Beginner looking for advice

[Croakersoaker]

Hi I'm new to this and would like to start with the apfelwein recipe. It says to use a five gallon carboy but I just realized the kit I bought from amazon comes with a 6.5 gallon. Will this work does it need to be filled to the top. Sorry I have been reading alot but have not seen this adressed

 

[deepcdan99]

What size batch are you doing? If you are doing a 5gal batch, a 6.5gal carboy is prefered as you will need the extra space for the krausen. If you use a 5gal carboy you will need a blow off tube.

 

[Croakersoaker]

I will be making a 5 gallon batch, just wasn't sure it it was ok to have extra airspace on there

 

[deepcdan99]

I ferment 2.5-3 gallon batches in my 5 gallon carboys all of the time and have yet to have a problem. The open space will fill with CO2 once fermentation has begun, so there is no need to worry about oxidation or contamination. Good luck!

 

[Croakersoaker]

Thank you very much I'm really excited to make my own wine. I know there is a lot of info here but sometimes it's not spelled out for you so for a Newbie it can be quite overwhelming thanks so much for your replies

 

[boxofjibboo]

pretty sure your apelfwein wont even have much krausen. so really, you could even do 6 gallons. your abv would just be a little lower.