[cassa]

1. batch size: 2 to 2.5 gallons.

2. why small batches:

Short answer: wanted to brew all grain, indoors. Also, I'm the only beer drinker in the house.

Longer answer: 15-20 ago I brewed extract 5-gallon batches and it was fun with friends but not fun enough solo.  Quit brewing for 15-20 years. A couple of years ago, I heard about all-grain one gallon kits (a la Brooklyn Brew Shop) and decided to try.  I liked it much more than the extract brews b/c a) it was more like cooking, less like lab work and b) I was making better beer. 

Later, switched to 2 - 2.5 gal batches because bottling only one gallon wasn't fun, and I wanted more than 6-8 bottles.

3. brewing style: all grain

4. basic process: I'm now using an E-BIAB system. 120V only.

5. favorite piece of equipment: The brew demon small ported plastic conical fermenters are nice.

6. compare to larger batches: No recent experience with larger batches, but I worry that I'd need a more powerful heating element, or that I'd have to start brewing outside with a big burner.

7. what else: I notice a lot of the responders here are doing all-grain. For me, small batches allow me to do all-grain, which I enjoy more. Based on my experience, I always wince a little when people recommend that newbies "start with standard 5 gallon extract batches".  How many people try that and quit, but would have found a small all-grain process fun enough to continue?

[dmtaylor]

More ugly honest truth regarding my "drinking problem", i.e., not drinking enough:

Last month I inventoried everything I have.  Currently I have about 7 cases of beer in bottles, 2 cases of cider, and another 12 gallons in bulk vessels which includes 3 gallons cider, 3 gallons barleywine, 1.25 gallons schwarzbier, and 4.75 gallons jalapeno porter -- the latter one is actually in a keg -- I don't usually keg at all but I am putting this one into a local brewfest, so at least that one will be gone soon, thank heavens.

What can I say..... I have a passion for brewing, but don't have a lot of family or friends who want to drink it all up on me, and I personally don't usually drink more than 2 or 3 beers (or ciders) in a week.  I have this constant urge and want/need to brew, but even at an average 1.7-2 gallons per batch, it's still WAY more than I can consume myself.  What a problem to have, eh!?

An even bigger problem/contributor recently is that as of about one year ago, I have been put on-call for my job for 1 out of every 4 weeks, so 25% of the time, I cannot drink a drop, so that I am fit for duty in the unfortunate case there might be a nuclear emergency.  Sad but true.  This just slows the consumption all the more.

[Delo]

1. What's your usual batch size?
I still brew  5 gallons. But also have been brewing smaller batches, usually around 3 gallons

2. Why do you brew small batches?
My wife is pretty much only into hoppy beers, so its 5 gallons of stuff we both like.  I like pretty much everything and I didn’t want 5 gallons of something I am the only one drinking. A lot of it would probably get dumped.  I started brewing smaller batches for batches only I wanted. I also started testing out different ingredients, hops, yeasts,etc and didn’t want 5 gallon test batches.

3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?
All grain

4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler , just stir in the extract, etc.
Basic process.  Exactly.  I don’t think I can get any more basic.   I would post pictures, but if anybody I knew saw them, Im pretty sure it would be like when a magician reveals his trick and the crowd is disappointed on how simple it really was.  I don’t want to disappoint anyone.  If I do a small enough batch, it is all on the kitchen stove, but our stove is pretty weak, so even 3 gallons will have me outside.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?
Only things I use different are my 3 gallon kegs.  I really like these smaller kegs, but they are pin locks and I wouldn’t exactly say they are my favorite.

6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you comapre the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?
I don’t find I save a lot of time or effort doing 3 gallons as opposed to 5 gallons.  My equipment can handle at least 10 gallons so it totally overkill for small batches.  If I just started and I was only going to brew 3 gallons, I would buy smaller brew pots and fermenters.  My recipes are pretty consistent  no matter what the batch size.   

7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?
3 gallons works out for me.  I don’t drink a lot so smaller batches means more variety, but  it’s a double edged sword.  If I don’t like the beer, it’s only 3 gallons.  If I really like the beer, it’s only 3 gallons.

[reverseapachemaster]

1. What's your usual batch size?

1 gallon

2. Why do you brew small batches?

I like to brew as much as I like to drink and brewing larger batches meant less brewing and less ability to refine brewing skills.

3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?

All grain, all the time.

4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler (😉), just stir in the extract, etc.

I have a two gallon cooler fit with a toilet supply braid as a mash tun. Mash as usual and batch sparge. I mash in and throw it in the oven with the oven light on. Helps keep temperatures a little more consistent.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?

The two gallon cooler was a big help because it keeps temperatures more stable than my previous efforts with BIAB at the same volume.

6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you comapre the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?

It's basically all the same equipment except you need a scale that gets into tenths of grams for water additions. Time-wise it's a little quicker because the smaller volume of liquid heats quicker. I can do everything indoors in the kitchen which makes it easier to brew and work from home at the same time.

