Small batch brewing. 1g to 2g

[noslenwerd]

Anyone have any experience with smaller batch brewing? (1g-2g?)

I am looking to get back in to brewing a lot in 2017. I realize my problem in the past is that 5 gallon batches end up sitting in my kegs forever. That and I would borrow a friends equipment. I would like to start doing smaller batches every other weekend on my stove. Somewhere between 1-2 gallons. Just looking to experiment with random styles, additives etc. That way I can dump it if I mess up, and I don't have the guilt of looking at a keg full of beer all the time. A few questions:

1. I likely want to keg. Is it a huge waste of co2 to have that much empty space in my 5 gal corny kegs when carbing? Should I look into smaller kegs? I realize they can get expensive. Any other options?

2. What do you recommend for a mash-tun? I am not against DIY. Gatorade cooler?

3. Fermenters... Smaller plastic buckets? Smaller glass carboys?

4. When downsizing my recipes from 5g to 1g-2g, anything I should keep in mind?

5. Should I look into brewing in a bag? I would like to avoid if possible because I want to be able to scale up to 5g easily if I make a good batch.

Thanks guys!

 

[andrewmaixner]

Anyone have any experience with smaller batch brewing? (1g-2g?)

I am looking to get back in to brewing a lot in 2017. I realize my problem in the past is that 5 gallon batches end up sitting in my kegs forever. That and I would borrow a friends equipment. I would like to start doing smaller batches every other weekend on my stove. Somewhere between 1-2 gallons. Just looking to experiment with random styles, additives etc. That way I can dump it if I mess up, and I don't have the guilt of looking at a keg full of beer all the time. A few questions:

1. I likely want to keg. Is it a huge waste of co2 to have that much empty space in my 5 gal corny kegs when carbing? Should I look into smaller kegs? I realize they can get expensive. Any other options?

2. What do you recommend for a mash-tun? I am not against DIY. Gatorade cooler?

3. Fermenters... Smaller plastic buckets? Smaller glass carboys?

4. When downsizing my recipes from 5g to 1g-2g, anything I should keep in mind?

5. Should I look into brewing in a bag? I would like to avoid if possible because I want to be able to scale up to 5g easily if I make a good batch.

Thanks guys!

1) not really a big concern if you have a 10/20lb+ tank. Technically, you just would use the same amount of CO2 use per keg as if you were doing a full 5gal batch. The amount in the keg when it is empty is effectively your "waste" so it's no different.
2) stovetop small-batches are a place where BIAB really shines for ease of use and minimal equipment. Talking from personal experience here. I have also found an ANOVA-type sous-vide thingy to be very useful for maintaining mash temp in small batches
3) various options: 2 and 3gal PET or glass, or even a corney keg (with drilled lid or spunding valve) like the picobrew uses.
4) trub loss and fermenter loss will be much more important to consider.
5) yes, and, it scales VERY easily. I went from kettle/mashtun/propane, to 2-5gal stovetop BIAB, to 5-15gal electric BIAB. I can say with 100% certainty that I absolutely do NOT miss the mash tun method.

 

[noslenwerd]

1) not really a big concern if you have a 10/20lb+ tank. Technically, you just would use the same amount of CO2 use per keg as if you were doing a full 5gal batch. The amount in the keg when it is empty is effectively your "waste" so it's no different.
2) stovetop small-batches are a place where BIAB really shines for ease of use and minimal equipment. Talking from personal experience here. I have also found an ANOVA-type sous-vide thingy to be very useful for maintaining mash temp in small batches
3) various options: 2 and 3gal PET or glass, or even a corney keg (with drilled lid or spunding valve) like the picobrew uses.
4) trub loss and fermenter loss will be much more important to consider.
5) yes, and, it scales VERY easily. I went from kettle/mashtun/propane, to 2-5gal stovetop BIAB, to 5-15gal electric BIAB. I can say with 100% certainty that I absolutely do NOT miss the mash tun method.

Thanks so much for the detailed reply!

Sounds to me like I need to really do some digging on brewing in a bag.

Mind if I ask what your typical efficiency is? Do you sparge or rinse the bag?

Also what "bags" do you use?

Thanks again :rockin:

 

[jodell]

I actually just did my first 1g small batch. I really don't like sour beers but my wife does, so I tried a 1g kettle sour

I also did my first BIAB and just as far as needing extra equipment it was really easy, however I like mashing and sparging enough that I won't BIAB with big batches.

What I did was put a 3 gallon pot on top of a hot plate plugged into a Inkbird Controller, set it at 149, and left it there for an hour and it worked very well.

Walmart also sells a mason jar that is 2.5 gallons and glass, it worked great for a fermentor, I think it was 10 bucks.

Everything else I can't help you with all that much, kegging would be wasting a little co2 but it's cheap enough that it's not that big of a deal, downsizing is simple enough, and I tried to find a 3gallon cooler on amazon but I couldn't find one less that 50 dollars...when the 5 gallon is 20.

Hope this helps out!

 

[noslenwerd]

I actually just did my first 1g small batch. I really don't like sour beers but my wife does, so I tried a 1g kettle sour

I also did my first BIAB and just as far as needing extra equipment it was really easy, however I like mashing and sparging enough that I won't BIAB with big batches.

What I did was put a 3 gallon pot on top of a hot plate plugged into a Inkbird Controller, set it at 149, and left it there for an hour and it worked very well.

Walmart also sells a mason jar that is 2.5 gallons and glass, it worked great for a fermentor, I think it was 10 bucks.

