1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[ericbw]

I just brewed my first batch and realized a 2 gallon stock pot just isn't going to cut it. I followed the directions (Northern Brewer's Caribou Slobber one gallon extract) starting at 1.25 gallons but ended at about .75. I added .25 tap water and it's in the fermenter. I don't have high hopes but then again, first batch... Anyway, my question is what kettles are y'all using? I spent the afternoon on Amazon looking at everything from a 3 gallon stock pot to a 5.5 Anvil with spigot and thermometer. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Walmart has a pot called Tramont (I think). The 4 gallon size is really handy and it has a heavy bottom. Less scorching. We use it for canning and seafood boils, too.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Congrats, sounds like you're on your way to some great brew sessions. However, maybe you should have checked Amazon.....I bought a 16 quart stock pot w/lid for $26 (free delivery) with Amazon Prime. Have been using it for 6 months with great success. Anyways, good luck to ya!

This pot will be used for many functions including, wait for it... making stock. I wanted to make sure it would be designed to hold a low simmer for hours without scorching. I have never been disappointed by commercial quality kitchen equipment.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Can you explain what you're doing with the thermocouples? Just curious!

I will use them to monitor temperature. I also have a few PID controllers laying around I might work into a fermentation cabinet. If I ever find enough time for all my projects I'd also like to build a PID controlled electric pressure canner.

For monitoring temperature you can use the feed back function of a PID, expensive option, or a Fluke thermometer, even more expensive option. I found a used thermocouple converter that changes the thermocouple signal into 1 millivolt per degree which can then be measured with a standard Digital volt/ohm meter. ($25 on e-bay) since I have several digital meters it will be a cheap solution for accurate robust measuring.

I use thermocouples at work daily and get frustrated with the cheap thermometers sold for household cooking.

 

[Oleary]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Ended up getting a 3 gallon stock pot from Amazon.
Second batch went better until about half way through chilling the wort I realized I forgot to add the hops at flame out (correct term?). Added them immediately but by that time the wort was about 90 degrees. Anyone know what the consequences might be of adding them so late? Fermenting like crazy for what it's worth (US-05 at about 64 degrees). It was another extract kit, Northern's Chinook IPA... Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I spent a couple of days reading through this post (not all of it even) and others. Info overload at this point, but the knowledge here is fantastic!

Edit: Another question: I tried to get the original gravity but there was so much foam at the top it was hard to see. I used a turkey baster to pull it. I let it sit while I moved the wort to the fermenter but still too much foam to get an accurate reading. Anyway, any advice? Thanks.

 

[ba-brewer]

At 90F you did not get too much from that addition, just make sure to do the dry hopping you wont notice too much difference.

You can siphon wort off from under the foam.

 

[harrke]

At 90F you did not get too much from that addition, just make sure to do the dry hopping you wont notice too much difference.

You can siphon wort off from under the foam.

I agree. The flame-out is a lot of aromatic rather than bitter contributions. So a good dry hop will make it less noticeable.

 

[ericbw]

I will use them to monitor temperature. I also have a few PID controllers laying around I might work into a fermentation cabinet. If I ever find enough time for all my projects I'd also like to build a PID controlled electric pressure canner.



For monitoring temperature you can use the feed back function of a PID, expensive option, or a Fluke thermometer, even more expensive option. I found a used thermocouple converter that changes the thermocouple signal into 1 millivolt per degree which can then be measured with a standard Digital volt/ohm meter. ($25 on e-bay) since I have several digital meters it will be a cheap solution for accurate robust measuring.



I use thermocouples at work daily and get frustrated with the cheap thermometers sold for household cooking.

Man, that's over my head, but sounds cool!

 

[ericbw]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Ended up getting a 3 gallon stock pot from Amazon.
Second batch went better until about half way through chilling the wort I realized I forgot to add the hops at flame out (correct term?). Added them immediately but by that time the wort was about 90 degrees. Anyone know what the consequences might be of adding them so late? Fermenting like crazy for what it's worth (US-05 at about 64 degrees). It was another extract kit, Northern's Chinook IPA... Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I spent a couple of days reading through this post (not all of it even) and others. Info overload at this point, but the knowledge here is fantastic!

Edit: Another question: I tried to get the original gravity but there was so much foam at the top it was hard to see. I used a turkey baster to pull it. I let it sit while I moved the wort to the fermenter but still too much foam to get an accurate reading. Anyway, any advice? Thanks.

