Small scale brewing (<5 Gallons)

[DurkaDan]

I live in a relatively small apartment and brewing 5 gallons at a time is difficult on my small stove. I also find it difficult to consume 5 gallons in a short amount of time without the consequences. So I'm leaning towards smaller batch sizes, typically less than 3 gallons, preferably 1 gallon. I have google'd the topic and have had minimal success in finding some reading material on the subject since "micro brewing" and "small batch" are terms that are actually reserved for brewing in volumes much greater then what I already do.

My question is, are there any good resources out there on the web or in book format that goes deeper into the topic as far as best equipment to use, any precautions, etc. I'd also like to hear what all you guys have to say on the topic and your experiences, if any. Thanks!

 

[hoaxci5]

I do test batches that are 1 gallon. I use an old growler from a brew pub, it's kind of hard to clean, but it works. The other hard part with small 1 gallon batches is getting ingredients since a lot of the stuff is pre-packaged in larger sizes (at least at my LHBS)

 

[jkarp]

You might get some ideas from my Countertop Brutus 20. It was also featured in the Nov. issue of BYO last year.

 

[DurkaDan]

I was wondering whether it was harder or easier to replicate a certain batch since you are dealing with a significantly smaller amount of product. My reasoning has me believe that if you increase the volume, smaller things like using too much of ingredient A will have less of an effect on larger volumes. I know that using the proper amount of ingredients is key and I am looking at purchasing a very fine scale, but outside of ingredients, what other things might alter the outcome of the beer that wouldn't necessarily have an effect on a larger volume? (heat? light? yeast? etc.)

 

[TipsyDragon]

you wold use the exact same equipment you would for a normal sized batch. the only difference would be your carboy. if you do a 3 gallon batch use a 5 gallon carboy. if you do a 1 gallon batch use a 3 gallon carboy. Brewing Classic Styles by John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff has a small section explaining how to scale a recipe down to the proper size and they have allot of really good beer recipes in there too.

also if you cant boil 5 gallons look into doing partial boils. you still get good beer and its easier to boil on a limited heat source. as far as not being able to drink the beer quickly, don't. there is no hurry in drinking beer. take your time. its not a race. if you want to get rid of beer give it to friends, family, and neighbors (just make sure they actually drink it and return the bottles).

 

[DurkaDan]

You might get some ideas from my Countertop Brutus 20. It was also featured in the Nov. issue of BYO last year.

That's awesome! I really like the seamless integration of every process. However, that's a bit beyond what I am looking for at the moment both cost wise and complexity. I'm thinking more of 1 gallon glass jars using mostly extract techniques.

 

[Marko73]

Brewing software can be a huge help too. I do 2.5 gallon batches and you can't just cut your recipe in half. It helps with figuring out hop utilization, boil volumes, etc.

Good luck. I love brewing smaller batches because I feel like I am actually brewing more styles more frequently. BTW, tons of good information on this forum about it. Search for half batches, 2 gallon batches, etc.

 

[DurkaDan]

also if you cant boil 5 gallons look into doing partial boils. you still get good beer and its easier to boil on a limited heat source. as far as not being able to drink the beer quickly, don't. there is no hurry in drinking beer. take your time. its not a race. if you want to get rid of beer give it to friends, family, and neighbors (just make sure they actually drink it and return the bottles).

I always do partial boils, however my stove size limits me to around 2 gallons and I'm not a fan of doing partial boils of that size. 5 Gallons is too much and since my family is not relatively close it's hard to give the stuff away. Since I have limited space in my apartment it gets to the point where keeping that quantity of beer on hand takes up space in the fridge and keeping it around for 3 months is a pain. I do enjoy the beer I brew, don't get me wrong, but it's almost a burden at times since I can't make another brew until I get my fridge space back. I don't want to pour it out either since that's money down the drain. The best method to go is smaller batch sizes.

Thanks for the information on the carboys. Would using 1 Gallon in a 3 Gallon carboy give it too much head space?

 

[jkarp]

I was wondering whether it was harder or easier to replicate a certain batch since you are dealing with a significantly smaller amount of product. My reasoning has me believe that if you increase the volume, smaller things like using too much of ingredient A will have less of an effect on larger volumes. I know that using the proper amount of ingredients is key and I am looking at purchasing a very fine scale, but outside of ingredients, what other things might alter the outcome of the beer that wouldn't necessarily have an effect on a larger volume? (heat? light? yeast? etc.)

You're on the right track. Accurate measurement is critical. Get a good KG scale for grain and a gram scale for hops and water adjustments.

 

[bovineblitz]

I have a related question. How do you bottle 1 gallon batches? Just with a siphon/bottler fitting thingy? I'm worried about waste because it's a small amount to begin with.

 

[hoaxci5]

I have a related question. How do you bottle 1 gallon batches? Just with a siphon/bottler fitting thingy? I'm worried about waste because it's a small amount to begin with.

Thats how I did it..

