What are some considerations or lessons learned you have about brewing small (1-gal) batches? I'm thinking: - Primary concern...yeast pitching rate - pitching whole $9 packet of yeast for 1 gal seems like a disproportionate bump to the material cost of the beer. Not super worried about overpitching effect on taste. - Scaling the grain/hops recipe - software helps, but do all styles scale down right? RIS, DIPA, etc. - Losing wort/beer to gravity samples - I have a hygrometer now...not perfect for FG, but close enough for me - Leaving plenty of headspace in the fermenter to avoid losing blowoff - Bottling setup - Lagering/fermentation control/cold crashing - I don't have temp control equipment now, but it's easier to innovate cooler setups with a smaller fermenter I've had a 1-gal fermenter chilling on my shelf for the past year+ now, and I've only used it once for beer, and once to do a yeast starter. I want to use it more for a few reasons. First, a full 5-gal batch takes more time -- not for many of the actual brew steps per se, but the setup/boil/cooling/bottling parts. Second, I'm looking at trying a few different styles/methods that I've wanted to try but never had the confidence in my brewing skills to feel good about spending above average $$$ on if I'm not sure how it will turn out. I want to try a RIS or a DIPA for styles. For methods, I want to get another few small fermenters and try a partigyle run of beers and other experiments (polygyle, fruit/hop/other additions, etc.) I made a stovetop BIAB blonde that I fruited with blueberries (inspired my daughter, who is blonde with blue eyes, but I digress). It turned out well, but bottling was a bit stressful because I bootlegged a bottling bucket by cutting a hole in a medium painting bucket and attaching a valve. I freehand cut the hole and had some leakage, so that will have to be re-done or re-designed for next time...
For my small batch beers I use a 2 gallon water dispenser from walmart that costs $8. For final gravity I use a white labs vial and a final gravity hydrometer. Starts way down the scale at about 1.030 goes down to 1.000. Less waste but still enough for a taste sample. I just pitch a dry yeast packet usually. Have some saved WLP 1469 Yorkshire that I would like to use so will probably build a starter, also not worried about over pitching.
I don't think 1 or 2 gallons is much less time than 5 gallons besides heating a cooling water.... and you end up with way less beer. You still have to clean and sterilize and mash and sparge(or not if you biab). It isn't worth it to me personally but do what you like. As for the bottling bucket. Use a spade bit for your drill and purchase a bottling valve.
You bring up a number of good points, pro and con, for small batch. There have been threads on the small batch topic in the past, so you can do a search to read some other opinions. I believe that most people say that their primary reason for small batch brewing is that they just want the turnover of batches more quickly so more styles can be brewed and drank. I have brewed only 5-gallon batches and rarely use dry yeast. The last time that I did, I don't recall it costing $9. Maybe I'm out of touch, but you might want to shop around. Recipes should scale down fairly close on a direct ratio. Any variances due to scaling may actually create a better-tasting beer, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is the factor that I would place as my 'primary concern.' You can get a refractometer to take readings, and it uses only drops of the beer for its analysis. But they do cost a bit more than a hydrometer. (Not hygrometer unless your device was a typo.)
Unfortunately, with 1 gal. You're limited pretty much to dry yeast if cost is your concern. Good news is. You have 1 gallon of material to take out your aggressions on to give that yeast a wholesome environment to wake up in. i.e. shake the living crap out of your fermentation space after you pitch. Styles MOSTLY scale down. It's a matter of science, and at your scale. It will be very forgiving. But, not really. The sweet spot is getting the percentages right.
I would say simplify the recipe if going smaller, especially for the malts. Small units are a hassle for everyone involved in the process.
I started in 1gal, moved to 1.25gal and now do 2gal batches. Originally I used a Little Big Mouth Bubbler, now I use a Speidel (which can handle 3gal as well). To your questions: 1) If you use a whole satchet/pack of yeast on a 1 gallon you will likely be significantly overpitching. Half a pack will generally work. $9 is an awful lot to pay for a packet of dry yeast. Its even a lot for liquid. 2) Scaling a 5gallon recipe can work, but remember that your proportions will often be changed. For instance 8oz of Munich in a 5 gal batch can either be 1 or 2oz in a 1 gallon. 3) You will definitely need to limit your gravity readings 4) Bottling out of a 1 gallon is a fun siphon. You could get around that by buying a cheap bottling bucket. Or do a mini-keg https://www.picobrew.com/store/products/Product.cshtml?id=90 5) Heating to a boil, cool off and fermenter temperature control is certainly easier with a smaller batch. I like smaller batches for a number of reasons. The equipment takes up less space. The ingredients cost less so there is less of an investment. You can brew more often. The downside is that your brewday isn't much shorter and you get a lot less beer.
I do 1 gallon batches a lot because I love to experiment. I use the big glass jugs from the 1 gal cheap wine. They work perfectly. I use dry yeast. I sprinkle in about a quarter of the packet, then pinch it shut, put it in a ziplock bag, then back in the fridge for next time. Scaling is no big deal. I’m usually tweaking recipes anyway, so do expect a little variation. It is a little harder to work with quantities like 0.1 oz hops. I’ve gotten pretty good at eyeballing tho. Losing beer in the hydrometer is not as big a deal as you might think. After the boil I sanitize my hydrometer so the OG wort goes right back into the mix. The FG hydrometer beer gets drank as a sample taste test Head space is actually a consideration. My glass containers hold more like 0.85 gallons when you consider that you have to leave a good 2 or 3 inches at the top. No biggie, I just use two jugs, each a bit more than half full. I bottle using a siphon and bottling stick. Those 1 gal glass jugs come in handy there too. Lagering is definitely easier. Toss it in the fridge and forget it.
