Overshot my Pils, watering down questions

[MplsUgly]

I brewed a bohemian pils last week and I wanted a OG around 1.053 but I ended up at 1.060 due to a hard boil and better than expected mash efficiency.

This was an 11 gallon batch so I split it up and added a half gallon to the 5.25 gallons in one fermenter bringing it down to 1.055 and left the other unaltered because I didn’t have the head space.

Now, I know that at some point you shouldn’t add any water because you don’t want to add the oxygen and thus oxidized the beer. My question is, when is this point? My gravity is 1.030 today so I’m still fermenting. Could I pull out some beer and add water to this other batch to knock down the ABV or would I just spoil the batch?

I know a high gravity beer isn’t bad for most here but as a guy who always has a 6.5-7.5 IPA on tap, I was looking forward to something light.

 

[RM-MN]

Before the beer starts fermenting the yeast need oxygen in the wort so adding water then makes sense. Once if starts fermenting you don't want more oxygen.

If you want a lighter beer on tap, make another batch rather than chancing making a mess of this one.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

You don't want oxygen in the process at any juncture prior to the initiation of fermentation, so the best time to dilute is just before pitching the yeast. Mix well and take the revised FG.

 

[MplsUgly]

This is in line with what I thought. I think I will take advantage of the yeast from these batches and throw a new batch of wort on the yeast cakes.

Cheers

 

[RPh_Guy]

Water can be deoxygenated.

Boil and then rapidly cool, as with a counterflow or plate chiller.
-or-
Use the "yeast method" described by the LODO community.