WHAT SMALL BATCH BREWING IS ALL ABOUT.

In life we usually associate bigger with better, but that isn't always the case and definitely not when it comes to home brewing. Small batch brewing refers to a batch under 5 gallons down to as little as one gallon (or if you are into litres which I am, between 3 and 18L although starter kits stick to around 5L). It makes it cheap and easy for newbies to get into or experienced home brewers to experiment. Small batch brewing can be done using either all-grain or extract methods, however we do recommend all-grain as you get a better flavour and in-depth knowledge to create better brews.

Read on to find out the benefits of small batch brewing, where to find the equipment you'll need and some recipes to get you started.

BENEFITS OF SMALL BATCH BREWING

1. Lower Cost of Equiptment, Power and Ingredients.
   Generally the cost of equipment is cheaper due to the size of the jugs, pots etc you need. The larger batches also require more electricity to heat, boil and chill wort. And finally the brew will require less grain per batch so you can either save, or splash out of expensive ingredients such as honey or maple syrup.
2. Cheaper to Experiment.
   Looking for a new hobby? You don't want to fork out hundreds of dollars not knowing whether you'll fall madly and deeply in love with home-brewing!
   Experienced brewer? Experiment with new flavours with lower risk of having to pour your batch down the drain or suffer in silence drinking a failed mint chocolate stout.
3. Increased Speed to Mouth.
   What better reason do you need to embrace small batch brewing?
   Boiling and chilling smaller volumes is much quicker, and the clean up more manageable so you can quickly have your batch brewed and ready to consume.
4. More Variety in Life.
   No one wants to drink the same beer over and over. Spice up your life with various brews to keep your friends impressed and your taste buds satisfied.

CHALLENGES OF SMALL BATCH BREWING

1. Sourcing Equipment - check out the starter kits below so you can quickly get setup to brew your first batch of beer!
2. Scaling Recipes - check out the small batch recipes uploaded to Brewtoad.
3. Same Time. Less Beer. - if this is an issue for you, move over to the big brewing packages section

Small Batch BREWING PACKAGES / Starter kits

There is a great article on www.homebrewing.com that provides a 'Small Batch Brewing Kit Buyer's Guide and ranks the Brewer's Best 1 Gallon Kit as the clear winner in terms of the equiptment. And the good news is that you can buy it through Amazon and they ship to Australia.

There is also a few companies locally that will give you everything you need to get started with your first batch:

• Brew Smith: Nice review here of all the different brews on The Craft Pint.
• For Hops, Cones, Base Malts and Specialty Malts head over to our friends at F.a.T GRAIN!

And iKegger can also help with the:

• No-rinse santiser and bucket for sanitisation (spray bottle also quick and handy)
  No Rinse Percarbonate Cleaner from iKegger
• Storage vessle using our kegs/growlers and tapping systems to give you the best pour
  iKegger Mini Keg Packages

Need small batch beer recipes?

Brewtoad provides a range of small batch recipes which you can find on their website that have been uploaded by memebers, and here are some of our mini kegs and growlers that will help when you come to store and serve your brew: