Ingredients for 1 gallon brew

[Brewer's Advocate]

I recently started a batch of the Irish red ale from northern brewer. I was wanting to get another batch going when I transfer that to bottles.
I was hoping to find some advice on whether or not I should buy the recipe kits or buy the ingredients from the grocery store/brewing supply shop.
Which is cheaper?
Would it be easy to find good combinations of ingredients at a supply shop?
What ingredients should I get? ie would i need specialty grains? Are certain extracts meant for certain hops?
Thank you all!!

 

[Brewer's Advocate]

I recently started a batch of the Irish red ale from northern brewer. I was wanting to get another batch going when I transfer that to bottles.
I was hoping to find some advice on whether or not I should buy the recipe kits or buy the ingredients from the grocery store/brewing supply shop.
Which is cheaper?
Would it be easy to find good combinations of ingredients at a supply shop?
What ingredients should I get? ie would i need specialty grains? Are certain extracts meant for certain hops?
Thank you all!!

Also! For a 1 gallon kit, how much of the alt extract should I be using? As well as hops and yeast? Thanks!

 

[RM-MN]

The advantage of buying a kit is that it includes all the right ingredients in the proper amounts. It will even come with instructions. If you are comfortable with making up your own recipes or using one someone else made it may be cheaper to buy the ingredients but quite often those ingredients are packaged in amounts larger than what is needed. Do you have a proper place to store the extra? Plans to make beers to use up those extras? If not, stick with the kits for a while longer.

 

[Leezer]

+1 to the above advice. Kits are a great way to start since they have everything you need and you can focus instead on getting comfortable with the process. I know from experience that one gallon kits can be hard to find. Another option is craftabrew.com. I liked their kits a lot.

 

[wstumper]

I started with 1 gallon all-grain brew kits last January...and have not yet moved to larger batches. My first two brews were the Dead Ringer & Irish Red Ale from NB. Dead Ringer was my first and it turned out (IMO) the best although a bit too bitter for my taste. The Red Ale didn't carbonate too well so I decided to just buy the ingredients from the LHBS for the next attempt--actually two attempts! Unfortunately still had low carbonation issues. ( I now have several tools -- refractometer, Ink-Bird heat controller, etc. to help troubleshoot. ) But after the 3rd attempt I looked around and found Beer Craftr. Used his version of the IRA and it turned out much better.

My point is that there are options for the 1 gallon brewer. The advantage of a kit, as others have pointed out, is you get everything in a box. You also don't have to buy a scale or store grain, hops, yeast, etc. Once you get comfortable with the process & your equipment--and you find yourself looking online or in the catalog they included in the box for more equipment--than move to buying your own ingredients.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Tired of Kits, How to Make from Scratch?

 

[r4dyce]

To answer your questions:
No you don't necessarily need certain hops with certain malts. You can make beer with any combination of malts/hops but it's the combination of malts, specialty grains and hops in particular quantities that make the beer you're looking for.
Would it cheaper to go through a supply shop? Maybe. Kits are sometimes cheaper at my local store vs online but not always. I've found the advantage of local stores is buying bulk ingredients in specific quantity. Working with extract you're going to need specialty steeping grains also. Generally speaking at this stage you're better off buying them on a per-recipe basis.
All this is a roundabout way of saying, yes you can buy bulk from a store to make it cheaper, but you'll probably be better off sticking with kits for a bit. You might also want to reach out to a brew shop and ask if they can help you put together a recipe or scale a kit for a one gallon batch. It might be cheaper than online.

 

[Mitch S]

I went from 5 gallon to 1 gallon to save fridge space, since I don't have a dedicated beer fridge or keezer (yet...). I think the NB kits are great to learn on. I've done 4 (Cream Ale, Chinook, Brickwarmer, and Festivus) with 1 more waiting (Caribou Slobber). My two cents is to keep going with 1 gallon kits. Once you think you are ready to "move up", I'd use the resources here and your LHBS with creating your own recipes. One thing you may find is that you want to make more and share, meaning bigger equipment. You will find there are a lot more 5 gallon kits in many different styles that you may just want to try and tweak to your liking.

As for carbonation, one of the biggest complaints about NB's 1 gallon kits is the fizz drops. I found my cream ale was pretty flat. My Chinook did better. I went with some left over priming sugar from an old kit 5 Gallon kit (1 oz per gallon). My Brickwarmer and Festivus had more "pop" to them and were definitely better. Another method is the sugar cube in the beer bottle. That seems to work out well for many.

You'll find that HBT and your LHBS are two great resources to help. I know it sure helped me out.

 

[snarf7]

Kits are great to get started with and understand the process, but you really only need to do one and then you're ready to spread your wings and fly a little. It's really not hard, especially if you keep it simple and are meticulous in your technique (measuring, temperature control, sanitizing all equipment etc) and keep detailed notes.

I found that starting with one gallon batches was a great way to learn because if you screw up it's only 1 gal, not 5! It lets you try multiple types and see what works well and what doesn't. Before long you'll not just be making drinkable beer, you'll be making some really delicious brews. I recommend starting with some simple Partial Mash recipes next. That's where you use extract (powdered or liquid) as your base malt and add some specialty grains to give it character and color, choose your hops and you're off to the races. Once you get comfortable with that you can move to all-grain BIAB type brews and at that point the whole world of ingredients and techniques open up to you.

What do you wanna make next? I can probably suggest a recipe. I made about 20 one-gallon brews over the course of 3 months and man did I learn a lot (half what NOT to do, which is arguably the most important)!

 

[Brewer's Advocate]

Kits are great to get started with and understand the process, but you really only need to do one and then you're ready to spread your wings and fly a little. It's really not hard, especially if you keep it simple and are meticulous in your technique (measuring, temperature control, sanitizing all equipment etc) and keep detailed notes.

I found that starting with one gallon batches was a great way to learn because if you screw up it's only 1 gal, not 5! It lets you try multiple types and see what works well and what doesn't. Before long you'll not just be making drinkable beer, you'll be making some really delicious brews. I recommend starting with some simple Partial Mash recipes next. That's where you use extract (powdered or liquid) as your base malt and add some specialty grains to give it character and color, choose your hops and you're off to the races. Once you get comfortable with that you can move to all-grain BIAB type brews and at that point the whole world of ingredients and techniques open up to you.

What do you wanna make next? I can probably suggest a recipe. I made about 20 one-gallon brews over the course of 3 months and man did I learn a lot (half what NOT to do, which is arguably the most important)!

I'm not sure. What's a good recipe for a beginner? Thank!

 

[wscywabbit]

I'm doing 1 gallon batches for the time being until I get moved and have more room. I've done a few kit brews from NB, with good results but have since moved to all grain brew in a bag. Couple pounds of grain and good kitchen scale to help measure out your hops additions and I've had excellent results. My LHBS happily puts together my small grain bills and mills them for me.

I'd try some SMASH brews (single malt and single hop) mix and match, learn different flavor profiles and have fun. One gallon brewing is a great way to start I think. I've even been able to do some lagers and cold crash using a small fridge and a temperature controller because my 1 gallon fermenter fits with room to spare.