This is such a noob question that I wish I could use a different username

[jmf143]

When I see a recipe for a 5.25 gallon batch, is 5.25 the volume
a) after the wort is chilled but still in the kettle, b) after its transferred to the primary fermentor WITH all the break/trub, c) after its transferred to the primary fermentor WITHOUT any break/trub, d) after its racked to the bottling bucket or e) some other answer?

 

[Pick]

Good God, man! Your making me think of things I never thought of before!. Mine seldom come out to what they are supposed to, so I don't really care.

My guess is a).

 

[Ichthy]

Most people are referring to the wort they put in the fermenter, regardless of whether they put the trub and hops in. I usually leave a pint or so of trub in the kettle and aim fo 5.25 in the fermenter, but my volumes usually vary by a quart.

 

[Marko73]

Many people list 5.25 in the primary because they expect to lose .25 gallons to krausening and fermentation. When I did partial boils, I would strain the wort in the primary fermenter and then top off with cold water to 5.25 gallons.

Now that I do full boils, I usually start with 6 gallons so by the end, there is 5.25 going in.

As far as adding the break/trub to the primary or not, you will see some different opinions. Many people on the forums leave their wort in the primary for 3 weeks to let all of the trub/hops/break/krausen clean itself up and settle to the bottom.

 

[dfc]

I'd go with volume in primary regardless of trub or lack of trub.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

I think it depends on the recipe writer. I try to make my recipes for 6 gallons at the end of the boil. This way I can transfer 5.5 into the fermentor, leaving break and hops behind, and then have 5 gals into the keg after fermentation is complete.

It's really tough to estimate exactly how much volume you'll have left after you transfer off the break material when filling your kettle pre-boil, so I think it's easier to accurately measure and reproduce results if you're shooting for a total post-boil volume, break and trub included. At that point you can take as much or as little into the fermentor's as you want without affecting the recipe or forcing yourself to dump break and hops into the fermentor just to hit your numbers.

 

[goodgodilovebeer]

I'm going with c. You won't get everything out but leave as much break material behind as you can.

 

[IrregularPulse]

depends on who wrote it. I scale recipes to 5.5G. This guarantees me 5 into the keg. I usually have a bit left over that goes down the sink, but I don't mind. It's worth over shooting a quart or so to ensure 5G into the keg.

 

[funkswing]

Yeah, I would say that the recipe vol. posted is what is in the fermenter. You just have to calibrate your system to get the desired vol. Some ppl. dump the whole boil (hops/trub/break/wort) into the fermenter and call it a day. I try to leave behind ~1/2 gal in the pot to keep most of the hops/trub/break out of the wort in the fermenter.

I brew for a 6 gal post-boil like strat, then due to cooling the vol. shrinks to ~5.5 gal and I get over 5 gal in the fermenter, and then 5 gal goes to the kegs.

But I have had some beers where I didn't get a good break and I ended up with only 4.5 gal in the fermenter (which isn't ever fun), but I didn't top of the batch because I plan on a specific OG and I want to keep it that way.

 

[Carolinabrew21]

The funniest thing is he asked a PRO Question haha

 

[passedpawn]

It is the volume left after the end of the boil -in the boil pot.

In order for all the numbers to work, this is how it needs to be done. So, if you boil down to 6 gallons and then rack only 5 to your carboy, you still brewed a 6 gallon batch.

I.e., if you want 5g in your fermenter, and you always leave 1/2g in your boil pot (whirlpool cone?), then formulate your recipe around 5.5 gallons.

 

[stevo155]

I think it depends on the recipe writer. I try to make my recipes for 6 gallons at the end of the boil. This way I can transfer 5.5 into the fermentor, leaving break and hops behind, and then have 5 gals into the keg after fermentation is complete.

This is exactly what I do as well.

 

[funkswing]

passedpawn - that is true from a grain bill point of view. Good point.

In Promash I set my batch size to 6 gal, which is the post-boil vol. in the kettle. But cooling the wort shrinks the vol, and you lose some along the way. So its a calibrated 6 gal to get the 5 gal I want to drink.

 

[passedpawn]

cooling the wort shrinks the vol

Right, 4%. I guess I should have said after chilling the wort.

 

[krisagon]

I plan on a specific OG and I want to keep it that way.

The original question is a good one.. but my feeling is that initial hydrometer reading (post cooling, pre-yeast pitch) is the most important measurement and indicates whether you should top off or not.

When I first started, I didn't get that, I followed the recipe exactly as stated, lost a bunch of liquid to the boil, more to the breaks, and ended up with an OG of 1.072 for a Belgian White recipe. The target OG for that one was supposed to be 1.050.

It's kind of like when I make pancakes, I have a "feeling" for how thick the batter should be... if it's too thick, I add more milk or whatever.

 

[funkswing]

krisagon - don't know what you were getting at, but I was saying that because I lost wort to the trub cone (or lack there of cone) I had less wort in my primary fermenter. But I wasn't going to top off the fermenter just to get a magical 5.5 gal of beer b/c that would mess up the OG that my recipe calls for.

I see what you mean, I wouldn't want my IPA with an OG of 1.056.