Topping off to 5 gals after fermentation has begun

[jlfindley74]

Brewed a ipa Saturday night and after pitching yeast and transferring into primary, I realized that I'm about a half gal shy of 5 gals (see pic/tape markers on carboy). Is it too late to add another 1/2 of water? If I did, should I wait until I transfer to secondary? What if I added a half gal of orange juice to top off to 5 gals when it goes into secondary?

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[flars]

You could add the half gallon to the primary. Hard to add to a carboy without splashing unless you use a siphon. Boil the water to remove the oxygen since fermentation is ending.

You could also add the top off water when you add the priming sugar if this is going into bottles. Taste your FG samples. You may like it the way it is.

 

[TheMilkMan]

Leave it bro.