How to split 6 gallon batch

[njohnsoncs]

I want to brew my first batch of cider so I bought a Brewers Best kit which makes 6 gallons. I have a 6.5 gallon bucket and a 5 gallon carboy and two 1/2 gallon growlers I can use. I want to use the 6.5 gallon bucket for beer the weekend after I brew the cider so I could use the bucket during the initial fermentation stages then rack to the carboy and growlers. This is the best plan I have come up with so far.

Another idea is to split between the carboy and two growlers immediately so I don't have to rack later. However, I worry about headspace and how to split up the dry yeast.

Any thoughts on these two ideas?

 

[Hankhill11]

I did their cherry kit in January. I believe i followed the instructions 100% but possibly let it sit slightly longer if it wasn't clear, i can't remember.. I pitched on 12/29 and bottled on 1/22. Given that is longer than one week, you may be better off just making a 5 gallon batch instead of the full 6. It will be a little higher alcohol content, but may have a little stronger flavor too. Then you don't have to mess with splitting.

If you did decide to split it after 1 week into 5 gal in carboy, and 1 gal between growlers.. i don't think you'd have to worry much about head space, I think it'd still be producing CO2 at 7 days.

I would avoid splitting from he get-go as much as possible. That just seems like a way to introduce inconsistencies in sugar, yeast, flavor, and all that.

Probably not the most helpful, but just my 2c.

 

[njohnsoncs]

I did their cherry kit in January. I believe i followed the instructions 100% but possibly let it sit slightly longer if it wasn't clear, i can't remember.. I pitched on 12/29 and bottled on 1/22. Given that is longer than one week, you may be better off just making a 5 gallon batch instead of the full 6. It will be a little higher alcohol content, but may have a little stronger flavor too. Then you don't have to mess with splitting.

If you did decide to split it after 1 week into 5 gal in carboy, and 1 gal between growlers.. i don't think you'd have to worry much about head space, I think it'd still be producing CO2 at 7 days.

I would avoid splitting from he get-go as much as possible. That just seems like a way to introduce inconsistencies in sugar, yeast, flavor, and all that.

Probably not the most helpful, but just my 2c.

I'm leaning towards fermenting in the 6.5 gallon bucket for a week then racking to the 5 gallon carboy and two 1/2 gallon growlers for the remainder. I don't want to lose a gallon and I want to follow the kit as closely as possible.

I agree, I'm not confidence I could split, for example, the yeast accurately. By splitting after fermenting a week, that should alleviate these concerns since everything should be well mixed.

I really should just buy another fermenter but, for now, I don't have the space.