did i mess up the boiling size?

[omazing1]

hi there, I usually start with a 3G boiling size and then after the 60min or 90min it goes down to about 2G or more. I then top it with water to go back to 5G and pitch the yeast. this time my starting boil went to 1.5G or a bit lower. i continued adding water to make it 5G but now i wonder if my beer will taste nothing but water? did i ruin it? what's the recommendation for a starting boil size?

 

[mashdar]

The biggest risks are

1. darkening of the wort - Not a big deal depending on style. You may get more dark caramel etc flavors.
2. reduced hop extract - May not be a big deal depending on style. Beer will be a little less bitter.

Re recommended size, you can make things work with a wide range. Hop extract should be calculated under boil conditions and IBUs divided by dilution. One thing people do for small boils is add a little (10%-50%) of the extract at the start, and the rest toward the end. Beware scorching!

 

[Brewer dad]

Assuming you are doing brewing with malt extract? You should be fine. As mashdar said if may affect some things with your hops, but honestly I doubt it’ll be perceptible.

I can’t remember exactly the amount of water I used in the kettle when I was extract brewing, but I believe it was in the 2.5-3ish gallon range. As long as you have enough water to completely dissolve the extract and avoid scorching you are fine. Extract brewing is forgiving in this regard and as long as you got to the intended overall volume after topping off you will be fine.

Even still if you don’t get everything exactly right don’t worry about it! You will still get beer, and hopefully have fun along the way. Brewing is one of those things where learning is almost always constant in one way or the other.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

what's the recommendation for a starting boil size?

Around 50% of your batch size is a common amount, but you can go higher or lower. It mostly depends on your pot size. Also, the more you boil the more you have to chill. There are some potential benefits of doing a full volume boil, but I don't think there is much impact vs a partial boil.

In your case, I doubt there is an impact between boiling down to 1.5 gal vs 2 gal. It does seem like you might be boiling more aggressive than is needed. You really just need a simmering boil and a rate that boils off 0.5 gal per hour is fine.

I highly recommend the book "How to Brew" by John Palmer (4th edition is the most updated). In the first sections, he describes his preferred method of performing partial boils. Essentially, he recommends starting off the boil with 50% of the water and 50% or the extract. Then the other 50% of the extract is added at the end of the boil. This method would limit impacts of boiling a concentrated wort.

 

[hotbeer]

You are topping your boil with water that is already at or near boiling aren't you?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Welcome to HomeBrewTalk @omazing1 !

what's the recommendation for a starting boil size?

The process in How to Brew, 4e makes it easy (as in no software required) to convert most full volume boil recipes to partial boils with late additions. So, like @CascadesBrewer , I'll recommend getting a copy of the book. Chapter 1 covers the process - so read it with care.

As for starting water volume, you want end up with 2.5 gal in the kettle at the end of the boil. So start with 2.5 gal + the boil off rate for your equipment and boil time. If you boil off 0.5 gal in 60 min, start with 3.0 gal. The video Boiling Wort Visual Reference should help with a common definition of different boil strengths.

Kettle size: if you have a 5.0 gal kettle, there should be no concerns about doing a partial boil for a 5.0 (or 5.5) gal batch. If you have a 4.0 gal kettle (I do), then space will be a little tight. A lower intensity boil, in combination with a 30 min boil, should allow you to end up with 2.5 gal of wort (aka the partial boil) in the kettle at the end of the boil.

With a 4.0 gal kettle for 5.0 gal partial boil batches, there may be situations where you need to futz with adding water during the boil. Short term, I see it as a PITA process that I would suffer through. Long term, I'd either brew a smaller batch or buy a bigger kettle. FWIW, my typical batch size is in the 2.5 gal to 2.75 gal range (going into the fermenter(s)).