Help!-How to pitch extra wort in primary

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skidpad

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Hello all, I would appreciate some help. I just brewed up a partial-mash IPA (partial-boil) and when I went to add the remaining pre-boiled water to top it up to 5 gal. I missed my mark and didn't add enough (no wonder my OG was 1.092). Now, after the blowoff tube and 10 days of VERY active fermentation (love a good starter) I'm at only slightly over 4 gallons in the primary (not to mention what I'll lose to the trub). I want to make a 2nd wort and add it to bring it up to 5 gal. I've never done this before so I don't know if my yeast will have enough gas in the tank to take on another pound of DME along with a new gallon of liquid. If anyone has any ideas here I would really love to hear them. I'd like to do this over the thanksgiving holiday weekend so I could let it sit in the primary another week before I rack to the secondary.
 
I wouldn't do it! Let what you have finish, rack to sec or bottle. I wouldn't add a thing after the yeast started except hops, fruit, etc.
Be happy with 4 gal or good beer instead of risking having 5 gal of mediocre beer.
 
Just leave the one you have now and you will yield less (although more potent) beer. Who knows, it may be delicious. Focus you efforts on the next batch.
 
Thanks for the quick responses guys. I guess I have to agree with you that I should leave well enough alone an move on to the next. As it stands, I expect the beer to be MIGHTY good (read Imperial IPA goodness). I think it was the cost of the ingredients for this one that made me try and up my output. Those hop prices add up! I still have to dry hop this one with my Amarillo. I'll post how it turns out. Slainte!
 
If you can figure out how much your ABV will be after adding water, it may be worth it to you. I had an IPA that attenuated really well, and the same problem as you. I added water and still had a 6.8% ABV. It was worth doing for the 10-12 more beers I prolly got out of it.
 
you can add some cooled boiled water. Just rack it rather than pouring. If you started with .092 then you should have some room to play with it. I would not add any wort to the mix you don't need any more fermentables in there as your OG was so high
 
i often top off with distilled water (boiled and cooled would work, too.) i usually do it in the keg, tho, after purging with co2.

definitely don't use anything with oxygen in it, purge if possible, and avoid splashing.

if you are using a secondary, you could do the same thing in that vessel.
 
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