Wort Size

[stjackson]

In preparing for my second batch, I've been doing a lot of research on styles and looking at a lot of recipes. I've listened to several podcasts of The Jamil Show while taking notes on the recipes from the shows. In several of his recipes, he's doing a 6-gallon batch. I'm still brewing simply, doing concentrated boils and topping off with cold water to get to the proper OG.

My question is this: I have a two 6.5-gallon plastic buckets (one fit with a spigot for bottling) and a 6.5-gallon glass carboy for use as fermentation vessels. Is there enough head space in a 6.5-gallon container to allow 6 gallons of beer to ferment?

 

[Justibone]

Assuming proper oxygenation, yes.

You must use a blowoff tube, and I'd furthermore propose to you the possibility of a small portion of your beer exiting the fermenter as krausen.

It's not recommended, but it will probably be okay... if you use a large blowoff tube.

 

[stjackson]

Would it be better for me to split my fermentation into two containers? After I pitch my yeast, I could siphon off half of the beer to another container, and then mix it back together into my bottling bucket when the time comes.

 

[stevo155]

Jamil's recipes are made at 6 gallons at the end of boil, 5.5 gallons to the fermenter ( accounting for loss in trub ) and then 5 gallons at the end of fermentation to keg or bottle. So 6.5 gallons is plenty for 5.5 gallons of wort.

A little Fermcap-S would take care of your concern of blowoff ( anti-foam silicone )

 

[Justibone]

Would it be better for me to split my fermentation into two containers? After I pitch my yeast, I could siphon off half of the beer to another container, and then mix it back together into my bottling bucket when the time comes.

Lots of people split the batch... Deathbrewer has mentioned it several times in his descriptions, as has Revvy (I believe) and maybe Yooper?

Anyways, splitting a batch between two vessels is absolutely no problem. Some people even do variations (using one yeast on this half of the batch and a different type on the other half of the batch, etc.). So, split the batch if you want.

I've never used the anti-foaming stuff, but I hear good things about it, so that's an idea.