2.5 Gallon Brew Time

[slinky0390]

Hi, forgive me if this has been posted somewhere, a quick search gave me two different answers. I'm halving a 5.5 gallon batch to 2.75 gallons, I scaled in in BeerAlchemy and it's saying my pre-boil volume is 3.25 and my final volume is 2.75 for a 60 min boil, is this correct? Thats assuming a 15% evap rate, but I always thought regardless of volume, you're going to boil off a gallon per hour. I'm just not sure weather or not to boil 3.75 gallons or 3.25 gallons.

 

[Yooper]

Hi, forgive me if this has been posted somewhere, a quick search gave me two different answers. I'm halving a 5.5 gallon batch to 2.75 gallons, I scaled in in BeerAlchemy and it's saying my pre-boil volume is 3.25 and my final volume is 2.75 for a 60 min boil, is this correct? Thats assuming a 15% evap rate, but I always thought regardless of volume, you're going to boil off a gallon per hour. I'm just not sure weather or not to boil 3.75 gallons or 3.25 gallons.

If you normally boil off 1 gallon per hour in the same pot, you'll still boil off a gallon an hour!

 

[jonmohno]

I boil off about a half gallon in a 2.2 gallon boil.Pretty much every time.I would raise that a bit and say try between those,and mark and note it next time. I eyeball mine(dont really recommend it ) and i add water during the boil(my pot is pretty full in the boil) also and have only had to top off once.Nothing wrong with topping off if need be. Some how my eyballs have learned where my finish boil in my pot is suppose to be,its not perfect but its close enough for me.If i have a bit too much i cringe but discard it and call it a bit lighter but my cooled sample from the boil tells me my gravity,so i never sweat it. So then i only really have a bit of a loss in volume( when i could exceed my vessel size) but not gravity,know what im sayin? Bottem line is i pull my gravity sample out of the boil the last 10 min,chill it and know my gravity before my wort is even chilled.

 

[slinky0390]

Thanks, I'll probably shoot for a .75 gallon boil off. I've only done 5 gallon batches but I want to try something and don't need two cases of it sitting around. I'm still going to use my 7 gallon stock pot. You can't scale physics, but I'd rather have to add a little bit of water to my wort to get up to volume, than have more than expected volume.

 

[jonmohno]

This may be a long shot but you could still try to mark the outside to get a general idea where you need to be in the finish,thats all you need really is to know where you need to finish, i only aquired this through brewing 40+ brews in the same pot for the same 2 gallon vessel every time. Its like learning a new job you just start knowing second nature.Its not a job though and dont ever associate brewing with work,ha,ha.

 

[slinky0390]

This may be a long shot but you could still try to mark the outside to get a general idea where you need to be in the finish,thats all you need really is to know where you need to finish, i only aquired this through brewing 40+ brews in the same pot for the same 2 gallon vessel every time. Its like learning a new job you just start knowing second nature.Its not a job though and dont ever associate brewing with work,ha,ha.

Well yeah, as long as the right amount goes into the fermenter thats all that matters, but if I wind up evaporating too fast, and flame out, it'll mess with my 10 minute and 2 minute hop additions

 

[jonmohno]

Not by much, youll just have a bit more hop flavor and aroma maybe? Late additions only add flavor aroma,probably mostly flavor. I dont even bother with 10 min much i usually do 15-20 and flamout.Nothing wrong with 10 though. If you really, really want aroma dryhopp.