1 gallon brewing...

[pcrawford]

http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/video/77987/Whats-All-the-Brew-Ha-Ha

a lot of work for 1 gallon but seems like a good idea for NYC...

 

[Revvy]

Pretty cool business idea. It's cool that it's AG as well.

The basic brewing folks are big proponent of "6 pack brewing" which uses a gallon jug as a fermenter. And a lot of us do small batch brewing at times in one form or another. I do a lot of stovetop AG 2.5 gallon batches in the colder months. Gets me a chance to tweak recipes or brew a case of something that 2 cases would be too much. I'm brewing another tweak of my chocolate mole porter on Friday.

 

[TheFlatline]

Yeah I liked that it was a basic AG kit as well. It's a better intro into beer than Mr Beer is.

I might include a grain sack though and do the brew-in-a-bag method, simply because a strainer big enough to use in that situation is kind of costly and not everyone has a wire mesh strainer that size. If you use a muslin bag, it'd be negligible cost (50 cents extra?) and open it up to a lot more people.

 

[user 15951]

very awesome.

 

[agusus]

That's awesome. This is a genius idea to make homebrewing more accessible.

Those are really good, reasonable prices too. They're selling Wyeast yeast for $6, cheaper than the $7.50 my LHBSs sell it at. They're also selling their grains at significantly cheaper rates - $1.25/lb for US 2-row while the 3 LHBSs near me are selling it at $1.40 or higher. Maris Otter at $1.75 while here it's $2.00 to $2.10.

And they have some really unusual starter recipes - Gingerbread ale, Eggnog Milk Stout, Apple Crisp Ale, Grapefruit Honey Ale.

Looks like they're keeping storefront costs down by only being open on Saturday and Sundays. I may have to check them out when I'm home in NY for christmas.

 

[Handle]

I'm brewing another tweak of my chocolate mole porter on Friday.

Must. Know. More.

 

[Krazykripple]

i like the idea. I've been brewing extract brews for a couple of years and a small AG batch seems like the perfect way to try a new method without having to invest in heaps of equipment. Also I'm in a wheelchair so handling a 5 gallon pot is out of the question, but 1-2 gallons is possible

 

[Calichusetts]

I LOVE 1 gallon...you get a 6 pack of 16oz beers, I usually do a double brew day, often experimenting with yeast, ingredients, etc then comparing or even blending for a 12 pack.

You just learn so much more with smaller batches and you get to experiment...plus weather is not an issue for me and my equipment cost is very low. I am going to 3 gallons only because I have a few fantastic recipes I have nailed down and feel comfortable brewing a case or so of it.

BBS is a great way to start, but they did change their recipies and ingredients about 6 months ago...I wasn't happy about the torrified wheat they added to their IPAs. I used about 6 different kits from them before I branched out on my own, but I learned a lot...their brew of the month is a decent idea as many of their kits are seasonal.

Or you can just get their book for like $12 through the kindle app, 50+ recipies

 

[Calichusetts]

Yeah I liked that it was a basic AG kit as well. It's a better intro into beer than Mr Beer is.

I might include a grain sack though and do the brew-in-a-bag method, simply because a strainer big enough to use in that situation is kind of costly and not everyone has a wire mesh strainer that size. If you use a muslin bag, it'd be negligible cost (50 cents extra?) and open it up to a lot more people.

This is what I use:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041HR8PI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


It will fit most 3-4 gallon pots perfectly and it can hold up to 4 pounds. Its a POS and will warp if you don't take good care of it, but I am getting close to 30 batches with it and LOVE it.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

My first two beers were one gallon AG. The guy at LHBS had kits with fermenters, airlock, etc. They come with muslin bags which definitely was easy. The small scale and low price made it an easy impulse buy.
A month later, and I've ordered kegs and a kegerator. But I'll keep on trying new recipes with the one gallon.