1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[Mungo]

Living on a boat, most of our brewing is very small batch. Started a gallon of apple cider and a gallon of cranberry cider two days ago and they're happily bubbling away. We'll rack in a few days and bottle and try to ignore them for a bit.....that never works, does it?

 

[mhedman]

Living on a boat, most of our brewing is very small batch. Started a gallon of apple cider and a gallon of cranberry cider two days ago and they're happily bubbling away. We'll rack in a few days and bottle and try to ignore them for a bit.....that never works, does it?

Have you ever had issues with constant rocking of the boat and oxidation? or trub not setting to the bottom?

 

[Griffin495]

Glad to see a lot of new activity on this thread again. I love one gallon batches (and 2.5gallon batches), perfect size for me.

Last weekend, I brewed a one gallon batch of Irish Red from Brewing Classic Styles. This weekend, I brewed a 2 gallon batch of Irish Red from How To Brew. It got split into two one gallon batches. One I'm going to leave as is and the other I'm going to dry hop with Cascade (which is totally out of style) just for sh!ts and giggles. I'll end up with 3 different Reds in time for St. Patty's day which will be just over a case of beer instead of 6 cases of beer if I had done the same in 5 gallon batches. Gotta love variety!!

So...any thoughts on how much Cascade I should use to dry hop that third batch? I'm thinking somewhere between 5 and 10 grams of Cascade.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Glad to see a lot of new activity on this thread again. I love one gallon batches (and 2.5gallon batches), perfect size for me.

Last weekend, I brewed a one gallon batch of Irish Red from Brewing Classic Styles. This weekend, I brewed a 2 gallon batch of Irish Red from How To Brew. It got split into two one gallon batches. One I'm going to leave as is and the other I'm going to dry hop with Cascade (which is totally out of style) just for sh!ts and giggles. I'll end up with 3 different Reds in time for St. Patty's day which will be just over a case of beer instead of 6 cases of beer if I had done the same in 5 gallon batches. Gotta love variety!!

So...any thoughts on how much Cascade I should use to dry hop that third batch? I'm thinking somewhere between 5 and 10 grams of Cascade.

That sounds about right to me. I’d go with the 10. More than that and it will start to be and American amber ale and less than that, the difference between the dry hopped one and the other won’t be much of a contrast.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I agree I'd go the 10g as well. Also, thanks for reminding me to get an irish red brewed real quick.

 

[frenchbrewer]

With small amount how do you guys take OG and FG? I feel it overkilled to waste so much with hydrometers...

 

[Immocles]

I took some advice early on and shoot for a bit over a gallon in the fermenter so I can take OG and at least one FG to see if I'm close to where I need to be. I never put samples back in, though, but have seen folks do it.

 

[Big Monk]

With small amount how do you guys take OG and FG? I feel it overkilled to waste so much with hydrometers...

I do my small batches in 2 gallon buckets. I start with a desired packaged volume and add back to Strike in order to ensure I get exact volumes into packaging. That includes hydrometer readings if I need them.

I took some advice early on and shoot for a bit over a gallon in the fermenter so I can take OG and at least one FG to see if I'm close to where I need to be. I never put samples back in, though, but have seen folks do it.

I usually plan for 2 hydro readings in the fermenter and check the rest with the refractometer.

 

[frenchbrewer]

I do my small batches in 2 gallon buckets. I start with a desired packaged volume and add back to Strike in order to ensure I get exact volumes into packaging. That includes hydrometer readings if I need them.



I usually plan for 2 hydro readings in the fermenter and check the rest with the refractometer.

Can I ask you why you are not only using refractometer if you have both.

 

[BongoYodeler]

With small amount how do you guys take OG and FG? I feel it overkilled to waste so much with hydrometers...

I asked the same question earlier in this thread and it was suggested using a refractometer and take a couple readings a day apart, looking for no change, if you're just looking to verify FG. There are also conversion calculators available when using a refractometer to calculate FG for abv.

 

[Big Monk]

Can I ask you why you are not only using refractometer if you have both.

There are 4 distinct refractometer correlation equations, 2 from Sean Terrill and 2 from Petr Novotny. I’m still not confident in trusting FG to a refractometer without a backup reading with a hydrometer.

 

[InspectorJon]

With small amount how do you guys take OG and FG? I feel it overkilled to waste so much with hydrometers...

I use a 100 ml graduated cylinder which works good unless gravity goes below 1.010. Lower than that and the the hydrometer won't float. It doesn't us much wort or beer.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

With small amount how do you guys take OG and FG? I feel it overkilled to waste so much with hydrometers...

