Opinions wanted

[jabberwalkie]

Full disclosure, I have only officially brewed once and it was a 1 gallon all grain kit ( turned out ok). I really want to get a feel for the whole process, taste of ingredients as well as jumping into creating my own recipe. I kinda feel like I jumped into the deep end with starting off brewing an all grin kit. So for my next brew day I decided to go as simplistic and basic as possible. My plan is to boil an extract with bittering hops only and then build from there adding steeping grains or changing hops in later brews. Since this is test batches, it will all be for one gallon mini-brews. I would like to see your thoughts on my plan and critique my "recipe"

1 gallon batch

1.5 gallons of water
2# amber LME
1/4 oz Glacier (60 min)
pinch of Irish moss
Safale us-05

 

[harrke]

I'm not great at recipe creation, yet, but this seems a bit sweet and unbalanced. Maybe try 1.5 pounds of LME and 1/2 oz Glacier and it would be close to a Pale ale.

 

[dstockwell]

If your boil off and trub equals a 1/2 gallon then this is an off the chart pale ale, at least in brewers friend. If you only loose 1/4 gallon then the numbers are much better, but IBU's are still low.

1G batch

OG: 1.070
FG: 1.013
IBU: 27
ABV: 7.4

1.25G batch

OG: 1.056
FG: 1.011
IBU: 21
ABV: 5.9

 

[dmtaylor]

I calculate OG=1.076 and 7.9% ABV, with only 28 IBUs to balance. That's very strong and malty like a Scotch ale, but if that's what you want then go for it. But if you want something more middle of the road, then cut back to 1.5 lb LME. That would put your recipe at a reasonable OG=1.057 and 5.8% ABV with the same 28 IBUs, which is more balanced.

I recommend distilled water, and not just 1.5 gallons but closer to 1.75 gal. Furthermore, I recommend looking at this, it's a crash course in good extract brewing based on many years' experience and knowledge from all the homebrewing forums:



If you like, you can copy & paste the image into Word, and print out for later reference. Hope it helps.

 

[GPP33]

If you have the ability to do all grain why not stick with it? I know I'm in a minority here but IMO other than saving some time there really isn't a benefit in going back to extract. The biggest hurdle to AG is the proper equipment, which it sounds like you have. Steeping grains isn't rocket science and, extract is a monumental step backwards.

I'd skip the recipe kits and just go to the recipe section here, on beer smith (has ratings) or on the Home Brewers Association page. Find something that you like and give it a shot, tweak from there to fit your desires. The small investment in beer smith is well worth it, it'll help you understand what you're going to get out of your brew and keep a nice record of what you did.

 

[jabberwalkie]

Good info, copy and saved.

To be honest I built this recipe for simplicity and time (i.e. pure laziness). 2 Lbs because my LHBS sells in 1 Lb increments and with 1 Lb not being enough and I can dividing the 2Lb order into the 1.5 needing being a total fiasco I opted for the whole lot of my purchase. I did a test to see how much I lose from the boil and it was just under half gallon so changed the initial water requirement to 1.5 gallons. Seeing how it is such a small batch I wanted a dual purpose hop that wasn't high in AA, hence the Glacier hops; though not a neutral hop as I would like (LHBS said it was a good and not over powering coming in at 5.9 AA). Being outside the DC metro area my water has the taste like the local public pool so bottle water is a must. Reran the numbers through brewersfriend and its saying OG: 1.070, IBU: 34 with a bittering ratio around 0.49. I was thinking that because of the high ABV I would want it on the sweeter/maltier side of things. Again, thank you all for help and please tell me your thoughts and opinions. Im new to this art, I want to learn as much and stumble as little as possible as I can.

 

[Lefou]

If you started with all grain, stay with it and expand a bit. It might seem a bit costly up front but if your hobby turns into a long-term obsession like it did for me, start mashing!

I started with extract and bottling Mr. Beer, then went to partial mash, and made my first all grain in a rigged cooler mash tun just last weekend. After reading everything I could get my hands on and collecting the stuff for a modest setup for well over a year, I came to realize going all grain would actually be cheaper for me. Extract is more efficient, but expensive compared to grain.
At my local brew shop, I can buy good grain at $1/lb.
Comparatively, a 3lb. bag of DME costs $14 and is way faster to mix. Barring any problems, it's less work in cleanup time, too. The monotonous cleanup in the pursuit of the hobby is fun to me, but I'm weird that way.

For about the same price, I could get 14lbs. of Vienna malt barley and 1lb. of Crystal 40L that would get me on the way to a nice 5gal. batch of Marzen.

Lastly, follow dmtaylor around the forums. I do.
If he shows up in your thread and offers a few ideas, snatch 'em like it was The Precious.