 

[jkarp]

I did a bunch of 1/2 gal batches last year to learn how different hops tasted. I used an auto siphon to transfer to bottling bucket and filled from there.

 

[Justibone]

Thanks for the information on the carboys. Would using 1 Gallon in a 3 Gallon carboy give it too much head space?

In my opinion, and I'm pretty new at this but I do understand yeast life cycles fairly well, the extra headspace is not generally an issue in the PRIMARY fermentor. Oxygen help the yeast to be able to multiply, which, unless you are pitching huge amounts of yeast to start with, you most definitely want them to do. After they use up all the oxygen dissolved in the wort, some of the oxygen in the headspace diffuses down into the liquid, which allows them to continue to aerobically respire. If they can do that too much, it means that they will not make alcohol, but instead, just make CO2 -- which your airlock should conveniently help to keep as an oxygen-blocking cushion on top of your former-wort-now-beer. Eventually the CO2 they make will drive out *all* of the oxygen (CO2 >> O2, weight-wise), and then the yeasty-beasties will start to make alcohol.

TLDR; so long as the headspace is not too excessive, and so long as you use an airlock, excess headspace in a Primary should not be a big deal.

 

[cyraxx]

I've brewed two 2 gallon batches so far and the first turned out great, the second is carbing but the gravity samples tasted awesome. I use these 2.5 gallon pales with screw on lids that I drilled and added a stopper to for the airlock.

I think your best route would be to get some 3 gallon carboys and do 2.5 gallon batches. This way if you don't formulate your own recipes, you can just chop 5 gallon recipes in half (use some sort of software to make sure things work out right). My crappy electric stove in my apartment can boil 2.5 gallons of water fairly easily (takes a while, but w/e), so you shouldn't have a problem.

The best resource I have had in ordering ingredients has been brewmasterswarehouse.com. Using their recipe builder, you can order in odd quantities to get exactly what you want (hops are the only thing that can't be purchased differently...1oz increments only). I've ordered from them twice and I've been very happy with them.

Another great thing, for me at least, is that according to Jamil's pitching rate calculator, 1 vial of White Labs is generally perfect for my beers...so no starters.

Finally, one thing that I've realized from doing these small batches is that the beer goes really fast. I only wind up with about 16-17 bottles all told.

 

[DurkaDan]

Finally, one thing that I've realized from doing these small batches is that the beer goes really fast. I only wind up with about 16-17 bottles all told.

That's fine by me. I still have the capability to scale up to 5 Gallons if I really liked something. Thanks for the info!

 

[midfielder5]

I also find it difficult to consume 5 gallons in a short amount of time without the consequences.

I don't understand this part. The beer won't go "bad" if it sits (unless you have an infection which could also occur with small batches if your sanitation is bad).
But in any event, I use a 3G carboy when I make gluten free beer for a friend. I get about 18 bottles out of it.

 

[Jawbox0]

I'm looking at doing some 1-2 gallon test batches for things I suspect I won't want much of. My plan, at the moment, is to use the stove top to get water up to temp, mash and batch sparge in a 2G water jug lined with a paint strainer bag, and ferment it out in a 2 or 3 gallon refillable water jug (#1).

I think I'll reuse the water jug as a bottling bucket and fill up some 22oz bottle direct from there.

I'm not certain if I'll just use a measured portion of dry yeast or wash the yeast from my already fermenting wheat.

 

[DurkaDan]

I don't understand this part. The beer won't go "bad" if it sits (unless you have an infection which could also occur with small batches if your sanitation is bad).
But in any event, I use a 3G carboy when I make gluten free beer for a friend. I get about 18 bottles out of it.

Considering I don't have much fridge room and I enjoy brewing and want to do it more often, I end up having too much beer and not enough fridge space. Besides that, I'm not a heavy drinker and the stuff really is unhealthy if you're trying to keep fit. So the solution, other then getting a bigger or second fridge and drinking "faster" is to go smaller.

 

[bovineblitz]

for when you wanna do the biggest boil you can do on a crappy stovetop, this helps:

It's super cheap insulation... just a couple of layers makes a really big difference. I found that most of my heat was being lost to the actual stove itself as it was too hot to even touch, a layer of foil underneath the burner made it so I can keep my hand on the stove. You wanna leave a layer of air between the pot and the foil, if possible. My pot covers the whole big burner and half of a small burner. I put them both on high and wrap foil around the back burner as well to trap as much heat as possible.

I can boil 7 gallons in about 35-40min. Even when I do a smaller batch, I use a bit of foil... the other day I boiled 3.5 gallons in about 20min.

 

[Challenger440]

Yes, definitely do what bovineblitz is showing ^. You will be amazed at how much it helps. Also look into yeast washing as $8 a pop for yeast will get very expensive very fast in relation to the rest of your ingredients. Also, as I think someone already mentioned, invest in a small digital scale. That will help eliminate some of the guessing for say hop additions and other tasks.