Not Getting Enough Volume

[FecalLord]

Ever since I switched to AG, my beers have always come up about 1 gallon short. I just brewed a pale ale and only have around 4 gallons even though I followed the water calculator to the tee.
I'm really confused as to why this is happening. Should I just add more water to bring it up to 5 gallons or leave it?

Thanks.

 

[silentmike]

you should check your first running volume and adjust your sparge water to accommodate for your total preboil volume

 

[funnycreature]

My problem was always a lot of loss due to trub in the boil kettle. You will also need to tune your calculations to your equipment. It's something I also have ahead of me but I brew very infrequently.... I should have all the equipment for a whirlpool for the next session and then I'll see if that helps

 

[billl]

Just to state the obvious, but if you are always 1 gallon short....just add a gallon to your sparge.

If you are using some sort of software, then you have some setting that doesn't match your equipment - eg batch size, boil off rate, grain absorption etc

 

[stpug]

I'd leave your current beer the way it is and adjust your water volumes for future brews to end up where you want to. I usually start with about 6.7 gallons preboil, boil for 60 minutes, have ~5.5 gallons remaining in the kettle, and lose 1 quart in the kettle when going into fermenter. A 90 minute boil will typically have 7.1 gallons preboil with the same going into fermenter.

 

[FecalLord]

Just wanted to add that even though I'm about a gallon short, my estimated OG is right on with Beersmith at 1.061.

 

[hogwash]

Get a plastic bucket and mark it in half gallon increments. Drain your runnings into that and figure out what your pre-boil volume is, then adjust accordingly. It might take a couple batches but this process helped me figure it out. FWIW, I do 6 gallon batches and start with 7.75 for a 60 min boil, half gallon more for 90 min. I use a keggle.

 

[smyrnaquince]

If your OG went high, I'd say your evaporation rate was higher than expected. If the OG is on the mark, I suggest that you have a higher than expected trub loss from the kettle or more left behind in the fermenter than expected.

 

[Lopsy]

My system is extremely lossy. And I like it that way. I leave a lot behind in the kettle and I'm a vigorous boiler.

20gal water
16gal runnings
14gal post boil

>6gal into 2 carboys.

Plenty of wiggle room to dry hop and/or leave trub behind going into the keg.

Nothing worse than a 4/5 filled keg. You'll learn to compensate. It took me 10 batches of messing with it before I was satisfied.

General rule: Start with double your desired fermentors volume and then spare until you hit your desired pre-boil volume based on kettle loss and boil off. Don't rely on software, you'll just get frustrated. Once you have it all figured out you'll never touch the water volumes on your software again.