Scaling down recipe

[anteup02]

I am going to start making smaller batches so I can learn the differences ingredients give to my beer. This week instead of making a 5 gallon batch I am going to split recipes and make 4 1.25 gallon batches with slight ingredient variations.

My question is can I just scale the recipe down by 4 or is there some other factor? I remember hearing about hop utilization changing with the amount of wort being boiled, so would it still be correct to use for example 1/4 oz instead of 1 oz of hops or is there some other factor I should consider? Thanks!

 

[PT Ray]

That's how I scale recipes up or down.

I have been keeping a lookout for any mention to support this practice because as logical as this seems in theory part of me can believe it doesn't always work in practice. It may be something that really comes into play when scaling from something like a several hundred barrel recipe to 5 gallons.

 

[david_42]

Going from 5 gallon batches to 1 gallon or 20 gallons is just a matter of arithmetic. Going from a 5 gallon batch to a 10 barrel batch is a different story, mostly because the brewhouse efficiencies will be different.

 

[PT Ray]

Going from 5 gallon batches to 1 gallon or 20 gallons is just a matter of arithmetic. Going from a 5 gallon batch to a 10 barrel batch is a different story, mostly because the brewhouse efficiencies will be different.

I know the efficiencies are different and that can be taken into account. I'm looking more for something in regards to practice and not theory or calculations if that makes sense.

 

[david_42]

In that case, I don't understand the question.

 

[JuanMoore]

Just divide everything by 4 and you should be fine.

It's not really the amount of wort being boiled, but rather the gravity of that wort that effects hop utilization. Hop utilization decreases as the SG of the boil increases. Have you been doing extract batches and partial boils topping off with water to achieve 5 gal? If that's the case, doing full boils for the smaller batches will lead to better hop utilization since the wort will be less concentrated during the boil.

 

[PT Ray]

In that case, I don't understand the question.

One thing that I've heard is the amount of ester production produced in homebrew that you don't get in a mass scale. Even using the same temp and yeast there will be a different flavor profile. How would you account for that other than trial and error?