Gravity Question for first brew

[mrduna01]

Hey HomeBrewers... I am on my first batch and have gotten loads of help on this forum already but I have another one to throw at ya. I did not top off my batch to the five gallons and right now I am at only 4 gallons. I am pretty sure my fermentation is nearing it's end and I am at a gravity of 1.021. Could this higher gravity be the final gravity and be ready for bottling due to the lower volume?

Side note: I was thinking of topping it off before bottling but am not sure if that is wise.

 

[halite]

It will not be finished at 1021. You would still expect the fermentation to bring down the gravity to your original estimate, however due to the fact that you did not top up the beer will turn out quite a bit stronger than you intended.

I have no experience with topping up after fermentation so can;t offer any advice there, however my gut feeling would be not to. The reason is that in topping it up at this stage you would have to mix it quite well and in doing so you would risk oxidising your beer which you do not want to do at this stage.

 

[frazier]

Whether the fermentation is done or not at 1.021 depends on a lot of things - your OG, your malt, your yeast, your temps, etc. Take another reading in a few days to find out.

As for adding water at this stage, Halite is right about the risks. If you want to consider it, you should boil the gallon to de-oxygenate it. You could do this with the bottling sugar, then add the cooled water to your bottling bucket and rack your beer into it. A few gentle swirls should mix it well enough without too much aeration.

Or, leave it as is and be happy with a stronger beer. Remember to scale down your bottling sugar.

 

[mrduna01]

It will not be finished at 1021. You would still expect the fermentation to bring down the gravity to your original estimate, however due to the fact that you did not top up the beer will turn out quite a bit stronger than you intended.

I have no experience with topping up after fermentation so can;t offer any advice there, however my gut feeling would be not to. The reason is that in topping it up at this stage you would have to mix it quite well and in doing so you would risk oxidising your beer which you do not want to do at this stage.

Thank you for the great advice gentlemen!