Once I introduced the cooler and stopped BIAB I resolved consistency issues and now have the same consistency as larger batches.

It's obviously more effort per gallon than larger batches but I enjoy the brewing process.

7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?

It is possible to decoction mash small batches.

[Big Monk]

More ugly honest truth regarding my "drinking problem", i.e., not drinking enough:

Last month I inventoried everything I have.  Currently I have about 7 cases of beer in bottles, 2 cases of cider, and another 12 gallons in bulk vessels which includes 3 gallons cider, 3 gallons barleywine, 1.25 gallons schwarzbier, and 4.75 gallons jalapeno porter -- the latter one is actually in a keg -- I don't usually keg at all but I am putting this one into a local brewfest, so at least that one will be gone soon, thank heavens.

What can I say..... I have a passion for brewing, but don't have a lot of family or friends who want to drink it all up on me, and I personally don't usually drink more than 2 or 3 beers (or ciders) in a week.  I have this constant urge and want/need to brew, but even at an average 1.7-2 gallons per batch, it's still WAY more than I can consume myself.  What a problem to have, eh!?

An even bigger problem/contributor recently is that as of about one year ago, I have been put on-call for my job for 1 out of every 4 weeks, so 25% of the time, I cannot drink a drop, so that I am fit for duty in the unfortunate case there might be a nuclear emergency.  Sad but true.  This just slows the consumption all the more.

You and me are in the same business Dave so I know what ERO obligations are all about.

[erockrph]

1. What's your usual batch size?

I target ~3 gallons at the end of the boil and package in 2.5 gallon kegs. I am considering cutting this down on some batches to use the smaller kegs in the 1.5-1.75 gallon range as well. When I am testing out new hop varieties, I start with 1 gallon preboil and end up with about 3 quarts in the fermenter.

2. Why do you brew small batches?

I have a couple of reasons. First of all, I'm a kitchen brewer and this allows me to brew full-boil, all-grain batches on my stovetop. Secondly, I only drink 3-5 pints of beer in an average week. I enjoy the brewing process just as much as the actual drinking, so brewing small batches allows me to brew more often. It also lets me have a variety of beer on tap at a given time without ending up with a huge backlog of beer to drink. And finally, I like to experiment a lot. By brewing smaller batches, it's not as big of a deal to dump a batch that didn't work out as well as I had hoped.

3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?

I mainly brew all-grain, but I brew a handful of extract batches every year.

4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler (😉), just stir in the extract, etc.

I consider my process a cross between BIAB and no-sparge. I was going to BIAB when I started brewing all-grain, but I was concerned with maintaining mash temps, especially with smaller volumes of liquid. My solution is to line a 5-gallon beverage cooler with a BIAB bag, and mash in that. The 2-vessel approach works for me in my kitchen, and holds temps as well as I need it to.

For chilling, I place my kettle in cold water in one side of my 2-basin sink. I then stick my handheld faucet in the water pointed on the kettle and run the cold water full blast. The excess water runs over the divider between the two basins and drains out the other side. It's not as efficient as an immersion chiller, but it works well enough with the smaller batch sizes.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?

I use 5 gallon kegs as my fermenters. It has just about all the advantages of a conical, at a fraction of the price. Plus, they double as a keg.

6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you comapre the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?

I've only brewed larger batches for a couple of extract kit beers that were among my first few batches. Since those were partial boil and topped off with cold water in the fermenter, I don't think that makes a good apples-to-apples comparison to the all-grain batches I'm doing now. I couldn't brew a 5-gallon all-grain batch using my current setup unless I had a double brewday.

7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?

The differences on the cold side are often overlooked. Yeast pitches are different - for most ales I don't need a starter if I have a reasonably fresh pack of liquid yeast. For some (low-to-moderate gravity English ales and hefeweizens), I don't even pitch a full pack. Temperature swings happen more easily in fermentation if ambient temperature varies.

[erockrph]

More ugly honest truth regarding my "drinking problem", i.e., not drinking enough:

Last month I inventoried everything I have.  Currently I have about 7 cases of beer in bottles, 2 cases of cider, and another 12 gallons in bulk vessels which includes 3 gallons cider, 3 gallons barleywine, 1.25 gallons schwarzbier, and 4.75 gallons jalapeno porter -- the latter one is actually in a keg -- I don't usually keg at all but I am putting this one into a local brewfest, so at least that one will be gone soon, thank heavens.

What can I say..... I have a passion for brewing, but don't have a lot of family or friends who want to drink it all up on me, and I personally don't usually drink more than 2 or 3 beers (or ciders) in a week.  I have this constant urge and want/need to brew, but even at an average 1.7-2 gallons per batch, it's still WAY more than I can consume myself.  What a problem to have, eh!?

An even bigger problem/contributor recently is that as of about one year ago, I have been put on-call for my job for 1 out of every 4 weeks, so 25% of the time, I cannot drink a drop, so that I am fit for duty in the unfortunate case there might be a nuclear emergency.  Sad but true.  This just slows the consumption all the more.

