The size of the Batch determines the size of the Boil, which directly determines the size of the Mess! Boiled Wort (beer before it’s fermented) has an annoying tendency to boil over, and since Wort is essentially sugared water...Well, The Mess is sticky, large, and difficult to clean up. The best way to avoid this epic mess is to simply..Brew Small! Trimming down the size of the Beer Batch from 5
1/2 Gallons to 4 Gallons has a tremendous effect on the Homebrewing process. The Boil Volume is reduced from 2+ Gallons down to 1 1/2 Gallons. That’s just 6 quarts! The perfect size to boil in a standard 12 quart pot, without the looming threat of a boil-over and resultant Mess. Avoiding boil-overs is not the only advantage To Brewing Small. Pitching (adding) Yeast to 4 Gallons vs. 5 Gallons results in a more vigorous fermentation and eliminates any lag-time that could ruin your Beer. Also, Should your Beer go South on you (occasionally this could happen) Your investment in the batch is roughly half of a traditional Batch. In Addition, Controlling the Fermentation temperature of 4 gallons is much easier than 5 1/2. Brewing Small is less intimidating to the Novice Brewer, and that means more people will find Homebrewing to be MORE Fun! That is really the best reason, over-all, to Brew Small! Lets go have some fun!
