Theres no hiding it homebrewing can be a bit of an investment. Making beer requires time, money, space, and effort. But it doesn’t have to break the bank, there are many ways to brew great beer, some easier than others. Small batch brewing is one of the most straightforward and enjoyable homebrewing methods and the team at Two Towns Brew Co believe that small batch brewing is the way to bring the joys of great craft beer to everyone.
Small Batch Brewing is generally brewing 1 to 3 gallons per batch instead of 5+ gallons. Brewing in smaller batches can help to make you a better(more creative) brewer and save you a lot of money in start-up costs. Homebrewing in small batches is a fun and rewarding experience. Not only is the brew day a lot more manageable, stress-free, and tidy, you’ll end up making some outstanding beer to share with your friends or maybe you can just indulge in your latest creation.
Small batch brewing is an excellent introduction into homebrewing. But even for seasoned brewers, there are many advantages to smaller volume brews. Let’s dive into the finer details of small-batch brewing.
What Is Small Batch Brewing?
The “standard” batch volume is 5 gallons or about 19 liters. The majority of homebrew kits, fermenters, and brewing systems are all based around this size. If you have done any research online into the craft you will find that many recipes you’ll find are built around this value also.
Many of us are short on time, space, or budget to brew 5 gallons (or more) of beer each brew day. Opting for a smaller batch can be a great solution. You can brew small batches using a selection of established techniques, such as All Grain BIAB and extract brewing.
How is it different from regular homebrewing?
Small batch brewing is similar to other types of homebrewing, just at a smaller size with less equipment and much less space and a lot less cleaning up. Brewing a small batch can be done in the kitchen, even in the tiniest apartments.
What Equipment Do I Need?
You can get started with relatively little, some you may already have.
Must Have‘s for brew day
- Stock pot: Any material – stainless steel, aluminium , or enamelware – will work. If you’re buying a brand new pot specifically for brewing, we would recommend choosing stainless steel. You can get by with a smaller volume, but a bigger pot makes the process easier.
- Brew bag: A nylon, fine-mesh bag used during the mashing step.
- Mash paddle: A sturdy kitchen wooden spoon or spatula.
- Colander: To fit on top of the pot when draining the wort.
- Fermenter: 1-gallon glass apple cider jugs are a good go to standard for small-batch brewing.
- Thermometer: Most meat thermometers work great for homebrewing. You’ll need one to monitor your mash temperature.
- Sanitizer: To keep everything clean.
- Funnel: To easily fill your fermenter.
- Airlock and bung: To seal your fermenter during fermentation.
Bottling
Probably the most convenient storage method for any beginner..
- Mini Auto-Siphon: An auto-siphon lets you transfer the beer out of the fermenter for bottling. For small-batch brewing, buy the “mini” version, which makes transferring a breeze.
- Tubing: You’ll need a metre of so of food-grade vinyl tubing.
- Spring tip bottle filler: To quickly fill bottles without overflowing or spilling.
- Bottle capper: A winged capper will be the most economical type.
- Bottle caps
- 330ml beer bottles: For 5 Litres of beer, you’ll approx 12 clean bottles.
- Hydrometer: Not essential, but a nice to have to work out alcohol content.