I can relate to a lot of this. We just decided to finish our basement, and while I haven't done a full inventory on all my stuff that needs to be moved, I'm at about 7 or 8 three-gallon batches in long-term aging, plus about 8 cases or so of bottles. And that's not counting my "beer cellar" of maybe 4-6 cases of commercial brews in long-term aging.

I go through stints where I can't/don't drink that much because of work or other commitments, or just plain being exhausted at the end of the night when I get a few minutes to unwind. Also, even though I dump a lot of beer, there are many neglected batches that are just gathering dust in my basement.

I just got a 3-tap kegerator, and it's in an easily accessible spot in my house, so it's a lot easier to grab a half-pour. I think this will help out with my "drinking problem" a lot in the long run.

[Phil_M]

An even bigger problem/contributor recently is that as of about one year ago, I have been put on-call for my job for 1 out of every 4 weeks, so 25% of the time, I cannot drink a drop, so that I am fit for duty in the unfortunate case there might be a nuclear emergency.  Sad but true.  This just slows the consumption all the more.

I remember just being handed my first beer at a restaurant once when I received an alert call from work. Spilling a beer is a crying shame, but playing for a beer that you didn't even get to sip...

[Steve Ruch]

1. What's your usual batch size?
    three gallons
2. Why do you brew small batches?
    It takes me too long to go through five gallons; I start getting bored before the end of a larger batch. I can afford to brew more three gallons batches than five gallon batches which gives me more variety. The older I get the heavier each gallon seems to weigh.
3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?
    all grain
4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler (😉), just stir in the extract, etc.
    I batch sparge (thanks Denny) in a square, blue, ten gallon Coleman cooler which gives me the capacity to brew larger or stronger batches if I so desire.
5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?
    I use the same equipment no matter what size batch I'm brewing.
6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you compare the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?
    I haven't really seen much difference from switching to smaller batches other than it's easier on my tired old bones, although I have always brewed stovetop and smaller batches allow me to do a full boil.
7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?
     You aren't missing anything: small batch brewing is a personal call each brewer has to make depending on his/her limitations and requirements.

[oginme]

I'm doing some reseach into small batch brewing....3 gal. or less.  If you brew small batches, I'd appreciate your point of view on this stuff...

1. What's your usual batch size?

10 liters (2.7 gal)

2. Why do you brew small batches?

Easier to make inside during the winter when I have time to brew.  I get about a case per batch which fits my drinking and give away rates.  It gives me a chance to brew more often (I do around 33 to 35 batches the past 3 years) which also gives me increased opportunity to improve, modify, work recipes.  I find the smaller batches fit certain styles (PAs, IPs, etc) where I want fresher beer to drink/serve before it loses some of the hop flavor/aroma.

3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?

All grain

4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler (😉), just stir in the extract, etc.

BIAB on gas stovetop.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?

Does BeerSmith count?

6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you comapre the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?

I make about 2 to 4 larger (20 liter) batches every fall, outside, in the cold, with a mash tun and larger pot.  The BIAB inside is cleaner, faster (~4 to 5 hrs inside vs 6+ outside), less to clean up.  It is easier to haul around the smaller carboys and I can fit more into my fermentation chamber.  (I have five fermenters going right now).

7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?

Nothing that I can think of right now. 

Thanks so much for your time.  I owe you all a beer!

[Philbrew]

Thanks Denny!  This thread has got me thinking how I could do smaller batches.  I do 6 gal. (in fermenter) batches, but I too have a "drinking problem".  I'm the only beer drinker in the (local) family, though the Pastor and several members of my church love my beer (good Lutherans all, the only thing they drink more than beer is coffee).     And I'd like to brew more often.  This has me thinking 3 gal. batches 70-80 % of the time with the occasional 6 gal. batch would be ideal.

[beersk]

1. What's your usual batch size?
Mix of 3 and 5 gallon batches

2. Why do you brew small batches?
I brew small batches typically for beers I don't want 5 gallons of and so it won't last 3+ months on tap.

3. Do you brew, extract, partial mash, all grain?
All grain

4. What's your basic process?  I.E., BIAB, tiny cooler (😉), just stir in the extract, etc.
For my "half batches" I do full volume mash, low oxygen. Same process but sparge for 5 gallons.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you like to use especially for small batches?
5 gallon keg for fermenting and my jumper hose for close-transfers to 2.5 gallon kegs.

6. If you've brewed larger batches how would you comapre the two in terms of effort?  Time?  Equipment needs?  Recipe consistency?
Time and effort really are about the same having to pre-boil a larger volume or about the same volume for 3 gallon full volume mash versus strike water for a 5 gallon batch - around 5 hours.

7. What am I missing that should be known about small batch brewing?
Scale of economy doesn't mean much when the brewer is getting all they need out of it.

[klickitat jim]

I'm amazed how many brew small

[denny]

I'm amazed how many brew small

Actually, it seems to be the fastest growing demographic in the homebrew world.

[reverseapachemaster]

I'm amazed how many brew small

It's not the size it's how you brew it.