I recently purchased a one gallon kit from NB and have a couple batches under my belt. I have only used the extract ingredient kits purchased from NB but I am looking to purchase ingredients from a local shop instead of having to go through the web every time. Problem here is that most home brew shops I have been to only have 5 gallon kits. Are there any good sources out there for one gallon recipes where I can then go out and buy the ingredients individually?
Divide the ingredients by 5. 
Purchase a nice scale that measures in oz and grams. Should be able to get a nice one in the $30-$50 range.
You are basically doing what I did when I started brewing at the beginning of the year. Like Nighthawk said, just scale down the recipes to one gallon and get a scale that is pretty accurate. I got my scale that measures “1.000” in grams and ounces from NB for $10. Granted that was in store so I don’t know if it will be on the site.
Now here comes the tricky part. A lot of recipes, especially the “pro series”, use many different grains so for one gallon recipes you will have loads of different grains by the time you buy all the different grains needed for one of those recipes. What I did was study different styles of beers and just made basic beers till I got comfortable and expanded my brewing horizons by trying different things. All of the beer ingredient kits listed on the NB website have their ingredients posted so it is a good place to start.
Your best friend is going to be brewing recipe programs like beersmith and brewpal, if you have a smart phone. You can plug in any recipe, scale it down, and it will tell you how much you need for ingredients.
Doing all grain one gallon is super simple and I found it easier to craft recipes versus extract because with extract I had to store left over extract and I didn’t like that. I used the brew in a bag method when I started and was incredibly simple and gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted with recipes.
Don’t let the thought of having an abundance of grain scare you. Uncrushed, it will last a long time and you will eventually use it.
Finally, don’t be scared to throw together a basic recipe, or whatever recipe you like, and brew it. Unless something went wrong or you are brewing a style you dislike, you will never brew at bad batch. It won’t be the greatest brew ever, but as long as it is a style you like, you will enjoy it.
If you want some ideas, here is my website of the one and two gallons brews I have done:
http://thenerdygnome.blogspot.com/As someone who started off with one gallon brewing I just wanted to share what I experienced and hope it helps you in some way.
Thank you both for you input.
Gnome, what do you use for a Mash Tun? I have looked into going all grain but have limited space at the moment to use/store all equipment (one main reason why I am doing 1 gallon brews for the time being). Do you use the grains in a bag to mash much like steeping the specialty grains in an extract kit?
When you brew in a bag you eliminate the need for a mash tun because you use your brew kettle. You can order a mesh bag but your local home brewing store should have them. You will want something like this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/larg ... -x-19.htmlbut you want something that will line the inside of your brew kettle without hanging over the kettle too much.
Here are the steps to use brew in a bag.
Line your kettle with the mesh bag and add the desired amount of water, nomally the amount of water you would be boiling. Heat your water to 156-160 F then add your crushed grains, and extract if you are using any, and stir until there are no clumps. Keep the temperature at 148-152 F for 75 minutes, you might have to add some heat if it dips below 148. Once the mash is done just lift the bag out of the kettle and either let it drip or give it some squeezes to get the liquid out of it. Discard the grains and wash the bag because it is reusable. Bring the wort to an easy rolling boil, add any hops, and let it go for 60 minutes.
If you find that the amount you boil with plus the amount of grains is too much for your brew kettle while you mash all you have to do is: For every pound of grain use 1.25 quarts of water to make the mash. Once the mash is complete and the grains are lifted out then add the necessary amount of water before you start your boil.
As I started to buy more equipment I bought bigger so I now brew 2-3 gallons at a time and I use a mash tun for those
If you decide you want to use a mash tun for one gallon batches you can buy 2 gallon rubbermaid or igloo water coolers and convert them into mash tuns. That will run you $40-$60.
