One wort. Two beers.

[QuadConPana]

Just got this little beauty to replace my 8 gallon aluminum pot:

So, now I can do a 10 gallon batch. I've ordered a 60l Speidel so I can ferment something that large, but I was wondering if anyone has ever tried turning one wort into two different beers by using different yeasts or dry hopping one and not the other. I know it is common to try tweaking two halves of one batch differently. I'm talking about doing two beers that would not seem very similar.

 

[cmoewes]

These guys have made a great job out of doing just that

http://brulosophy.com/

I've split batches, it's fun to see how small changes can have different impacts.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I can't recall specifics, but there was an article a year ago or so whereby the author brewed several types of beer from the same base wort. Some things I recall were topping up with water, steeping specialty grains and adding as a tea to part of the batch. Different yeasts and hops. Basically, I recall starting with the lower hop lighter beer, then hopping and darkening to make the second or third beer.

 

[atom]

there's an article in the latest BYO all about splitting. I do it all the time. usually i'll do different yeasts (and american and a belgian). recently did a brown ale and added coffee to half post fermentation.

 

[Psylocide]

I did 10 gal of Saison, fermented in separate carboys... 5 gal got kegged as-is, 5 gal got oak/whiskey. The difference between the two beers was staggering.

Great way to play with a base beer and a different variation in one brew day.

 

[BowAholic]

I did 10 gal of Saison, fermented in separate carboys... 5 gal got kegged as-is, 5 gal got oak/whiskey. The difference between the two beers was staggering.

Great way to play with a base beer and a different variation in one brew day.

"staggering".... just seems like a great word to use when describing almost anything beer related... :rockin:

I actually have thought about making 10 gallons of my wife's Imperial Blonde and putting it into 2 5 gallon fermenters... then dry hopping one of them with an ounce or 2 of Centennial a week before kegging...for me.

 

[Kent88]

parti-gyle. To do this simply, just take the first runoff and maybe some of your first (or earliest) sparge and make a beer from that, and then take subsequent sparges' runoff and make a beer from that. You'll end up with a smaller volume of a high gravity wort and the remainder (probably a larger volume) will be sort of a session beer.

You can add different hops, use different yeast, add a different kind of extract (probably to the session beer wort), or if you really want to be tricky, put some steeping grains in a bag and put those in the wort for 10-30 minutes before you boil (or put them in a little warm water for that long and add the "steeping wort" to a base wort).

You could make a Barleywine and a Pale Ale, or a Belgian Strong and a Pilsner, or a Bock and a Dunkel, or a Stout and a Mild.

 

[Zepth]

I do this frequently enough. Usually ale/ lager split. Sometimes an oak vs as-is, but that can be done fermenting a large batch and kegging differently. Definitely worth doing.

 

[wilserbrewer]

A novel way of thinking about this is akin to thinking of your base wort as LME or DME. Split it and the possibilities are endless.

 

[dyqik]

I guess with a good CFC or plate chiller, you could run off half the boiled wort to the fermenter, then bring the other half back to the boil to add (more) aroma and flavor hops, DME, whirlpool hops, etc. You should be able to do a reasonable job of turning a pale ale base wort into an IIPA that way.

 

[Auger]

I have an ESB recipe that I've doubled and split before, one half gets british ale yeast, the other half gets american ale yeast and dry hops for a nice APA.

 

[mhurst111]

I've done it several times. my most recent was something along these lines:

Drain off 5 gallons while hot, add honey. Pitch saison yeast when cooled. Maybe rack over fruit (or not). I actually put 2.5 gallons on raspberries and kept 2.5 'normal'.

Hopstand the other 5 gallons. Standard ale yeast. Dry hop at the end of fermentation for a pale ale.

 

[BrooklynTom]

A brewery in Brooklyn NY (KelSo) last month split a wort they made with 80 home brewers. The home brewers were told to bring it home and do anything they wanted to it, and bring half of what they made back to them for a tasting on Feb 24th. This is in conjunction with NYC Beer week. My batch had an equipment failure. for my secondary, I used my bottling bucket, I was going to dry hop in their than bottle 5 days later.... For reasons unknown to me, the valve broke off, spilling 5 gals. of what was to be an IPA made with all New Zealand hops all over my bar room floor. I am still going to check it out, but I am bummed that mine won't be in it.