1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[Seahare]

I'm debating building a mash tun for my all grain batches. Watched many youtube videos for ideas, all for 5-gallon and up batches. One guy did up a functioning MT in an ice chest for under $5.00 and I'd like to give it a try. I'm new to Homebrew (2 extract, zero all-grain), have physical limitations that stop me from standing for long periods or lifting heavy items so using a larger cooler is not on the table.
Questions: Would a 2-gallon water jug be big enough for a 1-gallon batch?
Is it better to be wider than taller?
Is there any reason why a filter 'bag' could not be used to cover the tubing I'd be using inside the container, filtering through the bag to the collection tubing?

(PS. I'd vote for a 1-gallon Birds of a Feather sub group so threads could stay reasonable. Just saying.)

 

[sumbrewindude]

I'm debating building a mash tun for my all grain batches. Watched many youtube videos for ideas, all for 5-gallon and up batches. One guy did up a functioning MT in an ice chest for under $5.00 and I'd like to give it a try. I'm new to Homebrew (2 extract, zero all-grain), have physical limitations that stop me from standing for long periods or lifting heavy items so using a larger cooler is not on the table.
Questions: Would a 2-gallon water jug be big enough for a 1-gallon batch?
Is it better to be wider than taller?
Is there any reason why a filter 'bag' could not be used to cover the tubing I'd be using inside the container, filtering through the bag to the collection tubing?

(PS. I'd vote for a 1-gallon Birds of a Feather sub group so threads could stay reasonable. Just saying.)

Sure you can use a mash tun for 1gal batches.

There've been some clever adaptations for coolers, but in general you want the cooler to be more deep than it is wide - and the reason for this is thermal mass. The more hot liquid and less airspace in the cooler, the less thermal drop you'll have over time. You can mitigate this a bit by using a piece of tin foil over the grains and creating a barrier before the lid (insulating just the mash), and some have gone so far as to cut out a piece of 2" foam board and put it in a ziplock to make a false lid.

I'd tell you to go right to a 5gal jug, but if you're only doing 1-1.5gal batches you'll have a bit of dead space above the mash. A 3gal round cooler would be better, but they're more expensive. Sometimes if you shop around you can find a good deal, but try to keep your mash tun 2x the size of the batch you're making - especially if you have a desire to make high ABV beers.

And you can totally use the filter bag in a mash tun. I do all the time, a 5gal paint strainer is ideal - and it just happens to fit a 3 or 5gal round cooler perfectly. They're cheap, and you get two in a package - one for the cooler, and the other for your pot as a hop bag.

Have fun!

 

[sumbrewindude]

1 Gallon Brewers!

getting ready to bottle three batches. how much water volume do you use when priming with corn sugar? I don't want to dilute this liquid gold.

Go to the store and get some Domino brand sugar cubes - in the yellow box.

Must be DOMINO, not the pink C&H brand ones.

One cube will carbonate to 2.5ppm in a 12oz bottle, which is just about perfect. Just drop a cube in a sanitized bottle, fill as normal and cap.

Come back in 3 weeks and enjoy carbed beer. No dilution required.

 

[Egs21eric]

I'm debating building a mash tun for my all grain batches. Watched many youtube videos for ideas, all for 5-gallon and up batches. One guy did up a functioning MT in an ice chest for under $5.00 and I'd like to give it a try. I'm new to Homebrew (2 extract, zero all-grain), have physical limitations that stop me from standing for long periods or lifting heavy items so using a larger cooler is not on the table.
Questions: Would a 2-gallon water jug be big enough for a 1-gallon batch?
Is it better to be wider than taller?
Is there any reason why a filter 'bag' could not be used to cover the tubing I'd be using inside the container, filtering through the bag to the collection tubing?

(PS. I'd vote for a 1-gallon Birds of a Feather sub group so threads could stay reasonable. Just saying.)

I posted the 2 gallon Mash Tun I made two pages ago on this thread, take a look, cheap build too.

 

[NewTulsa]

Go to the store and get some Domino brand sugar cubes - in the yellow box.



Must be DOMINO, not the pink C&H brand ones.



