Adding water after start (1 day) of fermintation

I know there is several forms on this but I have a specific question that might help others as well. I brewed an american wheat yesterday and pitched the yeast at midnight. My OG was 1.056 and using beertools it should have been 1.051. It was a 5 gal brew but after pitching the yeast i realized i only have about 4-4.5 gal. Can I added 1/2 gal of boiled and cooled water to get the gravity to 1.050? All the other threads talk about this watering down the beer, but if the original gravity is higher than the target and adding 1/2 gal of water would bring the OG to the target gravity and closer to the 5 gal, wouldnt it be the same as adding it while boiling? Am i missing something with adding water after boiling, will the really water it down from the targeted results? I am going for a nice light summer brew, im not looking for a high alcohol brew

If you have a SG of 1.056, and you add 1/2 gallon, that will give you an OG of 1.050. Either way would be fine- it's a very small difference after all.

The late water addition sounds like extract brewing to me so I don't see any problem with that... If you do, make sure you water addition is near the same temp, and I wouldn't wait too long if you plan on adding the water.

Try brewing strong coffee and watering it down to the right strength. It doesn't really work.
Beer works the same way because the flavor is dependent upon the concentration of hundreds of compound that interact during the boil. Sure you can water it down, but why? To reach a volume or gravity? As any brewer will tell you, getting a pot big enough to do a full boil is the first upgrade that should be made. This is to avoid adding water after the boil.

RDWHAHB. Think of the pluses here. You missed your OG, but found a reason why. How many new posters to this site would have just thrown out those numbers and sat there, waiting for an answer. IMHO, let the beer do its thing and enjoy it.

It will still be good beer without adding water. I personally wouldn't do it.

I've had a few beers come up short in volume because I left a little water out initially or because of trub removal...it's no big deal.

it was a partial mash with 2 lbs of grain and some spices with 3 lbs dried wheat malt extract. I brewed all 5 gals at once (my pot will hold just a little over 5 gal)

Theoreticaly, even though i will loose some of that combination you get from boiling the added water with the other 4 gals. shouldnt it turn out more like the planned 5 gal as opposed to the thicker more rich beer i have now? This was a recipie from a friend and his final was 5 gal and i loved it (the reason im doing it myself). By adding lets say 1/2 gal it will be closer to his than not adding any water and having a thicker beer?

I would hold off as well.

I've had a few come out with less volume and didn't sweat it,they were good as well.

i added 1/2 of boiled and cooled water. I took another reading due to yeast lag and as well as the same water boiled and cooled to temp for most acurate ready. The adjusted gravity was 1.058 so i added half gal of water. My last brew was too strong as well so i feared this would be the same. Therefore despite some good advice i caved and added around 1/2 gal of water. Hopefully since it has 3 weeks in fermentor (more or less) and longer in the bottle it will mix well. Ill let you know how it turns out

beerkrump said:

Try brewing strong coffee and watering it down to the right strength. It doesn't really work.
Beer works the same way because the flavor is dependent upon the concentration of hundreds of compound that interact during the boil. Sure you can water it down, but why? To reach a volume or gravity? As any brewer will tell you, getting a pot big enough to do a full boil is the first upgrade that should be made. This is to avoid adding water after the boil.

RDWHAHB. Think of the pluses here. You missed your OG, but found a reason why. How many new posters to this site would have just thrown out those numbers and sat there, waiting for an answer. IMHO, let the beer do its thing and enjoy it.

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When it comes to extract or patial mash brewing isn't this analogy more likened to making instant coffee? Adding water to the mixture after the boil doesn't seem like it would effect the chemistry of the brew that much.
During the all grain brewing process when enzymes and starches need the boil to be converted I can understand importance of the water during the boil, but it just doesn't seem the same in this instance.

I think it sounds like your brew should turn out just fine.

Eh, you'll be fine. Give it plenty of time, which it sounds like you're doing, and you won't notice a difference. It's like the people on this forum would claim to having never drank a blended beer, which I'm sure they all have without possibly realizing it.

It's not that I've never had one. I've had plenty. It's just that, IMHO, full boil is superior in flavor and feel. After all, most of us are trying to get as close to the perfect beer as we can and wouldn't knowing do some thing to dilute our efforts.

well this was my 2nd brew so im still allowed some noobie moves right? Next time ill double check my volume with 10 min left with some extra boiling water ready to add on the side.