You put the sample in a tube/jar to measure? I just poke at the foam with my finger till it subsides. As long as it's close!

 

[noslenwerd]

Hey guys... I've been brewing 5 gallon batches for quite a few years, but I just don't drink enough these days to brew batches that big. Plus I love the idea of experimenting with random styles, so I am ready to dive into 1 gallon (maybe 1.5g for a 12 pack?) BIAB.

A few questions:

1. What is your preferred fermentation vessel? I've read something about someone converting 2 gallon mason jars into fermenters. I prefer something I can get quite a few of.

2. Are there certain bags you recommend? Do you ever "double bag" just to be safe?

3. Sparging: Do you put a colander on top of the mash pot, put the grains in it, and rinse the grains that way?

4. What is your average efficiency? (please include details on if you sparge)

5. Do you bottle, or keg? I might look into some of the smaller 2.5 gallon torpedo kegs.

6. If I wanted to test how quickly my wort would boil off, I would do that with just plain water and it would have the same effect?

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[ba-brewer]

Hey guys... I've been brewing 5 gallon batches for quite a few years, but I just don't drink enough these days to brew batches that big. Plus I love the idea of experimenting with random styles, so I am ready to dive into 1 gallon BIAB.

A few questions:

1. What is your preferred fermentation vessel? I've read something about someone converting 2 gallon mason jars into fermenters. I prefer something I can get quite a few of.

2. Are there certain bags you recommend? Do you ever "double bag" just to be safe?

3. Sparging: Do you put a colander on top of the mash pot, put the grains in it, and rinse the grains that way?

4. What is your average efficiency? (please include details on if you sparge)

5. Do you bottle, or keg? I might look into some of the smaller 2.5 gallon torpedo kegs.

6. If I wanted to test how quickly my wort would boil off, I would do that with just plain water and it would have the same effect?

Thanks ahead of time!

1) I use 2 gal plastic buckets, I can ferment a 1.5gal batch and get a 12 pack for my efforts. They are relatively cheap and easy to clean.

2) Only did one BIAB to test the process. I used 2 cheap paint strainer bags from home depot and still got quite a bit more kettle trub then when I do with my normal batch sparge process with a cooler mash tun.

3,4) I did a full volume mash so I did not sparge. My brew house efficiency was 68% and I normally get closer to 75% with my normal batch sparge approach.

5) I used to bottle small batches, but got a couple 1.75gal kegs now. They also work great for emptying slow kegs to make space for a full one or to reserve a portion of a keg for extended conditioning.

6) Plain water is OK.

 

[noslenwerd]

Thanks!!

Also what about this for a kettle? I like the idea of having the insert to take out. I see people mention thicker bottoms, but if the grain is up off of the bottom this shouldn't be an issue right?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000UV01S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[ba-brewer]

Not sure if the basket gets you anything, maybe if you were looking do some kind of recirculating setup.

I would go a bit bigger just to help from making a mess. Look for the tallest narrowest pot you can find to reduce boil-off.

https://www.amazon.com/ExcelSteel-551-Stainless-Stockpot-Encapsulated/dp/B009UVQ1BM/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1483487905&sr=1-12&keywords=20qt+stock+pot

https://www.amazon.com/Excelsteel-Quart-Stainless-Stockpot-Encapsulated/dp/B0030T1KR0/ref=pd_sim_79_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G81F63CF9Z1JMBTT04V9

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

1) 3 gal better bottle, and 5gal corny kegs, and a 2gal bucket

2) wisler bags hands down, but I mainly use a 400 micron SS mesh basket

3) I let the grain drip out then pour about a quart through to rinse

4) depends on the grain bill, and whether I crushed or I let my lhbs mill. Usually ~65-70%

5) keg mostly, occasionally bottle special brews

6)do a test boil so you can ballpark volumes. Dial it in after first couple of batches

 

[Oleary]

Thanks!!

Also what about this for a kettle? I like the idea of having the insert to take out. I see people mention thicker bottoms, but if the grain is up off of the bottom this shouldn't be an issue right?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000UV01S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

You might want to think about a bigger pot if you're going to do 1.5 gallon batches of BIAB. I bought a 2 gallon first for extracts (too small even for that). Bought a 3 gallon that would be fine for extracts but a little small for 1.25 gallon. Having said that, I just finished my 3rd batch so I'm not an expert by any means. Hindsight is 20/20 and a larger pot for me would have been better. YMMV

Edit: You might try https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/ or another recipe calculator that shows water requirements. You'll have a better idea of the size of pot for what you're doing.

