# reducing recipes



## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

I'm no expert in making mead but have made wine for several years. I'll leave the real advice to the experts but I would suggest making a small batch in a 1 gallon glass container and not making a small batch in the 5 gallon container. I just bought a few gallon jugs of wine at the liquor store and re-used them to ferment in.

[ April 12, 2006, 11:22 AM: Message edited by: Propolis30 ]


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Propolis30 has the right idea. I think that with the smaller batches you have to be move careful about fermentation temperature control and ingredient measurements.


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## scott_dixon (Apr 29, 2003)

well, if I go the full 5 for simplicity, that yeilds like 30 bottles right?? my conversion might have, or probably, was off. All I could find was a quarters to mililitres converter then diveded that by 750. If turns out a little off, I'm out all that raw honey!


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

It's an investment for sure. Things to consider: the smaller the batch, the more the temp will fluctuate and, as noted, the more room for error. Also the more potential for oxidation during transfers, and the more (proportional) loss to racking, etc. 

Additionally, it's pretty painful to wait a year, turn out a great mead, and then have only two bottles to show for it.

That said, the gallon size can be recommended as a minimum. Make a 1 1/3 gallon mead, ferment it in a larger vessel (a five-gallon is OK if you rack it soon after it starts to slow, really as soon as it won't foam over the smaller jug), then rack to a gallon jug. If necessary, get a smaller stopper and ferment the leftovers alongside in a beer bottle, wine bottle, etc. as appropriate for the amount left. Then, when you rack the main batch, use the sidecar bottle for topping up!

My vote would be for the full batch personally. Then you get to try a bottle every few months and "watch" it age. Sanitize your equipment, use quality ingredients, and it'll be fine. Just give it time. Remember what 80s pop taught us... you can't hurry love!


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

Personaly I never make less than a 5 gallon batch if I can help it unless it's something really unusual or a novalty.....like Japaleno Wine for example.


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## MeadMan (Feb 28, 2005)

I would say go for 5 gallons. Its just as much work to make 1 gallon as it is for 5. to me 1 gallon seems like more trouble then it is worth. i only make 1 gallons as a test batch for a larger volume.
I totally agree with Ben. Mead is pretty easy to make as long as you follow good sanitation practices the only problem you will have is that you don't like the recipe you made. Usually it is due to the yeast strain IMHO. I'm not a wine guy so some of the wine yeast profiles turn me off. But I do like Lalvin's d47 strain. Plus it flocculates well. Drinking some 2 year old braggot with that strain and it is great.
5 gallons should yield 25, 750ml bottles, but realisticly count on 23-24 bottles.
You don't need luck for good mead just good sanitation.
But, good luck anyways if you think you need it!


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