How much water do I need?

[landoa]

Hello,

Having a bit of trouble understanding how much water I need for this recipe. The recipe clearly states the amounts, but when I plug in the recipe to Brewfather, I come up with different results for water ... see below.

Good 'ol standard IPA

60-MINUTE MASH AT 152°F
21⁄2 quarts water, plus 1 gallon for sparging
1.8 pounds American 2-row malt
0.4 pound Caramel 20 malt
0.2 pound Victory malt
0.1 pound Munich malt
*all grains should be milled (see note)

60-MINUTE BOIL
0.1 ounce Columbus hops
0.5 ounce Cascade hops, divided into fifths

FERMENT
1⁄2 packet American ale yeast, such as Safale S-05 or Wyeast American Ale
II (see note)
3 tablespoons honey, for bottling

MASH: In a medium stockpot, heat the 21⁄2 quarts water over high heat to 160°F. Add all the malts and stir gently. The temperature should reduce to 150°F within 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Steep the grains for 60
minutes between 144°F and 152°F. Every 10 minutes, stir and take the temperature. If the grains get too cold, turn on the heat to high while stirring until the temperature rises to that range, then turn off the heat.
With 10 minutes left, in a second medium stockpot heat the 1 gallon water to 170°F. After the grains have steeped for 60 minutes, raise the heat of the grains-and-water mixture to high and stir until the temperature
reaches 170°F. Turn off the heat.

SPARGE: Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pot, and pour the grains into the strainer, reserving the liquid. Pour the 1 gallon of 170°F water over the grains. Recirculate the collected liquid through the grains once.
.
.
.
So, the recipe calls for a total of about 6.2 liters water.

Brewfather calls for a total of about 8 liters of water (when indicating a final batch volume in fermenter of 3.8 liters, BIAB profile).

I believe I have a boil-off rate of about 3 liters/hour. So, if I stick to the recipe, it appears that I will not have enough water. I suppose I could add water at the end?

What is the explanation for the difference in water requirement between the recipe and Brewfather?

Also, i've got a 14 liter kettle and think I will double the recipe. I'd like to end up with around 8 liters in the fermenter.

Cheers!

 

[VikeMan]

Here's how much total water you need:

Batch Size Into Fermenter +
Grain Absorption loss +
Boil Off +
Hop Trub Wort Loss +
Kettle Deadspace (if applicable) +
Mash Tun Deadspace (not normally applicable to BIAB) +
Hose/Pump/Siphon Losses (if applicable)

What is the explanation for the difference in water requirement between the recipe and Brewfather?

The recipe and Brewfather are making (and/or ignoring) different assumptions about one of more of the listed volumes.

 

[landoa]

OK, I see - well, I played around with the numbers in Brewfather, based on your tip, and found something reasonable comparing to my first few batches.

I will keep better track of volumes now too. Before, I could only estimate, but i've just etched markings on the inside of my kettle ... and should be more accurate now