 

[noslenwerd]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Wondering if any of you have tried a bit imperial stout with BIAB?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Wondering if any of you have tried a bit imperial stout with BIAB?

I haven't tried an imperial stout, but if you are asking about doing a big beer, my winter warmer was 1.096 and was at the very limit of capability for 2 gallon BIAB with colander sparge. My brewpot is 3 gallons. My efficiency was in the low sixties. I had to use 1 gallon per pound of grain and it was like mixing oatmeal.

 

[Oleary]

I haven't tried an imperial stout, but if you are asking about doing a big beer, my winter warmer was 1.096 and was at the very limit of capability for 2 gallon BIAB with colander sparge. My brewpot is 3 gallons. My efficiency was in the low sixties. I had to use 1 gallon per pound of grain and it was like mixing oatmeal.

Hmm, maybe I'm not doing this correctly then. I used brewers friend to scale down a porter last weekend to 1.25 gallons. Expected pre-boil volume was 2.77 gallons. With a 3 gallon pot, I was afraid that adding the grains would overflow the pot. Seat of the pants (and incorrect) I started at 2.25. Missed boil gravity by .005 (1.030) and had to add about .25 gallons to get back to my 2.25 gallons of wort to boil. Missed OG by .016 (1.040) because (guessing here) of adding the .25 gallons combined with poor efficiency. Just realized there's no question there, but how in the world are you getting 2 gallons out of a 3 gallon pot? I hit 1.25 pretty close with the porter (left a little beer in the trub). The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about it.

 

[Oleary]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Wondering if any of you have tried a bit imperial stout with BIAB?

Let us know if you go with the Stout and what recipe you used. Trying to figure out what to do next. Leaning toward a northern english brown but an imperial stout sounds good also.

 

[noslenwerd]

Let us know if you go with the Stout and what recipe you used. Trying to figure out what to do next. Leaning toward a northern english brown but an imperial stout sounds good also.

Will do. I am reading from the BIAB facebook group that a double mash might be the way to go for a big beer (1/2 the unroasted grains for the first hour, and the rest of the trains for an hour in the same mash).

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Hmm, maybe I'm not doing this correctly then. I used brewers friend to scale down a porter last weekend to 1.25 gallons. Expected pre-boil volume was 2.77 gallons. With a 3 gallon pot, I was afraid that adding the grains would overflow the pot. Seat of the pants (and incorrect) I started at 2.25. Missed boil gravity by .005 (1.030) and had to add about .25 gallons to get back to my 2.25 gallons of wort to boil. Missed OG by .016 (1.040) because (guessing here) of adding the .25 gallons combined with poor efficiency. Just realized there's no question there, but how in the world are you getting 2 gallons out of a 3 gallon pot? I hit 1.25 pretty close with the porter (left a little beer in the trub). The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about it.

I sprinkle sparge my bag of grains in a colander while it is sitting on top of my brew pot so the runnings drip into the pot. I also squeeze my bag pretty good into another pan and pour that into my brew pot. The big difference is our boil off rates. I'm only losing a half gallon an hour. It sounds like you are boiling off a gallon an hour unless you are boiling for longer than that. I have only done two AG BIAB batches so far, but I learned those tricks doing partial mash extract beers.

 

[jimdkc]

I typically use a pot 3x the final volume size.

3 gallon (12 qt) pot for 1 gallon batch.

4 gallon (16 qt) pot for 1.25 gallon batch.

etc...

(Haven't made anything very high in gravity yet!)

 

[noslenwerd]

Interesting... for those of you who do BIAB, how much does the grain make the water level rise on average? Want to be sure I am purchasing a kettle big enough to start. I realize the amount of grain will vary as well.

 

[Oleary]

I sprinkle sparge my bag of grains in a colander while it is sitting on top of my brew pot so the runnings drip into the pot. I also squeeze my bag pretty good into another pan and pour that into my brew pot. The big difference is our boil off rates. I'm only losing a half gallon an hour. It sounds like you are boiling off a gallon an hour unless you are boiling for longer than that. I have only done two AG BIAB batches so far, but I learned those tricks doing partial mash extract beers.

Got'cha! My boil off rate is a gallon per hour. As I said before, the more I learn, the dumber I get.

By sprinkle sparge, do you mean you're adding water from another pot to up the total boil volume or just recirculating?

