Planning on brewing 2 5gal batches tomorrow

These will be my 2nd and 3rd beers brewed, I have an amber that's bottled and conditioning in the closet, as well as some cider fermenting. I went and bought a second 5gal carboy and some more equipment so I can have more beer fermenting at the same time. I realized that I simply don't have the patience to wait 6+ weeks to drink the beer, so I hope to get a nice stock on hand to drink so I'm not tempted to crack open newer brews before they're ready.

I'm planning on making an IIPA and an ESB. IIPA recipe is here:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Recipe.asp?RecipeID=83
And ESB recipe here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f64/teagues-pt-esb-147320/

I'm very excited and hope that I'm not being too ambitious for a newbie, but I think my first batch went well and these seem like relatively simple recipes.

The 6 gallon or 6.5 gallon carboys are very handy as they have more head space for the krausen to develope. I have one 5 gallon carboy and it's seldom used.

Welcome to the obsession... lube up that wallet...

If you plan to ferment in the 5 gal carboy, be prepared to install a good size blow-off tube. It'll work, but I like my 5 gal for secondary only... and use a 6 or 6.5 for the primary.

So you both think I should be worried about blow off in the 5gal carboy? The amber I made produced a good foamy krausen but never reached the point of blow off.

I had initially made a "blow off tube" using my bottling wand, cuz I had no idea what it was for. What I did was put the rubber stopper in the 5gal carboy, with the bottling wand sticking up through it (the plastic pushy part pointed down into the wort, this allowed pressure upward to open the wand) and attaching a small plastic hose to that which led to a bowl of starsan water.

Would that small, siphoning tubing by adequate to handle the blow off from these higher-gravity brews, or should I a) get larger tubing to handle the blow off or b) ferment in the 6gal bucket (if b, do you think the ESB could handle the 5gal carboy as primary and just use the bucket as the primary for the IIPA?)

Thanks for the help!

I've never attempted to primary ferment in a 5 gallon, so I can't be 100% certain, but nearly all of the brews I've made in the 6 and 6.5 gal carboys have resulted in very vigorous fermentation, which almost always push right up to the airlock... at least half have required a blow-off tube. Including many IPA's and even a recent low ABV Cream Ale.

I can't imagine ever getting away with using my 5 gal carboy without needing a blow-off tube. Even after racking off the crausen when moving to the 5 gal as a secondary, the beer is damn near at the top. There's just not enough head-space for primary... even with a blow-off, I think you're just setting yourself up for a good qty of beer loss.

Personally, I'd use the bucket for one, and see if you can buy another bucket or 6 gal carboy at your LHBS.

Double brew days ROCK

I would also recommend the getting another brew bucket. Then with the new corboy you just got I would recommend some Edworts apfelwine.. and then you'll have 15 gallons going at one time.

Hmm good to know, thanks guys.

Alright so I brewed yesterday and woke up today to massive fermentation, so that's good! I went ahead and put the ESB in the 5 gal carboy and left a little headspace, and so far so good, the krausen is filling it up nicely but doesn't look in danger of blowing over.

The IIPA, however, is in trouble! I used the 6gal bucket and there is already brown foam coming up through the airlock. I don't have a proper blow off tube and my LHBS is closed on sundays.

Should I be worried or will it be fine until tomorrow?

Well I went ahead and attached my siphoning hose, I figure it may get clogged but it's better than nothing. I'm glad there is vigorous fermentation though!