Turn imperial stout to normal?

[Sago]

Prior to priming, should I add extra water to turn imperial to normal? Same goes with my other beer, turn 1.062 to 1.055 or something like that. Will it give different taste as if I were of done that in the beginning of time?

Of course I'll checking sg readings so I don't go over, leave a little less for boiled dextrose to give it that exact reading I'm looking for. I definitely don't want imperial, love my stout but imperial limits myself to only having one.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Good idea in theory. I'd actually planned on doing something similar at one point (using two 55gal bourbon barrels, one for fermenting, one for aging), brewing concentrated in the first barrel and then topping up in the second.

I was very lucky that I got a chance to ask John Palmer about the plan before I did it and potentially wasted a bunch of time and money. He pointed out something I hadn't considered (and this is actually addressed in the water book that he just released). Water contains oxygen, and topping up a fermented beer with water can actually provide enough oxygen to risk staling the batch. Even if you boil it first, you still won't remove enough to be safe.

Industry standard for dilution water post-fermentation is <50ppb dissolved oxygen as maximum acceptable level. Even after boiling, the oxygen level in water would be 80 times that at normal atmospheric pressure (4 ppm). And most pros doing things target even lower, <30ppb or even <10ppb.

So point is, unless you have a water deaerator (which I'm assuming you don't), that's a bad plan.

What you might want to consider is brewing a much weaker batch, and blending the two. Since the yeast will scrub all the oxygen out, you have nothing to worry about as long as your sanitation and racking process is up to snuff.

 

[Sago]

Not knowing anything about that, how much water is allowed to boil with dextrose to prime as most of us prime rather than force carbonate?

Also would a vacuum sealer purge the oxygen?

 

[Qhrumphf]

When you're using priming sugar, you're using a) a very small volume and b) actually initializing a small fermentation which would cause the yeast to consume the little bit of oxygen in the water you boiled your priming sugar in. That said, I try to keep to as small as possible, usually about a cup of water or so.

As far as a vacuum sealer, that I don't know. I would assume you could reduce dissolved oxygen under a vacuum, but I don't know. Might be an interesting question for the brewing science section of the forum. However, unless you're able to put water under a vacuum, and transfer and blend into the beer under a vacuum, I don't know how relevant this it would be. I'd still think brewing another batch of smaller beer and then blending them together is a much simpler solution.

 

[WayFrae]

I don't understand why you would want to do this. Why not just brew a regular stout if that is what you wanted in the end?

 

[Sago]

Ah right, seems odd without the background of this story.

Long story short, really really short.

Unprepared for the time it took to make, 3am needed sleep for 7am work. So I didn't have time to boil water and cool it down then lower the sg.

I didn't care near the end is what I'm saying. I regret that big time, waste no beer.

 

[WayFrae]

Ah bummer. Well, if I were you, I would probably just bottle it as is and have a mean imperial stout to enjoy. If you don't like big beers then just brew a really weak stout and blend them. You could even brew a pale ale and then blend them to have some bottled black and tans!

Edit: FWIW, I have added top up water without boiling before and had no problems. It probably isn't good practice but the beer turned out fine.

 

[Yesfan]

Instead of adding water to the entire batch, can you just bottle as is and add water 'as you go'? That way when you're in the mood for an imperial, you can drink it as is. If you want a weaker beer, then just cut a bottle with water or (better?) cut it with something like apple juice and have a graff.

 

[Monster Mash]

The hopping is different for an imperial than it is for a stout. If you leave it as an imperial it will be under hopped. You are safe to add your water prior to bottling, most of the big breweries (Bud, Coors, Miller) do this to get more volume.

 

[Sago]

Instead of adding water to the entire batch, can you just bottle as is and add water 'as you go'? That way when you're in the mood for an imperial, you can drink it as is. If you want a weaker beer, then just cut a bottle with water or (better?) cut it with something like apple juice and have a graff.

Haven't thought of that, thanks

Better than risking a batch, just cut it down as you drink hehe. I'll see if it even needs to be cut when its ready

 

[user 141939]

I know people (myself included). Have used a vacuum sealer to degas wine (get rid of CO2). But i have no idea if it actually works or not. Probably best not to try it here.


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