1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[HardyFool]

THANKS.

What do you suggest I try next on the difficulty scale as my 2nd batch?

As I like all beer, whatever I brew< i'll drink -- if it's drinkable.

No prob! And I encourage others to jump in, but I'd recommend anything fairly flavorful, and non-lagered. A few options along those lines would be Bitters, Brown Ales, Porters, Irish Reds (tis the season), Wheat Ales (particularly with fruit), or if you want something lager-y, I'd do a California Common, Kellerbier, or Schwarzbier using (very specifically) Lutra Kveik, since it works well even with minimal temp control (read: probably your setup)

For sours, if you have some time on your hands and want to go straight into the deep end without making garbage, you can grab some SourPitch, make some wort (but don't boil it), pitch maybe a .5-1 g per gallon (if you don't have a .1 or .01 g scale...maybe get one first), wait like 48-72 hours, then boil and hop it, ferment it with Lutra or US-05 or something forgiving, et voila. I've included one such example that I'm brewing literally today. Toss in like 12-16 oz of (thawed, room temp) frozen fruit, like ten days in, and then wait like another 7, then bottle to 2.5 vols using this calculator

The recipe's for 1.25 gallons, so cut everything down to 80% if you want a flat gallon

 

[AustinBeerBill]

All sounds good save for the sours -- not a big fan, guess I lied when I said I'll drink any beer.

However, while sours are off my list, I do actually like rauchbier and am guessing no one on this forum has ever tried that? That's probably a PhD level beer.

 

[HardyFool]

All sounds good save for the sours -- not a big fan, guess I lied when I said I'll drink any beer.

However, while sours are off my list, I do actually like rauchbier and am guessing no one on this forum has ever tried that? That's probably a PhD level beer.

Joke's on you, I'm a smoke fiend. Here's a recipe from a while back that I remember loving, very heavy on the smoke; I used high pressure lager yeast, but Lutra's probably a better choice, and people seem to dig Kveiks generally with smoke flavors

 

[AustinBeerBill]

Well, that's a smackdown. I have not idea how to even infuse a wort or mash with smoke.

I guess all I can reply is that I have been to Weltenberg a couple of times.

Man, am I going to enjoy this hobby.

 

[HardyFool]

Well, that's a smackdown. I have not idea how to even infuse a wort or mash with smoke.

I guess all I can reply is that I have been to Weltenberg a couple of times.

Man, am I going to enjoy this hobby.

There are a few approaches, but yeah fortunately smoked malt is a thing, and it's by a mile the simplest approach. And I'm sure you will - Bon Appetit!

 

[Exception13]

G'day,

I've made 1-gallon batches based on recipes found here. He has a PDF with recipes for many different styles of beer. The ones I've tried are really good beers. All you have to give him for the PDF is your email address - he has a no-spam promise. Hope that helps.

Cheers!

Chris

 

[TonyKZ1]

I've made of his (beercraftr) 1G recipes too, they're pretty good.

 

[Elric]

I've made of his (beercraftr) 1G recipes too, they're pretty good.

Same here, his recipes were the first I tried after my introductory two partial mash kits. After making a couple of his recipes I was confident enough to start making my own.

 

[treacheroustexan]

We just got a new stove that I’m trying not to ruin. I usually mash my one gallon batches with a sous vide stick and boil it on the stove. Can anyone recommend some sort of electric element or hot plate or something I can buy to boil one gallon batches (~1.5-2 gallons of wort) without the use of my stovetop? Just curious how many other people were going this route.

 

[ba-brewer]

There are some nice relatively inexpensive induction burners if you want stay electric.

I use a propane camp stove for my 1 gal batches, but plan to make a small electric boil kettle i can use my with existing controller.

 

[Exception13]

Can anyone recommend some sort of electric element or hot plate or something I can buy to boil one gallon batches (~1.5-2 gallons of wort)

There are some nice relatively inexpensive induction burners if you want stay electric.

+1 on the induction cooker if your kettle is induction ready.

Chris

 

[mashpaddled]

All sounds good save for the sours -- not a big fan, guess I lied when I said I'll drink any beer.