With small batches, I also aim for a packaging volume.

For fermenter sizes, one gallon carboys work well for a six pack (and storing Star San) and two gallon food grade pails work well for a 12 pack.

Scale the recipe volume to account for trub volume (hop volumes will impact this), hydrometer readings (~ 4 oz each), beer left in the siphon (~ 4 oz) and beer left on the bottom of the fermenter (~ 4 oz?, but varies based on fermenter).

Occasionally, I'll get an extra bottle - which is OK.

 

[Griffin495]

I use a refractometer to check for OG, but don't bother taking a FG. I know people will say but what if your fermentation is stuck and bottle bombs and such, but I've never had an issue. I've got plenty of experience with larger batches and taking FG and I just go with how it looks. When it drops crystal clear and the color changes, I know its done. It always done in 2 weeks and 3 to be on the safe side. With one gallon batches, I'm also not that concerned with the actual ABV. I don't need to know if it came out at 5.0%, or 5.2% or whatever. I'm just not that concerned as long as it tastes good.

As far as one gallon batches, I usually get 8-9 bottles a beer out of a gallon glass carboy.

 

[InspectorJon]

I dont have any temperature control right now for fermentation, other than a cold basement (not colder than 63 or so) so haven't looked into lagers. Have seen many recipes though on the recipe section of the forums. If I had one, I'd share it though. Cheers!

Your 63F basement can be used to make lager if you want.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/warm-fermented-lager-thread.592169/

 

[Infantryjared1]

Just not sure what the temp will be when the weathergets nice again though

 

[InspectorJon]

I keep my glass carboy fermenter in an ice chest filled with water to about the same level as the wort/beer. I add a frozen gel pack or frozen water bottle if the temp gets too warm. I just add a bunch of ice when it is time to cold crash. I could do cooler lager fermenting this way but it would not be practical to try and do a long term cold lager like this. This is the first time I have used this setup to make a lager at ale temps.
View attachment 592048 View attachment 592049

This in warmer weather

 

[Immocles]

Looks like I’m acquiring a free mini fridge for the basement, anyone have a simple small batch lager recipe? Been dying to try one.

Well hell, that plan fell through so no real lagering for a bit. Maybe I’ll try a similar recipe and repitch a kolsch yeast.

 

[Pelican of the Desert]

I'm having a hell of a time bottling my 1 gallon batches. I've tried 2 different racking canes from Northern Brewer and I end up with what I perceive to be way too much oxygen going into my bottles. What do all of you use for racking out of such small batches? I have been fermenting in the Little Big Mouth Bubbler, which means I have a hard time starting a siphon without ending up aerating everything like crazy. It sucks making a small batch of beer and watching as fermentation does its thing perfectly, and then having the stupid siphon backfire a bunch of air into the beer as you're trying to bottle.

 

[Infantryjared1]

So, I've bottled 2 gallons of cider and 1 of my porter. Used the cane on the first batch of cider and also noticed bubbles, so i took the black capper off the racking cane, did away with the racking cane, put it straight onto the tube and no more bubbles. Does require more attention but worked for me. Looking forward to some other fixes

 

[BongoYodeler]

I'm having a hell of a time bottling my 1 gallon batches. I've tried 2 different racking canes from Northern Brewer and I end up with what I perceive to be way too much oxygen going into my bottles. What do all of you use for racking out of such small batches? I have been fermenting in the Little Big Mouth Bubbler, which means I have a hard time starting a siphon without ending up aerating everything like crazy. It sucks making a small batch of beer and watching as fermentation does its thing perfectly, and then having the stupid siphon backfire a bunch of air into the beer as you're trying to bottle.

Here's my process when I brew one gallon batches, (actually closer to 1.25 gallons). Like you I'm also fermenting in the 1.4 gallon Little Big Mouth Bubblers. I bought a smaller siphon from my LHB shop and I siphon into a 2 1/2 gallon food-safe bucket I picked up at Lowes. I drilled a hole in it and installed a spigot. I have a two or three inch long hose coming off the spigot and a bottling wand attached to the other end of the small piece of hose. I rack to the bucket (no sugar at this point). Using a tip I picked up from @TwistedGray I use a sanitized funnel and measuring spoon to add between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of table sugar (depending on style), to each empty bottle. I rack the beer on top of the sugar, usually getting 10 to 12 bottles per batch, and then cap the bottles.
I haven't really had an bubbling issues with the siphon as long as I keep it fully submerged. Have you tried a different siphon?

