Very Impatient - Small Batch?

[MVZOOM]

Guys,

I'm too impatient to wait till I finish the boiler etc.. I have the HLT and mash tun done, so intend tonight to let my first AG rip. But, instead of a partial, I'll do a little AG!

So, 4kg of various grains, and I'll just reduce the hop additions to make an 11l Amber Ale. My OG should be 1057, FG 1025 and 4.8%.

Anyone have issue with this?

Chers -Mike

 

[AndrewQLD]

Hopefully your final gravity will drop a bit lower than 1.025, and be prepaired for a higher OG as well, I calculate 4 kilo of ale malt to give you 1.073 and that is only with 65% efficiency, but apart from that sounds good, what hops do you plan to use? Hope you enjoy your first AG.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Ash in Perth]

Ive been doing small AG batches for ages. did my last one the other day. i usually use about 3-4kg of grain to make 12-17L brews. works fine.

 

[Malnourished]

Pfff.... 11L, 12-17L... that's not small!

I'm currently doing 5L batches - beat that

 

[Mr Bond]

Pfff.... 11L, 12-17L... that's not small!

I'm currently doing 5L batches - beat that

Then you my man,truly deserve the title"micro brewer"

 

[Ash in Perth]

is that why you name is 'malnourished'?

Do they turn out alright? be great to do to play round with recipes.

 

[Trent]

MVZoom
Small AG's are a great way ti fill in the time till ya get yer full sized kettle. I am assuming that the 1025FG was a bit of a typo, as that is only about 55% attenuation. I am also with AndrewQLD, I think that 4kg will give you quite a bit higher than 1057. What I would do, is take your 23L recipe, and just halve everything, too easy.
All the best
Trent

 

[user 384]

I haven't been drinking much lately but I still want a good selection on tap, so I have been making batches big enough for my 3 gallon kegs. This has meant using around 2.5-3kg of grain.

My only advice is to consider the size of your mash tun. In a big mash tun 3 kg of grain plus water takes up bugger all space and I have found that with a large head space the msh temps drop a lot quicker than 75%-100% full mash tun. If your mash tun is going to be relatively empty with a small grain bill, consider preheating it to reduce the temp drops, or adjust the mash temp with boiling water half way through the rest.

Cheers
MAH

 

[Malnourished]

is that why you name is 'malnourished'?

Do they turn out alright? be great to do to play round with recipes.

LOL

They turn out fine, and the playing around with recipes thing is the best part about it, though I'd still prefer to use my full-size system. I've been brewing a bunch of those recipes you accumulate over the years but never get around to doing - it's great.

 

[stephen]

Pfff.... 11L, 12-17L... that's not small!

I'm currently doing 5L batches - beat that

Aaahh! That explains your moniker...

 

[MVZOOM]

Thanks all -

My calcs are off as I used the Brewcraft calculator, which specified Crystal grains instead of Ale.. So thanks for the check!

It'll be Amber Ale, I have Amarillo hops to go in. Dinner first, bath the kids, then into it!

Cheers - Mike

 

[Voosher]

There I was worried about the size of my equipment.

My single boil AG's are currently limited to around 13.5l in the fermenter.
At this volume 2.5kg grain yields OG's around 1055. I do crush very fine however because 2.5kg doesn't take long to sparge even when it's predominantly flour.

 

[Peter Wadey]

MVZOOM,
Too late now, but don't forget that you can do a high gravity boil in your undersized kettle, and then dilute to desired target OG in the fermenter. If you do this, modify the hopping to account for a change in utilisation.

Peter

 

[MVZOOM]

MVZOOM,
Too late now, but don't forget that you can do a high gravity boil in your undersized kettle, and then dilute to desired target OG in the fermenter. If you do this, modify the hopping to account for a change in utilisation.

Peter

Peter - yes, thanks for that. This is what Brett (Duff) does, and no-chills to 15l cubes. I need to get promash / beersmith to do the calcs.

Didnt' get there last night- was past 8.00pm before I could start, would have taken too long - so will try again tonight.

Cheers - Mike

 

[Trough Lolly]

I haven't been drinking much lately but I still want a good selection on tap, so I have been making batches big enough for my 3 gallon kegs. This has meant using around 2.5-3kg of grain.

My only advice is to consider the size of your mash tun. In a big mash tun 3 kg of grain plus water takes up bugger all space and I have found that with a large head space the msh temps drop a lot quicker than 75%-100% full mash tun. If your mash tun is going to be relatively empty with a small grain bill, consider preheating it to reduce the temp drops, or adjust the mash temp with boiling water half way through the rest.

Cheers
MAH

Good point - MAH....for small batches, I give the 10 Gal rubbermaid a miss and grab the stainless stock pot - direct heat mash on the stove and I can easily give a protein rest and then ramp up the mash to saccharification and mashout temps easily. I get slack and scoop out the grains and drizzle sparge with a colander - but still manage to get 75%+ efficiency... B)

Cheers,
TL