# 1 gallon or 6 gallon



## Scot (Mar 13, 2009)

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.


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## Wade E (Mar 13, 2009)

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!


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## Luc (Mar 14, 2009)

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


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## St Allie (Mar 14, 2009)

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


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## cpfan (Mar 14, 2009)

St_Allie said:


> I do small batches in 5 litre carboys,


 Wish I could get 5 litre carboys.

Steve


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## cpfan (Mar 14, 2009)

Scot said:


> 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


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## St Allie (Mar 15, 2009)

*Steve?*

Why can't you get the 5 litre carboys? 

Allie


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## cpfan (Mar 15, 2009)

St_Allie said:


> 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


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## St Allie (Mar 15, 2009)

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


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## cpfan (Mar 15, 2009)

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


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## St Allie (Mar 15, 2009)

Steve.. 

$6.49 Canadian for 5 litres of cider?

OMG!

Perhaps I should move countries? hehhehe

Allie


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## Wade E (Mar 15, 2009)

Ive heard of moving mountains but countries!


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## cpfan (Mar 15, 2009)

St_Allie said:


> Steve..
> 
> $6.49 Canadian for 5 litres of cider?
> 
> ...


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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## St Allie (Mar 15, 2009)

magical cider.. now that's quite possibly marketable!

Allie


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