OK to ferment 5 gallon batch with 4 gallons?

[rodneypierce]

Hello guys, I have a few 5 gallon carboys, and I would like to use them to ferment. My question is, could I only use 4 gallons of water (for a 5 gallon batch recipe) during primary fermentation (to keep some room for the krausen within the carboy), then top off the extra gallon of water when I transfer to secondary???

Would that hurt anything only fermenting with 4 gallons instead of 5??? I dont think it will, but figure it might be worth a shot to ask here. I have a true brew dark beer kit that im going to brew up this weekend, and figured I would ask here before I do.

 

[Yooper]

Hello guys, I have a few 5 gallon carboys, and I would like to use them to ferment. My question is, could I only use 4 gallons of water (for a 5 gallon batch recipe) during primary fermentation (to keep some room for the krausen within the carboy), then top off the extra gallon of water when I transfer to secondary???

Would that hurt anything only fermenting with 4 gallons instead of 5??? I dont think it will, but figure it might be worth a shot to ask here. I have a true brew dark beer kit that im going to brew up this weekend, and figured I would ask here before I do.

I guess it would be ok. But you'd have to "water it down" after fermentation and that just seems kind of odd. You'd also have to preboil the water, cool it, and put it into the secondary first, so you don't splash it in, aerating the beer.

Why not just make a four gallon batch from the outset? And don't even use a secondary? Or a 4.5 gallon batch and use a blow-off tube?

 

[rodneypierce]

Or i could just use my primary fermenting bucket, but call me carzy. I want to see whats going on in there. LOL.

 

[Yooper]

Or i could just use my primary fermenting bucket, but call me carzy. I want to see whats going on in there. LOL.

Well, I understand.

I almost never use my 5 gallon carboys for beer anymore. It's a good thing I make a ton of wine, since I have at least a dozen 5 gallon carboys and I don't like seeing them empty!

 

[rodneypierce]

I have 2 that were given to me. And one has my first cider in it right now, which is cool. I might just stop and get a 6.5 gallon better bottle. we will see. If this cider turns out, I might have to fill the carboys with more of it, or perhaps make some wine.... hmmmmm. We will have to see I guess.

 

[AnOldUR]

Rodney. If you have the boil capacity go up. I've been brewing 7-8 gallons post boil volume and splitting it between two five gallon carboys, 3-1/2 to 4 gallons in each. And if it's a beer that needs a secondary, a 6-1/2 gallon glass carboy actually holds close to 7 when topped off, so you can blend the two batches and condition before kegging.

 

[rodneypierce]

Rodney. If you have the boil capacity go up. I've been brewing 7-8 gallons post boil volume and splitting it between two five gallon carboys, 3-1/2 to 4 gallons in each. And if it's a beer that needs a secondary, a 6-1/2 gallon glass carboy actually holds close to 7 when topped off, so you can blend the two batches before kegging.

thats the problem, I dont have the capacity to up the boil.

 

[dpu2002]

Hello guys, I have a few 5 gallon carboys, and I would like to use them to ferment. My question is, could I only use 4 gallons of water (for a 5 gallon batch recipe) during primary fermentation (to keep some room for the krausen within the carboy), then top off the extra gallon of water when I transfer to secondary???

Would that hurt anything only fermenting with 4 gallons instead of 5??? I dont think it will, but figure it might be worth a shot to ask here. I have a true brew dark beer kit that im going to brew up this weekend, and figured I would ask here before I do.

I wouldn't water it down, but just alter the recipe for a 4 gallon batch. If you do a 5 gallon recipe with 4 gallons, I think your yeast might have problems trying to work in that high gravity environment.

But I've only done a few batches and am still learning so I might be wrong.

 

[Malticulous]

I've done it. I just added distilled water. It works just fine. I do it because all I can fit in my chest freezer is two buckets and a five gallon carboy. Most of the time I just make a regular 4.5 gallon batch.

Big breweries will do it because they can turn out more beer from smaller equipment, diluting at packaging time. It also makes it easy for them to make special 3.2% ABW batches for Utah.

 

[rodneypierce]

I cant alter the recipe, as its a kit.
Also, the OG looks to be between 1.043 and 1.045 for a 5 gallon batch. What would it make the OG if I were to make that a 4 gallon batch instead of a 5 gallon using the same kit??

 

[Yooper]

I cant alter the recipe, as its a kit.
Also, the OG looks to be between 1.043 and 1.045 for a 5 gallon batch. What would it make the OG if I were to make that a 4 gallon batch instead of a 5 gallon using the same kit??

That would change the OG from 1.043 to about 1.054 and change the IBU/SG ratio. If it's a kit designed for 5 gallons, you might as well make five gallons and just dilute as you suggested! Just be careful not to oxygenate when you add it.

 

[rodneypierce]

OK. I will do that yooper. I will just add the water over to the primary after fermentation is complete instead of moving this to a secondary. I will just be careful not to aerate the crap out of it.

 

[dpu2002]

I cant alter the recipe, as its a kit.
Also, the OG looks to be between 1.043 and 1.045 for a 5 gallon batch. What would it make the OG if I were to make that a 4 gallon batch instead of a 5 gallon using the same kit??

of course you can alter a kit, everything is measured out for 5 gallons, so multiply the quantities by 0.8 and you have your new amounts.

 

[rodneypierce]

Considering I dont have a scale to measure grains or anything, its not that simple for me. So, its best to just brew the kit.

 

[rodneypierce]

well, brew complete!! 4 gallons into the carboy. The technical name of the beer from True Brew is Continental Dark. Says its a German Style Dark Beer kit. Anyhow, it came with S-23 yeast, so I pitched it, and have it setting in the garage at 55*. My question is, can fermentation start almost instantly??? I just poured the yeast into the wart, and aerated like crazy. I am already having action in the air lock, and its only been about 15 minutes. Was just curious. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[dpu2002]

Considering I dont have a scale to measure grains or anything, its not that simple for me. So, its best to just brew the kit.

Yeah, that does make it more difficult.

 

[rodneypierce]

Yeah, that does make it more difficult.

its all good. Ill just ended up doing the 4 gallon batch. And I will add 1 gallon of water to it when its done fermenting.

 

[rodneypierce]

well, just topped up with my gallon of water this weekend. 2 more weeks and it will be ready to bottle....

 

[troy2000]

This thread's a cliffhanger... does anyone know how the story ended? I'd like to know whether he got away with it (brewing a 5 gal recipe as 4 gallons, and adding a gallon of water at bottling time).

 

[KaptainKarl]

Ah, sheesh, I'd like to know too. I'm considering this approach for similar reasons.

 

[MindenMan]

I have only one instance of fermenting, and then adding water. It may be an isolated deal, but it seemed the yeast did their thing based of the rate of attenuation of that strain. When I added water at the end of the fermentation, I had 5 gallons of session beer, not the five gallons of the appropriate ABV% I had planned on. Has this happened to anyone else?