Has anyone split a 5 gallon batch?

Northern Brewer General
1

I’d like to brew small, one gallon batches using the 5 gallon extract kits. Has anyone split up a 5 gallon kit like this or have suggestions? I only have space for two, maybe three 1 gallon jugs for fermenting. Would half the ingredients still be good for later use? Thanks.

2

I’ve brewed 5 gallon batches and split them for experimenting with different yeasts. So it should work fine. As long as everything is clean you’ll be fine.

As far as storing it all. Grains I would keep in something airtight and the hops n yeast I would keep in the fridge. My fridge has an airtight crisper that really is air tight. So it works well.

Others here probablyhave more experience with this and will hopefully chime in. Good luck.

3
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brew ... allon.html

Look at the 3 gallon Better Bottles. The foot print should not be much more than a 1g jug. But you can do 2.5g batches.

Pick up a kitchen scale to help divide the ingredients. For more accuracy, get one that measures in grams. Some well reviewed ones on Amazon for under $30

The ingredients stored in the freezer should be fine for a couple of months.

4

Heck yeah! You can split kits no problem.

5

Thanks everyone, this forum is awesome. Too bad I’m so limited on space, it looks like the standard 5 gallon batch is the only option that saves you money over buying good beer at the store. After shipping, the 1 gal kits are maybe not worth it. I will definitely do this soon, whether it’s in a 3 gal better bottle (future), or three 1 gal jugs (now). Thanks again.

6

The only problem I see splitting kits up is that most all of them use LME and that would be a pain to get equally divided. It may be worth it to see if your HBS would convert them to DME.

7

One thing I got really hooked on for awhile was splitting a single batch post-mash. You can do one mash, and get 5 gallons, and do separate boils with different single-hops. Or if you are an extract brewer, just scale down the amount of extract needed and do 5 separate boils. Its a great way to learn how different hops work in beer.

8

Sounds like my typical setup, 1 20gal mash, 2 10gal boils and 4 5gal fermentations