Help! My bucket is too full!

[jeciv]

So apparently I didn't leave enough room at the top of my fermentation bucket and now I have a mess...see picture. What do I do now? I just brewed it yesterday. Just leave it? Should I siphon it to another bucket and leave the trub behind? Or just pour some out? Or use a sterile cup to get some out? I don't know the best way to fix it.

 

[beninan]

What size is your bucket and batch size? Most likely if you have at least a gallon of headspace, all you really need to do is simply install a blowoff tube.

 

[lumpher]

either a blowoff tube (pull out the airlock and put the hose from your autosiphon in the hole, and the other end in a bucket of sanitized water, or put the fermenter in a tote and let it run over

 

[Hang Glider]

What size is your bucket and batch size?

+1. You need to know this.

If you assumed you had a 5-gallon bucket and just topped off your wort with water to the top of the pail, you erred.

Know the size of your pail - measure it. Mark it.


For now - don't sweat it. Just do the best you can with what you've got.
If it is as full as it looks, I'd put a couple of towels and a trashbag underneath it (or, seriously, set it in a tub of 65F water for better temp control) and leave it for 4 weeks. Then, when I'm ready to bottle, I'd sacrifice a little when I racked it into the bottling bucket.

Since you just brewed it yesterday, that krausen will probably only get worse. If you can rig a blow-off tube, try that. otherwise, let it go, and when it stops foaming, replace the airlock with a clean one.

 

[LizardBrew83]

I would probably just clean and sanitize your air lock (you can cover the hole with sanitized Saran wrap while it is off). Then try to clean and sanitize the area close to the hole as well. Then put your airlock on with a blow off tube attached or if you can get hands on some Ferm cap- s and shoot it down the hole while the air lock is off. It should be fine. At least your fermentation is off to a good start!

 

[jeciv]

Thanks everyone! It's about a 6 gallon bucket and a 5 gallon batch. I had 5 1/4 gallons of water, which I figured would burn down a bit, but then added all the malt, 7 types of hops, etc.

I will put a blow-off tube on.

You all are great. Thanks again for the quick responses!