One cube will carbonate to 2.5ppm in a 12oz bottle, which is just about perfect. Just drop a cube in a sanitized bottle, fill as normal and cap.



Come back in 3 weeks and enjoy carbed beer. No dilution required.

What happens with the pink C&H? Domino is not available in my area but C&H is. I'm brewing BBS Brown Ale (no chestnut) tomorrow so I don't need an immediate reply but would like to know.

 

[Opiate42]

Thanks for the thoughts on coolers for mash tuns gang, have been thinking about that for a while now. May finally get around to it!!

Oh, so I brewed this experiment up a while back as a curiosity and to use up some open leftovers I had kicking around and curious to see how a yeast I've used for a saison would fair against basically an ale recipe.

Basically a British Ale but with T-58 saison yeast and Toronto tap water run though a Brita, no other additions to the water chemistry (have yet to really dive into that morass yet), usually use bottled spring water so this was a departure from my norm.

The hot break happened super fast, the boil smelled odd even with the hops, can't quite recall how I described it at the time but it struck me as "not as yummy as normal" when boiling and I blamed the city water. Fermentation was running by the following morning, steady and didn't go so strong as to clog the blowoff tube.

Then when transferring to a secondary it smelled oddly like boiling pasta. That actually made me sad and not anticipating anything much.

So anyhow, tried it out after a couple weeks bottle conditioning and... well:

HOLYMOFOINGSONOFBIOTCH I have my new summer beer!!!!

After setting a couple aside for buddies I've already run dry on it and need to make another batch asap and possibly scale up to a 5 gallon :rockin:

Has a nice saison crisp flavour without too much banana or spice and goes down easy like an ale. Going to try this exact recipe sometime with Notty or S-04 to see how it changes.

420 grams Maris Otter
371 grams Golden Promise (becoming my fav base malt for many things)
125 grams Vienna

5 grams Tettnang @ 60
5 grams Tettnang @ 30

Safbrew T-58 dry yeast rehydrated

One week primary
One week secondary
Bottled with 1/4 cup of filtered tap water and 2tbsp honey (used a locally made honey from near the family farm, yummmmm)
Two weeks bottle conditioning.

Ambient temp in our little carboy closet is usually around 70-75F depending on the day.

 

[phug]

That's a happy temp for saison yeast, not so much for s04

 

[sumbrewindude]

What happens with the pink C&H? Domino is not available in my area but C&H is. I'm brewing BBS Brown Ale (no chestnut) tomorrow so I don't need an immediate reply but would like to know.

In the Pink box (C&H), the sugar cubes are the wrong weight - first problem is they don't fit into the mouth of the bottle, second issue with them being the wrong weight (too heavy) means you're actually over charging the bottles with sugar - you'll have way too much CO2, I did some Belgians this way and ended up on the high side of carb over 3.2ppm I think. Lot's of fizz, let me tell you.

You might be able to cram the C&H into a 16oz bottle and end up a little light on carb, but it'd be a exercise in frustration IMO.

If you can find the yellow DOMINO box, they're the right size/weight to do individual 12oz bottle carb.

 

[Daveyg]

I used all brass 1/2" parts. i believe the nipple was 1 1/2" long and I actual used the exact white gasket from your picture, had to stretch it a bit but no leaks.

I built mine, filled it with water and found one drop starting to leak but it was after several hours sitting, I did not reside that gasket and I may take it apart and reuse it.

 

[Calichusetts]

Teflon tape fixes all. Never an issue with my mash tun

 

[TheCollector]

Ok guys time for an update on my 2 one-gallon batches... Again these were my first 2 all grain batches.
Here is the first recipe and the one I have a question about.
Style (BJCP):*
07. India Pale Ale - India Pale Ale
Volume in US Gallons:*
1 gal
All Grain Ingredients:*
2 lb American 2-row malt
6 oz Munich malt
2 oz Crystal 10L
Total 1.40 oz Columbus Pellet Hops:
0.5 oz @ 60 minutes (bittering)
0.25 oz @ 1 minute (aroma)
0.65 oz dry hop
1/2 packet US-05 Ale Yeast

All Grain Instructions:*
Heat 3 qt H20 to 170F. Add grains (in grain sock) and steep for 50 minutes. Try to maintain temperature around 153-155F.

