1gallon blues

[aeviaanah]

This is my second batch using my carboy from the 1gal kit i bought. This is an American wheat with bit of extra ingredients i threw in.

I took OG reading and it was a bit low. I think it was a combination of low grain extraction efficiency and adding top off water to carboy just before pitching. The OG was 1.032 after temperature corrections and before pitch. I just took a test gravity reading and it shows 1.01. After doing the math i came up with a potential alcohol of 3%. I'm using the vial the hydrometer came in and trying to be sure its not sticking on sides and no air bubbles.

Every test is obviously taking from the final volume of finished beer. I guess I'm wanting a happy medium between proper fermentation times with little amount of tests as possible. The beer has been fermenting for 6 days, i still see a bit of bubbles gathered along with the krausen ring, things have definitely slowed down. Fermentation temperatures have been between 69-74 as I am fermenting in a fridge with thermostat.

THIS WILL BE MY LAST 1GAL BATCH. Just to get the most out of this one, what would you do? Test again and lose a bit more beer. The first taste test which i just tried after second gravity test tasted like flat beer not much sweetness except what is expected from a wheat beer. I liked the taste. I can also feel the alcohol as I haven't had anything to drink today. Should I bottle tomorrow?

I plan on going to LHBS and getting me a 5 gal carboy and a few more things for the next batch...this one gallon deal gave me the practice I needed and a good incentive to get learning, I'm ready to move on.

 

[DrawTap88]

Frist and foremost, congrats on taking the leap and getting into brewing. I wouldn't test your beer again for at least another week. Let the yeast clean up the diacetyl precursors that they spew out when fermenting. If your gravity is still the same, or near where you want/expect it to be at the end of fermentation then go ahead and bottle.

This is a never ending hobby of learning, and it is well worth the time and effort that you put into it.

 

[evrose]

Stop testing so much. What's the point? Your OG is really low, which is why your ABV is low.

Just pitch and forget about it for three weeks. I take one test for OG, then don't even look at it for three weeks until I'm reading to bottle. I take a final reading to get FG. In between I don't open the bucket, I don't poke at it, I don't play it music or read bedtime stories to it. I just leave. it. alone. Yeah, technically I need a series of readings, but after three weeks in a primary, I'm 99.999% confident that one reading will be fine, especially if the calculated ABV is about where I expected it to be.

Stop poking at your beer. Six days is cutting it short. Be patient.

 

[aeviaanah]

Frist and foremost, congrats on taking the leap and getting into brewing. I wouldn't test your beer again for at least another week. Let the yeast clean up the diacetyl precursors that they spew out when fermenting. If your gravity is still the same, or near where you want/expect it to be at the end of fermentation then go ahead and bottle.

This is a never ending hobby of learning, and it is well worth the time and effort that you put into it.

Ok I appreciate the response...Ill be sure to leave it alone for another week. I thought wheat beers fermented much faster.

Stop testing so much. What's the point? Your OG is really low, which is why your ABV is low.

Just pitch and forget about it for three weeks. I take one test for OG, then don't even look at it for three weeks until I'm reading to bottle. I take a final reading to get FG. In between I don't open the bucket, I don't poke at it, I don't play it music or read bedtime stories to it. I just leave. it. alone. Yeah, technically I need a series of readings, but after three weeks in a primary, I'm 99.999% confident that one reading will be fine, especially if the calculated ABV is about where I expected it to be.

Stop poking at your beer. Six days is cutting it short. Be patient.

I just finished Hansom and gretel, beer still hasnt changed.

Ill be sure to leave it alone for now on....you know I got that beginners worry. As I get better I will know what to expect and I can let it be. This is why I decided to utilize the one gallon again. 3 weeks is ok for the wheat beer I take it?

 

[evrose]

Ok I appreciate the response...Ill be sure to leave it alone for another week. I thought wheat beers fermented much faster.


I just finished Hansom and gretel, beer still hasnt changed.

Ill be sure to leave it alone for now on....you know I got that beginners worry. As I get better I will know what to expect and I can let it be. This is why I decided to utilize the one gallon again. 3 weeks is ok for the wheat beer I take it?

No worries. It's natural to want to watch the progress. One of the hardest parts of this hobby is being patient and being willing to just let the process do its thing. Three weeks is a general guideline, not the 11th Commandment. It's a good starting point for beginners. Your wheat will do fine for that amount of time. You'd probably be fine a few days less as well.

