6 gallon concentrate to 6 1-gallon batches

[jm75979]

I have pretty much decided to start with a 1-gallon equipment kit since I don't want to invest a lot into something I have never done before. I will surely start with a 1-gallon wine kit to start. I have noticed that the number 1-gallon selection of concentrates are few. Would there be a problem buying a 6-gallon wine kit and splitting it up in 1-gallon batches? Would the unused juice go bad between batches? Thanks.

 

[Mismost]

I would think you could split into 6 equal gallon freezer bags and freeze it and it would be fine. BUT....I have never done that before. I have used frozen peaches, plums, flavor packs lots of times have noticed no ill effects. I have made decent wine from frozen juice concentrates...folks buy frozen juice pails. So, yeah, I think you could do that.

I also think very shortly, you will be into six gallon size batches. I was!

 

[jm75979]

I suspect you are right about moving to 6 gallons. lol. My thought was that I can use the 1-gallon equipment when I do upgrade and add the 6-gallon tweaks. Over time, I can add pieres.

 

[NorCal]

I would buy a hydrometer, airlock, bung and make your first batch. A pH meter would also be nice. You can find food safe plastic or glass to ferment and store in. The first few batces are about learning. I would steer away from a kit and make Jail Wine, Skeeter Pee or Dragon's blood. Understand what and more importantly why you are doing things.

Good luck!

Here is my start, investment of $3. I made 140 gallons from grapes this year.

 

[Sag12]

Maybe jm you can start also with a one gallon kit. If you live in the States look at Northern Brewer, they have their own small kits. If you're in Canada, my kits retailers in Montreal told me a few weeks ago that Mosti Mondiale came out with a few of them recently.

 

[Johnd]

I would buy a hydrometer, airlock, bung and make your first batch. A pH meter would also be nice. You can find food safe plastic or glass to ferment and store in. The first few batces are about learning. I would steer away from a kit and make Jail Wine, Skeeter Pee or Dragon's blood. Understand what and more importantly why you are doing things.

Good luck!

Here is my start, investment of $3. I made 140 gallons from grapes this year.

Look @JohnT , Welch's!!!!!!

 

[joeswine]

1 gallon wine kits

Actually this is a great way to get started if you.1,want to learn the process correctly and 2, have a better finished product it will also allow you know if you want to invest in the correct equipment for 5 or ,6 times the volume..any questions??

 

[JohnT]

Look @JohnT , Welch's!!!!!!

Welch's.. Why did it have to be Welch's??

 

[salcoco]

the problem as I see it is that the kit is concentrate, and balanced for the final wine once water is added. if you want to make one gallon batches, add the required water to 23liters and then split up the batch. keep the remaining juice cold and it should be okay for further use. Alos the yeast only needs to be one gram for a gallon batch. normally packet is 5 grams.

 

[Tnuscan]

These kits are designed so the juice in the pouch has a very high brix and very acidic pH.

This is what helps them last in the packet, and Void of oxygen.

 

[Scooter68]

I think that void of oxygen is pretty important too unless you can purge the container with nitrogen.

 

[joeswine]

There are no down sides to this method and as I stated before for a beginner you see all the process without the cost and as a mixer for a full kits you need to think outside the box, without over thinking the process.

 

[Tnuscan]

Those 1 gallon kits are a smart way to save and explore.

 

[Mismost]

Those 1 gallon kits are a smart way to save and explore.

explore yes....save? not so much.

 

[joeswine]

ÀThink for a moment if you're a kit maker,I have enexpensive kit,say a melody 6 gallon kit and wanted to blend it with a sharaz,I could in fact blend them together or element some of the Merlot if so no matter how you cut it it then becomes part of the craft of blending.Cost if I thought about the cost of this hobby over my entire time in it I would go to the nearest store and buy wine,so that doesn't come into play.I guess it's what style of wine making your use to .A full blown grape wine maker's or a kit maker's we all like to play with our Wine.

 

[terrymck]

I'm sorry but I can't see the point buying a 6 gallon kit and making 6 one gallon batches unless one wants to make them all different. Same amount of work for one gallon as doing 6; probably more.

 

[joeswine]

That does sound non productive, if you had the time and we're willing to experiment,you could us that method as a process for seeing how one wine style is effective with 6 different yeasts.

 

[DoctorCAD]

It's just as much work to make 6 gallons as it is to make 1 gallon. The reward is 6 times better...

 

[jm75979]

I was thinking that the 1-gallon would allow me to better manage the initial learning and controlling of the process until I better understood what I was doing. Never having done this before, I didn't want to invest in more than I could manage and control. I figured I can always come back and upgrade my equipment and still find use for the 1-gallon equipment. I also wanted to do smaller batches so that I can store 4 or 5 bottles of several varieties rather than do a 6-gallon and consume my storage space with 28 to 30 bottles on one variety.

 

[jm75979]

In regards to making 6 1-gallon batches rather than a 1 6-gallon batch, I have pretty much abandoned that idea - at least in the short term.