Brewing smaller batch sizes is something that many homebrewers are exploring, whether for considerations of space or to brew a greater variety beers. This is another recipe that can be brewed with a simple 3-gallon (11-L) all-grain brewing setup. With this 3.0-gallon (11-L) all-grain brewing setup, you can brew all-grain beers in your kitchen and have everything fit on your countertop. There are also somes fringe benefits to brewing at this scale — you don’t need to make a yeast starter when using liquid yeast at specific gravities around 13 ° Plato (roughly 1.052) or less, the wet T-shirt method works well for cooling fermenters at this scale, and your heating and cooling times can be very quick. (See our post on small batch brewing for more.) This is a great way for apartment dwellers to brew all-grain batches. The only downside is that you yield 3.0 gallons (11 L) of beer rather than 5.0 gallons (19 L).
There are also 5-gallon all-grain and extract versions of this recipe. For other 3-gallon all-grain recipes, see the links at the bottom of this post.
“Freyja’s” Eyes
Golden ale
by Chris Colby
All-grain; English units
DESCRIPTION
A crisp golden ale with a grainy and bready pale malt flavor. Hop bitterness and flavor are quite high for this type of beer, but not to the point of masking the malt character. The relatively high pitching rate and low fermentation temperatures yield a fairly clean fermentation, even though a Belgian yeast strain is used.
INGREDIENTS (for 3 gallons)
Water
adjust brewing liquor so that mash falls into pH range of 5.2–5.4
Malt (for an OG of 1.052, at 65% efficiency, and 8 SRM)
3.5 lbs. US 6-row malt
2.0 lbs. German Pilsner malt
12 oz. Vienna malt
4.2 oz. crystal malt (30 °L)
Hops (for 29 IBU total)
0.18 oz. Magnum hops (12% alpha acids, 60 mins) (13 IBU)
0.15 oz. Centennial hops (10% alpha acids, 60 mins) (9 IBU)
0.30 oz. Willamette hops ((5% alpha acids, 15 mins) (5 IBU)
0.15 oz. Cascade hops (5% alpha acids, 15 mins) (2 IBU)
0.30 oz. Willamette hops (0 mins)
0.15 oz. Amarillo hops (0 mins)
Yeast (for an FG of 1.012 and 5.2% ABV)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast
(1.5-qt. yeast starter)
or
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
(1-qt. yeast starter)
or
11.5 g sachet Fermentis Safale US-05 dried yeast
Other
3/5 tsp. Irish moss (boiled for 15 minutes)
Optional: 3/5 vial Clarity Ferm or 5 g (~2 tsp.) Polyclar AT (PVPP)
2.9 oz. corn sugar (for priming to 2.5 volumes of CO2)
PROCEDURES
Heat 8.9 qts. of brewing liquor to 163 °F and mash grains — in your brewpot — at 152 °F, for 60 minutes. Stir the mash a couple times and heat briefly to maintain temperature. Heat mash, while stirring, to mash out temperature of 168 °F. Scoop mash into 3-gallon beverage cooler lined with a steeping bag. Recirculate wort until almost clear, then run off. Sparge steadily over 45–60 minutes to collect around 4.0 gallons of wort. You will need around 9 quarts of sparge water, heated to 170 °F for this. Bring wort to a boil. Once the hot break forms, add bittering hops and vigorously boil wort for 60 minutes, to yield a post-boil volume around 3.25 gallons. (If hot break is not big and fluffy, add 1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride. Top up the boil with boiling water, if needed, while the wort is boiling. ) Add hops and Irish moss at times indicated. Chill wort, then rack to fermenter. Your yield should be about 3.0 gallons. Aerate wort thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F if using the Belgian yeast strain, 68 °F if using the American yeast strain. After fermentation stops, let beer settle for 2–3 days, then rack directly to keg or secondary fermenter. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO2.
Option (for clearer beer): Add 3/5 vial of White Labs Clarity Ferm when yeast is pitched. Alternately, if you rack to secondary, dissolve 5 g of PVPP in roughly 1.75 fl. oz. (50 mL) of hot water and gently stir into top layer of beer. Let settle overnight, then rack beer to keg or bottling bucket.
The key pieces of a simple 3-gallon (11-L) all-grain brewery — a 3-gallon beverage cooler, with steeping bag to line it; a measuring cup (or similarly-sized vessel; and a a 5-gallon (19-L) brewpot.
“Freyja’s” Eyes
Golden ale
by Chris Colby
All-grain; metric units
DESCRIPTION
A crisp golden ale with a grainy and bready pale malt flavor. Hop bitterness and flavor are quite high for this type of beer, but not to the point of masking the malt character. The relatively high pitching rate and low fermentation temperatures yield a fairly clean fermentation, even though a Belgian yeast strain is used.
INGREDIENTS (for 11 L)
Water
adjust brewing liquor so that mash falls into pH range of 5.2–5.4
Malt (for an OG of 1.052, at 65% efficiency, and 8 SRM)
1.6 kg US 6-row malt
910 g German Pilsner malt
340 g Vienna malt
120 g crystal malt (30 °L)
Hops (for 29 IBU total)
5.1 g Magnum hops (12% alpha acids, 60 mins) (13 IBU)
4.3 g Centennial hops (10% alpha acids, 60 mins) (9 IBU)
8.5 g Willamette hops ((5% alpha acids, 15 mins) (5 IBU)
4.3 g Cascade hops (5% alpha acids, 15 mins) (2 IBU)
8.5 Willamette hops (0 mins)
4.3 g Amarillo hops (0 mins)
Yeast (for an FG of 1.012 and 5.2% ABV)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast
(1.5-L yeast starter)
or
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
(1-L yeast starter)
or
11.5 g sachet Fermentis Safale US-05 dried yeast
Other
3/5 tsp. Irish moss (boiled for 15 minutes)
Optional: 3/5 vial Clarity Ferm or 5 g (~2 tsp.) Polyclar AT (PVPP)
2.9 oz. corn sugar (for priming to 2.5 volumes of CO2)
PROCEDURES
Heat 8.5 L of brewing liquor to 73 °C and mash grains — in your brewpot — at 67 °C, for 60 minutes. Stir the mash a couple times and heat briefly to maintain temperature. Heat mash, while stirring, to mash out temperature of 76 °C. Scoop mash into a 3-gallon (11-L) beverage cooler lined with a steeping bag. Recirculate wort until almost clear, then run off. Sparge steadily over 45–60 minutes to collect around 15 L of wort. You will need around 9 L of sparge water, heated to 77 °C for this. Bring wort to a boil. Once the hot break forms, add bittering hops and vigorously boil wort for 60 minutes, to yield a post-boil volume around 11.5 L (If hot break is not big and fluffy, add 1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride. Top up the boil with boiling water, if needed, while the wort is boiling. ) Add hops and Irish moss at times indicated. Chill wort, then rack to fermenter. Your yield should be about 11 L. Aerate wort thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 19 °C if using the Belgian yeast strain, 20 °C if using the American yeast strain. After fermentation stops, let beer settle for 2–3 days, then rack directly to keg or secondary fermenter. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO2.
Option (for clearer beer): Add 3/5 vial of White Labs Clarity Ferm when yeast is pitched. Alternately, if you rack to secondary, dissolve 5 g of PVPP in roughly 1.75 fl. oz. (50 mL) of hot water and gently stir into top layer of beer. Let settle overnight, then rack beer to keg or bottling bucket.
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