Brewing one gallon batches

Ipso

Has anyone brewed one gallon batches? I think this would suit me better initially, as much as I like beer I'd rather have less to drink myself and it is probably a way to try more styles.
My main question is, does quality suffer when you scale down recipes?

loyatemu

have a look at this: http://www.beoir.org/index.php/articles-mainmenu-36/brewing-knowledge/extract-brewing-mainmenu-47/88-small-scale-brewing

I've scaled down from doing 23L kits to ~12L extract brews, mainly for the reasons you mention - it takes too long to get through 23L and I want to brew more often to try different hops etc. 1G/5L is a very small amount though given the time and effort involved in doing an extract or all-grain brew...

TheDuke

Ipos, i only do 5l batches so i have a range of different styles and can experiment with limited risk... I etch the batch number into the lid, log the recipe and if it works out I make it again.... only thing is that it's as much as work doing 5l as it is 20l so it does have down sides....

RasTa

Don't you lose another litre or 2 to the yeast?

loyatemu

RasTa wrote: »

Don't you lose another litre or 2 to the yeast?

you'll also lose the same volume in the boil whether you're boiling 5L or 20L as that's a factor of surface area rather than volume. You can factor it into your recipe though.

RasTa

loyatemu wrote: »

you'll also lose the same volume in the boil whether you're boiling 5L or 20L as that's a factor of surface area rather than volume. You can factor it into your recipe though.

I'm talking about after fermentation

loyatemu

RasTa wrote: »

I'm talking about after fermentation

most brewing software will allow you to factor in losses to the trub. Trub for a 5L batch will be a lot less than for a 20L batch.

Ipso

Thanks for the replies. I get the point that 1 gallon requires the same effort as 5, but I think doing 1 suits when it comes to learning and not having too much room etc
My main worry was about losing quality when scaling down.

gothictwilight

The Brooklyn Brew Shop specialises in one Gallon Recipes.
I have two books from them with recipes for one gallon batches.
Heres a link to one of the books on amazon.

Donadea Leo

Here s an argument for brewing 1 gallon. Haven't personally brewed 1 gallon myself, maybe when i get a bit faster at all grain as time saving would be biggest motivator.

http://www.thekitchn.com/5-reasons-why-i-became-a-1gallon-brewer-beer-sessions-189903

TheDuke

Good article and agree... its great to have the freedom to experiment and you are left with a whole range of beers so what ever your mood is like on the day. Moving on to whole grain in my next brew..

Carawaystick

RasTa wrote: »

Don't you lose another litre or 2 to the yeast?

maybe if you use a 30l fermenter, but not a smaller narrower gallon/5l job