Small(er) Batch Help Thread

Truth be told, it's pretty similar to 5-gallon batches. The difference is, you should have a smaller fermentation vessel for smaller batches - sizing dependent on how big the batch, and you have less room for error with additions. An error will be twice as much results in a 2.5gallon batch as a 5 gallon.

 

I do 10, 5 and 2.5 gallon batches. They are relatively the same exact process with just smaller amounts of ingredients. When coming up with recipes I often use % of grain bill rather than weight.

 

I would think brew in a bag would lend itself well to smaller batches. My mash tun says no thanks to Brian amounts below the 10 pound mark. My set up couldn't handle it.

 

Back in the day, there was a classic thread on recipe advice for a "haunted beer." The ingredient list ended up including orphans. Since Halloween is not too far off, perhaps Brian is an orphan.

(Don't bother searching for the thread. It was before the big forum reset.)

 

How does Brian feel about it though? Sorry.

I have never brewed less than 5 gallons, but I might need to with things like holiday beers - hard to drink 50 pumpkin beers between 2 and a Halloween party. I will say that the opposite is true for me in that BIAB is harder for bigger batches. The weight of the kettly with the bag full of grain is a problem for my back due to lack of setup.

 

I do not do them as much as I should, but I do BIAB for my smaller batches. I like 2.5 gallons as I have 3 gallon carboys. I can't say much then it is similar just smaller, and I hate doing gravity readings cause I usually hit 2.5 gallons on the nose going into the carboy...

 

I tend to do 3 gallon batches for bigger beers. Only real change I do is go no-sparge since they tend to be more malt focused beers. Adjust my expected efficiency lower, so I use more base malt than I normally would. This also helps my MLT retain temperatures.

As @JrGtr said, smaller fermenters are better. I use a 5 gallon carboy for primary, and a 3 gallon for secondary.

 

I've been brewing 0.9-2 gallons for several years. I always say, I have a drinking problem..... I don't drink enough! I have 10 cases of beer, mead, and cider in the basement all in bottles, much of it 2-4 years old, and some needs to be dumped.

Mash in the kettle on my kitchen stove, BIAB. Mash temperature is somewhat difficult to maintain, I usually turn the burner on low every few minutes to keep it from falling to the low 140s. I find boiloff rates with very small batches to be more difficult to predict, often need to add more water after the boil because the volume got too low by a quart or whatever. So I'm still trying to nail down the boiloff rate.

I ferment in either tall glass vases, or in 1-gallon pickle jars, or both. Yes, I am serious. This reduces surface area on top and increases pressure, thus theoretically resulting in less fruity esters and oxidation. Airlocks are improvised but "good enough". Picture below, and link to the vase place. For slightly larger batches of 2-3 gallons which I still do on occasion, I have 3-gallon carboys as well as 5's if I ever need them. However since I have more of a tendency to split batches into 2-3 fermenters, these are not used much anymore.

Bottling day goes relatively quickly.

https://vasemarket.com/tall-vases/tall-cylinder-vase?opening=228

 

Process is similar, but obviously you have the potential to use the stove top. I typically brew 4 gallons and ferment in a corny keg. That's a big plus imo. The ability to cold crash without worry of O2 ingress and sometimes I even ferment and serve in the same keg.

 

Grain lol

 

batch size: 2.5G (9.5L)

process: ~6# grain bill in 5G MLT
- Double batch sparge
- Boil 3.7G wort in 5.5G SS kettle on propane kitchen stove

fermentables: cut a 5G grain bill in half
hops: to taste
fermentors: MrB LBK (3)
fermentation chamber: 48 QT ice chest; 24 oz. frozen water bottles for temperature control
packaging: 1L PETs
carbonation: 2.4 vols from 0.5L speise

 

I do BIAB in a Robobrew (no malt pipe, no recirc). With this setup I can do anything from 2-7 gallons, depending on gravity and how much I want to make. I don't worry about headspace in my fermenters, so I ferment 3 gallons in the same SS bucket that I ferment 5 gallons in. It all gets filled with CO2, anyway. Easy peasy.

 

You could place your mashing vessel in your oven and set your oven to your target mash temperature. This will maintain a set temperature for the duration of your mash.

Cheers!

 

I could try it, though the lowest my oven will go is 170 F. Maybe next time the temperature falls to low to mid 140s, I'll just throw it into the oven at 170, let it warm up on its own and even sort of mash out. Cool idea, got me thinking, thanks.

 

I do 2 gallon batches brew in a bag mashng in an igloo cooler.

For easy but perfect temperature control I ferment in the Mr. Beer little brown keg and which fits PERFECTLY in this :

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Zone-...ocphy=9032814&hvtargid=pla-535328912065&psc=1

Place an aquarium temperature strip on the side of the LBK and determine how many frozen 16oz water bottles to place in the cooler (i have the numbers down through trial and error for ex: 3 at 7 am and 3 at 7pm to get high 50s.

Another benefit of the LBK is it can fit easily in the top shelf of a mini fridge for cold crashing and lagering and you also package directly from the fermenter so less oxygen exposure.

I keg my beer in one of these:

https://www.northernbrewer.com/prod...JXfWzWg6O9LQdHYDyZUHmMs62e0LdeIRoCIWoQAvD_BwE

 

MrB's LBK can ferment up to 2.45G.

Control Hi-K with Baby Gas-X drops ($) or FermCap ($$).

 

For sure, used to do 2.5 gal batches when I was bottling but now that I use the 1
75 gal kegs I keep it at 2 gal in the fermenter and what's left after keg is filled is mostly trub etc