Quick question about brewing a 10 gallon extract batch vs. 5

[SoundBoy4]

i'm thinking of brewing this recipe: this recipe in December, however i'd like to a full 10 gallon boil of a double batch of this stuff.

My question is: If i'd like to brew a 10 gallon batch vs. 5 gallon, is it just as simple as ordering two 5 gallon kits and doing all the grain steeping/LME/hop additions at the same time or would i have to make some changes to the recipe? Maybe i'm overthinking this...

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Well, with an all-grain setup, you may have a few more things to worry about. But, since you're doing extract, it's almost as simple as you're thinking. The only thing you'll need to adjust is your hopping rates. I'd suggest getting a program like BeerTools or Beer Smith to do some calculations for you. Punch in the ingredients for a 5 gallon batch and just scale it up to 10. You'll notice that a few things do change...but it should just be hops in your case.

 

[Yooper]

The hops IBUs may change a tad- but I would think it would be such a small difference as to be inconsequential. I'd just double the recipe and call it good.

 

[SoundBoy4]

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! Could you elaborate on exactly how the IBUs or hop utilization would change if i doubled the volume and doubled the hops but still kept the same gravity?

 

[helibrewer]

This lends itself to the potential for some very productive experimentation if you can split the batch into 2, 5 gallon fermenters.

You might try the safale yeast in one batch and a liquid in the other so you can do a side-by-side of which one you prefer...

OR....

pitch all 10 gallons with the same yeast and add 1oz of heavy toast American Oak to one fermenter, leave the other 5 gallons untreated

OR for a real treat....

split the batch 1/3 and 2/3 and do the 1/3 with BM45 wine yeast and the 2/3 with the safale. The wine side will finish sweeter since it cannot ferment the maltotriose but you could do small additions (.08ml/gal) of Convertase AG 300 which will split the maltotriose and allow the wine yeast to go to dryness. BM45 really accentuates Cherry and mouthfeel and is great for stouts.

 

[SoundBoy4]

Not a bad idea at all helibrewer... i'll definitely split it between two fermenters, may as well try out two yeasts. wyeast 1728 scottish for one half but i'm not sure about the other... maybe one of these?

 

[helibrewer]

The Belgian Abbey II might work pretty well for you. You might even want to bottle them seperately, or bench trial them at 25/75, 50/50, and 75/25 to see if there is a blend that captures the taste you are looking for. Be interested to hear how all of this comes out....it's what makes homebrewing fun and interesting!!

Cheers