[kdmenig]

Just got into AG brewing. Using a one gallon system to be experimental and not be stuck with five gallons of poor beer. What are recommendations to modify five gallon recipes? Anyone else doing one gallon with other thoughts?
Thanks for any help.

[BrodyR]

You should be ok just reducing the ingredients in proportion. I've done a few 2 gallon batches successfully, if I'm using a 5 gallon recipe as I guide I just cut it down and plug it in beer smith to make sure my grain percentages, ibu, etc. line up ok.

[case thrower]

I got started a few years back with 1 gallon all grain batches, too, but moved up to 2 1/2 gallons because it was just too much time, to me, to spend for that small of a result.  For my 2 1/2 gallons, I just cut a 5 gallon recipe in half.  Brooklyn Brew Shop has a book of recipes titled Beer Making Book that is geared specifically for 1 gallon batches and they also give the 5 gallon equivalents.  There are even some gluten free recipes included.  When I want to try something different, that is where I usually start looking first.

[reverseapachemaster]

There was a thread here earlier in the week discussing this but the short of it is that you will get basically the same beer cutting the ingredients by 1/5 except you do not want to cut your water to 1/5 because your boil off doesn't decline because your batch is smaller. If anything, if your surface to volume ratio increases because the beer is more shallow in the same pot you would use for five gallon batches then you may need to dial your boil off rate up.

[erockrph]

There was a thread here earlier in the week discussing this but the short of it is that you will get basically the same beer cutting the ingredients by 1/5 except you do not want to cut your water to 1/5 because your boil off doesn't decline because your batch is smaller. If anything, if your surface to volume ratio increases because the beer is more shallow in the same pot you would use for five gallon batches then you may need to dial your boil off rate up.

Make sure you calculate your IBU's as well. Since your average boil gravity will be a lot less your IBU's may be increased by a large enough amount to be significant.

[kdmenig]

Thanks for the replies. Extremely helpful and appreciated.

[mcdform]

I'm actually stuck brewing 1 gallon batches for awhile since I'm redoing my backyard.  I've brewed about 15 this year and they have mostly been experiments.  There was some good advice above but here's some more:

1.  Get a refractometer.  Wort is precious when brewing 1 gallon batches so putting some into a hydrometer jar is like giving away gold.  Check your preboil gravity and make adjustments if needed.  I usually boil a few longer.  I've gained .005 gravity in less than 10 minutes of extra boil.

2.  Calculate your boil off accurately.  Boil off with 1 gallon batches makes a huge difference in your OG.  I lose about .5 gallon for 60 minutes.

3.  Calibrate your pot volume.  This is less important if you have really know your boil off rate.

4.  Brew 1.25 gallon batches if you're going to have a bunch of trub.  Lots of hops and certain grains cause create tons of trub.  I brewed two batches a couple days ago (old ale and gruit) and one had tons of trub the other barely any.  If you suck up a ton in your siphon I usually fill my gallon jug to the top and put in the fridge overnight.  The next day rack off a gallon of clean wort into a new jug.

5.  Skip the whirlfloc tablet.  I've tried these a couple times in my 1 gallon batches and it creates to much break material.  Maybe others have had bad luck.

6.  Have a scale that weigh hops by the gram since you'll be using small amounts.

7.  If you don't keg carb these (2 liter soda bottles) a good thing to use for bottling is the 1/2 tsp sugar cubes.  I bottle straight from the fermenter with a bottling cane and mini autosiphon.  I don't dissolve the sugar but I shake it up after capping.

Good luck and have fun!  I love these small batches.  I've been documenting some of my brews at http://brew52.blogspot.com.

[reverseapachemaster]

4.  Brew 1.25 gallon batches if you're going to have a bunch of trub.  Lots of hops and certain grains cause create tons of trub.  I brewed two batches a couple days ago (old ale and gruit) and one had tons of trub the other barely any.  If you suck up a ton in your siphon I usually fill my gallon jug to the top and put in the fridge overnight.  The next day rack off a gallon of clean wort into a new jug.

And that goes double if you are brewing small batches with a BIAB mash. I usually hit 1.25 gallons at the end of the boil and leave behind about a quarter of a gallon after chilling to reduce the trub in the fermentor. Before I started doing that I was just calculating for one gallon and ending up giving up a lot of fermentor space to trub.

[mcdform]

And that goes double if you are brewing small batches with a BIAB mash. I usually hit 1.25 gallons at the end of the boil and leave behind about a quarter of a gallon after chilling to reduce the trub in the fermentor. Before I started doing that I was just calculating for one gallon and ending up giving up a lot of fermentor space to trub.

You are totally right about this.  My 1 gallon batch size is actually 1.25 gallons post boil and my 1.25 batch size is 1.5 gallons in the kettle.  I'm BIAB all the way for the small batches.

[erockrph]

5.  Skip the whirlfloc tablet.  I've tried these a couple times in my 1 gallon batches and it creates to much break material.  Maybe others have had bad luck.

+1 - I get 1-2 less 12oz bottles out of a mini batch when using whirlfloc. The trub gets really fluffy with whirlfloc; it is much more compact without.

Also, use pellets when dry hopping. Leaf hops suck up a lot of brew, and are a PITA if you're using 1 gallon jugs.