I am a small batch brewer (1 gallon/3.8L). I recently conducted my third mini-BIAB attempting to clone Bass Ale. I have found the BIABacus to be extremely helpful, but want to ensure that I am getting the most out of it. I was hoping that someone could take a look at my numbers and see if I am on track, or if there is something that i could do to improve my brewing process. My biggest concern after my most recent brew was the amount of trub in my fermenter after transfer. I am used to trub, but I have never had this much (approximately 16 oz / .5 L). Again, is it something to do with my process? Any thoughts...

PP,

I cannot thank you enough. The information that you provided has been extremely enlightening and helpful.

BIABacus Assist

First, you were correct. The original Bass Ale recipe that I used, I got out of a book. I have since modified my Section B to credit Tess and Mark Szamatulski and their book "Clone Beers" for the recipe.

Second, you were also correct, that I had to modify the recipe for scaling. Additionally, I modified the ingredients as the recipe called for ingredients that I was unable to attain from my LHBS. After receiving your response to my post, I feel like a bone head in that I did not recognize that BIABacus automatically scales the recipe based on my input. I do not know how I missed that before, but thank you for pointing out the obvious. I have already made adjustments to my Sections C and D, based on your input, and believe that I have a better recipe for when I try this again! (attached is my BIABacus adjustments for any further guidance!)

Small Batch Brewing

Thanks for your encouraging words about small batch brewing, but I realize that i still have a long way to go. My goal with small batches is to perfect my brewing technique while providing me with the opportunity to create a lot of variety. However, with small batch brewing comes many challenges. My biggest problem has been temperature control. Whether it is the mash or my fermentation, being able to maintain a constant temperature with such a small volume has been challenging. For my mash, I have started using my oven (pre-heated) to hold my kettle to a constant temp. This has worked pretty good in my last two efforts as I have been able to maintain within two degrees of my target temp. As for fermentation, utilizing a dual stage temp control device in a fermentation chamber has made all the difference. I maintain about .5 to 1 degree difference to my desired fermentation temperature.

For those interested in small batch brewing, I have included my Brew Day Checklist. This is a simple modification of the BIABrewer Checklist. This Checklist is always a work in progress as I think I modify it after every brew. Hopefully, this can be of some help to a small batch brewer just getting started.

Trub

I attached a picture of my last brew right after I pitched my yeast and put my fermenter into the chamber. The trub seems excessive for such a small batch. I am not sure if this is normal, a result of cold break, or something else, but this is the most trub that I have ever had heading into fermentation. Anyone's thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Again, thanks for the help, and I am sure that I will have more in the future!

BrewJeep