Adding Water to Wort to Make Up Volume?

[gmcardle]

I recently purchased a 23 litre all grain IPA mash kit that included Cascade whole leaf hops. After the boil and pitching yeast I only managed to get 20 litres in the fermentor and my OG was 1.060 and the recipe estimated 1.045. Post boil volume was approx 28 litres.

So could I add water pre/post boil to make up additional volume or what is recommended? Or could I continue with more sparge water than outlined in the recipe? I've not yet managed to fill a 19 litre corny keg based on 23l recipes. I know I should probably adjust my profile in BeerSmith but I just wanted to know if there was a quick solution like adding more water?

 

[Double_D]

If your OG is too high you can add filtered, spring water or your brewing water assuming you don't have chloramine or chlorine problems.

I'm curious about you having 20L into the fermenter but post boil volume was 28L

Can you post recipe and process?

Also, beersmith has a dilution tool. Double check but I'm pretty sure adding a few liters of water will get you down to your expected OG.

 

[balrog]

Beat me to the question about 28L post boil vs 20L into fermenter.
If you add 6.7L to the 20L at 1.060 you'd have your 1.045 but of 26.7L total volume

 

[gmcardle]

Thanks guys! Yeah I really need to figure out the story with the pre boil volume v fermentor volume, it's not making any sense to me either but I know I started pre boil at 28L and fermentor at 20L! Could 8L be lost during boil off and whole hop absorption?

Sorry I should have stated that I got instructions with the AG mash kit as opposed to a 'recipe' so I don't actually have any grain bill weight or hop weight (I should have weighted them I know!). For more on this mash kit see here

I'll take a photo of the instructions and upload. Note these instructions are generic for all the IPA mash kits on this site - great site.

So I have 5L of spring water left over, can I still add this now? I only pitched the yeast last night, or is it too late? If I still can add the water should I boil it and let it cool to 20C degrees or what should I do?

 

[gmcardle]

Personally, I'd leave it though. You have slightly stronger beer than you intended. No biggie.

Yes ok, I'll leave it be as fermentation is looking good and I don't want to risk infection at this stage. But I'll remember in future that I can add more water pre fermentation (to adjust volume and OG).

Now I need to figure out my boil off and hop absorption rates!

Cheers guys!

 

[gmcardle]

Guys I found details of my last boil off rate as follows:

50L Pot 45cm x 45cm. I have it on my hob on a large burner and two smaller burners for an hour and I go from 28L down to 21L. (Evaporation Rate is 22.5%)

So should I be reducing the heat or leave the rolling boil I get for the hour and adjust my volume pre boil?

 

[balrog]

I shoot for a rolling boil, which to me means the volume of the boil rolls. The top surface of the boil has bubbles over about 1/4th of the area, the froth and hop gunk tend to make an island over about 1/8th of the surface which I stir back in every 10m or so, and I boil off about 1 to 1-1/8 gal per hr (3.75 to 4.25 L). My object is to make the volume roll but not aim for pyroclastic vesuvian extravagance.

Example, (10gal, 38L pot)