Why not more interest in 10 gallon batches?

[Melana]

I only do 10 gallon batches. 15 if I'm brewing a big beer.

 

[rossi46]

I brew 10 gallon batches. I also like some variety. My friends really put a hurt on my supply, but there are a few that help me on brew day. I usually have 5-7 different beers on 7 taps.

 

[chickypad]

I do 10 gallon and 3 gallon batches which is perfect for our pipeline. 5 gallons of the house favorites always seemed to go too fast. 3 gallons is nice for trying new recipes, for beers we don't want too much of, or just when the weather is crappy for brewing outside. And that size is good for the small stackable kegs that fit in the keezer in place of one regular corny.

 

[jflongo]

I've done about 40 all-grain 5 gallon batches so far. Recently, I've done a couple 10 gallon batches, and I have to say, I'm strongly considering moving to 10 gallon batches exclusively. It seems to me that for a slightly increased time investment (the additional heating/cooling adds a total of about an hour for me), I end up with twice as much beer.

Why don't more people do 10 gallon batches? Is it the issue of moving that much hot wort around? I confess I have a Chugger pump that I use for chilling, and for transferring the wort to the first carboy (I use gravity and an autosiphon to fill the second carboy). But my boil kettle (15g), mash tun (70 qt), mill (Barley Crusher w/ power drill), and all my other equipment can easily handle 10 gallon batches, so it seems like a no-brainer.

Is there an army of dedicated 10 gallon brewers out there I'm just not aware of, or is there some other reason people stick with 5 gallon batches?

I just did my first 11 gallon batch a few weeks ago. Put 5.5 gallons in two separate buckets. I then dry hopped one with pellets and the other with fresh grown hops from my backyard this summer.

I kegged one, and bottled the other. I will do this from now on, for any of my staple beers. Now when I go to do a new beer, for example, I have not done a black IPA yet. For that I will do a 6 gallon batch to see how much I enjoy it. If I love it, then the next time would be a 11 gallon batch.

 

[iaefebs]

In addition to the 5 gal cornys I have (2) 3 gallon corny's. Once in awhile I brew 8 gallon batches, to fill a five and a three gal keg. I currently have a 11 gal batch carbonating. One 5 gal and two 3 gal. The 5 is a Brown/Porter, one of the 3's is with a vanilla addition, and the other 3 is carbing with charred bourbon barrel oak pieces. I don't think you have to limit yourself to either 5 or 10 gallons. Make a 4, 5, 6, 7 , etc....

 

[arborman]

I'm doing 10 gallon batches, just upgraded from 5 gallon. It was a tough call for me, because I bought a new temp regulated conical. You have to brew 10 gallons in the one I chose, or the cooling does not work. Brewing once a month is about my schedule.

It's all good tho, because 10 gallons will last me one month, and I average about 3 beers a night. A one month old IPA is still plenty fresh for my tastebuds!

 

[brewguyver]

I'm in the process of regressing - I love making beer but I just don't drink it or give it away fast enough. So count me as the odd ball who's going from 10 gallon back to 5.

As an aside, the money I get from selling my 10g equipment is going into savings for upgrading later.

 

[ObsidianJester]

I've not brewed at a 10 gallon size yet. I'll consider it if I decide to upgrade my brew pot.

There are a lot of great arguments for the 10 gallon size but for me it still involves more messing around, though admittedly not a whole lot on the front end of the brewing. (To me that means grinding, mashing, boiling, cooling and settling your wort.) However the back side of for me bottling adds a lot of time in to things.

I don't mind taking a swing at 5 gallons but drinking 10 gallons of something that I don't really enjoy is not my ideal result. I'm also the only one that really drinks things so its a consideration for me.

Now I do think at some point I'll go to 10 gallon batches when I get a bigger brew pot to save time by testing hops/yeast/additives vs just plain malt bill tinkering. Then again I may start doing 3 gallon batches to do the same thing which may be more efficient.

My observation for some folks is its about volume and both measured and empirical observations as to what is more efficient for their time. An example is there are times that I don't have the four to six hours required as it is to do a 5 gallon batch, or I feel I'm squeezing a brew day in to allocated time. Ten gallons start to finish of brew day or other days would be too much.
I tend to try to do this on weekends or in a day where I don't have to rush myself.

However I can see the argument that it may be better to take a day off of work and other distractions and brew a 10 gallon batch and tinker from there being a better use of time.

I would suspect that time invested and involved has a higher reading on this than most would initially think, particularly for those that may bottle or have other time consuming additions beyond pitching yeast.

 

[chumpsteak]

I can do 5, 10, or 15 gallon batches on my system depending on gravity. Mash tun and 15 gallon boil kettle are the limitations. I always make as much of a recipe as I can squeeze out of my equipment. Bigger batches save time and money and result in more delicious beers. If you don't think you want 15 gallons of the same beer then pitch different yeast into each carboy. It's a great way to try new yeast and get different results.

