Adding water to a brew after fermentation has started.

[RealFloopyGuy]

I ordered a Plinian Legacy kit from NB. It says it is a 6 gallon batch due to trub. I have 6 gallon carboys, but I think that would result in a lot of lost beer from the blow off tube.

If I brew it at the 5 gallon level for a day or two and then wait for the krausen to subside and then add the other gallon when I change from the blow off to the air lock, will the yeast be able to use up all the oxygen before fermentation stops?

Would it be better to simply put the other gallon of wort in a sanitized gallon jug and just add it in after the krausen falls?

 

[cjgenever]

Either would work. It would be a little less stress on the yeast to keep the og lower. If you decide to add water boil it first. That will sanitize it and drive off o2.

Fwiw... If you want to do big ipa's you need extra ferment space or four gallon batches. There is a huge loss to the hop matter.

 

[RealFloopyGuy]

How big of a fermenter should I get? I've been considering grabbing one of the generic SS conicals on ebay.

 

[cjgenever]

I use multiple 7 gal plastic buckets. I'd prefer a single fermenter, but this is more economical. I use two 7 gal and one 5 gal for a 12 gal batch