please let us know how close to the original it turns out.

 

[markb91]

Have you done this recipe before? I'm guessing not seeings as you said you can't wait to see how it turns out. Please let us know how close to the original it turns out.

No, I have not done it before. Thus far, everything is turning out great and my OG was spot on with 3floyds. I will keep posted with final product.

 

[TheCollector]

So I think I just found a good alternative to the mini wide mouth bubbler. It says 1 gallon but looks more like 1.25 gallons. I'll measure it as soon as I buy one. Also the lid is a press on lid with silicon airtight fit not strew on but it's a REALLY FIRM press on so I think it will work just fine. $13.79 @ TARGET. What do you guys think?

 

[TheCollector]

Here it is

View attachment 1425270522626.jpg

 

[fuzzy2133]

I have looked at those before. My concern is getting a good enough seal once active fermentation subsides. Figured it would be good form making vinegar with the wide opening.

 

[ericbw]

I have looked at those before. My concern is getting a good enough seal once active fermentation subsides. Figured it would be good form making vinegar with the wide opening.

Keg lube on the seal?

 

[fuzzy2133]

Keg lube on the seal?

That could work.
There is a plastic adapter thing between the glass and sheet metal lid. It fits fairly snug against the glass and a bit loose on the lid. There are definitely ways to fix the issue or in true DIY fashion make a new lid.

 

[banks741938]

That could work.
There is a plastic adapter thing between the glass and sheet metal lid. It fits fairly snug against the glass and a bit loose on the lid. There are definitely ways to fix the issue or in true DIY fashion make a new lid.

Seems like a lot of work, when you can get a gallon fermenter lid and air lock for $7.99

 

[Lepetitnormand]

I have seen those a while back and never give them much of a though, but would a wide mouth canning can lid fit them ? that would resolve the seal issue


Well sounds like all info on the mason website seems to say that do not work ...

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

Does anyone have a 1 Gallon Cream Ale recipe i can try to get my feet wet?! This will be my 3rd ag and while those were 2.5 gallon recipes i would like to try a 1 gallon just to try.
Thanks

 

[ericbw]

Does anyone have a 1 Gallon Cream Ale recipe i can try to get my feet wet?! This will be my 3rd ag and while those were 2.5 gallon recipes i would like to try a 1 gallon just to try.
Thanks

Multiply a 2.5 gallon recipe by .4 gor a gallon.

 

[radio2]

Here's one from NB scaled down for 1 gallon that I made and liked (Cream Ale)
313 grams Rahr 2-row pale
336 " " Gambrinus Honey Malt
112 " " Belgian Biscuit Malt
3.5 " " Cluster Hopp (60 min)
US-05 Yeast 1/2 pack Optimum Temp 60-75 F.

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

Hey thanks!

 

[ericbw]

Here's one from NB scaled down for 1 gallon that I made and liked (Cream Ale)

313 grams Rahr 2-row pale

336 " " Gambrinus Honey Malt

112 " " Belgian Biscuit Malt

3.5 " " Cluster Hopp (60 min)

US-05 Yeast 1/2 pack Optimum Temp 60-75 F.

Not to split hairs, but id call that a blonde. A cream ale has corn or rice in it. The biscuit and honey malt will give it too much malty aroma and flavor for a cream ale. But good choice of hops!

 

[imp81318]

I am planning to brew my first series of 1-gallon batches to try to refine my process a bit by brewing the same recipe over and over again but I have a couple of questions first...

1. How much yeast should I pitch? I already made this recipe once as a 5-gallon batch and I made a yeast starter from White Labs WLP004 liquid yeast. Should I pitch the entire vile into a 1-gallon batch?
2. What size fermenter should I use for a 1-gallon batch? I used a 5 gallon carboy for the 5 gallon batch of this beer with a blowoff tube and it pushed out of the blowoff tube quite a bit. Does anyone make a 1.5 gallon jug or do you guys just use 1 gallon jugs with a blowoff?

Thanks!

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

Mr Malty is a great calculator to use for yeast and how much!

 

[imp81318]

Mr Malty is a great calculator to use for yeast and how much!

Yeah, Mr Malty says that I need 0.4 vials of liquid yeast or 0.4 5-gram packets of dry yeast. My question is, when brewing 1 gallon do you actually only use 1/2 of the vial, or do you just pitch the whole vial?

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

You should be safe with half but im no expert!

 

[Sharkbrewingco]

I am planning to brew my first series of 1-gallon batches to try to refine my process a bit by brewing the same recipe over and over again but I have a couple of questions first...

1. How much yeast should I pitch? I already made this recipe once as a 5-gallon batch and I made a yeast starter from White Labs WLP004 liquid yeast. Should I pitch the entire vile into a 1-gallon batch?
2. What size fermenter should I use for a 1-gallon batch? I used a 5 gallon carboy for the 5 gallon batch of this beer with a blowoff tube and it pushed out of the blowoff tube quite a bit. Does anyone make a 1.5 gallon jug or do you guys just use 1 gallon jugs with a blowoff?

Thanks!

