Small batches and DMS / SMM

Brewing Processes
1

Hello

I am starting to do some experimentation with 1/2 (2.5 gal) batches.

My first  is boiling now and  I am using a 5 gal kettle with about 3 gal. of wort to boil, so the kettle is nowhere near full.

As I am watching it, I am seeing a lot of condensation above  the level of the wort and I am wondering
if this condensate is full of DMS / SMM  and is not escaping the pot

When I brew a full batch in my 7gal pot the level of the wort is much higher in relation to the top  of the kettle,
so I assume that more condensate may be escaping the pot. I don’t typically have a DMS problem with
my full  batches.

Any thoughts / experience with this?

Or  is this another case where I should RDWHAHB ?

Thanks,

Dave

2

I make primarily 3 Gallon batches in a 5 gallon kettle and I have no DMS issues that I can detect.

I don’t find that DMS is much of an issue unless I’m brewing with Pilsner Malt.  Then I can really smell the DMS escaping during the boil, but I’ve never had DMS problems with Pilsner Malt beers, either.

It’s going to be hard for you to keep the boil-off to 1/2 gallon, from my experience, which means you’ll end up boiling off a higher percentage of the wort with small batches.  That should further decrease DMS.  Even at 0.5 gallons of evaporation, you’d be above the 8-15% evaporation recommended for DMS removal.