While steeping, heat two quarts H20 in another pot to 160F for sparging. At end of steep, pull grain bag out and hold above pot to drip for 30 seconds. Sparge: slowly pour the 6 cups of H20 over the grain bag and let drip into pot. Discard grains.

Combine wort into larger pot and bring it all to a boil. Set a 60 minute timer, adding hops according to schedule (above).

At end of boil, cool to about 85F, pour into glass jug. Top off with clean water to 1 gallon mark. Pitch yeast and attach blow-off hose.
When fermentation subsides (5-7 days), add 1/4 oz hops (dry hop). Wait 5 days and then bottle.

Final Gravity:*
1.017
Original Gravity:*
1.061
IBU: 52

Anyway, they are both bottled but I've only tried this one and it's got this super weird off flavor... It tastes like someone added pineapple juice to it. It's just a weird pineapple off flavor but I think I actually like the beer pretty well. I'll try it again in a few more days since it was a bit young. Any idea what could cause a pineapple off flavor???

Thanks you guys and brew on!

 

[Daveyg]

So after three weeks in fermenting and three weeks in bottle carbonating I cracked one and gotta say it was good. My main concern was it was going to be flat I just could imagine that small amount of DME and water was going to work but it did. The taste, it was a little too malty for me but I find that with commercial IPA's as well.

 

[Daveyg]

Why do some of my pics upload sideways?

 

[badlee]

Because it is the will of the brew gods

 

[Daveyg]

Because it is the will of the brew gods

Haha, then so be it.

 

[fuzzy2133]

Why do some of my pics upload sideways?

Turn your phone the other way and if that doesn't work try upside down (JK upside down probably will not work) on an Android phone there was only one way that worked on an old version of the HBT App.

 

[phug]

Never again do I want to blender/hand crush grains again, not even for a one gallon batch. I had the chance to brew today, and I took it knowing that the grain was uncrushed. I still made beer but I know efficiency suffered because there were a number of completely whole kernels. I still managed about 60% efficiency into the fermenter though so I won't complain too much. It's still beer

 

[badlee]

@phug
I had the same thing,only I got about 70%.
I share a grain mill with a friend. He went on holiday without thinking to give me the mill"just in case"

 

[TheCollector]

Any idea what would cause a pineapple off flavor? Or is it just the Columbus hops?

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I'm loving one gallon all grain brewing. So far I've done two kits from Brooklyn Brew Shops. Chocolate Maple Porter and the Warrior Double IPA. Looking forward to brewing my own recipes soon!

Chocolate Maple Porter:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430230565.335285.jpg

Warrior Double IPA:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430230617.818187.jpg

 

[Daveyg]

I'm loving one gallon all grain brewing. So far I've done two kits from Brooklyn Brew Shops. Chocolate Maple Porter and the Warrior Double IPA. Looking forward to brewing my own recipes soon!

Chocolate Maple Porter:
View attachment 274300

Warrior Double IPA:
View attachment 274301

Me too, I just tried my Everyday IPA (BBS kit) and it came out great, gonna bottle a Brooklyn summer ale clone that I picked up from my LHBS this Sunday and am getting ready to brew a one gallon batch of Heffewezen, let me know how that Warrior kit comes out.

 

[Daveyg]

Second one gallon batch bottled, Brooklyn summer clone, clears up nicely and it tastes good, now we wait for carbonation.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I brewed my first batch, not from a kit, this weekend. I did the 15 minute pale ale, scaled it to one gallon and used Citra hops. I can't wait to try it!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430745010.764611.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430745023.762414.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430745035.479062.jpg

 

[MXDXD]

I love 1-gallon as well. But the real fun begins when you brew your own recipes.

The nice thing is that you can experiment, and if the product is sub par, well, you only end up with 9 bottles of something that is definitely drinkable. The hard part is when you actually brew something great and have only 9 bottles. Like the Schneider HopfenWeisse blind clone I bottled yesterday.

