Today on Brew Day, I am home brewing a Brewer’s Best 1 Gallon Partial Mash IPA kit on the stovetop.
This was my first small batch partial mash brew using the new setup, and while the beer smelled incredible by the end of the brew day… things definitely did NOT go exactly according to plan 😂
If you’re brand new to brewing and trying to understand the differences between brewing methods, check out my guide on:
What is Parital Mash and How To Do It Correctly
Full Brewing Video
Brewing A Small Batch IPA On The Stovetop
One thing I really enjoy about small batch brewing is how approachable it is for beginner brewers. You don’t need a huge brewing setup or expensive equipment to start making beer at home.
For this batch, I brewed the IPA kit directly on the stovetop using a simple kettle setup and a partial mash grain bag.
Small batch brewing is honestly a great way to:
- learn brewing techniques
- experiment with recipes
- practice fermentation
- brew indoors
- make beer without committing to huge batches
You can grab this exact beer kit from Amazon if you want to brew up this beer, link here: Brewers Best 1 Gallon Kit
Equipment Used For This Brew Day 🍻
If you’re getting into small batch brewing or partial mash brewing, here’s some of the equipment I used for this IPA brew day setup.
16 Quart Stainless Steel Brew Kettle
This larger kettle worked great for stovetop brewing, although I definitely learned a lesson about boil-off rates and surface area on smaller batches 😂
Digital Brewing Thermometer
A good thermometer makes a HUGE difference when brewing beer, especially for steeping grains and yeast pitching temperatures.
Hydrometer
If you want to track original gravity and fermentation properly, a hydrometer is one of the most important beginner brewing tools you can own.
Star San Sanitizer
Proper sanitation is absolutely critical in homebrewing. This is one product I never skip.
One Gallon Fermenter
Small batch fermenters are awesome for experimenting with recipes and learning the brewing process without committing to huge batches.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 🍻
The Problem: Low Final Volume
The recipe was designed for a full one gallon batch, and I started the brew day with approximately 1.5 gallons of water.
By the end of the brew?
I was WAY under volume.
At first, I honestly had no idea what happened.
The boil didn’t seem overly aggressive, but after digging into it more, I realized the issue came down to:
surface area and boil-off rate.
Because the pot was fairly large and wide for such a small batch, the exposed surface area during the boil was much larger than expected. That caused a much higher boil-off rate over the 60 minute boil.
The result?
- more concentrated wort
- higher gravity
- more bitterness
- fuller body
- stronger IPA overall
The original gravity ended up around 1.080, which was significantly higher than the intended recipe range.
If you’re still learning brewing terminology, here’s my guide explaining What Original Gravity Means In Beer Brewing.
Brewing Mistakes Happen
Honestly, this is one of the best parts about home brewing:
you learn something every single batch.
Every brewing setup behaves differently:
- kettles
- burners
- stovetops
- boil rates
- temperatures
Even experienced brewers still run into issues from time to time.
A lot of brewing success actually comes down to process and fermentation control. If you’re struggling with off flavors or inconsistent beer, proper Fermentation Temperature Control makes a massive difference.
And if you’re trying to improve your overall brewing process, these Homebrewing Tips can help beginners avoid a lot of common mistakes.
The Fix
In the end, I topped the fermenter up with purified water to bring the batch volume closer to one gallon and balance the beer back out closer to the original recipe design.
So if you watch the full video, make sure you stick around after the main outro where I explain:
- what caused the low volume
- how surface area affected the boil
- and what I did to fix it 🍻
Final Thoughts
Despite the brewing mistake, the beer smelled absolutely fantastic by the end of brew day, and honestly… I’m really excited to see how this IPA turns out after fermentation.
And if nothing else?
At least the mistake made for some good brewing content 😂🍻
🍻 Want to learn how to brew beer at home?