Too Much Head Space?

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natelatte

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I brewed a 5 gallon batch and strained it into my primary, a 6.5 gallon carboy. I realize that all thead headspace air, was quickly displaced with my yeast going crazy. The foam did rise quite a bit, but because of the large headspace it never actually made it into the blow off tube and out. So now it's sinking back down into my brew. Should I care? tomorrow will be a week that it's been in the primary, so things should be about done.

I've got a few options I suppose.
a) leave it and let if finish and set
b)move it to a secondary hopefully leaving the cake at the bottom and the foam film on the top so that it can rest
C) next time use an actual 5 gallon carboy so the blowoff actually all makes it out of the blowoff tube.

:mug:
 
let it sit. You want a headspace in your brew....Heres to clear up a few points.
A) the blowoff tube is just in case. If your using an airlock instead of a blowoff and the yeast cloggs it, preasure will build up and sooner or later your going to have to repaint your celing. If it didint make it to the blowoff your fine.
B) Beer is gonna look gross but thats the point. WHen its fermenting you have your own little world in there and its not to be messed with. Every time you open or mess with your fermenting beer you risk infection. No Bueno.
C)Foam blowoff=beer. You would be loosing alot of liquid if you fermented 5 gal in a 5 gal carboy seeing as how if filled to the lip is 5 gal exactly. Go with the 6.5 or a bucket if your worried.
D)Leave it in primary until there doesnt look like any more activity is preseant. I usually leave mine until the bubbly scum layer (krausen) drops back down to a very minute level if not completly back into the beer. Sanatize your hydrometer and take a reading and with experience you will be able to see if its done. Until that point check a few days after and if the numbers match your finished and can move to secondary
 
Thanks a lot. For some reason I was under the impression that the foam needed to go away and that it would be potentially harmful to the brew if it were allowed to stay. I thought the goal was for it to blow out the blow off tube and be gone. But it's a pressure thing rather than a foam removing tool.

Thanks
:mug:
 
nah its part of a healthy fermentation. Some will foam more than others but in the end it will condense back down. No worries. Good luck
 
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