Add water to my wort? First time brewer here and finished my boil/wort on Monday night, around 7pm PST. It's currently 10pm PST on Wednesday night (I haven't been home since then, but will be back soon). I misjudged the amount of water necessary, and ended up with about 4.25 gallons in my fermenter vs the 5 gallons that the True Brew recipe was designed to yield. Can I add water at this point? Or will that foul everything up? If I don't add water, will my beer (session IPA) end up with a stronger flavor, higher alcohol, or other? Thanks in advance!
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- Thread starter TrojanDan
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RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
You can still add water.
For best results, bring it to a boil and then quickly chill before adding it. This will kill any contaminants and remove oxygen.
If you don't add water, it'll have higher everything.
Try to keep extra water on hand, if possible. I use a couple 5 gal jugs and a couple 1 gal jugs of RO purified water that I get from a local store.
Welcome to HBT!
For best results, bring it to a boil and then quickly chill before adding it. This will kill any contaminants and remove oxygen.
If you don't add water, it'll have higher everything.
Try to keep extra water on hand, if possible. I use a couple 5 gal jugs and a couple 1 gal jugs of RO purified water that I get from a local store.
Welcome to HBT!
At this point adding oxygen to the fermenting beer is probably a bad idea and adding water can do that. I'd probably just leave the beer alone and suffer having to drink a slightly stronger beer. If you want help drinking the slightly stronger beer, someone will probably volunteer.
This hobby or obsession,depending on your bend, is about trying things and thinking that most tried and true methods are being debunked every day. I say you should boil .75 gal of water with the sugar for priming (even if kegging) and package the beer. You'll get the correct abv and the re-fermentation might consume any oxygen in the water and transfer.
Soulshine2
Well-Known Member
did you check gravity ?
If you hit your gravity ,I wouldnt add anything and just settle for a lesser volume and adjust for boil off next time.
If you hit your gravity ,I wouldnt add anything and just settle for a lesser volume and adjust for boil off next time.
RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
Assuming he used extract, the gravity should be very predictable, meaning he didn't hit it.
@hottpeper13
Great idea!
@hottpeper13
Great idea!
Gentlemen - thanks all very much for your thoughts and ideas. This board is a treasure trove of wonderful knowledge and data!
Hottpeper13 - so your thought is to boil .75 gallons with the priming sugar and then mix that with the brew that’s currently fermenting, then bottle it (I’m going to bottle)?
Hottpeper13 - so your thought is to boil .75 gallons with the priming sugar and then mix that with the brew that’s currently fermenting, then bottle it (I’m going to bottle)?
Amadeo38
Well-Known Member
I think he/she meant that you should add that boiled .75 gallons with priming sugar to your bottling bucket when it’s time to bottle, which is what I would do as well.
That is exactly what I meant, Amadeo!
Soulshine2
Well-Known Member
not assuming anything if he didnt get his volume and no mention of a hydrometer. If he missed his volume with water, the assumption though would be a higher than expected gravity .
hotpeppers idea should work though.
