Have I messed up totally?

[dannyboys]

I've been making the 'Coopers' canned beers for a while with descent results.
I have a primary fermenter plasic pail with the five gallon mark about half way up the side.
This time I decided to make two recipes at a time.
Did everything doubled in the SS large pot for the extract/sugar/water. Poured this hot liquid into the primary fermentor and realized there wasn't room for ten gallons total. At the very most I now have about 8 gallons (right to the top) in the fermenter.
Now what?
Will the yeast still do it's job even though the amount of water isn't what it should be?
Will I end up with too strong flavored a beer?
Some one suggessted that when I syphon the beer into (I use 2 liter plastic former pop bottles to which I add 18 grams of sugar, that I just add a few ounces of water to the bottles before adding the beer to dilute it.
Does this sound reasonable?
Any help is very much appreciated.
Live and learn.

 

[calvey]

Well, if nothing else, you've just made a stronger version of whatever it was you were trying to make. The yeast will be stressed but should still do its job. If you can get hold of another packet of the same yeast it wouldn't hurt to pitch that in there too to get to more of a correct cell count for such a strong beer. It might be interesting to take a hydrometer reading sooner than later to see exactly where you started out.

Whatever the person with the sugar was talking about - ignore- the last thing you need is more sugars unless they were talking specifically about bottling.

 

[kh54s10]

It will be a strong beer and if it is that full you are going to have a mess when the fermentation starts.

If you have a Home Depot or Lowes nearby you could go get a bucket and lid and grommet. At HD the white buckets are food safe (I think).

I would measure the proper volume into both buckets then move wort back and forth between the two several times so that you get the same concentration in both add the yeast and mix the same way so that you have the same concentration of yeast in both.

 

[dannyboys]

Well, if nothing else, you've just made a stronger version of whatever it was you were trying to make. The yeast will be stressed but should still do its job. If you can get hold of another packet of the same yeast it wouldn't hurt to pitch that in there too to get to more of a correct cell count for such a strong beer. It might be interesting to take a hydrometer reading sooner than later to see exactly where you started out.

Whatever the person with the sugar was talking about - ignore- the last thing you need is more sugars unless they were talking specifically about bottling.

Ya they were just referring to add just more water.
I posted I put into each bottle when bottling 18 grams of sugar into each 2 liter bottle. I meant 16 grams.
If I add anothe yeast packet will the finished beer have a yeasty taste or will it all be converted to alchohol?
I don't have a hydrometer and buying another bucket isn't going to work easily but thanks to the other poster for the suggestion. I live in a very tiny apartment and even the primary fermenter I have is a space issue at times.

 

[rattyboh]

It sounds like you probably had something like a 7.5 gallon fermenter. A second bucket may cause space issues but fermenting with the bucket full will likely blow the lid off and cover your apartment with beer (especially with your now extra high gravity beer, even worse if you can't keep fermentation temps down):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgfubawsrcM
You probably don't want to ferment more than 6-6.5 gallons in that bucket if you can avoid it (fermcap, temp control, and a blowoff tube can help). Filling a bunch of soda bottles would probably take up more space (and you would need some sort of airlock for each). Another option is to get a couple of 1 gallon carboys and airlocks, but again, that may take up more space than a five gallon HD bucket.