Either way, my efficiency is very poor (40'ish according to Brewer's Friend). I think I have a 2.8 ABV beer fermenting... I've started going through the BIAB forums and hope to do a better job this weekend. Any other tips you can think of to increase it? Thanks a ton for taking the time out to help a newbie.

 

[Iceman6409]

Do you folks use a whole yeast packet when doing 1 gallonish brews?

 

[noslenwerd]

Got'cha! My boil off rate is a gallon per hour. As I said before, the more I learn, the dumber I get.

By sprinkle sparge, do you mean you're adding water from another pot to up the total boil volume or just recirculating?

Either way, my efficiency is very poor (40'ish according to Brewer's Friend). I think I have a 2.8 ABV beer fermenting... I've started going through the BIAB forums and hope to do a better job this weekend. Any other tips you can think of to increase it? Thanks a ton for taking the time out to help a newbie.

What software do you use to make your recipes? You need to be sure your equipment and mash profiles are set up correctly for BIAB, as that can have a huge impact. (Not speaking from experience, just from what I have been researching)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmW7pwQP5mQ[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKiEjhxo2oo&list=PL42KiwPQPd318SUBR_ekVkWAaTaLZ1XFe[/ame]

 

[ba-brewer]

This is my small batch Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout clone. I tried Old Rasputin once on nitro and really liked it so I looked for a recipe. I did not do BIAB but could be adjust to do so. I had to use my 5gal mash tun as it would not fit in the 2gal one I normally use for small batch brews.


I started with this recipe and used beersmith to scaled it down to 1.5gal.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/north-coast-old-rasputin-clone/

I made some changes to up the IBU to get closer to the value listed on the north coast site(75IBU) and some malt changes to work with what I had on hand. Not sure if this is really a clone but maybe cousins.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: US-05
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 1.5
Original Gravity: 1.090
Final Gravity: 1.019
IBU: 66.7
ABV: 9.4%
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 36.7
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 5 days at 68F degrees, 4 days at 70F degrees
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): N/A
Mash: 152F
BHE: 60%

5lb 2row
6oz crystal 135
6oz carastan
4oz pale chocolate
3oz brown malt
1oz dark roasted barley
21gm northern brewer 60min 7.0%AA 51.3IBU
7gm northern brewer 10min 8.5%AA 6.2IBU
14gm centennial 5min 9.4%AA 9.2IBU


Tasting Notes: When fresh slight hop aroma and nice head, a noticeable chocolate flavor, not too bitter quite smooth.

I goofed up when I brewed this and ended up with a starting gravity of 1080 and final gravity of 1013 so the body was a bit on the light side but still tasted good.

The beer I had on nitro had more hop aroma and seemed more like cascade then centennial. The original AHA recipe had 2 minute additions but I figured with something that might be aged it was sort of a waste, but if you plan to drink it fresh maybe adding some whirlpool or steeping hops might help.

 

[r4dyce]

Hey there,
Beginner here, I'm running a couple gallon fermenters simultaneously. I've been running off premeasured mix kits. I'm wondering if anyone has any good recommendations for software/apps/websites that are good for developing and down scaling recipes for gallon brewing. I stumbled upon Brew Toad, which has a ton of features and recipes, but it's super clunky, hard to know if recipes are any good and when I downscale a recipe I end up with ingredients like "0.0oz Cascade hops". Also found an app called Wort, which is ok but more for building a recipe from scratcg instead of altering/scaling existing recipes.

Anyway, any suggestions?

Thanks for the help

 

[noslenwerd]

I plan on getting some 2g fermenters for my 1g batches.. should I be worried about all the extra space in the fermenter? Should I try and get something with less empty space?

 

[jurgenph]

Do you folks use a whole yeast packet when doing 1 gallonish brews?

i have used 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of (rehydrated) dry yeast for 1 to 1.2 gallon batches depending on OG.

a whole packet is good for a 5 gallon batch.


J.

 

[Oleary]

What software do you use to make your recipes? You need to be sure your equipment and mash profiles are set up correctly for BIAB, as that can have a huge impact. (Not speaking from experience, just from what I have been researching)

I use Brewer's Friend and you're absolutely right. I decided at the last minute to switch to BIAB. Didn't follow the directions and got what I deserved. lol.
It's a learning process for sure. I started for something to do in the winter but have to admit this could turn into full time hobby.

Re: head space. To quote you, not speaking from experience, but my understanding is that the CO2 will fill in the headspace. I think some folks are using 5 gallon fermenters to do much smaller batches (2.5 to 3). Hopefully someone with more experience will verify this for you.