However, while sours are off my list, I do actually like rauchbier and am guessing no one on this forum has ever tried that? That's probably a PhD level beer.

There's not a lot of discussion around smoked beer because there just aren't that many fans. It's probably the most polarizing set of beers out there.

They aren't particularly difficult to brew. You can buy smoked grain which is where the smoke flavor comes from. You brew it like anything else. It's a little tough to get aggressive smoke flavor with extract beers because you can't brew a 100% smoked malt beer (there is no smoked extract commercially available) but no problem to make extract kits and do a partial mash with smoked grain.

At some point you might try smoking grain at home which is also not particularly difficult if you have a smoker or access to a smoker. Slightly different from the smoked malt you buy (it's smoked during the kiln process while the grain is wet) but I've made several great smoked beers using malt I smoked at home.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I have been looking closer at kegs for small batches and I am wondering if I am missing some options. The idea of fermenting and serving from the same keg sounds appealing for speeding up the time from brew day to drinking, though this is not critical.

I have a kegging setup, so I would prefer a setup that used standard ball lock fittings (though I would be up for adding a more portable tap and CO2 fitting). Is there a solution that is significantly cheaper than something like the $80 Torpedo 6L kegs?

I have seen some similar kegs on eBay for around $70. I have some 10L Torpedo kegs, so a keg closer to 1 gallon would fit my needs better than a 1.6 gal keg.

I have looked around at various "stainless steel growler" products. Even on places like eBay and aliexpress, once you add on the adaptor cap for ball lock attachments, the price is in the $70 range. Kegland branded items are less of a gamble, but push the price up near $100.

I could potentially see a solution based on the Kegland Tee Fitting Add in a couple carbonation caps, and that is around $15 per bottle. I have not found any soda bottles around me larger than 2L, though I know I have seen 3L soda in the past (I have read that dollar stores are a good place to find them). 2L seems a bit smaller than I want, but 3L might would work well. I often make 3/4 gal small batches anyway.

Torpedo 6L Kegs: Ball Lock Torpedo Kegs | MoreBeer
Kegland Growler/Kegs: KegLand Mini Kegs
Kegland Tee Fittings: Carbonation Ball Lock Cap Tee Fitting | MoreBeer

 

[ba-brewer]

I have been looking closer at kegs for small batches and I am wondering if I am missing some options. The idea of fermenting and serving from the same keg sounds appealing for speeding up the time from brew day to drinking, though this is not critical.

I have a kegging setup, so I would prefer a setup that used standard ball lock fittings (though I would be up for adding a more portable tap and CO2 fitting). Is there a solution that is significantly cheaper than something like the $80 Torpedo 6L kegs?

I have seen some similar kegs on eBay for around $70. I have some 10L Torpedo kegs, so a keg closer to 1 gallon would fit my needs better than a 1.6 gal keg.

I have looked around at various "stainless steel growler" products. Even on places like eBay and aliexpress, once you add on the adaptor cap for ball lock attachments, the price is in the $70 range. Kegland branded items are less of a gamble, but push the price up near $100.

I could potentially see a solution based on the Kegland Tee Fitting Add in a couple carbonation caps, and that is around $15 per bottle. I have not found any soda bottles around me larger than 2L, though I know I have seen 3L soda in the past (I have read that dollar stores are a good place to find them). 2L seems a bit smaller than I want, but 3L might would work well. I often make 3/4 gal small batches anyway.

Torpedo 6L Kegs: Ball Lock Torpedo Kegs | MoreBeer
Kegland Growler/Kegs: KegLand Mini Kegs
Kegland Tee Fittings: Carbonation Ball Lock Cap Tee Fitting | MoreBeer

I have all options you listed, wish the torpedo and mini kegs could be filled to their marketed volumes. To keep the torpedo keg gas in out of the beer I am about .2gal lower than their listed size. The mini kegs you can get closer but the size reflects the filled to brim amount.

I have not tried the 2L tee thing yet but I have two I plan to try. I have used just a carbonation cap on a 2L bottle and that worked OK. I poured a beer or two, pushed some air out then pressurized again. Beer held up OK for a couples days, but they were more malty type beers.

