Scaling down commercial recipe to home-brew size

kgranger · Jul 12, 2020

I have acquired a few recipes from a commercial 60 bbl brewhouse, and I am trying to scale them down to my level (10 gal). My main issue is calculating the hop additions. I understand that the hop utilization between our systems are wildly different, and overall kettle dimensions, process, and just about everything will change the amount of hops needed. I just want to get it in the ballpark so I can tweak it from there.

Anyone have some tips to get me started? I can't really post the recipes here for secrecy reasons, but if anyone has examples of scaling down from anywhere else, that may be helpful!

Qhrumphf · Jul 12, 2020

I would take the late hops in weight to volume and keep the ratio (if you know their kettle volumes even better), then adjust bittering via your normal process to reach their IBUs. It'll be some trial and error to match exactly no matter what.

Say their kettle volume end of boil is 65bbls, and they're using 65lbs in the whirlpool, that's 1lb/bbl or approximately 0.34 lb for 10 gallons. Plug that into software as is, then just adjust the bittering charge up or down (realistically, up).

CodeSection · Jul 12, 2020

I've used in the past Beersmith2 and Beersmith3 software to scale down commercial recipes given to me by a friend who owned a brewery. Since he had all the specs of his system, I was able to duplicate his system and make a profile of his system in both programs. That made it so much easier to scale the recipes down. In either programs, you can adjust the IBUs in a second. BTW, my friend says the scaled down versions of the batches we brew together are spot on.

Today, I do the same as above except I use Brewfather instead of BS3 or BS2.....

kgranger · Jul 13, 2020

Thanks! Speaking of brewing software, has anyone used Brewer's Friend? I haven't used BeerSmith in a while, as I have been on BF for some time now. I tried to duplicate a recipe in both software to compare, and the IBU's were completely different, like almost 20 units off. I replicated my system specs in both to ensure it was calculating based on my kettle dimensions and such. Are any of y'all having better luck with accuracy in BeerSmith or Brewfather?

kgranger · Jul 13, 2020

I could also just be missing something in Brewer's Friend with my equipment profile. I like it's interface a lot more than BeerSmith, but I want to make sure my IBU's are more or less accurate

CodeSection · Jul 13, 2020

kgranger said:
I could also just be missing something in Brewer's Friend with my equipment profile. I like it's interface a lot more than BeerSmith, but I want to make sure my IBU's are more or less accurate

When I first started with AG, I bought both BS2 and Brewer's Friend. I liked the interface with Brewer's Friend too. But over time, I stopped using BF altogether as I found BS2 much more flexible and reliable. Thus, I never renewed my subscription to BF after the first year.

I ended up upgrading to BS3 when it came out and used it. It worked out well for me but at the time had limitations (no Tilt integration, etc.). I initially researched Brewfather and thought I would try it. Then I read a post from a Pro who started using it and said he felt is was much better than BS3 even though he had been using BS for over a decade.

I now use Brewfather exclusively. If you like the interface of BF, you will love the interface of Brewfather (Brewfather). You should try their FREE 30 day full program to see if it provides what you are looking for. No harm in trying.....