I'm putting a total of 5 gallons in both of the brews that I've done, but they don't even come close to the top of my glass carboy, and I'm only getting between 42 and 45 beers out of my home-brew. Should I be putting more water in, or is this ok?
Am I putting enough water in my brew?
- Thread starter Boyd
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DustinHickey
Well-Known Member
Are you hitting your estimated Original Gravity for each batch or are you a bit high? When you say putting in a total of 5 gallons, is that before or after the boil? You have to use a bit more than 5 gallons before the boil due to boil off and trub loss.
the actual capacity of a carboy is usually more than the quoted capacity. on mine, the real 5 gallon mark is right about at the point where the glass starts to curve at the top. Same story on the 6.5 gallon carboys.
A lot of people here shoot for 5.5 to 6 gal pre boil volume to account for boil off, tastings, gravity samples, and whatever is lost to the trub-demons-down-below in your fermentor so they can get a full 5 gal out of the final bottling/kegging. Results may vary in your setup, you'll have to zero in your loss, but it looks to me that you might need to add another 5. to .75 gal to your batch size if you are shooting for 48 bottles of beer on the wall. That estimate is based on 12oz bottles.
I have no idea how to test gravity, or what it tells me. If you could explain that would be great. I've been boiling with 2 gallons of water, and putting 3 gallons of water in after the boil is over to help cool the wort before i put it in the carboy.
Ok, that's part of the problem then. Your 2 gallons that you boil will be less than 2 gallons when you stop boiling, so when you add 3 to top it off and cool, you have less than 5 gallons total.
You should measure out 5 gallons of water in your carboy as precisely as you can thenext time it is empty and mark the carboy with a sharpie or some tape or something. Then you add enough water to get to that line when you brew... actually maybe a little MORE than that because you will have sediment forming in the bottom of the carboy from the yeast and break material.
By the way... if you are fermenting 5 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon carboy, be prepared for the thing to blow up and out of the top. Most folks use a 6.5 gallon carboy to ferment 5 gallons of beer to allow headspace for the kraeusen to form.
Use your hydrometer. It should come with instructions on proper use. Read them, learn them, love them, live them. If you don't have a hydrometer, get one. They are inexpensive and your best friend.
A lot of recipes will give an approximate original gravity (if you don't know how to really calculate it yourself). If your gravity reading is much higher than the target OG, it could mean a lot of things, one of which is that your water volume is too low which gives a higher concentration to the sugars in the brew.
1. Buy a hydrometer. It's only a few bucks. Practice using it with tap water, sugar water, your morning OJ, etc. Learn to understand what it is telling you. You'll see that recipes will specify an OG (original gravity, what you have when you pitch yeast); and FG (finish gravity, when the yeast is done). It will be good information to have.
2. Using a reasonably accurate 1-gallon jug, pour five gallons into your carboy and mark the level on the outside. Maybe mark a 5-1/2 gallon level also. More good information to have.
2. Using a reasonably accurate 1-gallon jug, pour five gallons into your carboy and mark the level on the outside. Maybe mark a 5-1/2 gallon level also. More good information to have.
A hydrometer is what reveals the specific gravity of your wort. You take a small sample of the wort in the testing tube and float the hydrometer in it, then read the number on the side. It's truly the only way to know that fermentation is completely done.
If using a carboy, I guess you need a wine thief to get your sample. You're talking maybe 15 or 20 bucks for a hydrometer and a wine thief.
EDIT: and once again, a slow typist realizes he should have used Advance post and previewed to see if the answer was already posted, lol. Have fun.
If using a carboy, I guess you need a wine thief to get your sample. You're talking maybe 15 or 20 bucks for a hydrometer and a wine thief.
EDIT: and once again, a slow typist realizes he should have used Advance post and previewed to see if the answer was already posted, lol. Have fun.
I'll try to not get into a major anti-hydrometer rant, but two comments:
(1) if you are brewing with extract, it's hard to miss your OG unless you don't have the right amount of water added
(2) any estimate you see for a FG in a recipe is questionable. FG depends on a lot of things, and those estimates don't know all of those things.
(1) if you are brewing with extract, it's hard to miss your OG unless you don't have the right amount of water added
(2) any estimate you see for a FG in a recipe is questionable. FG depends on a lot of things, and those estimates don't know all of those things.
collegebrewer
Member
Boyd I had this unfortunate problem myself when bottling my first batch. Ended up with only 43 brews. Dissappointing to say the least.
My problem was what these guys are talking about- I should have added more water after the boil so that I had just over 5 gallons sitting in the primary fermenter.
My problem was what these guys are talking about- I should have added more water after the boil so that I had just over 5 gallons sitting in the primary fermenter.
DustinHickey
Well-Known Member
Also keep in mind that you could also use a refactometer. I love mine and would never go back to using a hydrometer. It's a bit more pricey than the hydrometer but a hell of a lot easier, requires less wort to test, and you can find a good one with automatic temperature adjustment for around 30 to 50 bucks. I think I got mine for 30 and it works great.
Just make sure you get the right kind, they make them for different scales.
By the way, you can brew simple extract beers without this tool but if you want to get serious with brewing, calculate your alcohal content, confirm stages in fermentation are over, or get into all grain brewing than it is a must.
ChshreCat
Well-Known Member
Just get a basic hydrometer and sample jar at your local homebrew shop. Might as well get a wine thief while you're there so you can easily get samples out of your carboys.
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