1 Gallon Wine Kit - 4.5ltr Demijohn Help

[Phantom]

Ok so i have a demijohn from Wilko's which states it can hold 1 gallon / 4.5 litres yet the wine kit is a 1 gallon kit that says you need a 1 gallon / 5 litre demijohn and top up to the 4.5 litre mark. I am slightly confused as 1 gallon is 4.5litres yet when you look at the shops for a 5 litre demijohn most state their size as 1 gallon / 5 litre :-S

My question is can i make the kit in my 4.5litre demijohn and i have measured the demijohn and it is exactly 4.5litres. What do other people on here do?

 

[Frogfurlong]

Relax, it's not rocket science where everything has to be exact.

The difference between 4.5l and 5l is neither here nor there when it comes down to it. It'll be alright to brew in a 4.5 litre Demijohn. Just take care when topping up.

 

[Moley]

Your kit instructions mean 1 gallon or 5 litres, it doesn't really matter which. Gallon's better.

You'll probably end up with 5.5 or 6 bottles of wine. If you made it to the larger volume it would just be slightly thinner and slightly weaker.

Hang on, I've just re-read your question. What they are saying is that if you're using a 5 litre fermenter like a mineral water bottle, don't fill it to the top. This would also apply to a gallon DJ, only fill it to the shoulder at first (around 7 pints) then top up after a few days when you're sure it's not going to spray froth through the airlock.

 

[Phantom]

Ah I see, thank you very much for the responses.