Big Scale Batch, Small Scale Fermentation

[statseeker]

Recently I did a small one gallon batch of beer for a friend of mine out of a kit. I have all of the brewing equipment of a larger batch brewer, but I started thinking about doing small scale fermentations of a gallon across 5 fermenters totalling 5 gallons.

I can see a lot of benefits to this method, especially if I can make a stand for bottling and a fitting for the tops of the jugs. No need to transfer to a bottling bucket. Also yeast washing would be worlds easier just in labor by handling smaller jugs. Lagering 1 gallon bottles is easier in a small fridge. I'm not seeing any downsides to this method.

Of course I would need to split starters. But just making a good sized starter and doing a 5 way split is pretty easy.

Bring my enthusiasm for this down to earth please. What are the cons?

 

[dyqik]

Off the top of my head...

Cons: More vessels to clean; more equipment required; more space required; much more careful temperature control required because each vessel has lower thermal mass and smaller size; possibly more loss to trub and yeast cake in the fermenters.

Pros: Split the risk for infection in the fermenter; options to test yeasts, dry hopping, fruit additions, souring bugs, fermentation schedules and temperatures against each other; smaller vessels to lift and move around.

 

[PaintedRat]

I find it's harder to dial in a recipe with small measurements of adjuncts.

 

[ArcLight]

>>Of course I would need to split starters. But just making a good sized starter and doing a 5 way split is pretty easy.

I have thought about splitting starters and I don't think it's as easy as you say. When the flask is taken off the stir plate, the yeast chunks begin to settle. If you pour into container 1 then 2 then 3 ... You will have less yeast in the first container and more in the last container.
If you alternate, pouring a little here and there, you may under pitch in one of the containers. For those of us that make a starter by letting it ferment out for 5 days, then cold crashing and decanting the spent liquid, its even harder, because you have a small amount of mush.

Or am I overlooking something, and is there an easier/better way?



Also - why would you bottle directly from your fermenting bucket? How will you add priming solution? Pour it into the primary, and gently mix it? That will still stir up some yeast or may not mix the primer in uniformly.
In addition I'd think you would be more likely to get more yeast in your beer. Unless you leave behind a bottle plus in each bucket, for a total loss of a 6 pack.

 

[statseeker]

I dont think they settle as fast as you think they do. Yeast washing can take forever just waiting for the trub to settle enough to get the yeast out. The pouring process would only take a minute. And as far as bottling goes, ferm tabs, split wine yeast if there is none in solution. Easy peasy. You'd need a sensitive gram scale, which I can get from a head shop, etc. I dunno, I'm thinking this may not be difficult.

Rat- You brew 5 gallons, you ferment 5 single gallon batches.