Apple Cider Headspace - What to fill 3L?

[DocShay]

Hey guys,

Really new at this - and just make a bad mistake. Trying to figure out how to fix this.

I started in a 6 gallon glass fermenter (thought it was 5...only made 5).
Figured for primary thats okay - on secondary i will move it to a 5 gallon carboy.

So today I siphoned it to a 5 gallon secondary - however I kept having issues with approx the last 3 liters of it. Kept loosing suction.

In a kind of panicky way (mistake 1) - My wife suggested pouring the remaining to an easier container. So...naturally I did. Into a juice container it went, sediment and all.

Realizing it was now all floating around in this container, unairlockable - I put it in the fridge.

Now I am left with a huge head space in the secondary (approx 3 litre). My understanding is you can "top up" with other apple cider - but 3L is quite a lot, no?

What am I to do? Am I able to reuse the remaining that I put into a non-air lockable container, thats currently "settling" in my fridge?, then top up with apple cider from there?

Or should I go buy 3 litre's worth of hard cider?

Or do I just...leave that enormous headspace and risk it going stale/whatever?

Thanks guys!

 

[madscientist451]

My first thought is to go out and buy more stuff. Get a 3 gallon carboy and a 1 gallon glass jug and transfer your cider to that. You might have a liter or two left over, but you can just go ahead and drink that now an not worry about it. I try to make my cider in 5.5 gallon batches using a 6.5 gallon carboy. Then I transfer to a 5 gallon carboy for secondary and put the remainder in a 1/2 gallon jug and drink it or use it for cooking. Another option is to make about 3.5 gallons in a 5 gallon vessel and then transfer to a 3 gallon carboy for secondary.

 

[DocShay]

My first thought is to go out and buy more stuff. Get a 3 gallon carboy and a 1 gallon glass jug and transfer your cider to that. You might have a liter or two left over, but you can just go ahead and drink that now an not worry about it. I try to make my cider in 5.5 gallon batches using a 6.5 gallon carboy. Then I transfer to a 5 gallon carboy for secondary and put the remainder in a 1/2 gallon jug and drink it or use it for cooking. Another option is to make about 3.5 gallons in a 5 gallon vessel and then transfer to a 3 gallon carboy for secondary.

That's a good idea - Never thought of that. Will it be okay to sit the night with that much headspace? Everything here is closed now.

 

[madscientist451]

Yes it will be ok.