1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[Infantryjared1]

Hello my 1 gallon people. Actually not sure what I am lol. Brand new to the site and brand new to the craft. My wife bought me a 1 gallon maple porter kit for Christmas, which i just made and went into fermentation yesterday. I really enjoyed the process and now am hating the anticipation lol. Gonna try a few batches in my gallon and may get a second one to ease the waiting times. I'm really enjoying this forum also. Lots of terrific stuff!

 

[Immocles]

Patience is a killer. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole waiting out the process haha

 

[r4dyce]

Hello my 1 gallon people. Actually not sure what I am lol. Brand new to the site and brand new to the craft. My wife bought me a 1 gallon maple porter kit for Christmas, which i just made and went into fermentation yesterday. I really enjoyed the process and now am hating the anticipation lol. Gonna try a few batches in my gallon and may get a second one to ease the waiting times. I'm really enjoying this forum also. Lots of terrific stuff!

From Brooklyn Brew shop? That's how I got started. I've been brewing a few years now and I've gotten gear to do up to five gallon batches but I still mostly do 1 gallon and some 3 gallon. Brooklyn Brew Shop has a couple books with good recipes. It's easy to pick up some extra jug fermenters at a local brew shop too. It's a lot of fun and it really takes a hold of our quickly haha. Definitely ask a lot of questions if you have any this is a really responsive and friendly forum.

 

[PCSharkynose]

I'm following this thread because I'm brewing 1 gal batches until we move this summer and I can set up for 5 gallon brews. I got a 1 gal kit for Christmas with an Oktoberfest Ale. I brewed it on Jan 1st and bottled it on Jan 20th. I will start enjoying it during the Super Bowl.
I have ordered another 1 gal kit with a dark ale and I have a Porter recipe on the way so I can have two brews going at the same time.
I have so much to learn but this will be a fun hobby for me. Happy brewing!

 

[Infantryjared1]

From Brooklyn Brew shop? That's how I got started. I've been brewing a few years now and I've gotten gear to do up to five gallon batches but I still mostly do 1 gallon and some 3 gallon. Brooklyn Brew Shop has a couple books with good recipes. It's easy to pick up some extra jug fermenters at a local brew shop too. It's a lot of fun and it really takes a hold of our quickly haha. Definitely ask a lot of questions if you have any this is a really responsive and friendly forum.

Its a kit called "craft a brew" from our local HB store here in Ohio

 

[Infantryjared1]

So got a question follwed by hopefully a good explanation. I pitched Wednesday fermentation was slow until last night sometime. I used a blowoff, haven't used the airlock yet. My cup with water for the blowoff has risen by an inch or so and is dark now. The krausen is very dark. Is this normal?

 

[r4dyce]

So got a question follwed by hopefully a good explanation. I pitched Wednesday fermentation was slow until last night sometime. I used a blowoff, haven't used the airlock yet. My cup with water for the blowoff has risen by an inch or so and is dark now. The krausen is very dark. Is this normal?

What kind of vessel are you fermenting in? With small buckets and jugs used for 1 gal batches there often isn't a lot of room for blow off /krausen. It's common to get some run off into your blow off cup. Pic would be helpful but dark krausen sounds normal for your recipe. Once the real vigorous fermentation dies down in a day or two you can switch to airlock and you won't have to worry about blowoff after that.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

So got a question follwed by hopefully a good explanation. I pitched Wednesday fermentation was slow until last night sometime. I used a blowoff, haven't used the airlock yet. My cup with water for the blowoff has risen by an inch or so and is dark now. The krausen is very dark. Is this normal?

Yes that is very normal. Once the foam stops entering your blow off tube for a day or so, you can put on your air lock.

 

[Infantryjared1]

Yes that is very normal. Once the foam stops entering your blow off tube for a day or so, you can put on your air lock.

Thanks for the reply, was

 

[Infantryjared1]

This is the second glass of water. I changed it out this morning

 

[Infantryjared1]

I also went to my HB store today and got a 2nd gallon and airlock etc. with a red ale kit. I'll be brewing that one when my porter hits the bottles. It calls for a secondary fermentation, so that will be another new step for me.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I also went to my HB store today and got a 2nd gallon and airlock etc. with a red ale kit. I'll be brewing that one when my porter hits the bottles. It calls for a secondary fermentation, so that will be another new step for me.

Someone will reply soon that you don’t need to transfer to secondary because it can expose your beer to oxygen and possible infection. It is said that the practice comes from when professional brewers who moved beer into bright tanks to free up their fermentors and let the yeast settle out of the beer. I have never transferred to a secondary based on advice from this forum, but in never having done so, I honestly can’t speak against it. That said you may or may not chose yourself to transfer, many people believe it to at least be unnecessary.

