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Author Topic: Scaling Down  (Read 2826 times)

Offline Iliff Ave

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #30 on: November 10, 2015, 07:46:00 am »
I split my batches every time I brew.  I brewed 16 gallons of Saison 3 weeks ago.  I used 3 different yeasts.  I just pulled gravity samples for the first time and I have 3 amazingly different Saison beers.  What I like is the opportunity to try so many different yeasts.  I think the split batches for you is a great idea.  I've been using yeasts from other suppliers too, other than WL and WY.  If I didn't have so many people drinking my beer, I would go to smaller batches for sure.

I really want to branch out with yeast. Right now I mainly use dry yeast so the opportunity to use more liquid yeast without needing to make a starter is very appealing. I have not done any direct comparisons so it would be cool for me to do basic things like comparing a lager yeast to US05 or something. That will really help me dial in my recipes because right now I just kind of have default yeasts that I use because they are convenient. When I visited White Labs a few months ago it was pretty interesting to taste the same beer with 4 different yeasts. 
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline Delo

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #31 on: November 10, 2015, 09:01:40 am »
Its mainly my wife and I that I brew for, and she really just drinks hoppy beers.  We don’t drink every night so 5 gallons tends to become a chore to drink if it isn’t something we both love, especially if its something only I am drinking.  I bought the 3 gallon pin lock kegs from adventures in homebrewing  when they were on sale.  I got them to make smaller batches and to have more variety.  I have a small kegerator with only have two taps. I have been really happy with them.  I have ball locks on all my 5 gallon kegs, but I have flared fittings so switching out isn’t a problem.  If it is something I know we both will want, I brew 5 gallons, if not, I do 3 gallons. I like the flexibility.  The main problem is a good beer goes twice as fast in a keg half the size.  Twice the amount of disappointing times of blowing foam. I have split batches using different yeasts which is pretty cool.  It takes less time for me, I can do everything in my kitchen, and there is definitely more variety.  For my next batch I plan on splitting it and trying different hops and maybe different yeasts.     
Mark

Offline coolman26

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #32 on: November 10, 2015, 10:21:11 am »
I split my batches every time I brew.  I brewed 16 gallons of Saison 3 weeks ago.  I used 3 different yeasts.  I just pulled gravity samples for the first time and I have 3 amazingly different Saison beers.  What I like is the opportunity to try so many different yeasts.  I think the split batches for you is a great idea.  I've been using yeasts from other suppliers too, other than WL and WY.  If I didn't have so many people drinking my beer, I would go to smaller batches for sure.

I really want to branch out with yeast. Right now I mainly use dry yeast so the opportunity to use more liquid yeast without needing to make a starter is very appealing. I have not done any direct comparisons so it would be cool for me to do basic things like comparing a lager yeast to US05 or something. That will really help me dial in my recipes because right now I just kind of have default yeasts that I use because they are convenient. When I visited White Labs a few months ago it was pretty interesting to taste the same beer with 4 different yeasts.

Moving to liquid yeast will really change the way you look at your beers.  I had to go to canning wort because all the starters for larger batches ate up too much time.  That will be a huge advantage to smaller batches.  Direct pitch would be fantastic!
Jeff B

Offline dilluh98

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #33 on: November 10, 2015, 10:27:31 am »
A huge +1 to the idea of split batch brewing. It is very informative (and fun) to compare the impact of yeast on the exact same wort and it gives you two beers to drink from one brewing session. I've done this a lot with saison yeasts and really enjoy the results. The only downside I can see is if you end up with two yeast strains that perform more or less similarly - then you really only have one beer to drink (but twice as much I suppose!).

As this thread has shown, there are lots of ways to scale down. It's interesting to hear how many people have scaled back for various reasons. When I got into this hobby, I explicitly wanted to avoid early burnout and thus smaller batches that are all bottle conditioned has helped me do that by keeping things simple. Whatever works for you!

Offline beersk

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #34 on: November 10, 2015, 11:19:12 am »
A huge +1 to the idea of split batch brewing. It is very informative (and fun) to compare the impact of yeast on the exact same wort and it gives you two beers to drink from one brewing session. I've done this a lot with saison yeasts and really enjoy the results. The only downside I can see is if you end up with two yeast strains that perform more or less similarly - then you really only have one beer to drink (but twice as much I suppose!).

As this thread has shown, there are lots of ways to scale down. It's interesting to hear how many people have scaled back for various reasons. When I got into this hobby, I explicitly wanted to avoid early burnout and thus smaller batches that are all bottle conditioned has helped me do that by keeping things simple. Whatever works for you!
I enjoy reading that some brewers enjoy bottling and have no desire to keg. That's neat. If I brewed smaller than 2.5 gallon batches, I'd probably also bottle. I do like to do a lot of lagers and I feel kegging really helps with those styles.
Jesse

Offline dilluh98

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #35 on: November 10, 2015, 11:34:59 am »
A huge +1 to the idea of split batch brewing. It is very informative (and fun) to compare the impact of yeast on the exact same wort and it gives you two beers to drink from one brewing session. I've done this a lot with saison yeasts and really enjoy the results. The only downside I can see is if you end up with two yeast strains that perform more or less similarly - then you really only have one beer to drink (but twice as much I suppose!).