 

[aeviaanah]

No worries. It's natural to want to watch the progress. One of the hardest parts of this hobby is being patient and being willing to just let the process do its thing. Three weeks is a general guideline, not the 11th Commandment. It's a good starting point for beginners. Your wheat will do fine for that amount of time. You'd probably be fine a few days less as well.

Yes, your right. Thanks man I appreciate it.

I bottled my first IPA at 2 weeks. Didnt have hydrometer at the time. This is probably why the cap blasts off when opening?

 

[aeviaanah]

I just bought me a few things from LHBS...

5 gallon glass carboy
carboy handle
carboy lid
capper
bag of caps
stopper to reuse 1.3 gallon keg
hydrometer test beaker
5 gallon partial grain kit - american wheat

 

[Ramitt]

I just bought me a few things from LHBS...

5 gallon glass carboy
carboy handle
t

Don't use that handle to carry the carboy when full. Get a brew hauler or milk crate. The handle is great when empty.

 

[aeviaanah]

Don't use that handle to carry the carboy when full. Get a brew hauler or milk crate. The handle is great when empty.

Thanks for the heads up. The one I bought is a brew hauler.

 

[BrewerBear]

I just bought me a few things from LHBS...

5 gallon glass carboy
carboy handle
carboy lid
capper
bag of caps
stopper to reuse 1.3 gallon keg
hydrometer test beaker
5 gallon partial grain kit - american wheat

Do you plan on fermenting it the 5 gallon carboy? Five gallons fermenting in a five gallon container is going to be tight, use a blow off tube for sure.

 

[aeviaanah]

Do you plan on fermenting it the 5 gallon carboy? Five gallons fermenting in a five gallon container is going to be tight, use a blow off tube for sure.

I wasnt aware of that...should I have bought the six gallon?

I dont mind using a blow off. I just want to do it right. I have a few one gallon carboys. I could always make a larger batch and distribute it for fermentation. How much gallons is recommended to go into 5 gallon carboy?

 

[DrawTap88]

4 gallons. 4.5 gallons tops. I do my primary fermentation of 5 gallon batches in a 6.5 gallon carboy and still use a blow off tube, just in case.

 

[aeviaanah]

damn i shouldve got the 6.5 gal.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Try to exchange it for the larger carboy.

 

[Bamsdealer]

Keep the 5 gallon carboy. It will be perfect for lagering or as a secondary for some styles. For primary, get a 6.5 gal bucket. Dirt cheap, easy to clean, safer than glass, durable.

 

[aeviaanah]

Keep the 5 gallon carboy. It will be perfect for lagering or as a secondary for some styles. For primary, get a 6.5 gal bucket. Dirt cheap, easy to clean, safer than glass, durable.

What makes the 5 gallon good for lagering as opposed to 6.5 gallon?

Im not big on using plastic buckets to ferment in, ill keep it in mind tho!

 

[mforsman]

What makes the 5 gallon good for lagering as opposed to 6.5 gallon?

Im not big on using plastic buckets to ferment in, ill keep it in mind tho!

After fermentation there will be a bunch of yeast and "lost" liquid. Taking your volume down from 5-5.25 to 4.75-5 gal. Since lagering and secondary don't have very active fermentations, there isn't the need for a large space for the yeast to work.

 

[CbusHbrew]

I just brewed my second wheat style beer in 1 gallon form and though I would put in my 2c. I had the same issue with having way under 1 gallon after boil in my first batch. After reading Beer Craft I realized you need at least 2 gallons of liquid before the boil as you will lose around 1 gallon in a 60min boil.This weekend when I made my second wheat beer I made sure to have 2 gallons of liquid, going off the Brooklyn Beer shop book they had me using slightly less than 1 1/2 gallons at start with my first.

As for fermentation I decided on going with 9 days primary and 1 day cold crash. This was based off of reading others wheat recipes and some things mentioned in Brewing With Wheat (good book).

 

[aeviaanah]

A buddy of mine brought by a few things for me today. A 6.5 gal glass carboy. 2 fermenting buckets. hydrometer, thermometer, priming sugar, tsp...a few extra airlock etc. What a nice surprise. I also picked up a 15.5 gallon anheuser busch sanke.