Fermenter question - 3 Gals in 5 Gal vessel

[Yettiman]

Hi,

Looking to get into BIAB, most of the recipes I can find, state that a 5gal boiler will make 3 gals of fermentable wort, this I'd fine for me as I enjoy brewing as much as the drinking, but my question is:

Is it ok to ferment 3 gals of wort in a 5 gallon fermenter? I have been told that it might be too much headroom. I do not want to buy any more equipment, so unless I double mash, not sure what the what the options are.

Any advice ?

 

[jethro55]

I would think that it is fine to use the 5 gallon fermenter. The extra head room will fill with CO2 during fermentation and stay there until you open it. Just give it some extra time so that you only need to check gravity a couple of times. That way you will minimize unnecessary exposure. Not perfect, but I think it will work just fine if you have some experience pitching correctly.

 

[Tupperwolf]

My first brew was 3 gallons of APA in a 5 gallon better bottle. I used a packet of dry yeast and had a nice vigorous fermentation. As long as you have a good stopper and airlock system in place there shouldn't be any problems. My brew turned out great.

 

[BlackGoat]

I make 3g in 5g better bottles all the time, and even in my 7.5g bucket. Some people worry about headspace, but lets remember that some of the finest beer in the world is (and certainly has been) made in open fermentation vessels, i.e. yorkshire squares. I actually like that I never have to worry about blow-offs and all that stuff with that much headspace. One thing to keep an eye on is that with that much space its easy to slosh it around when moving so take extra care when walking around not to have it splashing around, which could oxidize it.

 

[Yettiman]

Thank you,

Really appreciate the advice from those that are doing it.

This forum is just like being part of a huge brewclub, lots of friendly advice.

Will be extra care if I need to move it

Thank you again