Extended Primary and extra Headspace

[kboogie]

I know there is a lot of discussion around extended primary versus transitioning to secondary. With that said, I'm planning to brew a batch with a 3 or 4 week primary and then right into bottles.

My concern is that the 23L Coopers fermenter that I'm using has plenty of headspace for a 6 gallon recipe, will that be too much headpsace for a 5 gallon recipe with a 3 to 4 week fermentation?

I'm not planning any hydrometer readings until I bottle, so it will not be opened to release CO2 at any point. Am I safe? What if open it a week in with a slow bubble to drop in some hops?

Thanks!

 

[libeerty]

Totally fine. A cloud of CO2 will form from the fermentation, which will separate your beer from the oxygen.