Adding water pre-boil, mid-boil or post-boil

[ramloese]

What are the impacts of adding water to dilute the wort pre-boil, mid-boil and post-boil? If there even is any?

 

[philjohnwilliams]

A little more info might help with an answer. Why are you looking to dilute the wort? Are you brewing extract and doing partial boils? If I had the choice, I would tend to want to add the water pre-boil, if only to make sure the water addition was sanitized. You can, of course, boil, cool and add the water at any point in the process, I don't know if it would make any difference.

 

[cloudybrewer]

I agree with above.

In addition though, I've read that the volume of boil water affects the hop utilization. Less water equals lower IBUs. It may have an affect on an IPA. My brews are very low IBUs anyway, so I can't say from experience.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've had more than a couple brews that were higher gravity and less volume than the recipe. I topped them off with filtered tap water and never had any issues.

 

[cloudybrewer]

I've had more than a couple brews that were higher gravity and less volume than the recipe. I topped them off with filtered tap water and never had any issues.

I know what you mean about doing a partial boil and topping up after. But is your top up water straight from the tap, untreated? Do you not have any ill effects from chlorine/chloramine?

 

[homebrewer_99]

I know what you mean about doing a partial boil and topping up after. But is your top up water straight from the tap, untreated? Do you not have any ill effects from chlorine/chloramine?

For the past 14 years all of my brewing water is through a Pur Water Filter on the tap. No ill effects that I am aware of.

I moved back from Germany in Feb 2004.