Using 15 gallon Demijohn's/managing headspace

[NewJerseyCowboy]

Hey all,

I recently picked up five 15 gallon demijohn's and I am working on the best way to use these. In my hast I decided to start a 12 gallon batch of Malbec (two 6 gallon buckets for primary fermentation) with plans of dumping both batches together into one of the demijohns for bulk aging. As I said this was in hast and I had not thought of the head space that the missing 3 gallons would end up creating. Just looking to bounce some ideas of some fellow brewers/wine makers here.

When I rack to a glass carboy normally I add wood chips that has been boiled in sugar water. This helps create CO2 in the carboy to ensure none of that terrible oxygen is ruining my wine. Would one think that this would create a healthy enough habitat for my wine to age in (I usually only age this malbec for about 5 months).

Another option would be to go out to my local home brew shop and buy three more 6 gallon buckets of juice. Throw 2 of those buckets into one of the demijohns for primary fermentation and let the other ferment on its own, then transfer all of the batches into two of the demijohns and just have a 30 gallon batch of malbec.

Of course there is also the top off with store bought or previously bottle home made stuff as well, but for some reason I just hate this idea as I prefer to not put store bought wine in my homemade wine and the homemade wine, well that's ready to drink already dagnabit!

Any thoughts or ideas on this matter would be appreciated.

Cheers, Kevin

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

I thought of another idea as well. I could also buy one 6 gallon bucket of malbec and let it ferment on its own and then get two 6 gallon buckets of something else and then use the malbec to top off both the original 12 gallon batch of malbec and the other 12 gallon batch.

 

[Yooper]

I don't have any demijohns, and even my carboys are 6 gallons at the most because I would never be able to lift 15 gallons of liquid!

Anyway, can you take a picture or something to show how much headspace you will have? Some demijohns I've seen have such a long thin neck that maybe 13 gallons or so would be ok in the demijohn, but most would not.

Adding things to the wine to create c02 is ok in the very short term, but it does dissipate through the airlock, as o2 comes in through the water in the airlock due to the Ideal Gas Law and gasses will always reach equilibrium. '

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

The wine won't be ready to transfer over for another week, but I can fill one of them up with 12 gallons of water when I get home from work and post a pic to show how much head space there will be.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

12gallons

13 gallons

14 gallons


So, I was telling SWMBO about how I might have to turn the 12 gallon batch into a 30 gallon batch due to head space issues and she just asked "how many bottles of wine is that" I said about 150 and then she just smiled and started singing "150 bottles of wine on the wall, 150 bottles of wine..." and walked off. I guess I am stepping it up to a 30 gallon batch to solve the head space issue.

Looking at when the 12 gallon mark is I feel I should have no problem using one of these as a primary for a 12 gallon batch. Anyone think that is crazy?

 

[sportpak]

Dang that is a lot of wine! I say go for it if your confident.
I'm still going through the "paint thinner-ish" beginner stage of wine making. lol

 

[podz]

Looking at when the 12 gallon mark is I feel I should have no problem using one of these as a primary for a 12 gallon batch. Anyone think that is crazy?

Why not? I did a batch of raspberry wine in a carboy last year. I had so much blowoff that I basically just tied a huge plastic bag around the neck, secured it with a rubber band, and poked a hole in it with a needle. I needed to change the bag about twice a day (didn't have a blowoff tube available at that time).

If you do 12 gallons with that much headspace, I doubt you'll even have any blowoff.

 

[Zepth]

Looking at when the 12 gallon mark is I feel I should have no problem using one of these as a primary for a 12 gallon batch. Anyone think that is crazy?

Usually don't wander into the wine side of the forum, but it was on the new replies list. I have used one of these to make a 12.5 gallon batch of beer. Had plenty of headspace without even coming close to needing a blowoff.

With that said, I have no idea how much krausening wine happens to do. If it's about the same or less than beer, you're fine.

 

[podz]

With that said, I have no idea how much krausening wine happens to do. If it's about the same or less than beer, you're fine.

Depends on the wine. With apple juice, I need to leave about 2 liters of headspace for the initial krausen - comes after 12 hours and leaves less than a day later. Then I just top up the demijohn with more apple juice and airlock it.

Last year, I made a raspberry wine that we actually cooked first so we could get it down the funnel and into a carboy. It had major blowoff and violent fermentation for an entire week. This year, I made a raspberry wine in a bucket for primary with the fruit in a mesh bag. Only 2 liters of headspace in a 30 liter bucket and no blowoff whatsoever...

 

[Vinnyt]

I have heard of a few measures taken to fil head space in caboys . 1 is buying marbles and boiling them to sterilise then putting them in to offset space. The other is to start a batch of wine for the purpose of adding to existing wine containers just to top off when racking. I chose the latter! I gues it all depends on how far along you are in the process. I have posted a pic of my setup!

 

[lukebuz]

I have heard of a few measures taken to fil head space in caboys . 1 is buying marbles and boiling them to sterilise then putting them in to offset space. The other is to start a batch of wine for the purpose of adding to existing wine containers just to top off when racking. I chose the latter! I gues it all depends on how far along you are in the process. I have posted a pic of my setup!

Holy Jeebus! !