 

[madscientist451]

The thread title says "opinions wanted" so here it is: Don't try to formulate your own recipes if you don't know what you are doing. Also, forget about 1 gallon batches, its just not worth the time involved. Here's how I learned how to brew: I started with the Brooklyn Brew Shops "Beer Making Book" (available on Amazon) and followed their BIAB recipes.
I got tired of temperature swings so I upgraded to a $20 5 gallon cooler from Walmart and added a Spigot, but still used a BIAB in it. I usually make 3-4 gallon batches, sometimes 5 gallons. Then I started trying various clone recipes of beers I like, or beers that got high ratings on beer advocate and other web sites. If you try doing that, you'll figure out what qualities the various hops and malts bring to the mix. I've tried some of my own recipes, but have been disappointed compared to some great clone brews I've made.
I commute an hour to work, so I listened to lots of beer brewing podcasts on the brewing network and basic beer radio and others. There's lots of great knowledge you can pick up from those sources. I also watched you tube videos, acquired more books, joined a local brewing club and entered some competitions.
I brewed twice a month for a long time to build up my experience.
So now I've been brewing for a while, also make cider and wine and have quite a beer backlog available. its nice to have 10-12 different brews on hand to choose from.
That's why I say 1 gallon batches are a waste of time. Some beers are better aged than fresh, and if you only have 10 bottles of beer, none of it will ever get aged, you'll drink it all.
So get a 3-4 gallon rig going and get brewing. Good Luck!!

 

[DaWhip]

Also, forget about 1 gallon batches, its just not worth the time involved.

I agree with everything madscientist says except the 1 gallon batch part. I have recently started doing 1 gallon all batches after a couple years of extract and all grain brewing 5 and 10 gallon batches. I still do a big batch about once a month, but now I also do a 1 gallon batch a couple times a week. When I first switched, my small batches were consistently producing better beer than the big batches. I guess I was able to focus on the little things and do everything more comfortably (way easier to clean, set up, brew, breakdown, temp control, etc. when dealing with a 1 gallon jug, stovetop, and less than 3 pounds of grain) Since I started doing the small batches, my big batches have gotten better because of the practice and experience. Since I can do it in the kitchen, I can still be around the family instead of hiding in the brew shed. It also lets me brew regularly without breaking the bank. I can spend 10 bucks on grain and hops for a couple batches instead of 50, use yeast with no starter/reuse yeast easily and get a lot more variety in since I'm brewing more often. Again, I still do enough big brews to keep the kegs full, but the 1 gallon has been an awesome and affordable experience to let me brew more often, both for great beer and experimentation.

That was a lot of typing for just saying - stick with the batch size you are comfortable with, upgrade when you are ready. Any practice, small or big, will pay off.

Aside from that I concur with the above - Get a good clone or known recipe from LHBS so you can have a good idea what to expect. Watch a lot of youtube and read a lot around here (sounds like your already on the right track). I think you have some quality input on your recipe so far as well, so if you already have the ingredients make some tweaks (if you like their advice) and give it a go.

 

[Lefou]

Like I wrote before, it took a year for me to gather everything I wanted for a modest setup. You can make do with what you can reasonably afford.
Speaking of which ...

Before I shelled out 40-some bucks for a Rubbermaid mash tun, I was poking around making experiments in discarded one gallon jugs. What would've normally been recycle went into my treasure hoard. Yep, I was using the clear glass Gallo wine jugs and Motts containers for makeshift cider. On top of that, my wife was getting imported Lorina French lemonade very cheap in swing-top bottles. Into the hoard they went, too.
I actually bought 22oz. bomber bottles, but have avoided recycling my 12oz. Paulaner lager bottles. They are good quality, strong, re-usable, and above all, just the right color.
If you like something done right at one gallon, you'll probably like three or five. The small scale tweaking will teach you a lot and if you make a mistake, throwing out a one gallon mistake hurts less than five or ten. One of my five gallon mistakes as a noob wasn't really wasted because I dumped the wort, trub and all, into the roses and my wife's Goji berry pot.
LOL

 

[jabberwalkie]

Thanks you all, this has been some great info and a lot to ponder. I think ill stick to the 1 gal small batch for now and like you all said find a recipe that sounds good. Maybe do an all grain version as well as a extract base version to see the taste difference. Thanks again

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Strip it down to the basics:

90% 2-row pale malt (American or English (or Maris Otter))
10% Crystal 20.

Pick a hop (American or English) that you'd like to try.

American or English yeast

See what happens.

Brewers Friend app is good to help you decide exact weight of grains and hops for desired outcome.

Stick with 1-gallon batches; develop your method, experiment with ingredients.

Strongly recommend both books by Brooklyn Brew Shop:

BEER MAKING BOOK: http://a.co/dsLC79E

and MAKE SOME BEER: http://a.co/2iKtncL

Also strongly recommend BEER CRAFT: http://a.co/cmYbWqg

All three books are geared toward small batch brewing, learning the basics and developing your skills by providing fundamentals.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Money wise a one gallon batch is not a bargain, Time wise a 5 gallon batch takes almost the same amount of time. If learning cheaply is what you are trying to do keep the recipe simple and cheap, that means limit the hops and alcohol. A all grain 3 gallon brew should be less than 10 dollars for grain and hops if you keep it simple. When you go back to extract you increase the cost 50% or more. Most stoves can handle a three gallon batch, so if you have a soup pot you can make 3 gallons pretty cheap while you are at it use a dry yeast it is about 1/2 the cost. I brewed a simple blonde beer for a five gallons at 11 dls for grain 2 dls for hops and 4 bucks for yeast. This being said I live just a few miles from a well equiped shop. I honestly would be mad at myself if I had 8 bottles of beer for all the work and the expense of a one gallon batch. best of luck to you!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

That is a typical opinion; but for many, it is an ideal situation.