I have bottled my last few sub 1gal batches in bombers. 3 or 4 bombers and a PET 500mL bottle to check progress makes for an enjoyable bottling session.

 

[HardyFool]

So yeah, those are the two options currently - Torpedo kegs or KegLand kegs. I've thought about this a bit, and the big issue is yeast management, since there's a pretty decent amount of yeast and trub that settles in the bottom of a fermenter. One solution, when you'd like to rack from, say, a spunded keg, would be to slosh the beer around and tilt the keg so that the downstem (beer out tube) is physically higher up (so, furthest from the floor so that the whole keg is at a diagonal if you can picture that), and then to rack the beer once the yeast cake has re-settled. Beyond these kinds of schemes, no solution currently exists for one gallon brewers that can handle pressure - the BrewDemon is a conical with a yeast valve, but it can't be pressurized. Finally, you could design and weld your own, but welds on stainless are like $200+ per weld - trust me when I say I've considered most solutions! Haha

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Part of me says I should get a few of the Kegland Ts and caps, but I often end up spending a lot of money on "cheap" solutions that never quite pan out. Part of me says to bite the bullet and grab one or two of the keg options. Part of me says I just need a little more patience with bottling beers.

It is probably not really needed, today I picked up this 2-gallon cooler from Home Depot for $10 (Rubbermaid Victory 2 Gal. Red Cooler-FG153004MODRD - The Home Depot). I just wrap my 5 gal or 2.5 gal batches in a sleeping bag. This did not work as well for my 1 gallon batches (though they turned out fine). Using my oven worked as well, but since the lowest setting is 170F, it required some messing around. The 2-gallon cooler should help with more consistent mash temps. The lid does not seem to be very insulated though.

 

[HardyFool]

The 2-gallon cooler should help with more consistent mash temps. The lid does not seem to be very insulated though.

I use a 2-gallon cooler, but I also have to use a HERMS system for temp consistency - you may lose, say, a degree F every 10 minutes otherwise. Additions of hot water every 20 minutes should offset this

As for those tees, the big issue with adding a bunch of space is the increased risk of oxidation, which is of particular concern for small batches (with a huge surface area to volume ratio)

Thus, I think the best move is the obvious one: ferment in glass or plastic, preferably in a fermenter with a spigot, and rack to a (CO2-purged) keg, carbonating or spunding there. A note: I've had issues with undercarbonated kegs due to the massive amount of headspace with some of my batches (since half a gallon of CO2 under 15 psi is a lot, and you need high pressures to reach carbonation at near-room temps), so keep that in mind

 

[CascadesBrewer]

It is probably not really needed, today I picked up this 2-gallon cooler from Home Depot for $10 (Rubbermaid Victory 2 Gal. Red Cooler-FG153004MODRD - The Home Depot). I just wrap my 5 gal or 2.5 gal batches in a sleeping bag. This did not work as well for my 1 gallon batches (though they turned out fine). Using my oven worked as well, but since the lowest setting is 170F, it required some messing around. The 2-gallon cooler should help with more consistent mash temps. The lid does not seem to be very insulated though.

I was not feeling motivated to do much productive around the house this evening, so I broke out my 2 gallon cooler to make a SMaSH to evaluate my new sack of Rahr "Standard 2-Row" (I guess they don't have a good marketing department). The "SH" part is pretty boring...just 30 IBUs of Warrior at 30 minutes. (Though I figured it would be good to evaluate this "Warrior is a clean bittering hop" claim.)

I did not get an accurate measurement at the end of the mash, but the temp seemed to drop around 4-5F over an hour. It had plenty of room for the 1.5 gals of water and the 2 lbs of grain. I ended up with a full 1 gal of wort at 1.052.

I am not a stickler on holding precise mash temps, but I feel like this cooler should give some consistency from batch to batch (and most of my 1 gal batches are to try one thing vs another).

 

[CascadesBrewer]

The beer in my prior post (a Rahr 2-Row SMaSH) turned out okay. The Rahr is a very clean/plain base malt. I might have added too much Warrior as it is a touch bitter. I do get some herbal character from the Warrior hops. I have a few more malts that I want to use for SMaSH beers.

