Imperial Stout Variants

Could you purge the headspace with CO2?

 

You are right...you really need to minimize the headspace. Purging (effectively) requires high pressures, or a lot of pressurize/release cycles, which would be pretty hard to do with a carboy or bucket.

 

I have found Mountain Spring glass drinking water containers in the 5 and 2-1/2 gallon sizes. They are glass carboys. Purchased two of the 2-1/2 gallon carboys for experimental batches (dandelion saison & single hop citra IPA). They work perfect.

 

A 2.5 gallon carboy is still going to have a lot of headspace (for a secondary) for 1.7 gallons of beer.

 

or split 5 ways and use cheap 1 gallon glass wine jugs

 

Maybe 2 1-gallon batches and a 3 gallon batch (2 1 gallon wine jugs and 1 3-gallon carboy). 5 1-gallon ones would work as well, but you'd have five variants.

 

Wooo! Carlo Rossi party!

 

These make great small fermenters.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/1-tap-a-draft-bottle-and-cap.html

When are you planning to divide the batch. If you are planning to divide it then pitch yeast, you really don't need to worry so much about headspace. The fermenters will "self-purge."

 

Or 2 gallons of 2 of the variants and 1 gallon of the other.

 

The problem is that I've never seen a 2 gallon carboy. If he had 2 gallon carboys, I'd think that he might be able to fill the leftover space with whatever he's aging the stout on, or even some marbles.

 

If a plane crashes on the border of Canada and the U.S. where are the survivors buried?

 

Yeah, yeah, I get it.

 

Brew 3 different 5 gallon batches.

 

Whisky, Rye Whisky, Brandy, Frangelico, Carlo Rossi