Adjusting a 5 gallon extract recipe for smaller amounts

[stephenbp]

I would like to take a 5 gallon extract recipe and use it to make either 1 or 2.5 gallons but I am not sure how I can accomplish it. Is it as easy as proportionally adjusting the amounts? If anyone have any advice, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

I've adjusted 5 gallon extract batches down to both 2.5 and 1 gallon using DME with pretty great results. Probably not a perfect method but I simply divided the ingredient quantities in proportion to how the batch was scaled down.

I have not scaled down a recipe using LME. I'm sure this can be done, but having to measure out sticky, messy LME doesn't sound like fun to me.

 

[Kent88]

I do this all the time.

• Definitely stick with dry extract
• Accept that you might end up with a product that is a few gravity points off and maybe a few IBUs different than what the recipe intends, it wont change how you like that beer
• Remember that after the boil you will have some trub and hop sludge at the bottom of the kettle and, while some of that is ok, you probably don't want all of it (but some is actually good for the yeast), so don't be afraid to overshoot your final volume by a little.
• Learn to use brewing software like BrewTarget, BrewersFriend (my preference, browser based), or BeerSmith. Enter the recipe as-is into brewing software and see what the numbers look like
• Pay attention to percents with your grains and fermentables, along with your pre-boil and final gravity (goes with the brewing software tip)
• Dividing ingredient amounts by the original intended volume and then multiplying by the new intended volume is a great place to start, get used to converting between units of measure and pay attention to it

Hope that helps.

Oh, and extra extract can be stored in the freezer in re-sealable bags, and is pretty good in homemade pretzel and pizza dough.

and most of all RDWHAHB

 

[Tribe Fan]

I do this all the time.

• Definitely stick with dry extract
• Accept that you might end up with a product that is a few gravity points off and maybe a few IBUs different than what the recipe intends, it wont change how you like that beer
• Remember that after the boil you will have some trub and hop sludge at the bottom of the kettle and, while some of that is ok, you probably don't want all of it (but some is actually good for the yeast), so don't be afraid to overshoot your final volume by a little.
• Learn to use brewing software like BrewTarget, BrewersFriend (my preference, browser based), or BeerSmith. Enter the recipe as-is into brewing software and see what the numbers look like
• Pay attention to percents with your grains and fermentables, along with your pre-boil and final gravity (goes with the brewing software tip)
• Dividing ingredient amounts by the original intended volume and then multiplying by the new intended volume is a great place to start, get used to converting between units of measure and pay attention to it

Hope that helps.

Oh, and extra extract can be stored in the freezer in re-sealable bags, and is pretty good in homemade pretzel and pizza dough.

and most of all RDWHAHB

This.

If you don't have software, divide proportionally. Personally, I don't brew without software. Makes a huge difference especially if you are adjusting or creating new recipes.

 

[stephenbp]

Thanks for the information everyone.


Kent88: What if a extract recipe has either all LME or split DME and LME. So I just use all DME?

 

[Aristotelian]

Thanks for the information everyone.
Kent88: What if a extract recipe has either all LME or split DME and LME. So I just use all DME?

If you want to be precise, plug the recipe ingredients and numbers into a recipe calculator and then adjust for your system. The key is not the ingredient amount but the ratios and the SG. If the recipe is designed for 75% efficiency and your system gets 60%, it's not as simple as just dividing in two or adjusting an ingredient.

 

[Kent88]

Kent88: What if a extract recipe has either all LME or split DME and LME. So I just use all DME?

(grab a beer and hang in there, I wrote a lot, made this *way* more complicated than it needs to be)

It isn't that LME is bad or makes bad beer, it just has a reputation of not staying fresh for long, so I don't want to try saving partial bottles of it. So how I would tackle using it wont be anything new, I'm just focused on finding what the smallest bottle (or combination of bottles) of LME is that I can get to add the fermentable sugars I need without having a bunch go to waste. I would be willing to accept more "waste" from dry extract because dry extract keeps better, so there is a better chance I can use it later.

I'll start with what I see as the harder problem, the latter part is more likely to come up. This is my method, it may not be the best method for you, but it has worked well for me. It can be tedious at times (especially for a beginner, I would assume), but it is pretty simple. Here goes.

If I wanted to make an extract recipe that called for LME and I couldn't find a good dry equivalent, I would consider how much I like (or how curious I am about) the style of beer the recipe makes and what other kinds of malt typically are used to make it. I would then just try and reduce the recipe like any other and see if the amount of LME I came up with matches what I could get from a simple combination of LME containers. I would then look at how much I would have left over. Then I think about the price, and if it would be horrible to just spend the money anyway and I weigh that against my preference for the style. If I can't justify it, I'll look at different recipes that make that style which look similar, and I'll try tweaking those until I find one that works ok.

For example, if I were to make a munich heavy lager that, after scaling, required 7.5lbs of munich LME and I could only get 3lb containers, I would probably say no because I don't want to have 1.5lbs left over (and I can't just throw it in there, 1.5lbs is a lot in a small batch). If I really like that style then I might look at style descriptions and see something encouraging, like maybe that style is also known to use pilsner malt. I'll think "Hey, maybe I can hit my intended gravity with six pounds of LME and a pound of pils DME", I'll play with the software quick to make sure, and if I don't just feel like winging it at that point, I'll look up other recipes for that style and see if they're close to what I want. If so, I'll go for it.

Tweaking that example, if I needed 5.25lbs of munich LME and could only get 3lb containers of it (and I was being a stickler for hitting a certain gravity for that instance). If the price wasn't bad and I like the style, I'd consider a few things. Are the containers re-sealable? If so, am I planning to brew another batch soon (like a couple days later) that I could throw that into? Can I re-purpose it, maybe make some yeast starters with it, or make some bread/pretzel/pizza dough with it (learning to brew prompted me to try some baking). I think I've even seen people pour it on vanilla ice cream, or dilute it to the strength of strong wort and add whiskey to it.

I hope that is clear, I lost my train of thought a few times writing that, so let me know if anything is goofy.

Most of the time there are good dry equivalents to LME, though, and by using that software and sometimes by looking at the manufacturer's label or sellers description you can find a way to make it work. Labels will sometimes tell you what kind of gravity contribution that package of extract will make in a certain volume of wort. Usually, though, I just plug everything in to the software.

If I am making something that calls for all Pils LME, I'll plug it into the software, scale it, and then I'll take note of the starting gravity. I'll then add pils DME to the list of ingredients, set the amount of LME to zero, and start playing with the amount of DME until I hit the same starting gravity I had before.

A good rule of thumb when converting LME to DME like this is multiplying the weight of LME by 0.84 (give or take a few hundredths, depending on who you ask) and the product will be the weight of DME.

Most important: RDWHAHB! Don't be afraid to be curious and try a few new things. Using malt extracts is supposed to simplify things and allow you to make good beer. Unless you are brewing for a competition than a few gravity points here, and a few IBU points there aren't going to make a difference. If you aren't on a tight budget and you know that you really like a style, paying a little more and having some excess LME probably wont be a big problem for you, even if you have to throw it away.

Do you have a recipe in mind?