2.5 Gallon Batch

[Abrewba]

Other than the obvious responses I expect to get, like... Why would you want to have less beer?... Are there any technical drawbacks to making a 2.5 gallon batch in a bucket or carboy designed for 5 gallons?

I am still doing extract brewing but I am really interested in trying to tweak recipes, methods, etc but the one gallon batches just aren't doing it for me... The guy at my local homebrew store is more than willing to half the ingredients to some of the five gallon kits...

But I didn't know if having all that headspace would cause any issues with fermentation...

 

[DocScott]

No real problems except for a small risk of oxidation. Remember though, that the headspace will fill with co2 as the fermentation gets going. Once you open the bucket though (samples, gravity checks, dry hop, etc) the head space may fill with some o2 again.

I would suggest checking in the bakery of your supermarket for 3 gallon food grade buckets with lids. I picked up a couple for free a while back when I wanted to do smaller batches. Just make sure they had something in them that can be washed out (cornmeal, frosting - not pickles). Works great and allows you to secondary etc without worrying about the excess head space.

I would suggest maybe


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[rodwha]

I make 1.75 to 2.5 gal test batches from time to time, though I use small buckets I got from a bakery or a Mr. Beer fermentor.

As was mentioned there shouldn't be an issue other than opening it up which will disrupt the CO2 layer that will protect your beer from oxidizing.

I don't test the FG until bottling day, which is 3-4 weeks from brew day unless I'm dry hopping. Some may say this is a little willy nilly, but there's no real reason why it shouldn't be done in that time, and I just don't see the point in testing it often. I'm in no real hurry...

 

[Abrewba]

Ok great... Like what I am hearing so far... Definitely going to investigate getting some food safe buckets from a bakery or grocery store...

 

[rodwha]

Ooops.

 

[Abrewba]

Going for it... Anyone else like to chime in?

 

[Oginme]

Clean and inspect the buckets carefully. I know that some buckets of icing I picked up from a local doughnut shop had grooves on the inside where they had scraped the icing out. Those grooves will hold bacteria and never really get cleaned out.

 

[C-Rider]

Clean and inspect the buckets carefully. I know that some buckets of icing I picked up from a local doughnut shop had grooves on the inside where they had scraped the icing out. Those grooves will hold bacteria and never really get cleaned out.

HD has 2 gallon buckets w/out grooves. LOL

 

[RM-MN]

I do a lot of 2 1/2 gallon batches in a 6 1/2 gallon fermenter bucket with no issues. My fermentation puts off plenty of CO2 to purge the oxygen from the top.

 

[rodwha]

Make sure those buckets are food grade.

 

[ShineOn]

I make 3.5 gal batches all the time
If you have Sam's Club near ya get this...... http://www.samsclub.com/sams/member-s-mark-spring-water-4-gal/prod1180623.ip?navAction=

Throw away 4 gal carboys!!!!!! that come filled with water

 

[stru]

You should just ferment in your 5 gallon bucket. The chance of something bad happening is minuscule, assuming solid sanitation practices.