Building a 1 or 2 gal all-grain setup for testing recipes

CharlaineC

I'm looking to build a small 1 or 2 gal for the testing of new recipes and maybe instalation into an rv later on. Before spending the money to order large amounts of grain I would like to find a way to mouse proof (field mice from the wheat fields surrounding me) my brew-house beforehand. I've never built my own AG setup so I really would love some assistance with ideas on making a small one. Seeing I can only ever find the information for larger 5gal or more setups.

SanPancho

the main question is 1 or 2gallon? 2 gallons is not too hard, as there are quite a few 2.5 to 3 gallon fermenters available pretty much anywhere. one gallon is harder, as you wont find any off-the-shelf 2gallon fermenters. although putting it in one of the 2.5/3gal fermenters isnt horrible by any means. just not ideal. but if you go with 2gallons, you might as well make it 2.5. then you just take any 5gal recipe you see and cut it in half. easy peasy.
the only thing you need to mouse proof is your grain storage. they arent interested in hops. a 5gallon bucket with lid is probably fine for grain storage given your small batch sizes. and cheap. the "gamma lid" option is extra protection, although not necessary.
as to the actual brewing, go for BIAB. just need a kettle and a bag for your grains. that's the easiest way to do small batches, without having to buy a bunch of new gear. in a pinch, you can use same kettle for your 5 gallon batches, but you'll likely experience pretty heavy evaporation during the boil. a smaller kettle will be easy to find at walmart, amazon, etc.

BrewnWKopperKat

The book Speed Brewing has a couple of chapters on BIAB targeting 1.75 gal kegs. Good ideas on equipment and process.
Mash temperature stability becomes much easier in the 2.0 - 2.5 gal range. In the 1 gal range, people often put the mash in a pre-heated oven.

CharlaineC

Thank you both. I'm new to the making smaller test batches before the larger batches idea but I want to recreate some of the recipes I lost and just cant keep the grains on hand like i used to currently.
As for mouse proofing the plastics can be chewed through I learned that with my old brew-house. was forced to switch to steel trash cans with silicone gaskets I cut myself to make them air tight. the mice around here are pretty bad at times. I'm hoping to get a small shead at some point to make into a grain storage or to expand the brewhouse to include room for storage in time. but for now i need to think small during building recipes and go from there.

hotbeer

For all grain 1 gallon batches you are only looking at roughly 2 lbs of malts. So it shouldn't be an issue for storage. 10 pounds of malts fits nicely on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator. Though my spouse wishes I put it elsewhere.
Nothing expensive required for 1 gallon all grain. Though a 1 gallon glass or plastic jug will only ferment about 3/4 gallon. I did find some 5 liter jars that I used for quite a while. And a well equipped kitchen probably has a stock pot decent enough to boil in. And for me BIAB lends itself well to small batches on the kitchen stove. Either with full mashes or partial mashes dunking the bag in clean water to rinse after the mash time is finished.

AlexKay

For fermenters, I like NB/Midwest’s LBMB (plastic, with spigot.). Some headroom, wide mouth, no glass, cheap enough. I ferment in 1.75-gallon kegs as well.

CharlaineC

i have the fermenters 1,2 and 3 gals including modified LBK's my main concern is mash to boil atm.

hotbeer

Why mash to boil? That for me is just as simple as fermenting. Though it is the most messy with pots and all the mess I make in the process that has to be cleaned up.
My only concern for boiling might be if you have enough BTU's in the propane burner of a typical RV stove. But that can be solved easily by getting an induction hot plate if you are going to be at a hookup and have electrical service.
For mashing, I pretty much just hit my strike temp and once the malts are evenly wetted and the temps checked, then I just wrap the pot in a large fluffy bath towel to keep the heat in (stove burner is off of course).

Dr_Jeff

You should be able to find a fridge or freezer that is bad and use it for your grain storage.