When starting out brewing, I often recommend not worrying about calculating the ABV of your beer, especially if it’s your very first batch. In some circles, this is considered a mistake. I have nothing against the practice – in fact I always take original and final gravity readings when I brew. But when you’re just starting out, it adds one more step that could lead to potential contamination, while reducing the final volume of beer you’ll bottle. Let me explain:
Small Batch Brewing: Six Reasons to Try 1-Gallon Brewing
You can brew in 1-gallon batches? Oh yes, small batch brewing is awesome.
Read just about any intro to home brewing book, however, and you’ll find yourself walking the same path I did when I took up this awesome pursuit: buying all the requisite equipment and ingredients for 5-gallon brewing. It was the easiest way to get started. All the recipes I had access to were scaled for 5 gallon brewing, and since I was so new to brewing, I had no clue I had a choice in the matter. I simply assumed all home brewers were brewing in 5 gallon batches and proceeded accordingly.
I got all the equipment and ingredients needed to brew my first beer (Palilalia IPA from Charlie Papazian’s Complete Joy of Home Brewing) and off I went for years without giving the batch size any thought. But after pouring two consecutive botched brews down the drain, I started asking myself if there was a better way. If you’ve ever poured that much beer down a drain, you know the feeling. I can’t imagine how the pros feel when they have to do the same, at much larger scale!
Oh, and I was also moving to a much, much, smaller house, and as a kitchen brewer who would find himself in a home with no storage space (our three kids got first dibs with all their toys and clothes), I knew I’d need to take a different approach. So, now that I’ve sufficiently foreshadowed what comes next, here’s the comprehensive list:
1-Gallon English IPA Recipe
English IPA Recipe On this side of the Atlantic, we love our North American-style IPAs, but there's still something to be said for the original English IPA. If you haven't read up on the history of this beer, please do so. It's fascinating stuff. During the British occupation of India, an enterprising Brit decided to [...]
1-Gallon Hefeweizen
If you’re not a hop head or you want an easy-sipping beer on a hot summer day, this beer will take good care of you.
1-Gallon Blonde Ale Recipe
For this one, we’re going with light sweetness, and low spices. It’s designed to be an easy-going, easy-sipping blonde for those of you who love Belgian beers.
1-Gallon California Common Beer Recipe
California Common Beer Recipe If you ever wanted to make your own version of Anchor's spectacular steam beer, give this California Common Beer Recipe a try. This is one of the great American beer styles and Anchor was one of the pioneer microbreweries that kick-started a movement that has most of us now enjoying the [...]
1-Gallon Extra Special Bitter (ESB) Recipe
Extra Special Bitter Recipe If you like English ales and English hops with lots of malty goodness, than you'll like this extra special bitter recipe. It's perfect for a slow-sipping afternoon. ESBs tend to be darker gold or a copper colour. And if you've ever had the perfect pint of ESB (no doubt with your eyes [...]
1-Gallon Belgian Dubbel Recipe
If you love rich and malty Belgian beers that make a good thing of phenolic flavours, mild hop bitterness and a hint of caramel flavours, look no further.
