I've been thinking about the different meads I've put together so far and I I came up with a few observations/queries that I thought I'd throw out there based on the sizing of a batch.
I'm sure we'd all like to be able to make super huge batches and still be able to work with them, but that isn't always practical. It seems that the most common sizes for homebrewing are 1, 3, and 5 gallons with a fair number of 6-7 gallon batches being created.
I was wondering if anyone had noticed a time differential in any of the different stages of the process (fermentation, clearing, aging) based on the size of the batch. Specifically, do you find that a mead clears faster in a smaller container? In my case, it would because I can put the smaller container (1 gallon) in my refrigerator while my larger container (5 gallon) wouldn't fit. Also, do you find that there is generally more lees, less lees, or about the same depending on the size of the batch (per volume). How about loss during racking (more, less, about the same)?
It also seems reasonable to me to expect a smaller batch to ferment (slightly) faster. Here's my thought process on this issue. Generally, when I make a batch (1 or 5 gallon), I start with a single packet of yeast. The yeast then multiply until all of the nutrients/oxygen are used up. Then, they begin the process of creating goodness. A single packet of yeast should exhaust the nutrients/oxygen in a small batch considerably faster than a large batch (probably not a linear curve though... a one gallon might go finish this stage twice as fast as a 5 gallon). This means that it would be able to start fermenting faster (although, probably only by a number of hours). I don't know what the fermentation curve looks like, but I'd guess that it starts really fast and the speed of fermentation drops logarithically (exponentially?) as it goes. It seems to me that this means that once the 5 gallon started, it would be going faster than the 1 gallon at any particular point in time. I wouldn't ever catch up exactly, but it would always be heading that direction. At any rate, it may be able to make up a good deal of the original time differential. My guess would be that technically, the smaller batch would ferment faster, but realistically, it wouldn't matter.
It seems to me that a large batch might be more resitant to environment changes (temperature, etc) and that it would almost assuredly be more tolerant to changes in ingredients. While a smaller batch would be more easily controlled environment wise but would require a more precise ingredient mix.
As far as I can tell, here are the pros and cons of different batch sizes
Larger batches:
pros:
more uniform taste across a larger number of bottles (when finished)
one batch yeilds a much higher final volume
cons:
more expensive
harder to deal with (move, etc...)
neutral:
More resistant to changes (environment, recipe, etc...)
Smaller Batches
pros:
less expensive per batch (allowing for greater experimentation possibilities)
easier to "deal" with
cons:
requires extra effort to get the same final volume
Takes up more floor/shelf space for an identical volume
neutral:
More easily manipulated (moved, racked, etc...)
Please add to these lists as you feel necessary.
I'm sure we'd all like to be able to make super huge batches and still be able to work with them, but that isn't always practical. It seems that the most common sizes for homebrewing are 1, 3, and 5 gallons with a fair number of 6-7 gallon batches being created.
I was wondering if anyone had noticed a time differential in any of the different stages of the process (fermentation, clearing, aging) based on the size of the batch. Specifically, do you find that a mead clears faster in a smaller container? In my case, it would because I can put the smaller container (1 gallon) in my refrigerator while my larger container (5 gallon) wouldn't fit. Also, do you find that there is generally more lees, less lees, or about the same depending on the size of the batch (per volume). How about loss during racking (more, less, about the same)?
It also seems reasonable to me to expect a smaller batch to ferment (slightly) faster. Here's my thought process on this issue. Generally, when I make a batch (1 or 5 gallon), I start with a single packet of yeast. The yeast then multiply until all of the nutrients/oxygen are used up. Then, they begin the process of creating goodness. A single packet of yeast should exhaust the nutrients/oxygen in a small batch considerably faster than a large batch (probably not a linear curve though... a one gallon might go finish this stage twice as fast as a 5 gallon). This means that it would be able to start fermenting faster (although, probably only by a number of hours). I don't know what the fermentation curve looks like, but I'd guess that it starts really fast and the speed of fermentation drops logarithically (exponentially?) as it goes. It seems to me that this means that once the 5 gallon started, it would be going faster than the 1 gallon at any particular point in time. I wouldn't ever catch up exactly, but it would always be heading that direction. At any rate, it may be able to make up a good deal of the original time differential. My guess would be that technically, the smaller batch would ferment faster, but realistically, it wouldn't matter.
It seems to me that a large batch might be more resitant to environment changes (temperature, etc) and that it would almost assuredly be more tolerant to changes in ingredients. While a smaller batch would be more easily controlled environment wise but would require a more precise ingredient mix.
As far as I can tell, here are the pros and cons of different batch sizes
Larger batches:
pros:
more uniform taste across a larger number of bottles (when finished)
one batch yeilds a much higher final volume
cons:
more expensive
harder to deal with (move, etc...)
neutral:
More resistant to changes (environment, recipe, etc...)
Smaller Batches
pros:
less expensive per batch (allowing for greater experimentation possibilities)
easier to "deal" with
cons:
requires extra effort to get the same final volume
Takes up more floor/shelf space for an identical volume
neutral:
More easily manipulated (moved, racked, etc...)
Please add to these lists as you feel necessary.