Calling all crazy ideas!

[Ryush806]

I'm getting married in about a month and unfortunately I'll have to stop brewing full batches for a while until SWMBO and I find a bigger place. I REFUSE to stop brewing though so I'm going to set myself up to brew somewhere around one gallon size batches. I figure since these will be small they won't cost a lot so I can mess around and screw up all I want. Who knows...maybe something great will come out of it.

Anyone have something they always wanted to try but didn't want to ruin a full batch of brew? Any special technique or special ingredient they wanted to incorporate? Let me know and I'll pick as many ideas as I have time for and can afford and try them out and report back! I'll probably start this in late October so get those beers...err...ideas a-flowin'! I'd like to have a good list before I start so I can buy whatever I can in bulk to save a little cash.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Good time to mess with sour beers since it won't be infecting your normal equipment.
Mead is good for 1G bathes too since the honey is so expensive.

 

[Ryush806]

Good ideas both! Keep 'em coming!

 

[Revvy]

Read about the stuff they played with for the Iron brewer competition for some crazy ideas.

Have fun.

 

[bbrim]

I think using spicy peppers would be fun. Maybe even a chipotle-chocolate sort of thing.

 

[Greyhound]

Wedding cake barleywine.

Instead of keeping a slice of wedding cake for a year according to tradition, put that slice into the mash tun and make a barleywine. Age the barleywine for a year and enjoy it on your first anniversary.

OK, this could turn out horribly, but you asked...

 

[Revvy]

Wedding cake barleywine.

Instead of keeping a slice of wedding cake for a year according to tradition, put that slice into the mash tun and make a barleywine. Age the barleywine for a year and enjoy it on your first anniversary.

OK, this could turn out horribly, but you asked...

I've done it with Ginger Snap Cookies.

I plan on doing it with my annual Jamaican Spiced Banana rum Bread. When I make it near thanksgiving.

 

[Dunerunner]

I always wanted to do a Mandarin Orange Chocolate Porter.

Plent of chocolate malt and dark chocolate at the end of the boil..ferment over manderin oranges.

 

[Grossy]

Because of the smaller space, try a BIAB, one gallon, one pot brewing.

Just need to find the right pot, something like this pressure cooker.

Remove the relief valve and but in a grommet for the airlock.

Only one pot to clean, nothing to sanitize.

 

[Ryush806]

Because of the smaller space, try a BIAB, one gallon, one pot brewing.

Just need to find the right pot, something like this pressure cooker.

Remove the relief valve and but in a grommet for the airlock.

Only one pot to clean, nothing to sanitize.

Great idea! That's probably much simpler than what I was going to try with making a new MLT and all...

Plus I've always wanted to try canning leftover wort for later use and need a pressure cooker anyway. Any idea if a grommet from your typical Ale Pale lid would fit? Have you done this before?

 

[Grossy]

Great idea! That's probably much simpler than what I was going to try with making a new MLT and all...

Plus I've always wanted to try canning leftover wort for later use and need a pressure cooker anyway. Any idea if a grommet from your typical Ale Pale lid would fit? Have you done this before?

I'm still learning the basics, but I have been wanting to do this since my second brew, but with 5 gallon batches. I'm moving towards a clear plastic lid for my kettle that I can seal up. That way I can see inside.

The main reason I like this, is that there is nothing to sanitize until you get to the bottling bucket.

On the other hand I would need three kettles for all the brew that I want.

As for the grommet, that will depend on the size of the relief valve in the pressure cooker. Take the lid into Home Depot, find a threaded adapter, two ring clamps and a piece of hose would do the trick.

 

[seraphorist]

i've always wanted to brew something with saffron, but buying enough for a full batch would be ridiculous. it's the most expensive spice around. vanilla beans are also crazy pricey.

also been wanting to make a beet beer. the color would be unreal! belgian candy sugars are beat sugars, and table sugar is usually a blend of beat and cane, so it's not too crazy of a concept. i think roasting them like you would pumpkin for a pumpkin beer would be amazing. could also do something similar with sweet potatoes.

you could buy a gallon glass jug of apple juice and just use the apple juice as your water for the brew and then dump it back in the same tiny carboy. i have like ten of those gallon jugs, each with a different fruited flanders red in them. very handy.

i personally think using some licorice root in a beer could be very delicious, but you might not want more than a gallon of that. very strong flavor, and not many people like licorice to begin with.

if you're into sours and funky beer, you could experiment with different inoculants. such as yogurts, probiotic drinks, kombuchas, probiotic pills/powder supplements from your local health food store. those are full of good for you bugs, some found in traditional brewing, some mysterious ones that could be terrible or great.

 

[Ryush806]

i've always wanted to brew something with saffron, but buying enough for a full batch would be ridiculous. it's the most expensive spice around. vanilla beans are also crazy pricey.

My dad and I made the DFH Midas Touch clone which has saffron in it. It also has grape juice and honey though so it was hard to tell which flavors were which. I've also never really tasted saffron to begin with so...