Can I double 1gal kits?

[gmflash88]

Hello...newb here

I'm starting small and want to make a 2gal brew for my first. I have 3gal buckets for fermenting and don't want to do 1gal for headspace/8 beers reasons. My question is can I buy 2-1gal kits from my LHBS and simply combine into one batch/boil? Yeast too? Thanks all. Glad to be starting this new hobby

 

[TheZymurgist]

Absolutely! That's the great thing about recipes, they're proportional, so you can scale them to any size you want. Just adjust everything by the same proportions.

 

[gmflash88]

The gentleman at the LHBS said that taking a 5gal kit and cutting in half or taking 2-1gal kits and doubling wouldn't exactly work due to the volume of the boil effecting the hops. I've poked around here and found some people discussing this very topic. I guess the question is...do I care? Will the flavor of the end result really change that much due to the volume of the boil being different?

 

[MikeScott]

The gentleman at the LHBS said that taking a 5gal kit and cutting in half or taking 2-1gal kits and doubling wouldn't exactly work due to the volume of the boil effecting the hops. I've poked around here and found some people discussing this very topic. I guess the question is...do I care? Will the flavor of the end result really change that much due to the volume of the boil being different?

If you're doubling the boil volume then it should be fine. There is an issue with getting the correct hop utilization for partial boil recipes (recipes where you boil 2 or 3 gallons and then add water to get to 5 Gallons), but if the final batch size is 2 Gallons, and you're doubling the boil volume, that should be fine.

One note: If you're pitching a full vial / smack pack of yeast, I wouldn't double that part of the recipe.

 

[DocnSun]

Take the 5 gal kit split it in to 5 equal parts and put it back together as the kit you want.
If you split it in half that is 2.5 gal per kit!
But all should work out! Anything can be partitioned my computer said, It was! lol! 6days of PC heck!
Anyway it is not a prob!

 

[gmflash88]

If you're doubling the boil volume then it should be fine. There is an issue with getting the correct hop utilization for partial boil recipes (recipes where you boil 2 or 3 gallons and then add water to get to 5 Gallons), but if the final batch size is 2 Gallons, and you're doubling the boil volume, that should be fine. One note: If you're pitching a full vial / smack pack of yeast, I wouldn't double that part of the recipe.

I peeked at the NB Caribou Slobber 1gal kit ingredients. Doubling the kit = $25. Buying the ingredients needed to equal 2 kits = $16 lol. The recipe says to use half of the yeast included so one full pack should be ok right?

Also...2gal needs 3lb LME according to recipe. NB sells 3.15lb jugs. Pretty safe to assume the .15 will be what sticks to the inside of the container me thinks

 

[MikeScott]

I peeked at the NB Caribou Slobber 1gal kit ingredients. Doubling the kit = $25. Buying the ingredients needed to equal 2 kits = $16 lol. The recipe says to use half of the yeast included so one full pack should be ok right?

Also...2gal needs 3lb LME according to recipe. NB sells 3.15lb jugs. Pretty safe to assume the .15 will be what sticks to the inside of the container me thinks

Using the full pack of yeast sounds like exactly what you should do. As for the LME, it all depends on how exact you want to be. If you're a "what the hell, it'll still be beer" brewer (I'm like that sometimes), then go ahead and add it in.

However, if you want to stick to the recipe, then I wouldn't add it in. If I'm reading this calculator right, adding the LME would bring your final gravity up about .05 points, from the recipe's 1.052 to 1.057. I would probably just leave the .13 out, and then take a gravity reading when the boil is over. You can always add it in later if you have to.

As a side note, I've been known to look at their recipes and then just buy the ingredients at my local home brew shop. As you saw, kits are usually a little pricier than the ingredients. Although to have it all prepackaged for you may be worth it.

 

[gmflash88]

As a side note, I've been known to look at their recipes and then just buy the ingredients at my local home brew shop. As you saw, kits are usually a little pricier than the ingredients. Although to have it all prepackaged for you may be worth it.

Yeah it is quite a bit less expensive. $9 less by my count. I'm going to end up with extra hops as I'll be buying an ounce of each needed but only using a few grams due to the small batch. It's not going to break the bank by any means tossing the hops out but how long will they keep if I want to save them? What is the best way to package them for reuse?

 

[MikeScott]

Yeah it is quite a bit less expensive. $9 less by my count. I'm going to end up with extra hops as I'll be buying an ounce of each needed but only using a few grams due to the small batch. It's not going to break the bank by any means tossing the hops out but how long will they keep if I want to save them? What is the best way to package them for reuse?

There are some hop age calculators out there, but they should last for at least a year if you seal them up tight in a zip lock, get all the air out, and then store them in the freezer.

 

[gmflash88]

Great thanks! I'm thinking I'll end up reusing them about 2-3 weeks after opening the original packaging. My intention in this endeavor is to make a new recipe every 2-3 weeks and when I start getting the hang of it and/or find a winner I'll make a larger batch.

Thanks for all the help in my initial thread. I've been a reader here for the last 2-3mo and been doing a ton of research. Now time to just get up and do it lol!

 

[cjhammel]

Store the hops in an air tight container in the freezer. They are fresh for about 6-9 months after that start losing some of their flavor. What I do is every few months I make a kitchen sink brew. What ever ingredients I have left I create a BeerSmith recipe find a style that matches and if I have to I buy a few things just to flesh out the profile.

 

[MikeScott]

Great thanks! I'm thinking I'll end up reusing them about 2-3 weeks after opening the original packaging. My intention in this endeavor is to make a new recipe every 2-3 weeks and when I start getting the hang of it and/or find a winner I'll make a larger batch.

Thanks for all the help in my initial thread. I've been a reader here for the last 2-3mo and been doing a ton of research. Now time to just get up and do it lol!

That's not a bad plan Best of luck!

 

[MikeScott]

Store the hops in an air tight container in the freezer. They are fresh for about 6-9 months after that start losing some of their flavor. What I do is every few months I make a kitchen sink brew. What ever ingredients I have left I create a BeerSmith recipe find a style that matches and if I have to I buy a few things just to flesh out the profile.

I am sooooo overdue to make a kitchen sink pale ale / IPA. I have just a ton of hop remnants that I need to use up. I'm planning on using them for bittering, and then buy some fresh hops for Aroma / dry hop.