Not Enough Water

[wrigh1st]

When I started making my beer I used 5 "gallons" of ice mountain drinking water I had purchased from the store. I just now realized that they were actually 3 Liter jugs which ultimately means I am about a gallon short + the amt I lost from evaporation 1-2 gallons means that I am assuming I have about 3.5 - 4 gallons of beer right now. I pitched the yeast exactly 7 days ago, would I be correct in assuming it is way too late to add more water and that I am stuck with what I have?

 

[PintOfBitter]

Adding it now is fine, but the flavor may be changed somewhat due to the yeast working in a higher concentration of sugars than would otherwise have happened.

Just boil the new water (to drive the O2 out), cool it, and add it gently.

 

[danielinva]

My understanding is that you do not top off this late in the process because you risk oxidation from the top off water. I'm not saying try this, because I never have, but it may be possible to boil the top off water in order to drove off the oxygen, quickly chill it and add it without too much oxidation potential.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

[McGarnigle]

Check this out:

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Blending for Volume: Techniques -

Different intent than yours, but it amounts to the same thing. in short, add boiled and cooled water at bottling.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Another Yea for adding topup water. Be sure to boil and cool the water, then rack it (not pour it) into the fermenter. That's probably overkill as far as avoiding oxidation, but hey better safe than sorry.