Five Gallon to One Gallon Adjustments

BooneDocks · 02-10-2009, 01:34 AM

In Ken Schramm's, The Compleat Meadmaker, there is a five-gallon recipe of Medium Sweet Orange Blossom Mead. I am guessing this is likely similar to Lurgashall English Mead?

The ingredients for the five-gallon batch are:
15 lbs orange blossom honey
4 gals water
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp yeast energizer
2 packets Lalvin 71b-1122
(or 5 grams of Lalvin Fermaid in place of nutrient and energizer)

I only want to make a one-gallon batch. Do I simply use 20% of everything above, or do I adjust up any of the ingredients (for example, use one packet of yeast as would be buying at least one anyway). Also, is it better to use nutrient and energizer or the Fermaid? Thanks!

hightest · 02-10-2009, 02:18 AM

Use the mead calculator spreadsheet (in the FAQs) to setup your 1 gallon recipe. It will recalculate what you need to know - adjust the recipe to achieve a Vt of 1 gallon (or less if you're using a 1 gallon primary).

However, use a full packet of yeast - it will not be a problem.

Lastly, it is better to use the combination of Fermaid-K and DAP rather than Fermaid-K alone (better nutrient control).

BooneDocks · 02-10-2009, 03:55 AM

Whoa, looked at that spreadsheet and have no idea what to do with it vis-a-vis my questions -- trying to keep this simple.

hightest · 02-10-2009, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BooneDocks

Whoa, looked at that spreadsheet and have no idea what to do with it vis-a-vis my questions -- trying to keep this simple.

Well then it's time to learn...

Ask away, and you'll be surprised at the results...

BTW, if a guy from 8-Mile & Evergreen can use it, so can you...

**AZ_IPA** · 02-10-2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hightest

Well then it's time to learn...

Ask away, and you'll be surprised at the results...

BTW, if a guy from 8-Mile & Evergreen can use it, so can you...

divide by 1/5th, right??

Limited Visibility · 02-10-2009, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ_IPA

divide by 1/5th, right??

thats what I thought

hightest · 02-10-2009, 12:31 PM

Dividing the honey & water measures by 5 will work, but it will yield a total must volume greater than 1 gallon, which will not work if the plan is to use a 1 gallon jug as the primary.

One reason I suggested using the spreadsheet was to determine the original recipe's original conditions: OG, must volume, etc. You'd be surprised at the number of online & book recipes that have inconsistencies. Even Ken Schramm's book has a couple, and this recipe is one of them...

BooneDocks · 02-10-2009, 03:13 PM

I plan to use Carlos Rossi wine bottles for pimaries and secondaries as they are 4 liter jugs, with 4 liters being larger than one gallon and thereby providing a little headspace. Will that be adequate? If not, I could also reduce the batch size a bit more.

I am still under ten total batches of ales and one cider since I started brewing, but I have found commercial mead recently and was intrigued to try to make a small batch. I will likely also make a batch of the Joe's ancient orange as another step into mead. But as I am a new brewer and only want to test out mead making, I really don't need to hear that I have to go way above and beyond the Schramm book into recipe spreadsheets looking for inconsistencies just to try making a small batch of mead which I hope will taste like Lurgashall English Mead.

My question was, which I thought was a fairly simple one, do I need to tweak up or down just taking 20% (which is one fifth) of 5 gallon ingredients to make a 1 gallon batch. If there are inconsistencies in the Schramm recipe, yes, it could be helpful to hear what tweaks in the one gallon ingreidents I would have to make to overcome them.

hightest · 02-10-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BooneDocks

I plan to use Carlos Rossi wine bottles for pimaries and secondaries as they are 4 liter jugs, with 4 liters being larger than one gallon and thereby providing a little headspace. Will that be adequate?

It may, but due to their physical shape (narrowing neck) you'll have to decide somewhat "on the fly". There's not always a simple answer...

Quote:

...I will likely also make a batch of the Joe's ancient orange as another step into mead

IMO that is not a step forward. Will it produce a mead - Yes (so I've been told). However, making a JAO will not teach the best techniques for making a traditional mead.

Quote:

...as I am a new brewer and only want to test out mead making, I really don't need to hear that I have to go way above and beyond the Schramm book into recipe spreadsheets looking for inconsistencies...

That's fine. My thought was designed only to help you in a direction that can only help you develop a foundation for future brews.

Quote:

My question was, which I thought was a fairly simple one, do I need to tweak up or down just taking 20% (which is one fifth) of 5 gallon ingredients to make a 1 gallon batch. If there are inconsistencies in the Schramm recipe....

I did answer that question above... The inconsistency is that the recipe's honey & water proportions do not yield the OG he notes on pg 32.

BooneDocks · 02-10-2009, 04:14 PM

What quantities would you recommend for the Fermaid K and DAP?

How much head space do you think I will need?