I would suggest you get a 2 gallon bucket. If your LHBS, may have it in stock. If the lid doesn't already have a hole in, there is two ways to go about drilling a hole in the lid. 1. Drill it to match a current stopper you may be using. This will also allow you to siphon the beer for bottling or secondary. 2. Drill it to the size of your airlock. I suggest that you also insert a grommet to make a tighter seal. I have 2 buckets in the setup that I just mentioned. The bucket with the hole just big enough for the airlock. I also drilled a whole on the side for a spigot. It a little bit higher up the side because I use it to transfer to a 1 gallon glass jug for secondary fermentation. This way I don't transfers that much of the trub, etc.

 

[Sharkbrewingco]

Yeah, Mr Malty says that I need 0.4 vials of liquid yeast or 0.4 5-gram packets of dry yeast. My question is, when brewing 1 gallon do you actually only use 1/2 of the vial, or do you just pitch the whole vial?

My rule of thumb for pitching dry yeast is higher the potential ABV, the more yeast I put in. It won't hurt if you put in the whole packet especially if you won't be brewing again for a while. As for Liquid yeast, I put half a vial. It really depends upon how much you brew. This way you are not storing the yeast for that long.

 

[Oberon67]

Two weeks into the primary fermentation, I have been glad to see that the trub is settling out. Now no more than, say, the bottom 40 PERCENT of the jug is full of grain and yeast sediment. Every now and then it will release a big bubble from the trub, which makes its way to the surface leaving a trail of pale particles along the way.

So my 'hop gravy' is slowly turning into a proper barleywine. Now I'm trying to figure out how long I should leave it in the fermenter. I'm thinking at least a month. Would longer be better? And when I do bottle, how long should I allow for it to carb up?

A month and a few days into primary fermentation... i.e., earlier today... everything seemed to have stalled. The wort still looks like chicken gravy, and despite an obvious yeast presence there was no visible yeast activity and no change for about a week. A small sample was tasted; flavors indicated hop bitterness, yeasty sourness (not an infection as far as I can tell, thankfully, just yeast flavor) and a profound bready, starchy character.

"That tears it," I think to myself, and into this month-old primary fermentation with a three-inch layer of trub in a gallon jug I throw 1/8th of a teaspoon of alpha amylase. A few hours later it's bubbling away again, and we will see what we will see.

 

[Oberon67]

I think I may have overheated the mash early on, and killed a bunch of my natural enzymes.

 

[Hanso]

Not to split hairs, but id call that a blonde. A cream ale has corn or rice in it. The biscuit and honey malt will give it too much malty aroma and flavor for a cream ale. But good choice of hops!

You are right, I've seen that kit before and pretty sure it has significant amout of flaked corn.

 

[fuzzy2133]

A month and a few days into primary fermentation... i.e., earlier today... everything seemed to have stalled. The wort still looks like chicken gravy, and despite an obvious yeast presence there was no visible yeast activity and no change for about a week. A small sample was tasted; flavors indicated hop bitterness, yeasty sourness (not an infection as far as I can tell, thankfully, just yeast flavor) and a profound bready, starchy character.

"That tears it," I think to myself, and into this month-old primary fermentation with a three-inch layer of trub in a gallon jug I throw 1/8th of a teaspoon of alpha amylase. A few hours later it's bubbling away again, and we will see what we will see.

I think I may have overheated the mash early on, and killed a bunch of my natural enzymes.

I had a couple batches do that. Picked up some iodine to confirm I was getting conversion and keep extra pale 2-row on hand. As normal you take the steps and the problem stops happening. :cross:

Post up what happened and the grain bill (I have seen some very odd "barley wine" recipes on the net) so maybe we can help identify what may have happened.

 

[Oberon67]

I used the grain bill that Calichussetts volunteered:

3 lbs pale ale or Marris Otter (depends on if you want an american or english barleywine)
.5 lbs Rye
.25 lbs flaked barley
2 oz EACH: Caramel 20. 60. 120

I went with the pale ale, and I boiled the flaked barley prior to adding it to the mash.

 

[imp81318]

My rule of thumb for pitching dry yeast is higher the potential ABV, the more yeast I put in. It won't hurt if you put in the whole packet especially if you won't be brewing again for a while. As for Liquid yeast, I put half a vial. It really depends upon how much you brew. This way you are not storing the yeast for that long.

Thanks. The absolute soonest that I could realistically think that I might brew again would be in another 3 weeks or so... will 1/2 a vial of liquid yeast stored in the refrigerator still be viable in 3 weeks?

 

[DirtyPirate]

I pitch a half of pack of yeast for my 1 gallon batches. Since yeast is the most expensive ingredient in my brews I pitch the other half in a 1/2 gallon 1.040 yeast starter. I harvest into very small mason jars. Ready for 4 more batches.

 

[Sharkbrewingco]

Thanks. The absolute soonest that I could realistically think that I might brew again would be in another 3 weeks or so... will 1/2 a vial of liquid yeast stored in the refrigerator still be viable in 3 weeks?

Check expiration date on vial. If you use it before that date, It should be okay in three weeks. I would recommend creating a starter to make sure its good to be pitched into your batch.

 

[imp81318]

Check expiration date on vial. If you use it before that date, It should be okay in three weeks. I would recommend creating a starter to make sure its good to be pitched into your batch.

You mean to make a starter for the 2nd batch, right? What size starter would you do if pitching into a 1-gallon batch using a 1/2 vial of yeast?