Everything else I can't help you with all that much, kegging would be wasting a little co2 but it's cheap enough that it's not that big of a deal, downsizing is simple enough, and I tried to find a 3gallon cooler on amazon but I couldn't find one less that 50 dollars...when the 5 gallon is 20.

Hope this helps out!

Interesting.. how did you use the mason jars exactly? how did you get an air-lock rigged up?

 

[jodell]

Interesting.. how did you use the mason jars exactly? how did you get an air-lock rigged up?

I drilled a hole in the top of the lid that fit a standard carboy bung

 

[JohnSand]

Plenty of good advice above. If your oven has a "keep warm" setting, or will turn down to mash temps, you can use it to maintain mash temps. I have found that a cooler bag inverted over the pot keeps temps well. BIAB works well for small or standard batches, using a 1 or 5 gallon paint strainer. There are dedicated small fermenters, BrewDemon and MrBeer are two manufacturers. There is also a long thread on HBT "1 Gallon Brewers Unite!"
Have fun, make beer, report your results.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply!

Sounds to me like I need to really do some digging on brewing in a bag.

Mind if I ask what your typical efficiency is? Do you sparge or rinse the bag?

Also what "bags" do you use?

Thanks again :rockin:

I get about 80% on full-volume 4% beers where I give the bag a quick drain/squeeze, down to 73% on high-gravity with a solid squeeze-rinse-squeeze. I pour about 1 to 3 gallons through the bag for my rinse.

Since I brew large batches, I have a pulley hanging from my ceiling to make this easy, and let it drain/etc while I bring the water from mash temp to boil temp.
for small batches, it would be much easier to just add another $0.50 of malt and just do a quick squeeze.

I use "The Brew Bag" from www.brewinabag.com
Note that aggressive stirring may slightly damage the bag (this holds true for ALL nylon/poly brew bags). They have a video up showing how to properly and easily stir without touching the bag.

 

[Sadu]

I brew a 1 gallon batch a week, more or less. Love it.

1. I can bottle a batch in 20 mins start to finish, including cleanup. This is one of the benefits and you can have 20 different beers on the go with $0 invested in kegs.

2. Stainless pot in the oven is an amazing way to mash. No temp loss, easy to setup, cleaning is rinsing the pot.

3. Glass all the way. Growlers or demijohns. These seal well, you can see the fermentation, easy to clean and sanitise, minimal safety issues compared with bigger glass vessels.

4. Invest the $27 in Beersmith as you will be doing a lot of scaling. Get 0.01 or 0.1 gram scales for hops and water salts.

5. Yes! I use the same large bag I use for 10g batches, no need to get a special small one. I mash in a pot with no bag for maximum contact with the water. Then pour into a large bowl using the bag as a sieve. Then lift the bag into the boil kettle which holds the sparge water (squeeze in between each step).

Also I use an 800w immersion heater for quickly heating water and starting the boil. This makes for a super quick brewday, which is important because you will be brewing more often.

 

[dmtaylor]

Currently I am making 1.7 to 2-gallon batches (1/3 of a standard 5-gallon recipe), BIAB, in my kitchen on the stove. I do not own a propane burner setup and probably never will. I also do not own a chiller and won't buy one, opting instead to just chill in the kettle in a cold water bath. I have a 4-gallon kettle that works great for both mash and boil, and also a smaller 2(?)-gallon kettle that I use on the side for heating sparge water, etc. Yes, I rinse-sparge my bag -- I never squeeze it. I set a colander over a plastic bucket to drain the mash, then dunk the bag again, then pour the dunk-sparge over the colander. Then I transfer the whole lot back into the kettle. This reduces particulate in the boil. I ferment in 3-gallon glass carboys.

About once per year I make a full 5 or 6-gallon batch, which this year happened just yesterday. On these occasions, I do have a Dennybrew-style cooler mash tun that I use instead of BIAB. I bring out 4 of the largest kitchen pots and kettles that I have and I use all 4 burners for the sparge water and boil. It might sound crazy but I can tell you, it works just dandy.

I used plastic bucket fermenters for many years. However, I experienced so many oxidized or contaminated batches that I now advocate the use of glass. If I can find some 2-gallon glass carboys, I'll get some eventually. However the 3-gallon ones do work just great.

For temperature control, again, I'm a cheapskate. I use mother nature. Right now for my porter I think I will ferment in the basement with a blanket. Basement is about 56 F or thereabouts, and with a blanket to hold some heat in, I'm sure I can get into the low 60s. Perfect. There is always a good natural solution around my house. If I wanted to make lagers, I could use a wet t-shirt and fan to bring the temperature down to about 52 F or so. I suppose I am very "lucky" to have a poorly insulated home in Wisconsin!

For whatever it's worth (maybe nothing), here's that 6-gallon batch I brewed yesterday, and pictures of my equipment/process. Like I said, for smaller batches I usually BIAB as it's just easier that way, but use the same two kettles you see on the front burners.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...61.1073741836.1558683681&type=1&l=06298e21e16

(Please don't be offended if I don't accept a friend request. Usually I only "friend" people I know in real life.)

As for kegging, I've done that, and I like it and it works, though my kegs went rusty so I haven't bothered with it in years now. Here's an old thread that I generated.

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21461&hilit=heineken

With a hard crush of the grains and a sparge, I've averaged as high as 92% efficiency. I've since dialed back to a more reasonable 82% by my own choice, for reasons I won't get into here.