 

[hightechlofi]

Right now i am doing 5 gallon batches of everyday/session beers, and 10 gallons of higher gravity beers. The longer they need to age, the more I brew at once. I don't drink it all. I enjoy sharing the beer with others just as much as I enjoy drinking it myself. Especially when people come to help me brew.

 

[chrisonye1]

I've done about 40 all-grain 5 gallon batches so far. Recently, I've done a couple 10 gallon batches, and I have to say, I'm strongly considering moving to 10 gallon batches exclusively. It seems to me that for a slightly increased time investment (the additional heating/cooling adds a total of about an hour for me), I end up with twice as much beer.

Why don't more people do 10 gallon batches? Is it the issue of moving that much hot wort around? I confess I have a Chugger pump that I use for chilling, and for transferring the wort to the first carboy (I use gravity and an autosiphon to fill the second carboy). But my boil kettle (15g), mash tun (70 qt), mill (Barley Crusher w/ power drill), and all my other equipment can easily handle 10 gallon batches, so it seems like a no-brainer.

Is there an army of dedicated 10 gallon brewers out there I'm just not aware of, or is there some other reason people stick with 5 gallon batches?

the only problem I can see with a 10 gallon batch is could take a very long time to chill with a Emerson chiller if you have a counter flow or plate chiller than its all about how much you drink ( in am a 15 gallon brewer)

 

[chrisonye1]

I've done about 40 all-grain 5 gallon batches so far. Recently, I've done a couple 10 gallon batches, and I have to say, I'm strongly considering moving to 10 gallon batches exclusively. It seems to me that for a slightly increased time investment (the additional heating/cooling adds a total of about an hour for me), I end up with twice as much beer.

Why don't more people do 10 gallon batches? Is it the issue of moving that much hot wort around? I confess I have a Chugger pump that I use for chilling, and for transferring the wort to the first carboy (I use gravity and an autosiphon to fill the second carboy). But my boil kettle (15g), mash tun (70 qt), mill (Barley Crusher w/ power drill), and all my other equipment can easily handle 10 gallon batches, so it seems like a no-brainer.

Is there an army of dedicated 10 gallon brewers out there I'm just not aware of, or is there some other reason people stick with 5 gallon batches?

t
T heonly problem I can see with a 10 gallon batch is could take a very long time to chill with a Emerson chiller if you have a counter flow or plate chiller than its all about how much you drink ( in am a 15 gallon brewer)

 

[thadius856]

the only problem I can see with a 10 gallon batch is could take a very long time to chill with a Emerson chiller if you have a counter flow or plate chiller than its all about how much you drink ( in am a 15 gallon brewer)

Don't stress over chilling time.

Plenty of people here don't even chill. Check out "no chill brewing" if you're interested in a read.

 

[theck]

I plan on going to 10 gallons this spring, reason why I have yet to is I need more buckets/lids and a better chiller. I currently use a 3/8 x 25' to do 5 gallons and I attach my plate chiller (kind you serve with) to it submerged in a bucket of ice water. It does the job pretty well in 15 mins, but I can imagine the waste with a 10 gallon batch. I do love the idea of filling a keg with one bucket and letting the other sit in the basement for another month or more. Plus cost wise it's a little better on the wallet.

 

[theck]

BTW, I have a 42 QT cooler to mash is that large enough for 10 gallon batches?

 

[thadius856]

BTW, I have a 42 QT cooler to mash is that large enough for 10 gallon batches?

Useful sticky: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-big-your-mash-tun-needs-123585/

 

[brew_ny]

can I mash it calculator

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

 

[mtnagel]

I've actually started doing smaller batches. I've done a 2.5, 3.5 and will do a 4 gallon batch soon. I'm trying to improve my beers, so I've been trying to brew every 3 or 4 weeks to get more practice. And for us, part of the problem is we still go out at least a few nights a week to bars and beer events and we still buy some commercial beer. So I might drink 1-3 pints/bottles a night, but almost a half of those are not home brew. So for me, smaller batches make sense.

 

[Melana]

We haven't bought a commercial beer since I started brewing again. For this reason my batches have to be 10 gallons.

 

[Mindsculptor]

Well, 10 gallons is 1,280 fluid ounces. If you assume 32 ounces (two pints) per day, that's 40 days of beer. I think you'd have to be really fond of that particular beer or into sipping beers to regularly brew that much.

 

[Melana]

There are two of us!

 

[Mindsculptor]

There are two of us!

My post was in reply to the OP, but for two people each drinking two pints a day on average 10 gallons makes sense.

 

[chrisonye1]

Don't stress over chilling time.

Plenty of people here don't even chill. Check out "no chill brewing" if you're interested in a read.[/
Chill times are very important minimize the possibility for infection. Wort will obsorbe oxygen better and your cold break will help to make a clear beer