Quick question - 30 minutes left in my boil

I'm doing a specialty grain/extract brew. Partial boil. (3 gallons.)

Think it'd be ok to ferment with just 4 gallons, and then top up to 5 or 5.5 during racking to secondary?

I've only got a 6 gallon carboy, and last time my blow off tube was pushed to it's limits.

I'd just like to give it more room.


Bad idea?

Kevin

This is the idea behind high gravity brewing, a pratice used by the big ones for economical and other reasons. But it will put more stress on your yeast, as the gavity will be higher. Thus you need more oxygen in the wort it also dissolves slower due to the higher gravity. This may cause an increased level of esters.

I recommend topping off to 5-5.5 gal to meet your OG target and get a piece of vinyl hose from HD/Lowes (they sell various diameter by the foot) and rig a blow-off if you are worried.


Kai

I second the Kaiser, much less chance of destructive aeration by adding to primary.

Yeah, I topped it up. I know it's going to be messy, as there isn't much room, but hopefully my siphon tube/bung blow off tube will get the job done.
I'm going to keep an old shirt over top of it after tomorrow, just in case it plugs the tube and blows the bung out.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks guys.

Kevin

It shouldn't plug off unless there are whole hops in there...

That makes sense now that you mention it. I used hop pellets.

No activity from the blow-off tube this AM, but the wort was swirling around on it's own. Hopefully it'll be bubbling away when I get home after work.