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Larger fermenter, small quantity of must

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M

mgomez

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 1, 2015
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I'm buying a 7-gallon fermenter so that I can prepare up to 7 gallons of mead. Emphasis on "up to". Is there any indication against fermenting a smaller quantity of must in this fermenter? My next batch will likely be only about 3 gallons.
 
If you want to ferment 7 gallons, I'd recommend a 10-gallon Brute trash can as a fermenter. In a primary fermenter, you can always ferment a smaller batch. Headspace is not an issue until primary fermentation is complete.

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Thanks for the reply! I was thinking that headspace wouldn't be an issue. The thing is that I also heard that it's not much of an issue when racking so long as I don't plan to rack for a very long period of time (i.e. bottling once the mead clears up and stabilizes from the bentonite + K-meta + K-sorbate). Is this true?
 
Having large headspace during primary fermentation is not an issue. After primary fermentation is done, you really don't want air in contact with the mead during clearing and aging. Although meads are less susceptible to oxidative damage than beers or wines, oxidation can cause damage. More importantly, the presence of oxygen can allow spoilage organisms to grow, and sorbate/sulfite will not stop them all.

Sent from my THINGAMAJIG with WHATCHAMACALLIT
 
OK. I just figured what I'm going to do. I have two demijohns, at 10 liters each. Should I ever choose to make 20 liters of mead, this seems like a good place to rack it :D
 
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