 

[ba-brewer]

I'm having a hell of a time bottling my 1 gallon batches. I've tried 2 different racking canes from Northern Brewer and I end up with what I perceive to be way too much oxygen going into my bottles. What do all of you use for racking out of such small batches? I have been fermenting in the Little Big Mouth Bubbler, which means I have a hard time starting a siphon without ending up aerating everything like crazy. It sucks making a small batch of beer and watching as fermentation does its thing perfectly, and then having the stupid siphon backfire a bunch of air into the beer as you're trying to bottle.

get a standard racking cane and cut to size for your small fermentor. You can use some of the cut off part as the bottling wand.

I put a sanitize glass pipette(any sort of straw like thing will work) into the transfer tube and start a siphon. I remove the pipette after beer is well down the tube but before beer gets to the end of the tube. Allow a little beer to leave the tube then Pinch off the tubing. Hold the tubing and install your bottling wand. Pinch the tube to stop flow between bottles.

edit:this requires sugar be pre-measured and put into the bottles

 

[Big Monk]

I'm having a hell of a time bottling my 1 gallon batches. I've tried 2 different racking canes from Northern Brewer and I end up with what I perceive to be way too much oxygen going into my bottles. What do all of you use for racking out of such small batches? I have been fermenting in the Little Big Mouth Bubbler, which means I have a hard time starting a siphon without ending up aerating everything like crazy. It sucks making a small batch of beer and watching as fermentation does its thing perfectly, and then having the stupid siphon backfire a bunch of air into the beer as you're trying to bottle.

I put bottling spigots on my fermenters.

 

[Immocles]

+1 to the mini siphon.

I put a bag clip on the siphon to keep it from slipping further into my jug. It’ll keep the other end a bit above the cake and now use a smaller length of hose. I seemed to get bubbles using the longer length, so I shortened one and try to keep it as straight and descending as smoothly as possible.

 

[Leezer]

I use the mini auto siphon too and use Immocles method to siphon directly into the bottles, using a clamp on the tubing to stop flow in between bottles.

 

[Immocles]

I've got a question for anyone who uses yeast slurry on small batches. I saved a few jars of both a kolsch 2565 and US-05. Planning on brewing sometime next midweek and wanna reuse the 05. I have two small jars, both with about 20-25ml on the bottom, and i'm curious if pitching just one jar of slurry would be enough for a basic ale in the 1.045-1.050 range?

 

[Big Monk]

I've got a question for anyone who uses yeast slurry on small batches. I saved a few jars of both a kolsch 2565 and US-05. Planning on brewing sometime next midweek and wanna reuse the 05. I have two small jars, both with about 20-25ml on the bottom, and i'm curious if pitching just one jar of slurry would be enough for a basic ale in the 1.045-1.050 range?

Without counting the cells to assess the viability you can’t know for sure. However, depending on how old the slurry is, and using 1.2 B/ml as a guide, you may have a maximum of:

25 ml * 1.2 B cells/ml = ~ 33 B cells

So depending on the volume to fermenter, and the pitching rate desired, you may or may not have enough cells.

 

[offenbeckerm]

get a standard racking cane and cut to size for your small fermentor. You can use some of the cut off part as the bottling wand.

I put a sanitize glass pipette(any sort of straw like thing will work) into the transfer tube and start a siphon. I remove the pipette after beer is well down the tube but before beer gets to the end of the tube. Allow a little beer to leave the tube then Pinch off the tubing. Hold the tubing and install your bottling wand. Pinch the tube to stop flow between bottles.

edit:this requires sugar be pre-measured and put into the bottles

So, I've done some bottling with 5 gallon batches before I started kegging everything. Now, that I'm playing with 1 gallon batches, I'm back to bottling. In 5-gallon batches, I added a priming solution to my bottling bucket and siphoned the beer in there to mix...then used the spigot/bottling cane method that you all know.

I'm wondering if something similar would work with a plastic beverage cooler like this? Seems like I could replace the spigot with one that will attach nicely to length of hose and bottling cane. Then you could "batch" bottle by adding about an ounce of dissolved sugar solution to a 1 gallon batch...siphon into the container, and bottle? Thoughts?

 

[Griffin495]

You might be able to, but it'd probably be cheaper just to get a 2 gallon food safe bucket from Lowe's or Home Depot and drill a hole for a spigot.

 

[ba-brewer]

I agree with @Griffin495, plus it looks like it might be had to get a hose/tube attached to spigot on the you posted. Get a spigot from you LHBS that you can slip a hose on easily.