I know from reading some recipes that they often tell you to boil 3 gallons for the wort. In the past, I have always boiled only 6 quarts. Does this matter? Most of my brews have turned out well and was just wondering if this is a major factor or not.
does it matter how much water in wort
- Thread starter roder_60
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Your boil volume affects a couple different things. It reduces the utilization of your hops additions and will cause darkening and increased caramelization of the wort (the latter makes it very difficult to create a light coloured beer).
There are ways around both of those, the 'late extract addition' is a good method though I've not heard of it being used on volumes that small. You can also increase the amount of hops you use to get the equivalent amount of bitterness and/or flavour.
The best thing to do though is to combine the 'late extract addition' and a larger boil volume (3 gallons for example).
Your boil volume affects a couple different things. It reduces the utilization of your hops additions and will cause darkening and increased caramelization of the wort (the latter makes it very difficult to create a light coloured beer).
There are ways around both of those, the 'late extract addition' is a good method though I've not heard of it being used on volumes that small. You can also increase the amount of hops you use to get the equivalent amount of bitterness and/or flavour.
The best thing to do though is to combine the 'late extract addition' and a larger boil volume (3 gallons for example).
As Bradsul explained very well, boil volume does matter. If you have something that works for you, then you certainly do not have a problem or need to make any changes. However, if you ever want to increase your boil volume, keep in mind that you need to adjust your recipe to get the same product (e.g., decrease bittering hops and maybe add some color).
TL
TL
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