Make half a can?

[jdbennet]

Ok, the canned kit I have makes 40 pints (23 L) and asks for 1KG of sugar to the 1.5KG of malt extract.

But my fermenter is only a small 8.5 L one, so that wont work.

Do i add just add 1/3 of everything ? Or do I add the whole can and the recommended amount of sugar but just less water?

 

[MattyIce]

What fermenter do you have that is only 8.5L? An ale pail (24.5L) or similar would really simplify things for you. You will want your fermenter to be at least ~20% bigger than your batch size to allow for the krausen.

 

[jdbennet]

The keg type one one from an old MrBeer cider kit (ive got a better fermenter on order)

It takes more than 8.5L total, thats just how much the markings go up to on it, i.e. how much the MrBeer usually makes, in addition to that, there is about 10-20% headspace for the krausen.

edit: This http://www.mrbeer.com/hard-cider-kits. Beer i want to make: http://www.wilko.com/cider+beer-brewing/wilko-dark-velvet-stout/invt/0318379

 

[jdbennet]

Well, I tried it with the full amounts of ingredients, and the less water, its got a huge foamy head though (much more than the cider, which was my first ever brew, this is my second) had, so it seems to be working, im worried its too much and will spill over, should I loosen the top more? (im going away for a week so will put it in a box in case it blows)

 

[JohnSand]

That lid has vents, it shouldn't blow off unless they clog. Just wipe off the outside, and maybe the threads.
Your beer is going to be very strong. You can split those kits in half and use the MrBeer fermenter.

 

[jdbennet]

Great, ill make sure to wipe around the vents/threads with sanitiser.

If it comes out too strong (i.e. undrinkable) could adding water at bottling time save it?

 

[kh54s10]

My guess since you use enough ingredients for 5 gallons and only put 1/3 the amount of water needed. The alcohol level is going to be so high it will kill the yeast before they can ferment it all the way. I doubt the results will be any good probably not drinkable... Sorry.

 

[scottyb710]

Way to sweet

 

[jdbennet]

Sigh

Ill leave it for a week and see.

Then ill try again with my new better-sized fermenter.

Thanks!

 

[JohnSand]

I have added water at bottling to lighten an overly strong beer. It worked. Be sure to use filtered water or boiled and cooled water so it won't have chlorine. When I did it, I only watered half of the bottles for comparison. Both halves were decent. Don't give up on the brew. A quick calculation suggests that it will be very strong, about 9.6%abv. But many yeasts can handle that. If this was hopped extract, the bitterness should match the malt. If you added hops separately, your usage will be low. A big beer like that will need months in the bottle, give it time. Don't ever give up on a brew until you are absolutely certain it is ruined. We all make mistakes, especially when starting out. Some of those mistakes turn out well, others are just lessons. Get a good book on brewing. I like Palmer's How to Brew. A lot of it will be hard to understand at first, but study and practice. You'll reach the point where you share one of your homebrews and get the incredulous reaction: "You made this?" It's worth all of the work.

 

[jdbennet]

It seems to still be fermenting, its getting less sweet and a little boozy, i tried some with 50% water and it seemed drinkable, so im gonna leave it a bit longer and dilute it at bottling.

 

[JohnSand]

Thanks for the update.

 

[banks741938]

Not to jack this thread but is it possible to take a larger lme like a large coppers can and split it into two batches. I know that would be hard to get it perfectly split into two but it could be done fairly close. How would you store it (fridge/ freezer) and how long would it last till you could brew the other half. Just curious cause I have small batch set up and some of those lager Lem kits can be bought for the same price as the small can

 

[BigJack]

Not to jack this thread but is it possible to take a larger lme like a large coppers can and split it into two batches. I know that would be hard to get it perfectly split into two but it could be done fairly close. How would you store it (fridge/ freezer) and how long would it last till you could brew the other half. Just curious cause I have small batch set up and some of those lager Lem kits can be bought for the same price as the small can

If you have a kitchen scale, splitting a big can is very easy, actually.

As far as storage, once opened, put the leftover LME in an airtight container in the fridge and brew in a month or two at most. Your danger is oxydation here, not so much "spoilage." The sooner you use it the better.

Edited to say that I seem to recall another Mr Beer user saying they added an inch of vodka over the top of the LME to protect it for long term fridge storage. Never tried it myself.

 

[banks741938]

Neat. Might have try that.