Bottling mistake

I'm assuming you had added priming sugar to the bucket? Let it ferment out then do it again.

 

I would wait unti the priming sugar that's left ferments (maybe a week) and then go at it again as if it were 2 gallon batch. Prime and bottle

 

If it happens in the future (or for others who suffer this), you could always grab a few 2L bottles, clean good, sanitize, and then screw down the cap tight. It will carb up as normal and just drink all of them first, take them to club meetings, etc. You could do the same with growlers if you have them.

 

I've used plenty of screw-top growlers with no problem. I did have one blow on me, but I realized that it was a very thin walled one. I now double check the weights before filling.

 

It's a good thing you added the priming sugar at least. Because then it should produce some excess CO2 and clear the head space.

 

I'm going to offer a differing opinion. Priming sugar is only worth about 2 gravity points, and it typically takes about 2 weeks for a beer to fully carbonate. Given these two facts, the rate of CO_2 production will not be very fast, leading to the possibility of some oxidation. Furthermore, waiting one day to bottle will not substantially reduce the amount of unfermented sugar in the beer before the evolving CO_2 is captured. I would thus bottle the remaining beer as quickly as possible, using soda bottles, growlers, or whatever.

 

+1 to this. Your LHBS carries bottle caps on the cheap. Go relieve them of some post haste.

 

well it's a good thing you drink gas. Then you won't mind the beer if it doesn't turn out.