But...two of my DIY 1.5 gal fermenters cracked so I only have one in working condition. I really like doing multiple small batches and split experiments. Recently Midwest Supply had a free-shipping special so I picked up a pair of the Little Big Mouth Bubblers (and a few other items to get to the free shipping amount). I debated about the glass vs the plastic ones and I went with the glass. The drilled hole for the spigot is pretty rough, so hopefully glass was the right choice. There is a lot of headspace in these for a full 1 gallons of wort!

Within an hour of UPS dropping off the box, I was brewing batches to fill them. These are "Hazy Hop Samplers". Each batch is 3/4 lb Pilsen DME and 3/4 lb Wheat DME. 1 oz of hops added at 180F (Idaho 7 in one and Vic Secret in the other). I split a pack of Lallemand East Coast NEIPA dry yeast between the two. I plan to dry hop each with another 1 oz of hops. I still need to figure out my exact plan to bottle these while limiting oxidation. I might just purge the headspace of the bottles with CO2, or I might add some crushed Campden tablet, or both.

 

[Immocles]

I just picked up one of those fermenters myself! I’ve wanted one forever, but found myself brewing less 1g batches recently and it was always out of stock. Should be here tomorrow, hoping the ceremonial first brew for it will be next week, a centennial double ipa.

 

[HardyFool]

We made it, ladies and gentleman

https://byo.com/article/small-batch-brewing/https://byo.com/article/drool-page/

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

We made it, ladies and gentleman

So now that "the world" thinks that 1 gal batches are ok, what do we do next?

 

[HardyFool]

So now that "the world" thinks that 1 gal batches are ok, what do we do next?

We immediately start brewing 5 gallon batches, the jig is up. Or, we shrink down to quarts/pints

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

What about a new beer style that takes advantage of oxygen ingress?

On a more serious note, it's exciting to see people who typically brew 2.5 gal batches take interest in spigot-ed 1-gal-ish fermenters.

 

[HardyFool]

What about a new beer style that takes advantage of oxygen ingress?

On a more serious note, it's exciting to see people who typically brew 2.5 gal batches take interest in spigot-ed 1-gal-ish fermenters.

I fully agree! One gallon is rad!

And oh, dude, I know...oxygen is the problem I'm currently and most seriously addressing, and at this point I don't think I'll ever brew a lager or Kölsch-style ale outside of a fermenter ever again. All else I try and slam relatively quickly, but my fruited Goses have survived pretty well, so there's that! But yeah, even dark milds are f'd

 

[Immocles]

Giving the little big mouth bubbler it’s maiden voyage. Centennial double ipa. I’m excited to have an easier time dry hopping and bottling these small batches. And best of all, my tilt will fit now! It felt good working on the stovetop system again! More cat help, though.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Giving the little big mouth bubbler it’s maiden voyage. Centennial double ipa. I’m excited to have an easier time dry hopping and bottling these small batches. And best of all, my tilt will fit now! It felt good working on the stovetop system again! More cat help, though.

I have an early version of the LBMB, actually three of them. But mine don't have the spigot. I've not had good luck with ipa's using these due to no real way to prevent oxidation. I've done a few non-ipa's, and they've turned out much better though.

 

[Immocles]

I have an early version of the LBMB, actually three of them. But mine don't have the spigot. I've not had good luck with ipa's using these due to no real way to prevent oxidation. I've done a few non-ipa's, and they've turned out much better though.

Yeah im not expecting absolute perfection, but it has to be better than a glass jug and a siphon. My hoppier ales improved massively when I went from siphonless to siphon...full and could bottle off the fermenter. Double IPA was probably an aggressive move for bottling, but I figure the 8-10 bottles will be drank pretty quickly anyway.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Yeah im not expecting absolute perfection, but it has to be better than a glass jug and a siphon. My hoppier ales improved massively when I went from siphonless to siphon...full and could bottle off the fermenter. Double IPA was probably an aggressive move for bottling, but I figure the 8-10 bottles will be drank pretty quickly anyway.