 

[Infantryjared1]

Someone will reply soon that you don’t need to transfer to secondary because it can expose your beer to oxygen and possible infection. It is said that the practice comes from when professional brewers who moved beer into bright tanks to free up their fermentors and let the yeast settle out of the beer. I have never transferred to a secondary based on advice from this forum, but in never having done so, I honestly can’t speak against it. That said you may or may not chose yourself to transfer, many people believe it to at least be unnecessary.

I've read alot that it may not be necessary but also have read, alot, lol that for clarity and taste that it is. I plan on try many different ways, on the majority info on small batches and see what works best for me. I already want to step up the quantity but im going to pace myself (hopefully) and stick to the 1 gallons for now. Cheers

 

[InspectorJon]

Regarding purchasing gallon jugs to ferment in. You can often find one gallon glass jugs full of cider or wine cheaper than an empty one from the HBS. I buy cider and ferment it. It's like getting a free jug or cider depending on how you look at it. Glass jugs usually have pretty good cider in them. I also bought a gallon of Carlo Rossi red wine and used it to cook with.

 

[Infantryjared1]

That's a fantastic idea! The jug I just purchased was less than 5 bucks, but I do love a good hard cider. Any particular brands of juice you recommend?

 

[Druman07]

I rotate three gallon jugs, which are always in some state of fermentation.

 

[Infantryjared1]

So, four day's into fermentation. Last few days was having bubbles of one a second or so (using a blow off). Today I added 3.5 ounces of pure maple syrup and switched over to the airlock. Bubbles have slowed to one or so a minute. Seems like a drastic drop in rate. Is this normal or is my beer getting ready to stall?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

So, four day's into fermentation. Last few days was having bubbles of one a second or so (using a blow off). Today I added 3.5 ounces of pure maple syrup and switched over to the airlock. Bubbles have slowed to one or so a minute. Seems like a drastic drop in rate. Is this normal or is my beer getting ready to stall?

Yes, that’s very normal after the active fermentation there is a time where things slow down a lot. Really the yeast are about done, but you should leave it for a couple weeks to let the beer mature and the yeast to metabolize some of the things in the beer that aren’t as tasty.

 

[Tarpon87]

Did my first small batch brew tonight, while hanging with the kiddos, cooking food for Super Bowl, doing dishes and laundry. Pretty cool. Just did a single hop Sabro IPA, a 1.5gal version of the 5 gal I did yesterday. Love that Ill get to add an extra brew day or 2 each month.

 

[InspectorJon]

That's a fantastic idea! The jug I just purchased was less than 5 bucks, but I do love a good hard cider. Any particular brands of juice you recommend?

$5 is a good price for a gallon jug. I see them for $10-$12 all the time. I get cider from local orchards in Camino, CA. There is a lot of information on cider in the cider forums. I saw one where someone had compared expensive fresh cider and store brand and found little difference after fermenting.

 

[Infantryjared1]

I found the cider section yesterday. Read until eyes got blurry lol

 

[Immocles]

Cider is on my list to attempt sometime as well. But for now my small fermenters aren’t without a new beer in them for very long...

 

[Infantryjared1]

$5 is a good price for a gallon jug. I see them for $10-$12 all the time. I get cider from local orchards in Camino, CA. There is a lot of information on cider in the cider forums. I saw one where someone had compared expensive fresh cider and store brand and found little difference after fermenting.

Hit my local HB store on the way home. Bought 2 more gallons @4.50 a pieace plus stoppers and air locks. Also got cider yeast. Hit the grocery after that and got juice and dark brown sugar. Have one gallon going natural and one with about 1/2 lb of thw sugar. I plan to add vanilla and cinnamon towards the end to the sugar batch. Did the natural for comparison. Fingers crossed for either to be drinkable

 

[Infantryjared1]

View media item 70034View media item 70033

 

[frenchbrewer]

I'm soon to be a new brewer and an already convince 1 Gal batch brewer for 2 main reasons:
- Lack of space
- I love to experiment

I am never a fan of kit material so I am trying to build up my own starter element.
Any advice or pitfall to avoid? My real concern is about temp control.

 

[ba-brewer]

for one gallon batches a pretty small dorm fridge would work, or search son of ferment chamber for a DIY solution.

Another approach is to brew to the seasons and use appropriate yeast for your ambient temp with minimal or no temp control

 

[frenchbrewer]

for one gallon batches a pretty small dorm fridge would work, or search son of ferment chamber for a DIY solution.

Another approach is to brew to the seasons and use appropriate yeast for your ambient temp with minimal or no temp control

Thanks ! I had a look at the chamber but I do not have so much space really. My space so far is under a sink and I will definitely brew with season. But my apartment is heated (around 70F) during the time I am here and a little bit colder during working hours.

 

[ba-brewer]

You can use a seedling heat mats to keep the temp up just put it under your fermentor. They make heat only controllers for them too, but the inkbird controllers are about the same price.

