Small batch in 6gal fermenter

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FrankB

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I am getting ready to start a cherry wine reciepe, most that I have found are for 1 to 3 gallons, yet, I only have 6 gallon fermenters. Can I use that or do I need to get a new fermemter? I did a quick search of the forums but wasn't able to locate anything dealing with this issue. I am not sure what size of batch I will have, going to be picking the cherries tomorrow, not sure how many I can reach from the trees, but they are loaded.
 
Well, for primary, headspace doesn't matter. But you probably don't want to use a carboy anyway. For fruit wines, you remove the fruit (in a bag) after about 5 days, and you also stir the wine daily so a carboy wouldn't be easy to use. A big bucket, covered with a towel is fine.

Then, after the first 5-7 days, you want to siphon ("rack") the wine into a carboy. In secondary, you really want to have minimal headspace, so you want to match up the carboy size with the batch size. You can use simple jugs, like the ones from Carlo Rossi wine, with a stopper (#6 for one gallon jugs) and an airlock. If you make a 4 gallon batch, you could use one three gallon carboy and one jug, or even four jugs. You just want to top up almost to the bung to prevent oxidation at that point.

If you plan on a three gallon batch, you could use a bucket for primary and then use a three gallon carboy. What I like to do is use "extra" must for topping up as you have racking losses. You can use wine bottles and the like for that (they use smaller stoppers, but you can still use an airlock). So, even if you make a three gallon batch in the end, you could start with 4 gallons.

Often my young wine will be in assorted containers as a result, so it's nice to have a few different sized vessels. Even a beer growler (1/2 gallon) works to hold wine!
 
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