What size carboy for mead?

[mr_stout]

I have a one gallon carboy. I used a one gallon blueberry mead recipe. The recipe called for one gallon of water even though that amount of water would never fit in the jar with 2 pounds of blueberries. Anyway, I put in 2 pounds of blueberries, 2 1/2 pounds of honey, and one packet of Lalvin D47. The rest of the space was filled with water up to the one gallon mark.

The night I created this concoction the airlock blew off. The airlock flew all the way up to the ceiling! I have blueberry stains on the ceiling and the walls. I do not think it will ever come off.

What is a good size container to use for a one gallon of mead? One gallon carboy will not fit one gallon of water plus all the ingredients.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Probably a 3 gallon...

 

[CKuhns]

Size matters! (Sorry couldn't resist.)

Regardless of the size of container I would suggest you always leave space for foam during primary. I typically fill just below the shoulder of the carboy regardless of the size of the one i am using. Most folks recipes when referencing a gallon most often mean it as total volume, honey, water and fruit. General rule of thumb for most recipes is about 3 pounds of honey plus or minus a bit per total gallon and with the fruit 2 1/2 pounds is certainly reasonable.

 

[bernardsmith]

Best to use a food grade bucket as your primary. They can hold about 2.5 gallons- so you have plenty of room for a very active fermentation and can then rack the contents into a carboy you use as the secondary..You'll have more than enough to rack without any need to top up the secondary..

 

[Drewed]

We have all done that at one time or another. I was shaking a gallon to degass after adding nutrients. Blew about a 1/4 of the gallon all over the kitchen.
I use 1 gallon carboys all the time. They are actually about a gallon and 1/4 ish. The 1 gallon recipies I've seen are "... and water to one gallon." Even so, you can get some active fermenters that will blow on you! I will run a blow off tube into a container of sanitant or cheap vodka for the first day or three in case of uber ferment.

 

[fossilcat]

^ What bernardsmith said. I'm one of the few, it seems, that have never used a carboy for primary. After reading so many stories about this unorthodox psychedelic ceiling painting method, I went straight to buckets. I use the 2.5 gal buckets for 1 gal batches. Everything else up to about 4.5 gals I use a 6.5 gal bucket. A 5 gal batch can be done in a 6.5 gal bucket but you have to be real careful when you degas, especially during the first week. You should plan on creating at least 1/3 your batch size in foam when you degas.

Besides, if you're planning on bottling 1 gallon of mead, and plan on fruit in your primary, you'll need way more than a 1 gallon space.