I missed the part about, "my tilt will fit now!" I have plans to eventually pick up a Tilt but assumed it'd be a no-go in my LBMB. You're sure it will work in there?

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Yeah im not expecting absolute perfection, but it has to be better than a glass jug and a siphon. My hoppier ales improved massively when I went from siphonless to siphon...full and could bottle off the fermenter. Double IPA was probably an aggressive move for bottling, but I figure the 8-10 bottles will be drank pretty quickly anyway.

I have not dry hopped my 2 batches yet. I thought about adding the dry hops during active fermentation, but my preference is to dry hop for a short period of time. I am thinking I will add a small amount of crushed campden tablet along with the dry hop addition. I have also had good luck bottling hoppy beers purging the headspace of the bottle with CO2.

 

[Immocles]

I missed the part about, "my tilt will fit now!" I have plans to eventually pick up a Tilt but assumed it'd be a no-go in my LBMB. You're sure it will work in there?

Yep, works great. It floats, measures, and sends info the way I would expect it.

I have not dry hopped my 2 batches yet. I thought about adding the dry hops during active fermentation, but my preference is to dry hop for a short period of time. I am thinking I will add a small amount of crushed campden tablet along with the dry hop addition. I have also had good luck bottling hoppy beers purging the headspace of the bottle with CO2.

I have debated the crushed campden, but I always kinda forget that it could be an option. When I was using a bucket or my old bmb without the spigot, I would often try tossing just a bit of table sugar in with the dry hop to scrub a little extra. I really couldn't say if it worked or not. Now I watch my tilts and toss it in towards the end of fermentation and it has helped my process quite a bit. Definitely far from perfect, but it has helped. I, too, prefer to leave my hops in for a shorter amount of time, but until I figure out a better way of going about that after fermentation has ended, i'm generally stuck with a 5-7 day dry hop. I have'nt had any terrible flavors/aromas due to it yet, though.

 

[hafmpty]

Any of you have a tricked out 1 gallon brewing system? Something with some serious stainless or recirculation or temp control. Yes. Yes. Overkill but just wondering. I’ve scaled down from 10gal to 5gal to 2.5gal and am considering leaving the hobby all together (see my page in the For Sale section). But I’m reconsidering just scaling down again to something in the 1-1.5gal range vs. just dumping the hobby all together. Anyway, I’m wondering what some of you have by way of bling factor with your systems. Post it up if you would. Thanks!

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Any of you have a tricked out 1 gallon brewing system? Something with some serious stainless or recirculation or temp control. Yes. Yes. Overkill but just wondering.

I think I know the guy... @HardyFool!! There is a video of his system somewhere in this thread.

I feel like 2.5 gallons is about a sweet spot. What did you not like about that size? For that size I could see the Anvil Foundry 6.5 gallon system for brew day, the SS Brewtech 3.5 gal Brew Bucket Mini for fermentation (maybe with a small fridge for temp control) and some of the Torpedo 2.5 gallon kegs.

That said, I just brewed my second all-grain 1-gallon batch using my setup up a few posts (the 2 gallon insulated jug, a 3 gallon kettle, and the Little Big Mouth Bubbler fermenter). I brewed a few other 1-gallon all-grain batches in the past, but the insulated jug helps and I really like having a fermenter with a spigot for 1-person bottling.

I tend to brew investigative batches in the one gallon size. They have mostly been to try out different hops or base grains, but I hope to use that size for recipe trials in the future. I like a larger fermenter so I can get about 9 bottles out of a batch. That gives me enough to sample myself and to bring them along to a homebrew club meeting.

 

[hafmpty]

I think I know the guy... @HardyFool!! There is a video of his system somewhere in this thread.

I feel like 2.5 gallons is about a sweet spot. What did you not like about that size? For that size I could see the Anvil Foundry 6.5 gallon system for brew day, the SS Brewtech 3.5 gal Brew Bucket Mini for fermentation (maybe with a small fridge for temp control) and some of the Torpedo 2.5 gallon kegs.

That said, I just brewed my second all-grain 1-gallon batch using my setup up a few posts (the 2 gallon insulated jug, a 3 gallon kettle, and the Little Big Mouth Bubbler fermenter). I brewed a few other 1-gallon all-grain batches in the past, but the insulated jug helps and I really like having a fermenter with a spigot for 1-person bottling.

