8 gallon batches

[Yooper]

I think I'm going to start making 8 gallon batches. It's too late for today, as I already crushed my grain and got my water ready, but aside from needed two fermenters, I can't think of any disadvantages. I have 5 gallon kegs and 3 gallon kegs- so an 8 gallon (finished) batch seems ideal to me. More beer for the same amount of work, especially on my HERMS. A five gallon batch doesn't work that well, as the HERMS coil isn't covered with the sparge water with only 5 gallons of sparge water.

Why did it take me all these years to think of it?!?

Incidentally, here's today's recipe, a session APA:

7 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 77.26 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 11.04 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 5.52 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.52 %
1.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 0.66 %

1.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 29.4 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 13.3 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] (1 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.70 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -

 

[Ace_Club]

Can't you do 10 gallon batches on your system? 10 is more beer than 8, and no more work.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

Sounds like a plan. Can't you also brew 10 gal batches?

PS. Is acid malt same as acidulated malt and why are you using just 1 oz. of it in your brew?

 

[IrregularPulse]

My thoughts too. Or are you using 10G pots?

 

[RobWalker]

Can't you do 10 gallon batches on your system? 10 is more beer than 8, and no more work.

I like those maths.

 

[mmb]

I like the idea. Five gallons to force carb and three to go into bottles on my setup.

Hummm.... Might be interesting to see the difference between yeast fart CO2 and force carbonation and finally kill that little argument.

 

[RayKrueger]

I don't see mention of the pot though
If you're using a 10-gallon pot, you're going to need som headspace there. 8 gallons in a 10 gallon pot may not be enough room, unless you're cool with the occasional boilover

 

[brettwasbtd]

This would be great if you have 5 gallon fermenters lying around that you don't use often. Can just do 4 gallons in each

 

[Ace_Club]

I don't see mention of the pot though
If you're using a 10-gallon pot, you're going to need som headspace there. 8 gallons in a 10 gallon pot may not be enough room, unless you're cool with the occasional boilover

I don't know. If you can do 13 - 13.5 gallons in a Sanke, then 8 gallons in a 10 gallon pot should be okay.

 

[AnOldUR]

Why did it take me all these years to think of it?!?

Hey Yoop. Been doing that for almost a year. Same as you, I have a handful of the smaller kegs (mine are 2-1/2 gallon) along with the 5 gallon ones.

But the other reason I like it is that it lets me use my (many) 5 gallon carboys as primary fermenters. Four gallons each in two five gallon carboys works out great (although blow-off tube is still required.)

And to complete the backwardness of it, I’ll sometimes use my 6-1/2 gallon carboys (actually hold 7+ when topped off) to oak or dry-hop. What ever doesn’t fit gets an early sampling using a Carbonator Cap or bottled for comparision later.

Enjoy your brewday!





edit to say:
oops! Noticed that brettwasbtd beat me to the using 5 gallon carboy thing. :cross:

 

[chapa]

Sounds like a plan! Especially if you have some smaller carboys to use...just hate to waste any fermenting space-which is why 10g would also be something to consider. You could still use the 3g kegs, and maybe bottle the extra? Lots of possibilities. I like the idea of being able to experiment with different yeasts/hops etc, so 8 or 10g batches would be great!!

I'm finally getting some tried and true recipes, so I'm going to start scaling some of them up...such as my Chicamarillo IPA...Chinook(1/2), Cascade & Amarillo...incredible combo that I don't ever find in other commercial IPAs or other homebrews. I used a similar combo in my 125 IBU recipe, but subbed some Chinook for Simcoe. Still great, and fwh'd half of the bittering, so it is actually REALLY well balanced.

Looks like a tasty recipe. Have you tried it before? It looks similar to your house pale, but with the centennial/simcoe in the dry hop, and less specialty grains. Curious about the acid malt also. If you've made it before, got any tasting notes from the previous batch? I bet the aroma is great with cent/simcoe!

Happy brewday!

 

[AnOldUR]

Curious about the acid malt also.

At 1oz, I'd say the acid malt is only there for pH.

