"Topping Up" for secondary

[mew]

If add enough malt extract to make five gallons, but only fill the primary fermentation bucket with four gallons (to make room for krausen in a five-gallon bucket), can I add the remaining gallon of sanitized water when I rack to secondary? will it screw things up?

 

[puravida286]

I don't think it would give the same result...just because it is fermenting at a higher gravity than it normally would. I don't think it would hurt anything though; creative thinking.

 

[mew]

If I decide to try it I'll post results. If it comes out fine it would solve a lot of my problems.

 

[homebrewer_99]

You really shouldn't add anything to fermented beer...

 

[mew]

You really shouldn't add anything to fermented beer...

I've heard people say that but I don't see how adding water would hurt anything.

 

[Buford]

Isn't this method similar to how larger brewing companies do it, to cut down on the amount of space/fermenters needed for producing the finished product?

 

[mew]

If large brewing companies do it, can it be that bad?