Ordered 6 gal better bottles for secondary when I meant to get 5 gal

[emptykeg]

I ended up with a lot of 6 gallon better bottles I intended to use for secondary fermentation.. I guess that's what I get for placing orders after drinking a few too many homebrews.

Will I be alright if I rack into the 6 gal jugs and then give a blast of CO2 off my keg gas system, or should I admit defeat and buy 4 wine kits and 4 replacement 5 gal better bottles?

 

[SeraphX117]

I have only made 3 wines so take this with a grain of salt...

I had 4g in a 5g and it turned out fine. The wine is still fermenting so it should create a blanket of co2, protecting it from O2. a blast from the keg should help. CO2 is denser than air so it will lay on top of the wine, protecting it from O2. just let the co2 in VERY gently and it shouldn't be a prob. and most important..don't let the wine swish around.

 

[emptykeg]

The secondaries were meant for beer and cider, if that changes anything.

 

[SeraphX117]

it is better to put wine in a glass secondary, especially if you are batch aging it. But if it is going to be bottled within a month or two it doesn't make too much of a difference (i have heard that plastic allows a small amount of o2 in over time...but I have never batched aged, and my wine was never in secondary for >2 months)

 

[emptykeg]

Sorry if I was unclear: I bought 4 new better bottles to do secondaries for my beer and cider. I meant to order 5 gal bottles but bought 6 gal ones instead.

With the 6 gal ones be OK for secondary use for my beer and cider if I give them a blast of co2 or will the extra air space be too much?

 

[Token]

You should be fine. The 5 gal bottles would have been better, but you already know that.

If you are concerned, do your "blast" of CO2 BEFORE you rack. The CO2 is heavier than the air in the bottles. When you rack the beer into those bottles, the rising beer will have the CO2 on top of it. No air will get on top of the CO2 as the beer rises. Just make sure to get the CO2 into the 6 gal bottles BEFORE racking the beer into them.

 

[emptykeg]

Great, thanks!

 

[SeraphX117]

sorry about that...for some reason I thought you were making wine, maybe because i was drinking it at the time!