Can I brew 8L in a 26L brew bucket?

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IslandLizard

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You mean ferment 8L in a 26L bucket?

Does the lid seal well? Using an airlock?
As long as there are no leaks (aside from the airlock letting gas out), the headspace will fill completely with fermentation CO2, purging it pretty much of all air (and thus O2).

Don't lift the lid until ready to transfer to keg or bottling bucket.
 

IslandLizard

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The only issue I’d worry about using a (very) oversized fermenter is you’ll likely leave more of your beer behind when you transfer/bottle/keg.
Easy fix: Start slowly tilting the bucket toward the racking cane when you approach the end of the transfer. That keeps the siphoning well deeper.
I stick a rolled up towel under the far end, leaving no more than a pint to a quart (0.5-1 liter) of beer behind. Enough to swirl up the yeast cake to save out for a next batch.

As always, don't stick the racking cane all the way on the bottom, lower it as the beer level recedes. And stick one of those (plastic) inverter tippies on the end of the cane.
 

OakIslandBrewery

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Racking canes are fine but if possible, I'd add a spigot near the bottom of your fermentation vessel or bucket in your case. Make sure the spigot is cleaned and sanitized before attaching the sanitized hose.
 
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