As this thread has shown, there are lots of ways to scale down. It's interesting to hear how many people have scaled back for various reasons. When I got into this hobby, I explicitly wanted to avoid early burnout and thus smaller batches that are all bottle conditioned has helped me do that by keeping things simple. Whatever works for you!
I enjoy reading that some brewers enjoy bottling and have no desire to keg. That's neat. If I brewed smaller than 2.5 gallon batches, I'd probably also bottle. I do like to do a lot of lagers and I feel kegging really helps with those styles.

I'm still experimenting with how to bottle west coast IPA and maintain freshness for any length of time. I tried the ascorbic acid trick (adding a small amount at bottling) and did not like the results at all. The beer ended up with a weird twangy off flavor and I don't think it really helped maintain the hop aroma/flavor at all.

Offline Al Hounos

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #36 on: November 10, 2015, 11:48:12 pm »
I wonder how many of you small batch brewers do BIAB? It's a method that lends itself particularly well to smaller batches. With my 3 gallon BIAB system, I can do batches in 3 hours, and only about 45 minutes of that is active time. the rest is mashing and boiling. For cleanup, scrub the kettle and hose off the bag and immersion chiller. Just as easy as an extract batch. Maybe the OP should look into BIAB.

I enjoy the learning and brewing process at least as much, if not more, than drinking the finished product, and that's why small batches make sense for me. When I'm not making 3 gallon batches, I'm doing 4 or 5 gallons and splitting it between different yeast.

RPIScotty

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #37 on: November 11, 2015, 06:13:22 am »

I wonder how many of you small batch brewers do BIAB? It's a method that lends itself particularly well to smaller batches. With my 3 gallon BIAB system, I can do batches in 3 hours, and only about 45 minutes of that is active time. the rest is mashing and boiling. For cleanup, scrub the kettle and hose off the bag and immersion chiller. Just as easy as an extract batch. Maybe the OP should look into BIAB.

I enjoy the learning and brewing process at least as much, if not more, than drinking the finished product, and that's why small batches make sense for me. When I'm not making 3 gallon batches, I'm doing 4 or 5 gallons and splitting it between different yeast.

I thought about BIAB for a while but settled on my 2 gallon Coleman cooler for a mash tun because it was cheaper than the bag. I do 1-1.5 gallon batches. Definitely easier to manage on the stove and some of the peripheral activities are just easier with batch sizes that small.

There are a lot of options out there for someone looking to go small, and like it was mentioned earlier, once you get over the mental block of producing less beer you're good.

Offline beersk

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #38 on: November 11, 2015, 07:02:35 am »
A huge +1 to the idea of split batch brewing. It is very informative (and fun) to compare the impact of yeast on the exact same wort and it gives you two beers to drink from one brewing session. I've done this a lot with saison yeasts and really enjoy the results. The only downside I can see is if you end up with two yeast strains that perform more or less similarly - then you really only have one beer to drink (but twice as much I suppose!).

As this thread has shown, there are lots of ways to scale down. It's interesting to hear how many people have scaled back for various reasons. When I got into this hobby, I explicitly wanted to avoid early burnout and thus smaller batches that are all bottle conditioned has helped me do that by keeping things simple. Whatever works for you!
I enjoy reading that some brewers enjoy bottling and have no desire to keg. That's neat. If I brewed smaller than 2.5 gallon batches, I'd probably also bottle. I do like to do a lot of lagers and I feel kegging really helps with those styles.

I'm still experimenting with how to bottle west coast IPA and maintain freshness for any length of time. I tried the ascorbic acid trick (adding a small amount at bottling) and did not like the results at all. The beer ended up with a weird twangy off flavor and I don't think it really helped maintain the hop aroma/flavor at all.
Yeah, that is the biggest challenge of exclusively bottling. IPA and lagers don't lend themselves well to bottling, hoppy styles especially, in my opinion.
Jesse

Offline bbesser

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #39 on: November 11, 2015, 11:33:07 am »
Another option could be to brew your regular 5 gallons and keg it like normal, then once it is all carbed up, bottle a portion of it.
"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has lost the path of wisdom." - Gandalf

Offline tommymorris

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #40 on: November 11, 2015, 07:52:20 pm »

I wonder how many of you small batch brewers do BIAB? It's a method that lends itself particularly well to smaller batches. With my 3 gallon BIAB system, I can do batches in 3 hours, and only about 45 minutes of that is active time. the rest is mashing and boiling. For cleanup, scrub the kettle and hose off the bag and immersion chiller. Just as easy as an extract batch. Maybe the OP should look into BIAB.

I enjoy the learning and brewing process at least as much, if not more, than drinking the finished product, and that's why small batches make sense for me. When I'm not making 3 gallon batches, I'm doing 4 or 5 gallons and splitting it between different yeast.
I brew 3 gallon batches with batch sparge. My brew day is less than 4 hours.

I could try to speed up, but, usually I am very relaxed when brewing and don't want to go any faster. 

Offline charles1968

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Re: Scaling Down
« Reply #41 on: November 12, 2015, 01:00:08 am »
I have come to this conclusion after realizing the amount of beer that I have basically puts pressure on me to drink at a certain rate to stay on schedule. This is proving not to be a good thing.

Homebrewing is great fun but if it puts pressure on you to drink at an unhealthy rate, you definitely need to change your process. Low abv / bottling / smaller batches / split batches - whatever it takes. Some advantages of bottling: helps ration intake if you stick to 12 oz bottles; easier to keep varied stock; no pressure to empty a keg. Homebrewers are great at logging data so why not log your alcohol intake too (alcodroid app is brilliant at this). Design your brewing process to make you drink less while still enjoying it.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2015, 01:35:50 am by charles1968 »