Hello all!
I'm going to start a cider fermenting tomorrow, but I had a quick question. If I have a 5-gal carboy, is it okay to only brew 2 gallons in it at first, leaving a bunch of room in the top? I was thinking the CO2 would not allow anything in the top during primary fermentation, but I see people commenting on too much headspace possibly causing infection/badthings.
My plan is to just ferment in the carboy until the sugars are gone, then bottle, adding a little melted frozen concentrate to the mix right before bottling it, then letting it carb up for a bit using the soda-bottle-squeeze test, then pasteurizing on the stovetop to stop the in-the-bottle-carb-fermenting. I like my cider sparkling, and with just a little sweetness.
Thanks for your time!
I'm going to start a cider fermenting tomorrow, but I had a quick question. If I have a 5-gal carboy, is it okay to only brew 2 gallons in it at first, leaving a bunch of room in the top? I was thinking the CO2 would not allow anything in the top during primary fermentation, but I see people commenting on too much headspace possibly causing infection/badthings.
My plan is to just ferment in the carboy until the sugars are gone, then bottle, adding a little melted frozen concentrate to the mix right before bottling it, then letting it carb up for a bit using the soda-bottle-squeeze test, then pasteurizing on the stovetop to stop the in-the-bottle-carb-fermenting. I like my cider sparkling, and with just a little sweetness.
Thanks for your time!