Minimum Viable Brew Volume & tiny Kegs

[Richardb22]

Thanks to previous posters for helpful replies.

OK been brewing from kits. My last post was about low ABV beers and from the info recieved I have checked out some Session beers and in particular lager styles.

So the plan ( and it is scary ) is to follow a recipie.

If I bugger it up I am gong to have 23lt of stuff that is not so good ( never not drunk my failures ) .

So what about I do a tiny batch this or that way maybe use a bit of this malt and an extra or less of this hop.

The actual question is is there a minimum volume that is viable to brew that when scaled up will give the same falvour.

To be absurd ( well its not but no thread says no ) could you brew ( measuring very carefully ) a LT of beer say in a lt wine bottle carbonate it in say a lt champaigne bottle and do a few variations then taste and replicate it at a sensible volume.

On the same subject sort ot I have been googling two LT kegs . My thinking here is that I normally bottle in 500ml bottles and I will normaly drink two or three. A two LT beer bottle does not exist. Is there such a thing as a micro keg?

Thanks All.

Richard

 

[NickL]

Are you doing extract or all-grain?

I attempted to do a 1 gallon mash on the stove one time but it was impossible to keep the temp correct with such a small thermal mass.

I did have success however with a one gallon infusion mash in an insulated lunch box. That works beautifully.


It seems like the main issue is that you don't want to brew 23 LT of bad beer. I believe thats best summed up by Chip Walton from Chop and Brew. "Sometimes you gotta dump it"

Its happened to all of us. At least you get to brew again.

 

[broadbill]

tough questions to answer. I think 5-6 gallons is the minimum, but plenty of people seem to like making 1 gallon batches. To me, the worse thing that could happen is you brew a great beer and only have a 6 pack of it!

I guess I don't see what the big deal is with the small chance of having to dump 5-6 gallons (and this is the worse case scenario) with the idea of having enough product at the end of the process (23L) that makes your time investment worth the output.

 

[Kingbogart]

The smallest kegs I've seen are 5L kegs.

As broadbill eluded to, you're looking at the bad side of making 23L of something you don't like. What about making only 2L of something you really love.

The time/benefit ratio is what keeps many from making small batches. I have made a number of 1 gallon batches, but they take about the same amount of time it takes me to make 5 gallons. 4 hours for 1 gallon is less beneficial than 4.5 hours for 5.5 gallons. If that scales correctly, it would take you the same amount of time to make 2L as it does to make 23L.

 

[chickypad]

For small batches I like the 2.5-3 gal batch size (BIAB), and so I have a bunch of 2.5 gal kegs. I can get that done in 3.5 hr including cleanup, and it's easily manageable on my stovetop while getting in some computer or paper work at the same time. For me the equivalent of a case+ of beer is enough to be worthwhile, but I can't see wanting to go lower than that personally. I guess if you're big into experimenting and are expecting a number of dumpers then smaller could be good.

 

[C-Rider]

I don't keg, but I do 1.9 gal batches in 2 gal paint buckets from HD. Result is three 6 packs.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Smallest metal keg out there is 5L. You can have all the plastic 2L kegs you want provided you drink the soda out of them first - just get a carbonation cap, screw it on top and pressurize as required.

The problem with brewing very small batch sizes, is that your margin of error becomes extremely tight. With a large 50L batch, you can miss judge a few grams here and there and still come out with a good, reasonably close to the originial beer. On a 2L batch, you need to have everything nailed down perfectly, as a gram or two more of hops could change the whole profile.

I did 1.5gal batches and enjoyed them becuase I could do them on the stove. I've upgraded to 3gal to basically double my return for the same time investment, that gives me over a case of beer which is plenty (for me).

I understand and applaud all small batch brewers. Brew the amount that would make you happy, and enjoy the process.