Howdy, Howdy

[c1377]

Hi, I am new to the forums.
I 'grew-up' on Russian beer (aroma, taste, texture).
I can't stand most American "beer".


I have always enjoyed food, but could not appreciate the finer subtleties
..until I became a good cook.
I enjoy good beer, but when it comes right down to it
..I just don't know what it is that makes my taste-buds tick.
So, I figure it is time to learn!


I average 8-10 beers/week,
so a 5 gallon batch = 2 months worth of beer.
1. That could make for a really long learning curve.
2. I could get stuck with 2 months of bad beer.
3. I could get stuck with 2 months of good beer, and loose my taste for it.
4. I could get really really bored.
So, I am thinking of brewing 1 or 2 gallons at a time via 1 gallon glass carboy jugs and no secondary.

I've not heard of brewing beer in such small quantities (only wine) any comments?
<<<EDIT>>>
How much headspace is best for fermenting?
Do I want the krausen to stay in the bottle, or do I want the krausen to exit via the blow-tube?

 

[Grinder12000]

Welcome.

I too am pretty new and like you I was not "into" food until I became a cook (although I suspect not on your level).

Also - like you I'm not a "beer" drinker and for 45 years of my life I thought all beer tasted like Miller and Bud - Serious GAG reflex!!

I'm making 5 gallons at a time knowing that I will be giving much away to interested people and will probably only keep 1/2 for myself.

Here are some comments from a newbie that has been obsessing for a while on your list as they are my list also (are you my unknown twin??)

1. That could make for a really long learning curve. - naa! Like a tattoo - you will want to make another brew as soon as the first one is fermenting.
You will look wistfully at the primary and wish you had another.

2. I could get stuck with 2 months of bad beer. - from what I have read it is REALLY hard to make a bad beer,

3. I could get stuck with 2 months of good beer, and loose my taste for it. - that is why you will have more then one going at once (see #1)

4. I could get really really bored. - you could . . . . . but . . . you will never know and if you do you have a lot of beer just getting better with age sitting there.

I did wine for a while in 1 gallon jugs - but did not have the patience to wait 1 year for results - beer is MUCH better. Home cooking is always better then store bought.

 

[MN_Jay]

I kinda had the same thought process as you when I started my first one. What in the world am I going to do with 5 gallons of beer? Well I did do the 5 gallons and to be honest, I'm not sure where it all went. Hydrometer samples here, taste tests there - a bottle every 3 or 4 days after bottling, friends wanting to try it - all of a sudden I found myself with only 6 bottles of the first batch left.

 

[noisy123]

Welcome to brewing. I'm new to this place myself.

Your friends will drink your beer for you (especially if they are anything like my friends). Just tell them they are doing you a favor and helping you brew better beers. If its too awful to drink you can just dump it or give it (in small quantities) to the dog.

I have seen a few recipes which work with 3 gallon batches, especially for highly experimental beers (read potentially horrible, e.g. anything with spruce tips, or pumpkin in it). The general consensus is to make bigger batches since 3-5 gallon batches take essentially the same amount of time as a 10 gallon batch.

Best of luck. I'll expect a fantastic Russian stout recipe posted very soon!

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

in my experience, a 5 gallon batch ends up being around 42 - 44 bottles. You lose some volume to evaporation and CO2, and some goes into the yeast. If I was you, I'd brew about once every other week until you get a good stockpile, then only brew as often as you drink it. having 2-3 months of beer on hand is a good idea becuase you have more varieties from which to choose, and it gives the beer time to age before you drink it.

brewing a 1-2 gallon batch is going to be nearly as much work as a 5 gallon batch, so it's not as economical. I find that brewing a 5 gallon batch once every other week works well. on the weekend in between brew days, I bottle the batch that I brewed 3 weeks ago and rack the batch I brewed one week ago into secondary. that way it spends one week in primary and two weeks in secondary. then you can let it sit in the bottles for a couple of weeks and every other week you have a new beer to try!

 

[Grinder12000]

HA - I brewed my first batch last Sunday (Bascom Brown Ale) - this Sunday I'm starting a Grey Moon Porter which will sit in longer in the Primary and then a week in the Secondary.

Then wait skip a week for #3 which might be a lighter style!

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

I thought that way too, not I knwo I drink more beer from the keg. 60-22 oz glass each time. Once you start making good beer, you will want to drink more.

 

[Laurel]

HA - I brewed my first batch last Sunday (Bascom Brown Ale)

I read this as Bacon Brown Ale. Yum!

Like a bacon-tini

 

[Melana]

Welcome to the world of home brewing.

 

[Grinder12000]

The very sad part Laurel is not only did you read it as Bacon but you HAD bacon handy for a picture!