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Brewing Beer - Small Batch - 1 gallon

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

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Anybody brew small batches of beer? One gallon at a time batches?

Thoughts on this system: https://craftabrew.com/pages/the-catalyst-fermentation-system

It can go up to 5 gallons, but can obviously (I think) do smaller batches too.

I like that it appears to be so self-contained.

I've never brewed. I think I want to start. I definitely DO NOT want to make 5 gallons at a time.

I would only want to do one gallon at a time batches. I like variety. :mrgreen:

Any and all help appreciated.
 
I haven't brewed in a while but I usually do 5 gallon batches - the stuff goes surprisingly fast :)

I've been meaning to try brewing several smaller batches for variety's sake but haven't found the time. Maybe try to crank out a couple over the summer.
 
I have never brewed less than 5 gallons. I can see the benefits of smaller batches if you are experimenting with new recipes.

This particular device looks interesting. I can see it fitting the need of someone who wants to just brew one batch at a time and wants the ability to do smaller batches. Looks like it eliminates the need for racking in the bottling process, which is convenient. The only possible downside is it looks like you will have to change out the trub jar periodically. When you do that there is no way to stop your beer from being exposed to open air during the process. Contamination is the brewers worst enemy. Hopefully by the time you have to do that the yeast has taken over enough that some stray bacterium won't be able to set up shop.

It is worth giving it a go if you have the money to spend on it, I think.
 
Dragonfly said:
Anybody brew small batches of beer? One gallon at a time batches?

Thoughts on this system: https://craftabrew.com/pages/the-catalyst-fermentation-system

It can go up to 5 gallons, but can obviously (I think) do smaller batches too.

I like that it appears to be so self-contained.

I've never brewed. I think I want to start. I definitely DO NOT want to make 5 gallons at a time.

I would only want to do one gallon at a time batches. I like variety. :mrgreen:

Any and all help appreciated.
Click to expand...

Many years ago, I could drink much more beer than I possibly can nowadays. A relative bought me a home brewing kit for Christmas. Oh, Boy, I was in heaven! Until I read the work involved. I wish you well! My lazy streak won out and I still went to the beer store to restock. I was into recycling aluminum cans for a while back, then as well. I had to stop! Every time I passed the 30 gallon trash can, I was depressed by how quickly it was filling up. Cheers!
 
Never brewed beer but I made 5 gallons of wine with lots of random fruit, 3 weeks later, it was the bomb! Wish I could remember what I put in it!
 
Dragonfly said:
Anybody brew small batches of beer? One gallon at a time batches?

Thoughts on this system: https://craftabrew.com/pages/the-catalyst-fermentation-system

It can go up to 5 gallons, but can obviously (I think) do smaller batches too.

I like that it appears to be so self-contained.

I've never brewed. I think I want to start. I definitely DO NOT want to make 5 gallons at a time.

I would only want to do one gallon at a time batches. I like variety. :mrgreen:

Any and all help appreciated.
Click to expand...

That looks really interesting.
 
Dragonfly said:
Anybody brew small batches of beer? One gallon at a time batches?

Thoughts on this system: https://craftabrew.com/pages/the-catalyst-fermentation-system

It can go up to 5 gallons, but can obviously (I think) do smaller batches too.

I like that it appears to be so self-contained.

I've never brewed. I think I want to start. I definitely DO NOT want to make 5 gallons at a time.

I would only want to do one gallon at a time batches. I like variety. :mrgreen:

Any and all help appreciated.
Click to expand...

I used to get together with a friend and brew about once a month. We never tried going below 5 gallons, though. I still have the equipment, so I might whip up a batch again by myself. What I found was that the beers we were brewing weren't much less expensive than a similar beer bought retail. Bottling a cleaning up are a pain, but the rest is fun.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
The only possible downside is it looks like you will have to change out the trub jar periodically. When you do that there is no way to stop your beer from being exposed to open air during the process. Contamination is the brewers worst enemy.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the video?
There's a valve at bottom for switching out trub jar.

Extremely minimal contact with any air from what I can see.

 
Dragonfly said:
Anybody brew small batches of beer? One gallon at a time batches?

Thoughts on this system: https://craftabrew.com/pages/the-catalyst-fermentation-system

It can go up to 5 gallons, but can obviously (I think) do smaller batches too.

I like that it appears to be so self-contained.

I've never brewed. I think I want to start. I definitely DO NOT want to make 5 gallons at a time.

I would only want to do one gallon at a time batches. I like variety. :mrgreen:

Any and all help appreciated.
Click to expand...

I used to brew quite a lot. Don't drink much anymore, too busy pulling tubes 4 Fun now.

Anyway, super small batches can be tricky, but works well for flavor profiling a new recipe.

Sooner rather than later, once you start brewing, you'll want to go 5 gallons+, so, just make sure you don't outgrow your production capabilities too soon.
 
Dragonfly said:
Did you watch the video?
There's a valve at bottom for switching out trub jar.

Extremely minimal contact with any air from what I can see.

Click to expand...


They don't show it in the video but when you connect the new, clean mason jar onto the valve, and then open the valve, what do you think happens to the pint of air in the mason jar? It bubbles up through the whole batch. I'm sure there is some method you can come up with to minimize the amount of potentially contaminated air in the jar, but it is something to keep in mind.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
They don't show it in the video but when you connect the new, clean mason jar onto the valve, and then open the valve, what do you think happens to the pint of air in the mason jar? It bubbles up through the whole batch. I'm sure there is some method you can come up with to minimize the amount of potentially contaminated air in the jar, but it is something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...

Youtube videos of guys doing a review of it purge the mason jars with CO2 before screwing back on.
 
My son brews really good beer frequently. It must be super simple to do because he is only 9. He started cooking meth one time, but his mom put a stop to that real quick.
 
I like cider more than beer or wine - find the flavor to be better than beer, and yet the lower alcohol level doesn't irritate my digestion as much as wine would, so that I can sip more of it.

What's the best equipment for cider brewing? Would that be wine-making kits, or beer brewing kits? I'm assuming the former rather than the latter.
 
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