Is recipe scaling just a simple ratio?

For grain and hops, a simple ratio works well. However, hop utilisation changes slightly with volume, and yeast pitch rates should be recalculated for very large or small batch changes. Water chemistry may also need adjustment.

Do I need to adjust hop amounts when scaling?

For moderate scaling (e.g. 23L to 46L), a linear scale works fine. For large changes, hop utilisation can differ due to different wort concentrations — you may need to adjust by 5-10% for very large batch increases.

How do I scale yeast?

Yeast should be scaled proportionally to volume and OG. If doubling batch size, double the yeast. For very large batches, use a pitch rate calculator to verify cell counts rather than simply scaling packet numbers.

What about water volumes and mash thickness?

Strike water and sparge water scale proportionally. Keep the same water-to-grain ratio (L/kg) when scaling to maintain the same mash characteristics.

Do hop additions scale linearly?

Hop quantities scale linearly for the same batch concentration. However, if your boil gravity changes significantly when scaling, hop utilisation changes and you may need to adjust. For similar gravities, linear scaling is fine.

BrewCalcs

Recipe Scaling Calculator — Recipe Design

Scale a recipe up or down to a different batch size.

Original Batch Size

Target Batch Size

Grain (original)

Enter any ingredient amount

Hops (original)

Yeast Packs (original)

How We Calculate This

Scaling Factor

Scale Factor = Target Batch Size / Original Batch Size. Multiply all ingredients by this factor to get the scaled amounts. This maintains the same proportions and character of the original recipe.

Considerations

Gravity and colour will remain the same when scaling proportionally. IBUs should be very close. For very large scale changes, verify hop utilisation and yeast pitch rates independently as these can diverge from linear scaling.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify values and adjust based on your equipment and ingredients.