 

[jimdkc]

You can also manage fermentation temp by putting your fermenter in a slightly larger tub or cooler of water. Reduce the water temperature by adding plastic bottles of frozen water as needed. Change out the water bottles as they thaw. This takes some attention to maintain a somewhat steady temp, but is doable.

A small fridge with a temp controller is much easier!

 

[frenchbrewer]

You can use a seedling heat mats to keep the temp up just put it under your fermentor. They make heat only controllers for them too, but the inkbird controllers are about the same price.

I am seriously thinking about it but I cannot find a way to put the sensor in the jug cause I cannot find a cap with 2 holes for for thermowell and airlock.

How do you do it?

Regarding the heat mats can you just put it like that on a plywood cabinet or does it need any insulation?

 

[bleme]

Thanks ! I had a look at the chamber but I do not have so much space really. My space so far is under a sink and I will definitely brew with season. But my apartment is heated (around 70F) during the time I am here and a little bit colder during working hours.

My family just thinks I am being cheap when I set the winter thermostat to 64F...

 

[frenchbrewer]

My family just thinks I am being cheap when I set the winter thermostat to 64F...

lol I'm fine with 64F at night or during daytime when I'm at work... but then if it's under 69F when I'm home my wife would not be happy...

 

[ba-brewer]

I am seriously thinking about it but I cannot find a way to put the sensor in the jug cause I cannot find a cap with 2 holes for for thermowell and airlock.

How do you do it?

Regarding the heat mats can you just put it like that on a plywood cabinet or does it need any insulation?

I tape the probe to the side of the jug and put some bubble wrap over it to provide some ambient protection, or use a bottle of water with the probe taped to that if I had more than one jug fermenting.

A piece of foam board would help keep the heat moving toward the jugs but not really needed.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

64 degrees is perfect for most ale yeast.

 

[frenchbrewer]

I tape the probe to the side of the jug and put some bubble wrap over it to provide some ambient protection, or use a bottle of water with the probe taped to that if I had more than one jug fermenting.

A piece of foam board would help keep the heat moving toward the jugs but not really needed.

OK I may do that. I guess the reading should be accurate-ish on the long run just maybe with latency but the main purpose is to keep the temp stable correct?

 

[ba-brewer]

As long as you are close you should fine.

I made beer for a couple years with no temp control in my garage, the beer came out just fine. If you can control the temp though that is not a bad thing.

 

[Druman07]

I can fit two jugs tightly in a minifrig, though there is not enough vertical room with the "freezer" for both to have a airlock, so the one with the blow off tube goes under the "freezer". I have found my beer has improved significantly and is more consistent since I moved to a frig, vs the ups and downs of my basement temperature, though no doubt the other solutions mentioned are viable but require a bit more attention from the brewer.

 

[offenbeckerm]

Hello my 1 gallon people. Actually not sure what I am lol. Brand new to the site and brand new to the craft. My wife bought me a 1 gallon maple porter kit for Christmas, which i just made and went into fermentation yesterday. I really enjoyed the process and now am hating the anticipation lol. Gonna try a few batches in my gallon and may get a second one to ease the waiting times. I'm really enjoying this forum also. Lots of terrific stuff!

Just like Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part. I do a "big" brew of 5 gallons about every 6 weeks, and I try to scatter in a few little brews of either 1 or 2.5 gallons in between. Right now, my fermenting room has two secondary ferments of mead (split from one initial batch for experimentation), a one-gallon from a week ago, and a 2.5 gallon from about 3 weeks ago. I'm at a point where I can poke my head in every day or two and do something or see some progress. It might be transferring to a secondary, adding some dry hops, tossing in some wood chips...whatever. It's a fun hobby. I'd suggest just staggering some batches. Eventually, you'll have enough so that the waiting won't be so bad!

 

[Infantryjared1]

Yeah, that's what I'm working towards. Got 2 gallons of cider now in 3 or four days of fermentation and will be starting a gallon of red ale this weekend. I know when i move up to 5 gallons I'm going to want to keg, so I'm studying up on that before i make the leap. I'm definitely enjoying it and will so even more when I have a tasty beverage. Cheers

 

[offenbeckerm]

Yeah, that's what I'm working towards. Got 2 gallons of cider now in 3 or four days of fermentation and will be starting a gallon of red ale this weekend. I know when i move up to 5 gallons I'm going to want to keg, so I'm studying up on that before i make the leap. I'm definitely enjoying it and will so even more when I have a tasty beverage. Cheers

I keg a lot of my 2.5 gallon batches in smaller keg (I think it's 2.5 gallons?) that I bought. They're not that hard to find, but sadly they're no cheaper than a 5 gallon. They also have some great 1 gallon and even 64oz. systems as well. I don't have one yet, but it's on my want list. In a small batch like that, bottling is pretty easy as well, but I want one so I can force carbonate mead and cider that I've killed to back-sweeten.