Carboy headspace

[NYShooterGuy]

I brewed a high OG (1.112) 5.0 gallon Imperial Stout 8 days ago. Pitched approx. 40oz. of Wyeast London ESB slurry, and haven't peeked inside the bucket yet.

Assuming everything is fine (yeast is doing their job, no infection, etc.), I was planing on transferring to a 6.5 Big Mouth Bubbler plastic carboy at some point.

I don't know when I should do the transfer nor what to do about the 1.5+ gallon headspace I'll have after the transfer.

This has been my practice for all 11 other beers I've brewed, and I've never had a problem with oxidation, however I've never long term conditioned in the carboy as I am planing with to with this stout.

I have no O2 displacing equipment to keep O2 away from the top layer of beer I.e. CO2. So what's the best course of action?

 

[eadavis80]

So you're going from a 6.5 container to another 6.5 galllon container? My next course of action would be get a 5-gallon secondary so the headspace would no longer be an issue. Glad to hear it has not been in the other batches, but I'd get one just the same. And, since you plan to condition this stout for a long time, I'd go glass on the secondary.

 

[Jeffinn]

Go to a 5 gallon carboy for sure for secondary. Glass or plastic will work just fine, whatever makes you happy (i never use glass but some folks disagree so decide accordingly).

 

[helibrewer]

Unless you are oaking it or adding something else during the aging, just bottle it and age it that way

 

[Jeffinn]

Yeah, what he said!

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Unless you are oaking it or adding something else during the aging, just bottle it and age it that way

No additions after racking. No real money to be able to spend on more equipment. Will these condition all the same in the bottles?

 

[Jeffinn]

Bottle conditioning works just fine!

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Now my next problem / question: the yeast I used is wyeast London ESB yeast. It has an alcohol tolerance of 9%. The Original gravity was 1.112. The attenuation is between 67-71%. I expect the yeast to be killed off by the alcohol.

How is the priming sugar (corn sugar) going to get converted?

Or would all that fermentable sugar from the boil prime the bottles with an addition of a different yeast strain, and of so, how much yeast so that the beer doesn't go flat or produce bottle bombs?

Can anyone steer me in the right direction?