1-Gallon Fermenter Recommendation?

What types of containers (preferably cheap containers) do you use to ferment your 1-gallon batches? Does a one-gallon jug have enough headspace? A 2-gallon too much?

I use 1 gallon glass jugs that i get from my local super market. They are originally apple juice jugs buy they cost $8 each which is cheaper than they sell for at our home brew shop.

Or you could go to a local recycling center and pick up the same gallon jugs for $0.50

If you drink Carlo Rossi Wine. Then those work well. My LHBS sells them for $2 a peice (used) Or you can buy 1gallon jugs for like $4 or $5 ea. online

I picked up a couple of 1 gallon clear glass jugs for $4.99 each at my LHBS this past weekend. There is a ONE GALLON raised lettering, and the bottom of the letters appears to be the exact 1 gallon mark. So, they have 4 inches of headspace from the top it would seem. I imagine these are sold in most shops around the country, but who knows.

Starting with a one gallon fermenter is too small to almost be useful. If you're looking to get 3 quarts of finished, undiluted mead/wine/cider, then that is fine. I start my 1 gallon recipe out with about 1.5 gallons total. After primary is finished in the bucket, I rack to a 4L Carl Rossi, like the others said, then rack again to the Rossi, then on the third racking, I'll start going to the gallon containers. Otherwise, It's not really worth the effort to get at most 3 good bottles.

Edit. Maybe I should clarify some more. I use a lot of fruit, so I'm guaranteed to lose volume. If making a mead using only honey and other sugars, perhaps a 4L primary will suffice. I still think it's a bit too small, but if all you are losing is yeast, it may be good enough to rack down into a one gallon jug.

Whodathunk that a 1-gallon batch would be such a PITA? So if I use 1-gallon jugs for primary and secondary, I'm probably looking at 3 liters of final product? That sounds like a waste of time. Let's step this up a bit...what do you recommend for a 2-gallon or 2.5-gallon batch?

The Mr. Beer LBK's work great for 2.5 gallon batches. And they have been on sale for $10.00 for a while now.

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/377

I know there's a lot of folks that do 1 gallon batches but I agree with you wintermute2, seems like a lot of effort for such a small return. At least you'll get a case of beer with the 2.5 gallon batch for your labor.

And BTW... I know the description say's 2 gallon. But there's plenty of headspace and the thing is graduated. If you fill to the "bottom of the Q" in the word quart, you'll be right at 2.5 gallons with headspace to spare.

Honestly go to a home brew supplier and get yourself a 5 gallon demijohn for 20 bucks, while you are there grab a bung and an airlock.

Let's face it, it's as much work to make a one gallon batch as it is to make a 5 gallon batch...and even 5 gallons is never enough.

After you wait a few months to consume your final product the last thing you want is to only have 4 bottles of it.

I have a 2 gallon bucket that works for me. Then I rack to a 1 gal carboy and a beer bottle to have some for toppping off at the next racking. So far, I have been ending up with just about the right amount in the carboy by the end when it comes time to bottle.

Yes, though I am starting to go to a 6 gallon bucket for primary (about 3.5-4 gallons of stuff) so I can end up with 3 gallon batches. Same process: secondary is 3 gal carboy and a couple beer bottles, third/forth round usually ends in a 3 gal carboy.

Inner10 said:

Honestly go to a home brew supplier and get yourself a 5 gallon demijohn for 20 bucks, while you are there grab a bung and an airlock.

Let's face it, it's as much work to make a one gallon batch as it is to make a 5 gallon batch...and even 5 gallons is never enough.

After you wait a few months to consume your final product the last thing you want is to only have 4 bottles of it.

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The problem with a 5gallon...New homebrewers who begin with mead. Dont want to drop $100 on honey to make a good perfect mead. We want to throw a bunch of stuff into a 1gallon jug and hope for the best. and experiment our way up. 5gallons is a lot, but at the same time. 1gallon is fun for the new homebrewers..myself included

DaveVanO said:

The problem with a 5gallon...New homebrewers who begin with mead. Dont want to drop $100 on honey to make a good perfect mead. We want to throw a bunch of stuff into a 1gallon jug and hope for the best. and experiment our way up. 5gallons is a lot, but at the same time. 1gallon is fun for the new homebrewers..myself included

Click to expand...

Fair enough Dave...but heck it's only money, just don't tell the wife.

I also like to experiment , which if it turns out poorly its a lot easier to accept having to use say 4 bottles(gallon) to cook with or turn into vinegar then the 20+ bottles you would get from 5 gallons.

At this point I don't have the experience to say for sure if I know a particular flavour combination will turn out well, or if I will even like a certain experiment(a Bochet sounds good, but having never tried one, and having no way to sample one, I have no idea if I will love it or hate it). One gallon batches allow me to try something with less than a $20 investment, then scale up the ones I like later.