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Rater than buying a smaller fermenter could i just do 5-10L test batches in my 30L fermenter or would the large empty air space affect the brew? I would like to experiment with different beer, cider and ginger beer recipes but 23L is too much for an experiment.

You're better going with 4L demijohns, but larger fermenters will work as long as you can add a bit of CO2.

how do I add co2? Will it work if I don't add the co2?

the point of the Co2 is to purge the dead air in the fermenter of Oxygen, because Co2 is heavier.

you can use dry ice, or a Co2 bottle from a keg set-up.


I don't see it as that much of an issue personally, any oxygen in the airspace at that point in time won't hurt anything.

Edit: I'd buy the demijohns anyway, it'll be a lot easier.

i mostly brew 12L batches - logic being if it's crap, i don't waste as much, if it's good, i do it again - in a standard sized fermenter, which i assume is 30L (can't be bothered checking) and have no worries.
I'm no scientist, but i imagine even a small brew would create enough co2 to push the oxygen out...?

Brew em BIG.. lifes to short for small batches!

I've done some ordinary batches but ended up drinking them all

Every batch is a test batch for the next! Im doing some intensive research right now

Right on Pixel! Every 'mistake' is a great experience.

I'm yet to make a mistake that wasn't tasty!

Yep, I agree.

It takes much the same effort to brew a full size batch, as it does a smaller one.

I also drink my mistakes, and it's a strong incentive to do better.

My first 10 or so AG batches were mostly OK, some better than others with one or two disasters. I now know what grassy means, and what DMS is like, but since then I think I have pretty much got the styles I want to brew to what I hope they would be.

Having said all that, if you really want to brew a half batch in a 30 litres fermenter, that is no problem at all. Once your fermentation kicks off, it will develop enough CO² to purge all the headspace of O² anyway, and it will thus develop it's own protective layer of CO².

haaah don't let these alcos scare you off
I tend not to have more than a beer a night, so if I brewed full batches every time i'd never get to try new beers - this way i can enjoy a whole heap of different beers and still have a functioning liver

warra48 wrote:I also drink my mistakes, and it's a strong incentive to do better.

I don't want to punish myself with some of my early attempts! I make beer cos I enjoy it, no point drinking the crap in my mind

warra48 wrote:I also drink my mistakes, and it's a strong incentive to do better.

Thats exactly what I do, if you don't punish youself, you dont have that incentive to do better, be cleaner of brew more rationaly. One of my brews I experimented with is ready to drink now and I've just had two, it's a Coopers real ale, LDME, various english hops, and for the f**k of it I put in a 12g flameout addition of a Tettnang T-Bag cause it was there . It's not good. But I'll drink that mofo

StuTee wrote:haaah don't let these alcos scare you off
I tend not to have more than a beer a night, so if I brewed full batches every time i'd never get to try new beers - this way i can enjoy a whole heap of different beers and still have a functioning liver

warra48 wrote:I also drink my mistakes, and it's a strong incentive to do better.

I don't want to punish myself with some of my early attempts! I make beer cos I enjoy it, no point drinking the crap in my mind

Yeah, but I brew AG, and if I don't drink them I've wasted 5 or 6 hours of brewing time.
I can't really complain. Out of my 15 AG batches to date:
1 was grassy from dry hopping Willamette.
1 has DMS. Don't know why, but I don't intend to brew lagers in future, so the problem shouldn't recur.
2 had some infection issues, but that's been resolved, as I figured out what was causing it.
The other 11 batches have been downed with much enjoyment. The last 6 batches have all been extra good, and I've been happy enough to give samplers to family members and my golfing mates.

The ratio of duds to successes when I did kits and extract/spec grains was not dissimilar.

Still, if you want to brew small batches, go for it. IIRC, DrSmurto did some experimental batches like that early in his AG career. You brew what you want and what you want to drink. That's the beauty of HB.

Er, why don't you use one of those Malt Shovel 12L fermenters?

Chris wrote:I'm yet to make a mistake that wasn't tasty!

I've only made one: Cascade Golden Harvest Lager. What's more, my only fault in the process was the choice of kit.

T.

drtom wrote:I've only made one: Cascade Golden Harvest Lager. What's more, my only fault in the process was the choice of kit.

Sometimes you just can't win. That would be one of those times.

I would not do anything smaller than a 10L batch in a 30L fermentor. I would not be worried about the oxygen being driven off as there will be plenty of CO2 produced by the yeast. But so amount of time the fermenting wort is exposed to oxygen before this happens is a concern.