I tend to brew investigative batches in the one gallon size. They have mostly been to try out different hops or base grains, but I hope to use that size for recipe trials in the future. I like a larger fermenter so I can get about 9 bottles out of a batch. That gives me enough to sample myself and to bring them along to a homebrew club meeting.

I love the amount of beer I end up with at the end. 2.5 gallons is great. I actually really love my setup I’m just looking at a change. Hoping to reduce my foot print and also the amount of time hunched over a sink!

As for your recommendation of @HardyFool Iam a subscriber to his channel. I’d just forgotten about his setup. Thanks for the reminder. If there are others I’d love to see them.

 

[bwible]

We made it, ladies and gentleman

https://byo.com/article/small-batch-brewing/https://byo.com/article/drool-page/

Nice! Unfortunately, can’t look at these because BYO charges a seperate digital membership now to look at their online content and you can’t read most of their articles now without buying that seperate digital membership. Only select articles they deem “free”.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Any of you have a tricked out 1 gallon brewing system? Something with some serious stainless or recirculation or temp control. Yes. Yes. Overkill but just wondering. I’ve scaled down from 10gal to 5gal to 2.5gal and am considering leaving the hobby all together (see my page in the For Sale section). But I’m reconsidering just scaling down again to something in the 1-1.5gal range vs. just dumping the hobby all together. Anyway, I’m wondering what some of you have by way of bling factor with your systems. Post it up if you would. Thanks!

I don't remember seeing this idea recently in "1 gal brewers unite".

 

[trboyden]

I think I know the guy... @HardyFool!! There is a video of his system somewhere in this thread.

I feel like 2.5 gallons is about a sweet spot. What did you not like about that size? For that size I could see the Anvil Foundry 6.5 gallon system for brew day, the SS Brewtech 3.5 gal Brew Bucket Mini for fermentation (maybe with a small fridge for temp control) and some of the Torpedo 2.5 gallon kegs.

That said, I just brewed my second all-grain 1-gallon batch using my setup up a few posts (the 2 gallon insulated jug, a 3 gallon kettle, and the Little Big Mouth Bubbler fermenter). I brewed a few other 1-gallon all-grain batches in the past, but the insulated jug helps and I really like having a fermenter with a spigot for 1-person bottling.

I tend to brew investigative batches in the one gallon size. They have mostly been to try out different hops or base grains, but I hope to use that size for recipe trials in the future. I like a larger fermenter so I can get about 9 bottles out of a batch. That gives me enough to sample myself and to bring them along to a homebrew club meeting.

That is pretty much my setup now, Anvil 6.5 Foundry, Anvil 6.5 gallon fermenter, Coke 3 gallon pin-lock kegs. I down-sized from 15 gallon Blichmann hardware. I am currently in an apartment, so run a cord from the dryer out to the porch to brew. Will have a garage when I move into my townhouse later this fall, but don't expect going back to a full-size system. I would rather brew more often and more varieties of beer, as making it is the part of the hobby I enjoy.

 

[hafmpty]

We made it, ladies and gentleman

https://byo.com/article/small-batch-brewing/https://byo.com/article/drool-page/

Nice! Unfortunately, can’t look at these because BYO charges a seperate digital membership now to look at their online content and you can’t read most of their articles now without buying that seperate digital membership. Only select articles they deem “free”.

Here you go.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

If one is looking for a single source for getting started with "smaller" batch BIAB brewing, Speed Brewing costs around $10 and contains a lot more information.

 

[Oldskewl]

I recently downsized from 5 gal also. I pieced together a 2.5 gal system over the winter using a 6 gal Bayou Classic steamer kettle, Unibrau 120V controller(or Inkbird IPB-16s), 1650 Watt element and various weldless TC fittings from Bobby @ brewhardware.com. So far I am very happy with it. If I ever wanted to scale down any further I would just buy a smaller kettle and transfer everything over. But right now I feel like 2.5 -3 gal is just right for me. I do love brewing with electric vs. propane though.