Fermenter size for small kit

[adamgm]

Hello all,
quick question: I'm about to start my first 1 gallon kit of beer. The instructions are calling up a small fermenting bucket though. Is there any reason I can't use my normal fermenting bucket (5 gal)?

Thanks!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I love my one gallon glass carboys. I understand people who are concerned about the dangers of big glass carboys, but the one gallon ones are easy to handle, clean and store. Doesn't the kit come with a one gallon glass carboy? I have heard that using too large of a fermentor can lead to issues with oxidation and infection due to the large head space in the container.

 

[adamgm]

No, it doesn't come with any carboys. I have my normal, plastic, 5 gallon one. OK to use?

 

[adamgm]

I have heard that using too large of a fermentor can lead to issues with oxidation and infection due to the large head space in the container.

Ah ok, thanks.

 

[McKnuckle]

This is only a concern if you leave the beer with a large headspace for an extended time once it has finished actively fermenting. If you can rack it to a secondary vessel that is close to the finished volume, such as a one gallon glass jug, that would be fine. Such a jug is too small for primary because it doesn't leave enough headspace.

If you prefer the ease of avoiding secondary and bottling straight from the primary, then I'd find a 2 gallon white plastic bucket at Home Depot.

 

[PADave]

This is only a concern if you leave the beer with a large headspace for an extended time once it has finished actively fermenting. If you can rack it to a secondary vessel that is close to the finished volume, such as a one gallon glass jug, that would be fine. Such a jug is too small for primary because it doesn't leave enough headspace.

If you prefer the ease of avoiding secondary and bottling straight from the primary, then I'd find a 2 gallon white plastic bucket at Home Depot.

I've done many 1 gallon batches in 1 gallon jugs. Just need to use a blow off tube. To the OP, they are cheep, my LHBS sells them for $5.

 

[CUrchin]

IMO, a two gallon bucket would be much better. Trying to siphon 1 gallon off of trub in a 5 gallon bucket will be a PIA. On 1 gallon glass jugs- back when I was doing 1 gallon batches I always found proportionally that a lot of beer would go out the blowoff tube when using those1 gallon jugs. A two gallon bucket would reduce or eliminate that problem. Cheers.

 

[MaryB]

I use 1 gallon jugs for small batches, haven't lost that much to blow off...

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

2 gallon bucket (food grade plastic) or 1 gallon jug/jar/carboy that you can use a blow off tube and airlock on.

 

[C-Rider]

HD sells 2 gal buckets. I use them all the time for my 1.9 gal batches which produce 18 bottles.

 

[crynski]

I love my two gallon buckets. Got mine at Lowes and got a bottling spigot from local home brew store, made a 2 gallon bottling bucket. I have duplicates of my primary stuff though because my sister in law is Celiac's so I want her to be able to enjoy ciders and meads. A couple 2 gallon buckets are cheap and easy to have multiple experiments going at once. The glass one gallon jugs will be where my Mead ages (first one is in primary now).