Noob equipment/recipe questions

[Faile85]

Hello all! So I realize there are probably other noob threads I could look up but it's easier for me this way. I'm looking at attempting to make some mead for the first time and am trying to decide between getting about 4 1 gal glass carboys vs 2 3gal better bottles. The recipe I want to start with is the Orange clove recipe that's supposed to be easy for beginners. Mind you this will be my very first attempt at fermenting anything so all advice is welcome. I understand there's a bunch of debate over glass vs bbs but for a small scale 1st timer like me would the bbs make life simpler? Primary and secondary would both be done in these containers. Also, some explanation on which yeasts are better at what would be nice, and I'm up in the air over nutrients and the other chems added. The videos I've looked over use raisins and orange for nutrient and ph I'm assuming.

 

[NMZippo]

I would start with BOMM link to thread is below. It is easy and quick a lot of question will be answered. Also below is the this or that sticky. it will answer your questions on the diffrent fermentors.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/brays-one-month-mead-429241/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

 

[bernardsmith]

The size of the fermenters you want will depend on the volumes of wine and mead (and cider and beer) you see yourself making. My suggestion would be to start small with one carboy (whether glass or plastic) and use a food grade bucket as your primary fermenter. Although if you ask brewers on this forum when they seal their carboys with a rubber bung and airlock they might tell you the second after they have pitched the yeast. If you ask wine makers the same question they will tell you that they don't even begin to think about fermenting in a sealed container until the gravity falls close to 1.010 or lower. They want to incorporate air into the fermenter during the first few days by stirring and ensuring any fruit is kept wet and in full contact with the yeast.

As to whether glass or plastic is better there is no answer independent of your own preferences and your own preferences will be determined by a whole host of things like- the likelihood that you might drop or mishandle the carboy or if you intend to store your carboys on say concrete floors or on carpets or in wooden or plastic crates (glass breaks easily) or whether you have good upper body strength (glass weighs more) or whether you intend to use a vacuum pump to move the liquid from one carboy to another or to remove the CO2 (carbon dioxide) before bottling (plastic will deform) or whether you have a sink and plumbing that can easily allow you to clean plastic or glass (glass does not scratch easily and scratches offer a home to bacteria)... In my opinion sometimes plastic is better and sometimes glass is... It is , as they say, horses for courses...

 

[porterpounder]

Buy a 3 gallon for primary and secondary in 1 gallon. That way you can keep the O2 out better with the conditioning mead and add different post-fermentation stuff in small batches and compare if you like to experiment.

 

[Faile85]

Ok so here's another question, if one packet of yeast is used for 5gal of must would I be ok splitting one packet between two 1gal batches? All of the 1gal recipes I've seen list a whole packet in the ingredients.

 

[fuelish]

Ok so here's another question, if one packet of yeast is used for 5gal of must would I be ok splitting one packet between two 1gal batches? All of the 1gal recipes I've seen list a whole packet in the ingredients.

I would say yeah if both halves are being pitched at the same time....I wouldn't trust trying to keep an opened package sanitary....but yeah, a half package of yeast is plenty for 1 gallon, for sure.