1 gallon or 6 gallon

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Scot

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Question: I am looking at various kits to get started. I'm not sure which one to go with. What are some advantages if any with the 1 gallon kit. It doesn't appear that any one sells wine kits for the 1 gallon.
 
I do see some small wine making kits but dont know how they are and they are pretty expensive compared to what you can gget for a 6 gallon batch(almost the same money) with the exception of buying the equipment. Look up "Wine in a Barrel" kit and you may hit a few sites. Cabelas the sporting goods place even sells them but they are $60!
 
I am not a kit expert I only make fruit wines from juice or fresh fruit. But I would say that 1 gallon is too small a batch to make decent wine.

It takes the same amount of effort and time to make 3 gallon or 6 gallon. Only for bottling you need a bit more time to sanitise the needed bottles. And then with a 1 gallon kit you get what ??? About 5 bottles.

A one gallon carboy will also not take a lot less space as a 3 or 6 gallon one. And you would need the same equipment.

I do make some 5 liter batches (1.4 gallon approx) for testing purposes. Meaning exploring new fruit, or mixes of fruit and developping new recipes.
And as soon as I have made a good wine this way I move over to 3 or 6 gallon carboys.

Luc
 
I also make fruit wines..kits are really expensive here. I do small batches in 5 litre carboys, they make 6 and a half bottles of wine each. As Luc says they are pretty much the same workload as a 6 gallon fermenter (plastic bin). I prefer the small batches though, means I can play with ingredients, as my wines come from what is grown in the garden and I don't often have enough to make a huge batch. ( except for apples and peaches in summer) Also I find them easier to lift and deal with. Otherwise I'd have to roll my teenager out of bed to give me a hand :)

Allie
 
Question: I am looking at various kits to get started. I'm not sure which one to go with. What are some advantages if any with the 1 gallon kit. It doesn't appear that any one sells wine kits for the 1 gallon.

Scot:

I guess it would help if we knew where you lived. One imperial gallon kits are readily available in the UK. They WERE also available at Wine Kitz stores in Canada, although not all stocked them. I talked to one (non stocking) store owner last month, and he seemed to think that they had been dropped. The web-site was still there though.

There are a couple of new one gallon products appearing on the US market, but as they are not available to Canadians, I haven't paid much attention. Check Costco, Amazon, and Sam's Club.

Steve
 
Why can't you get the 5 litre carboys?

Allie
Myabe because Canada is too close to the USA. I can get 23, 19, and 11 litre (6, 5, and 3 US gallon) carboys. Also 4 litre jugs (may be closer to 3.78 litres, which is 1 US gallon). It is hard to find 1 Imperial gallon jugs (actually 4.54 litres).

Steve
 
Steve,

I have seen one 23 litre for sale here $80 NZD. The 5 litre are quite cheap at$17 ea, we don't have the in between sizes in glass.. I'd like to have a few 11 litre ones..manageable sizes without doing your back in.

Allie
 
Gee whiz Allie, I paid $5.50 Cdn (plus taxes) for a new US gallon jug empty, and $6.49 Cdn (no taxes) for one full of apple cider.

$17 NZD = $11.33 Cdn or $8.93 US. I guess that isn't as bad as I first thought.

Steve

Steve
 
Steve..

$6.49 Canadian for 5 litres of cider?

OMG!

Perhaps I should move countries? hehhehe

Allie
 
Steve..

$6.49 Canadian for 5 litres of cider?

OMG!

Perhaps I should move countries? hehhehe

Allie
Perhaps I should mention non-alcoholic cider. But I seem to have added some stuff and some yeast, and I do believe that it is magically now alcoholic.

Steve
 

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