will extra headspace in fermenter affect the final brew?

[Elysium]

I have just brewed my 4th batch. so far 3 batches of 5 gallons of wort were placed in a 6 gallon plastic fermenter with little headspace. my 4th batch however is small (only 3.5 gallons) and it is sitting with 2.5 gallons of headspace in the fermenter. I can see foam and activity when I look at the side of it. but even after 2days, there is no bubbling. I guess the co2 is filling up the extra space. my question is: will that extra space affect the beer?

 

[dcp27]

nope you're fine, the CO2 will fill the extra headspace. I've done it plenty of times without any issues. if you're seeing a krausen & no bubbling you probably just don't have a good seal.

 

[Elysium]

nope you're fine, the CO2 will fill the extra headspace. I've done it plenty of times without any issues. if you're seeing a krausen & no bubbling you probably just don't have a good seal.

I brewed it 1.5 days ago. it has started to push the alcohol in the valve. I guess it is a matter of hours or a day, and the valve will be bubbling. don't you agree?

p.s. I checked it and it seems to be sealed completely.

 

[Groner]

Basically there is no real way to be sure that it is going to remain 100% air tight. You can check by pressing the lid down and watching the airlock but that may not even be a good tell. As many others have said before, a bubbling airlock is not a good indicator of fermentation. It's just a good indicator that pressure inside the vessel is higher than that outside the vessel. RDWHAHB

 

[bobmcstuff]

It will be absolutely fine. No need to worry.

 

[dstranger99]

I've done 2.5 gallon batches in 5 gallon buckets before, not a problem.

 

[Cyclman]

Fermentation produces CO2, which is heavier than ambient air, so your beer has a naturally protective layer atop it, whether the carboy fills with CO2 or not. Another good reason not to move to secondary, unless you can add CO2 atop the beer, or secondary fills the carboy so there is little air to oxidize it.