1 gallon batches enables me to brew a lot as well, and to perfect some recipes I'll be scaling up when I'll transition to 5 gallons.

Anybody else using a "brew in a bag in a mash run system" ?

 

[MXDXD]

Sure you can use a mash tun for 1gal batches.

There've been some clever adaptations for coolers, but in general you want the cooler to be more deep than it is wide - and the reason for this is thermal mass. The more hot liquid and less airspace in the cooler, the less thermal drop you'll have over time. You can mitigate this a bit by using a piece of tin foil over the grains and creating a barrier before the lid (insulating just the mash), and some have gone so far as to cut out a piece of 2" foam board and put it in a ziplock to make a false lid.

I'd tell you to go right to a 5gal jug, but if you're only doing 1-1.5gal batches you'll have a bit of dead space above the mash. A 3gal round cooler would be better, but they're more expensive. Sometimes if you shop around you can find a good deal, but try to keep your mash tun 2x the size of the batch you're making - especially if you have a desire to make high ABV beers.

And you can totally use the filter bag in a mash tun. I do all the time, a 5gal paint strainer is ideal - and it just happens to fit a 3 or 5gal round cooler perfectly. They're cheap, and you get two in a package - one for the cooler, and the other for your pot as a hop bag.

Have fun!

I'm using a 2-gallon MT. Low enough to fit in a preheated oven (at 170, so I'm not cooking my run). Biggest temp drop I experimented was 1.8F. I can also brew two gallons batches with it. Hell, I could brew a 3-gallon batch if I had anything bigger than a 3-gallon kettle. Probably a very light beer, but I could do it.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

My 2 gallon homemade MT.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430754845.299721.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430754940.297722.jpg

I did have to trim the false bottom after my first batch.

 

[Seahare]

I posted the 2 gallon Mash Tun I made two pages ago on this thread, take a look, cheap build too.

Thanks, I missed it. I've read more than half the 560+ pages to this thread over several sessions and missed yours.

 

[Seahare]

Sure you can use a mash tun for 1gal batches.

There've been some clever adaptations for coolers, but in general you want the cooler to be more deep than it is wide - and the reason for this is thermal mass. The more hot liquid and less airspace in the cooler, the less thermal drop you'll have over time. You can mitigate this a bit by using a piece of tin foil over the grains and creating a barrier before the lid (insulating just the mash), and some have gone so far as to cut out a piece of 2" foam board and put it in a ziplock to make a false lid.

I'd tell you to go right to a 5gal jug, but if you're only doing 1-1.5gal batches you'll have a bit of dead space above the mash. A 3gal round cooler would be better, but they're more expensive. Sometimes if you shop around you can find a good deal, but try to keep your mash tun 2x the size of the batch you're making - especially if you have a desire to make high ABV beers.

And you can totally use the filter bag in a mash tun. I do all the time, a 5gal paint strainer is ideal - and it just happens to fit a 3 or 5gal round cooler perfectly. They're cheap, and you get two in a package - one for the cooler, and the other for your pot as a hop bag.

Have fun!

Thanks. Will look for the paint strainer when I return various doodads to the hardware store, I built the 2-gallon mash tun, finished this morning

 

[Seahare]

I tried various Rube Goldberg fittings to make this work with local hardware help and eventually went with what I had that worked. The Igloo 2-gallon cooler spigot removed and replaced with a Tomlinson spigot I had on hand from brewing kombucha. This spigot is long enough that the 6" bazooka screen from OBK slips over the threads of the spigot. The cooler is sized perfectly to add pressure fitting for the screen.

Canadian pricing and difficulty in finding SS fittings was turning this into a +$80 experiment so I went this route.

 

[Daveyg]

Thanks. Will look for the paint strainer when I return various doodads to the hardware store, I built the 2-gallon mash tun, finished this morning

I did the same thing as far as the paint strainer bag, grabbed them at Home Depot and they fit the 3 gallon cooler perfectly, I would consider a false bottom but can't justify the expense plus I can't seem to find one that fits my cooler (3 gallon) which is 8" inside diameter.