Cider House Select Mix in a 5 Gallon Carboy

Hello all!

So I started homebrewing for the first time yesterday and I am pretty sure I made every mistake I possibly could. I used this Cider House Select mix (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV4IYS4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) as I figured it should be relatively easy for a novice.

The problem is that the mix is designed for 6 gallons and I didn't have a 6.5 gallon carboy. I had to make it in a 5 gallon one and now i am worried that it will be too strong or sweet or basically something undrinkable.

It is successfully fermenting (at least, to my novice eyes) so it seems to be progressing well but I don't want to wait a month or two if I already screwed up. I also worry I contaminated it (even though I used Star San) due to rookie mistakes.

So the question is this, with the mistake of putting a mix designed for 6 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy, should I just get rid of it now and try again (having already learned a lot in the process) or let it ride and see what happens? I know most people aren't a fan of store bought mixes, but I figured it was a good way to get started before moving up to other stuff.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice you have for this newbie

I would let it ride. Even if the cider tastes bad at first, every batch I've encountered has gotten better with time. My dad found a couple of bottles of apple cider I left in his basement three years ago. The stuff aged into a very smooth apple champagne.

If you toss it now, the only result will be a lesson in brewing with wasted materials. Better in my opinion to wait and see what happens.

Thanks for the quick reply! My other concern is the amount of pressure in the carboy. If this recipe and yeast amount is for 6 gallons, would there be too much pressure build up? The fermentation is going pretty well (it has been 24 hours) and it doesn't seem to be in danger of overflowing, but I do not know what to expect over the next couple of days. I didn't do a blow out tube (which I have read is what I should be doing in the future) so right now I just have an S Airlock on it. Again, it seems fine so far but I have no idea what will happen in the next 2 or 3 days. I work long hours so I don't want my wife to get stuck with shattered glass from my own stupidity

First, dont get rid of it! Never give up because you "think" you may have messed it up. Wait it out and at least learn a few new things.
Sometime within the next 24-48 hours is when fermentation may really kick off. I have only done one cider (the cherry version from the same company) and it was in a bucket so I have no idea what sort of krausen if any formed.
As long as your S lock doesnt get clogged up you should be fine (explosion wise). The S lock and stopper would likely pop out of the carboy and make a mess before the glass gave way.
I would be prepared to switch to a blow off if needed, and have the materials nearby in case you need to intervene.

How are you controlling your fermentation temperature? What temp are you fermenting at right now?

As always sanitation is crucial, so make sure to keep everything clean and soak or spray anything that might touch post boil wort.

As for the 6gal recipe in a 5gal batch, I think you will still end up with a drinkable beverage. Likely a little higher abv and maybe a bit sweeter. I think this kit has a sweetener/flavoring that you add at bottling time, I would rack to a bottling bucket and add the flavoring in small doses until the sample tastes right.
I dont think you have to worry about the yeast not being up to the job.

Did you take an OG reading when you mixed this up?

I have made a bunch of these and this is a very forgiving kit. I usually make it as a 5 gal batch and ferment in a 5 gal carboy that is filled almost to the neck.

My only word of caution is to go easy on the sweetener that comes with the kit. There is enough there to make it 'extra' sweet tea sweet.

I have the blow out tube ready to go. I did not take an OG reading and unfortunately, the bung is pretty snug in the carboy so I cannot get it off right now to get a sample unless I apply a lot of pull on it which I don't know if i should do at this point. Like I said, I did a lot of things wrong

I would be surprised to hear of an entire carboy becoming a bottle bomb. More likely that the airlock will go for an unplanned rocket ride as the CO2 takes the path of least resistance blowing the airlock and stopper off.

If you have tubing, it is not too late to switch over to a blow off container for peace of mind.

You all are awesome, thank you so much for the information! I just switched to the blow off tube and I will let it go and see what happens. Even if I totally screw this batch up, I am definitely hooked and ready to keep trying and learning.

I guess at this point I just wait

Get used to the waiting ;p
In the mean time, go buy another carboy, you know youre going to do it soon enough anyways, lol!

Just got a text from the wife stating the entire house smells like rotten eggs. Rhino farts are apparently pretty strong with this one. Hopefully it dissipates quickly.

Not gonna lie, my cherry cider kit never smelt that great, and when I sampled at one week I thought it was going to be a dumper, but another week later it tasted better and at bottling after adding the flavor packet it was pretty darn good. I've got probably another week till I pop open one of these to see how it's carbing up.

Those kits are pretty foolproof. If your worrying, let it ride in that carboy, and add a gallon of water at bottling. Or get a 6.5 bucket and rack it into the bucket with additional water. The cider kits don't create a lot of krausen in my experience, and with the blow off tube, no worries. Relax and enjoy!

Stupid question, but can it be racked at any time or do I need to wait till the fermentation dies down?

Anytime

Thanks! You all have been super helpful and I definitely see this being an addicting hobby already.

Now that I'm at a computer I can give a longer answer. I"m sure some people will dispute the move to another vessel so various reasons, however, the main reasons to NOT move from the primary is the introduction additional oxygen exposure and contamination. Typically, you would want to rack to get the beer/cider off yeast and trub if it will be aged in the fermenter for a long time - say 6 weeks or more I think is the rule of thumb.

You will see articles from people that would recommend that if you are going to secondary, to rack when fermentation is mostly, but not fully complete. This remaining active fermentation will allow any additional oxygen that is introduced in the racking process to be consumed as well. In your case since you are trying to dilute down to recommended gravity, I would think you should be fine as the majority of the yeast is active and in suspension. I'd just be extra safe and boil and cool your extra water prior to dilution and be careful and sanitary with the transfer.

Yes you can rack at any time but during active fermentation is a little different, you want all the yeast to move to their home as well so they can keep working.

I would let it ride as is and if you want to make it a 6 gal batch do that at bottling. It might not b the best practice on a home brew scale but all the big guys add water when packaging. If you are going to bottle carb then you will b adding a couple oz of sugar to water on the stove to mix with your cider in the bottling bucket so you can use a cup of water or a gallon.

The only way to know what you have and if you want to change it is to measure the gravity and then drink the contents of the test jar.

Just to give a follow up, thanks to the advice from you all, the cider turned out wonderfully. The gravity reading today was 1.005 and if it still that way tomorrow I will be bottling it.

I did do a taste test today though and it tastes great so I cannot wait for it to finishing carbonating once I bottle it.

Thanks again everyone!