 

[Yooper]

Hey Yoop. Been doing that for almost a year. Same as you, I have a handful of the smaller kegs (mine are 2-1/2 gallon) along with the 5 gallon ones.

But the other reason I like it is that it lets me use my (many) 5 gallon carboys as primary fermenters. Four gallons each in two five gallon carboys works out great (although blow-off tube is still required.)

And to complete the backwardness of it, I’ll sometimes use my 6-1/2 gallon carboys (actually hold 7+ when topped off) to oak or dry-hop. What ever doesn’t fit gets an early sampling using a Carbonator Cap or bottled for comparision later.

Enjoy your brewday!

edit to say:
oops! Noticed that brettwasbtd beat me to the using 5 gallon carboy thing. :cross:

Yes, that's it exactly! I make lots of wine, but even so I have several unused 5 & 6 gallon carboys. I also have several 3 gallon kegs that fit in my mini-kegerator at my cottage. I'm also a 135 pound weakling, and lifting 4 gallons of beer in a carboy is a lot easier than 5.25 gallons! That extra 10 pounds is a lot for me.

I make 10 gallon batches fairly often, but then I have "leftover" beer if I fill a 5 gallon keg and a 3 gallon keg. So, I fill two 5 gallon kegs partway if I want to also fill a 3 gallon.

My system is an all-electric HERMS with a keggle for the BK and for the HLT. I can boil up to 13 gallons or so fairly easily, with a little fermcap. But 5 gallon batches don't even cover the HERMS coil.

 

[Yooper]

Sounds like a plan. Can't you also brew 10 gal batches?

PS. Is acid malt same as acidulated malt and why are you using just 1 oz. of it in your brew?

One ounce is enough to hit my mash pH with the salts I'm using, the RO water, and the grain. It's not much, but will help bring my pH right to about 5.44 (room temperature pH).

 

[AnOldUR]

I'm also a 135 pound weakling, and lifting 4 gallons of beer in a carboy is a lot easier than 5.25 gallons! That extra 10 pounds is a lot for me.

About the same as being a 58 year old man with a bad back. Carrying that topped off 6-1/2 gallon carboy up from the basement is an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Yooper]

About to same as being a 58 year old man with a bad back. Carrying that topped off 6-1/2 gallon carboy up from the basement is an accident waiting to happen.

Being old kinda sucks, doesn't it?

But, the good news about being older is I'm a grandmother (which rocks), I'm semi-retired (which rocks even more) and able to go to Texas for two months in the winter (woo hoo snowbird!). The bad news? No work = no pay. :cross:

 

[Rhoobarb]

For all you old farts over 50 (like me), I have two things for you:
Better Bottle
Inexpensive hand cart with bungee cords

I do 10 gal. batches almost exclusively and these save me lugging around heavy things.

 

[Yooper]

For all you old farts over 50 (like me), I have two things for you:
Better Bottle
Inexpensive hand cart with bungee cords

I do 10 gal. batches almost exclusively and these save me lugging around heavy things

Hey! Long time no "see"! I keep waiting for you to say that you and your wife are heading to the Northwoods to finally stop over for that beer! Glad to "see" you again!

I've got a few BBs and I like them, but I wish they came in 6.5 gallon sizes because I've been doing 5.25-5.5 gallons to the fermenter so I have 5 gallons in the keg and I've found that they don't have quite enough headroom. But I do want to get away from the glass carboys eventually. Even empty, they are HEAVY!

 

[Rhoobarb]

Hey! Long time no "see"! I keep waiting for you to say that you and your wife are heading to the Northwoods to finally stop over for that beer! ... I wish they came in 6.5 gallon sizes...

We haven't even been as far north as Kenosha in the last year and a half! Been to busy! We'll head up there someday - maybe for our 5th anniversary in 2013.

Get the 6 gal. better bottles! All of mine are 6 gals. and I like them a lot. I am slowly converting all but a couple of 6.5 gal. glass carboys to better bottles

 

[chapa]

So have you made this recipe before?