Jumping right into AG?

If I were you I'd just go straight into brewing 5-gallon batches. Have you looked into a 10-gal mash tun cooler? This would be ideal if you are planning on brewing big, dark beers. You also would not want that much headspace with a 3-gal batch in a 5 gal carboy. I think you'd end up paying more for equipment to accommodate a 3-gal batch than if you just bought the equipment necessary for a 5-gal batch and started from there. That's just my opinion though, obviously. Just trying to save you some money in the long run. Good luck!

 

A five gallon carboy is fine for 3 gallon batches - just about right, I'd say, since if you want to end up with bottling 3 gallons, you will need about 3-1/2 gallons or so in your carboy (considering the amount of loss due to trub).

Using an 8 gallon mash tun for 3 gallons can be done, but you will lose heat much more rapidly than if you mashed in a smaller mash tun. So you would only need to account for the extra heat loss, both during mash-in as well as during the mash.

You will find that it takes about as much work to make 3 gallons as 5 gallons, so I think that eventually you will mostly be doing 5 gallon batches. So aim for the five gallon batch size in terms of equipment purchases, although you can still experiment with 3 gallon batches.

For the five gallon batches, the 5 gallon carboy will not work for your primary (no head space). Thus you might want to consider purchasing an 8 gallon (or so) primary pail.

 

My general recommendation is to purchase equipment for brewing 5 gallon batches. Over the past few years I have brewed several 3 gallon batches and they have turned out well.

Cheers!

 

I ferment 3 gallon batches in my 7.9 gallon bucket and that works fine.

Cheers!

 

I went right into AG and happy I did. It's not that difficult, just takes more time. A buddy at work who wanted to brew did one extract kit and just brewed his second batch, all grain! Of course I helped him prepare for it, but he said it wasn't bad and easier than his first batch.

I would suggest buying a 10-gallon cooler (mash tun) and a 10-gal boil kettle. Even if just doing 3-4 gallon batches.

Also, water is very important. Spend time looking into that, downloading Bru N' Water and learning how to use it. Water adjustment is so easy as long as you have a scale and have a basic idea what you are doing.

 

You should be aware of and take steps to ensure you achieve a proper mash pH. Tailoring mineral content to 'match' water to a given beer style is a lesser concern.

Cheers!

 

At the very least, if using water with possible chlorine or chlorimates use campden tablets (1/4 tablet per 5-gallon). This will at least avoid any issue with that. I did my first few batches without doing anything with my water, except carbon filtering and never had any issue... But once I start tweaking my water for pH (which is easy with Bru N' Water, honestly don't even worry about a pH meter as once you have your base water in there, my actual pH is always right where the spreadsheet says it will be... will likely sell mine or stop taking readings soon, honestly), my beers improved quite a bit. The IPA's "pop" more, darker beers more malty and lagers crisp. It is 90%+ of your beer, so it IS important!

I have noticed a very good change in my beers once I start working with the water. It adds maybe 5mins to my brew day and is all detailed out in Bru N' Water that I print out prior to brew day with my Beer Smith recipe/instruction summary sheet. Easy as can be! All I really use is gypsum, calcium chloride and phosphoric acid (and/or acid malt in the grain bill) most of the time. I have pickling lime but never really had to use it with my water.

I have sent my buddy at work some "cliff note" instructions on brew day to help him not be intimidated and it seemed to work well. I will PM you that just in case it could help.

 

An 8 gallon mash tun should be ideal for most 5 gallon mashes. You can also use it for 3 gallon mashes, although as mentioned, you will have to adjust your calculations for more rapid heat loss.

A five gallon primary will definitely not work for 5 gallon batches (although it would be fine for 3 gallon batches). First of all, you need to make a batch size slightly larger than five gallons (to allow for loss due to trub). Secondly, once your beer ferments, there will be a significant amount of foam on the surface (often several inches). It would push its way through the fermentation lock and spill out of the fermenter.

 

Sent! And use this few months to research recipes/ingredients and of course the water stuff and everything.

I also highly suggest reading this a few times... http://howtobrew.com/book/introduction

I read that at least 4 times before I start brewing to let it soak in and learn the process best I could. By the time I did my first batch it was quite easy!

 

There is quite a bit involved in brewing, and I personally think an extract batch or two can be very useful. This way you don't need to worry about water chemistry while you're still figuring out how to best cool your wort, transfer to the fermenter, keep everything sanitary post-boil, etc. Extract + distilled water makes for a relatively easy first brewing experience that will likely result in a better product than an AG attempt with no prior brewing experience. Once you're comfortable with your basic processes, learning about mash pH, mineral profiles, gran absorption, etc. seems much less daunting.

 

The main reason extract is good for beginners is because you can jump right in without much research, and still make good beer while you learn. You seem to have done extensive research. I personally think you will be fine jumping right in to AG.

 

I have a 5-gallon batch setup. I sometimes brew smaller batches. If I think a batch requires multiple months of aging (such as a sours and meads), i.e., secondary fermentation, I will use a carboy filled to the neck to minimize headspace and oxidation. I have a couple 3 gallon glass carboys that I use for this purpose, and I have a few 1 gallon jugs I will use for even smaller batches. These are the only extra gear I have for small batch brewing, and I really only employ them for aging.

For most pale ales, IPAs, stouts, browns, saisons, most basic beer styles, I do not do long term aging and I don't worry about headspace issues. These beers are fermented in buckets designed for 5 gallon batches, and I typically have them packaged after three weeks.

The only other way I can think of that my 5 gallon equipment may be limited in terms of scaling down is that I recently started brewing with an electric system using a Blichmann boilcoil, which fits in the boil kettle and directly heats the wort. It must be completely immersed during the boil, so there is some minimum volume requirement for this system. I may not be able to make 2 gallon batches with it, but could probably do 3 gallon.

 

I disagree with worrying about water for your first few batches of beer. Yes, it's important, but it is by far the easiest component of your brew day to really destroy your batch if you don't know what your doing.

Chemistry can be pretty complex, and understanding how your modifications affect pH during mashing is pretty important. An easy way to avoid this to use spring water. There are plenty of seasoned brewers on this forum that have not touched their water profile and make fine beer.

If spring water is not an option or prohibitively expensive (international), a general rule of thumb is that if the water tastes fine for drinking, more often than not it is fine for brewing. Avoid chlorinated water.

OP is talking about his first ever batch of beer. Brewing isn't rocket science, but it's not an easy bake oven either. I think AG is fine out of the gate, but keep it simple to start.