Splitting a 5 Gallon Batch

[JohnK93]

Today I bottled my batch of APA that I split into two 2.5 gallon fermenters to try out two different yeasts. While I'm looking forward to the taste test, bottling was a huge pain. Let's face it....bottling is a bit of a chore, so bottling from two different fermenters is twice the prep, twice the siphoning, twice the cleanup. Maybe for someone with more equipment this isn't as big of a chore, but I'm just getting started and only have the basic setup. I also had to ferment in a carboy because I only have one fermenting pail, and that thing is a pain to work with! I'm sticking to pails from now on (unless there's a good reason to use the carboy).

I'm also a little disappointed in my yield. My first two batches yielded about 52 beers, but this time I only got 44 bottles. Must have left more in the trub, and I also ended up with 2 half-filled bottles.

It was a good experiment, but I'm not sure I'm going to be splitting a 5 gallon batch again. To anyone considering this, I'd suggest upping the quantities to a 6-7 gallon batch to make it worth the effort.

 

[supermoth]

Does your basic equipment include a bottling bucket with spigot, autosiphon, and bottling wand? If not, those are a few very inexpensive things that will make the bottling a lot easier. If you haven't, check out Revvy's bottling sticky. Lots of good advice in there!

I recently split a 5 gallon batch into 3/2 and bottling that wasn't so bad. It was a lot better than bottling two 5-gallon batches at the same time. I've decided not to do that anymore!

 

[JohnK93]

No, I don't have a bottling bucket with spigot yet, but it's on my list. I do have a bottling wand though, which I can't imagine bottling without. The tricky part is starting the siphon from my spigot-less bucket and attaching the wand. I have an auto siphon but I haven't used it in conjunction with my bottling wand. I have only used the wand with a regular racking cane at the other end.

 

[ryan_howard]

I've made several split batches, and actually quite enjoy it. Most recently, I did full batch of a nut-brown, and then after two weeks, put two gallons from it into one-gallon growlers with some cacao-nibs for a chocolate "sub batch". I then bottled the rest.

The spigot is the way to go. Lowes carries food-grade buckets, and I bet you could install your own spigot. Total set-up under $10.

 

[C-Rider]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

All your questions answered.

 

[ludomonster]

I've split up a batch to experiment with dry hopping and came out with two distinct but very good beers. Bottling can be a chore, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier. I bottle with a buddy, take my time prepping the bottles and knock a few back.