Last week I tried my first venture with a 10-gallon batch (grain+extract boil). The original recipe ~4.9% ABV (5 gallon batch) called for a carboy pre-filled with 2 gallons water, 2 gallons water to begin with in the brewpot, and once the brew was complete - to transfer the wort to the carboy, and top off with additional water to make 5 gallons.
I wanted to make 10 gallons, so I naturally doubled the ingredients.
Upon transferring my wort into the awaiting carboys (on this day, I used one glass 5-gal carboy and one 5-gal bucket) - and instead of measuring out exactly how much wort I had, I filled the bucket up to the 4-gallon mark - and topped it off with 1 gallon water. I transferred the remaining wort into the carboy (naively) assuming there was exactly 2 gallons left of wort - and obviously not taking into account that some of the wort had evaporated during the boil. As a result, I had to use much more than a gallon of water to top off the carboy.
While I realize now, at this point it would have made sense to combine the batches, and then apportion appropriately between bucket & carboy - though I did not.
I waited until both vats cooled down to the mid 70s' F- and I pitched a packet of Safale-05 into each, and continued as I normally would. Both vats had significant activity through fermentation.
This Saturday is when I'm scheduled to bottle. My question is, would it make sense to now combine the batches along with the priming sugars and proceed with bottling? - I'm looking for a uniform taste.
My biggest concern is one of the beers has fermented with significantly more concentrate (or sugar) than the other one - and I'm wondering if by mixing the two would re-start a fermentation process enough to cause exploding bottles?
Any information, or direction to similar threads is greatly appreciated.
I wanted to make 10 gallons, so I naturally doubled the ingredients.
Upon transferring my wort into the awaiting carboys (on this day, I used one glass 5-gal carboy and one 5-gal bucket) - and instead of measuring out exactly how much wort I had, I filled the bucket up to the 4-gallon mark - and topped it off with 1 gallon water. I transferred the remaining wort into the carboy (naively) assuming there was exactly 2 gallons left of wort - and obviously not taking into account that some of the wort had evaporated during the boil. As a result, I had to use much more than a gallon of water to top off the carboy.
While I realize now, at this point it would have made sense to combine the batches, and then apportion appropriately between bucket & carboy - though I did not.
I waited until both vats cooled down to the mid 70s' F- and I pitched a packet of Safale-05 into each, and continued as I normally would. Both vats had significant activity through fermentation.
This Saturday is when I'm scheduled to bottle. My question is, would it make sense to now combine the batches along with the priming sugars and proceed with bottling? - I'm looking for a uniform taste.
My biggest concern is one of the beers has fermented with significantly more concentrate (or sugar) than the other one - and I'm wondering if by mixing the two would re-start a fermentation process enough to cause exploding bottles?
Any information, or direction to similar threads is greatly appreciated.
