Smaller Batches?

[ghostman]

Gday all first post.......... :super:

Just a couple of questions/comments/opinions........

I just started brewing my first batch (ever) this month and just bottled today.... I wanted to know if this was normal....

I used a glass to empty about 500ml-1L from the bottom so the beer would run clear, it was pretty cloudy but I imagine thats the yeast residue right?? I started bottling when the beer ran clear....

Does anyone hear only brew small batches, ie. 10-15L at a time? Space is at a premium and would like to brew about half of what i've produced already with this batch...
I think I would also like to experiment with some of my own recipes down the track and want to brew smaller batches so as not to 'waste' ingredients/time...

My old man warned me to be careful cause you can get sick.... my uncle supposedly got pretty crook brewing his own batch and had to go to the hospital 8-10 years ago.
The question is, has anyone here ever got crook after a homebrew?? I imagine it's pretty much down to good hygiene right?

Thanks again for the site...... what a great resource for info!!!

ghosty :beer:

 

[blackbock]

Welcome ghostman,

Gwynneville is near Wollongong, right?

My thoughts on the smaller batch size. The only problem I can forsee is that it won't be as economical. In fact, I was considering doing a smallish batch myself in the near future.

It's possible to get sick from eating or drinking anything in excess - homebrew being no different. In my opinion a brew that makes you sick would probably taste pretty bad anyway. Of course if your relative was diabetic or coeliac or something then that's another issue..

cheers!
BB

 

[Voosher]

Gday all first post.......... :super:

Just a couple of questions/comments/opinions........

I just started brewing my first batch (ever) this month and just bottled today.... I wanted to know if this was normal....

I used a glass to empty about 500ml-1L from the bottom so the beer would run clear, it was pretty cloudy but I imagine thats the yeast residue right?? I started bottling when the beer ran clear....

Normally if you leave a brew long enough (about a week for most yeasts and brews) the yeast will pack down enough so that you don't get much residue into your brew.
You should look into "racking" and "bulk priming" (do a couple of searches) as a step towards clearer beer.

Does anyone hear only brew small batches, ie. 10-15L at a time? Space is at a premium and would like to brew about half of what i've produced already with this batch...
I think I would also like to experiment with some of my own recipes down the track and want to brew smaller batches so as not to 'waste' ingredients/time...

You can certainly brew smaller batches. Probably the biggest issue is the free space in your fermenter if you're using a standard size fermenter. The less headspace the less chance of your brew coming into contact with excessive oxygen after it's finished. Oxygen at the wrong time in a ferment can introduce off flavours.
When I brew smaller batches I have smaller fermenters to remove this risk.

My old man warned me to be careful cause you can get sick.... my uncle supposedly got pretty crook brewing his own batch and had to go to the hospital 8-10 years ago.
The question is, has anyone here ever got crook after a homebrew?? I imagine it's pretty much down to good hygiene right?

I'm sure people have but it's not an issue many of us would have encountered.
Good sanitation, good ingredients and good technique and most would say you're less at risk with home brew than commercial beers.

Welcome to the site.
Enjoy.
:chug:

 

[ghostman]

yep, gwynneville is next to the uni........

Try the small batch and let me know!
I need to do some more research on it but ultimately a small batch that turns out pretty good will in turn be multiplied by however much I want to make.....
I thought a smaller batch would be easy to experiment with though... I would eventually like to experiment with a few different types of beers on the go at the one time, producing a good 5-10L each batch....

More web surfing for me.......

 

[ghostman]

When I brew smaller batches I have smaller fermenters to remove this risk.

yeah most definitely........ i've heard of racking...... I have the whole night to find out what it is now!!

 

[Stuster]

I've done a number of 4-5L experimental batches. (Mostly though I do 20+L batches.) As blackbock suggested, it's not that economical in some ways. You lose proportionately more when you rack to the bottles for example than you do with a bigger batch. You do get to make more different beers though and try out different hops and yeasts on a smaller scale which can be interesting. You can get smaller fermenters from your local homebrew shop (LHBS) and if space is an issue, 10L batches would be fine in those.

Never heard of anybody getting sick from homebrew, except from overindulging of course.

 

[Barramundi]

those malt shovel kits are for 11 litre batches .... basically using a tin of malt only
no added sugars .....