Nooby question - mini brew using 1/2 tins?

[poges]

Hey guys

Just completed my sixth brew.... a cooper draught & yellowbox honey concotion...

anyway given I'm not a huge beer drinker and take a while to get through 30 longnecks I was wondering is it possible to brew 1/2 a kit at a time? this way I could play around with different styles (with honey / without, with that hopps / with that other hopps etc) without being over burdened with too much of the one sort.

Can I seal the remainder of a kit in a ziplock bag in fridge / freezer? Don't mind the time factor and fidgity aspect... just looking to extend my ability to play around whilst on a really tight budget.

[DJ]

I think you can either

1. Use a full can and fill to 11L. Like using 2 cans in a 22L. enought feremntables in the can to make a full strength beer.

2. try the malt shovel kits. they are designed to only make 11.5L at a time.

[blandy]

If you look after your beer alright, then it should last a while anyway.

Once you know for sure you can make really good beer that lots of people want to drink, look at giving people a slab of homebrew for their birthday or Christmas. This is a very cheap but very appreciated present. That way you can make lots of different sorts of beers without killing yourself by drinking the whole lot yourself.

[Wassa]

I wouldn't recommend using half a tin of brew and then storing the other half, you are just inviting all kind of nasties into your brew.

What you can do is try The Malt Shovel range of brews as they are made to be brewed to 11 or 12 litres. Myself, I'm not a fan of this particular brew but it may be worth a go for you.

What I'd do is make up a full 20 litres or 30 longies, whatever, and let them age. You must remember the longer the brew is in the bottle the better it gets. I never touch my brews until they are at least 3 months old and they get better as they they age.

[pacman]

poges, I have done half brews a couple of times with no problems so far.

I brew in 11.5L fermenters, and when one is asking for work, I have poured 850g of a Coopers kit into a sanitised jar & immediately capped it!

Then proceed to use balance of kit, plus 500g dextrose, etc.

I suppose there is a risk of airborne bacteria infecting the balance of the kit in the jar, but it hasn't happened so far.

Maybe I should find a jar that will hold half a kit and no more. That won't eliminate the risk, but it should certainly reduce it.

But as I said, so far, no problems.

[Cat]

I'd just carry on as you have been doing. Store the extra long necks in a spare cupboard and taste them later on down the track and see how they've improved. Or... send some over to me

[The Carbonator]

...I'm not a huge beer drinker and take a while to get through 30 longnecks I was wondering is it possible to brew 1/2 a kit at a time?

wow

I was wondering the exact opposite:

Is it time to move on to a 50L fermenter?

[DJ]

...I'm not a huge beer drinker and take a while to get through 30 longnecks I was wondering is it possible to brew 1/2 a kit at a time?

wow

I was wondering the exact opposite:

Is it time to move on to a 50L fermenter?

yeah, i didnt get it either..

[steveo]

...I'm not a huge beer drinker and take a while to get through 30 longnecks I was wondering is it possible to brew 1/2 a kit at a time?

wow

I was wondering the exact opposite:

Is it time to move on to a 50L fermenter?

Yeah, me too, they have 60ltr fermenters at the local HBS i've been eyeing off. Maybe when the tax comes back this year. 4 more kegs & a 60 would see me set up pretty well.