Pretty Standard Questions

[qjackson]

So, I started my journey with a Mr. Beer kit (2.5 Gal Fermenter). I then quickly purchased another (2.5 Gal LBK Ferm.) So in theory now I am up to 5 gallons. I got bit by the bug and went out to my LBHS and bought the supplies for a half batch of a Boulevard Tank 7 Clone. This way I could find out if I liked the recipe or not. My thought process has now gone to buying a 5 gallon kit so that I can "mass produce" and then use my two LBK's for test batches or if I want to try something crazy. I am in search of a Starter Kit that would work best for me. I do want the glass 6 gallon carboy so that I could potentially do two primary fermentations at once or I do have the option for a secondary vessel.

The other question that I have is in the clone recipe it says to use 2 gallons of water and then add an additional gallon (3 gallons) for a 5 gallon recipe. I have split my DME totals and I am in the process of hunting down a scale to split my hops and flakes. Since this will be a 2.5 gallon batch, wouldn't I want to split my water as well? Or will I really lose half a gallon of water during the boil?

Any advice on any of the many questions above would be nice.

 

[m1batt1]

 

[masterfool101]

First off, welcome to the hobby. Glad you enjoyed your LBK, and you're moving up to 5 gallon "full" batches

That being said, here are my thoughts:

1) I am a big fan of glass carboys. You will find many on here who are not (reference all of the "glass carboys vs better bottles" arguments). Either way, I will say that it IS important to have a fermenter that is about 6.5 gallons to be able to do a full 5 gallon batch, no matter which way you go.

2) IF you decide to use a "secondary" (I only use such when I add oak or fruit or some other adjunct - but others use them on every batch) you'll want THAT vessel to be as close to the 5 gallon mark as you can get it, so that you have very little "head space" in the vessel. This leads to less oxygenation, and generally a better beer.

3) For the recipe that you referenced, I'm sure that they are referencing using a smaller boil and then adding "top water" at the end to achieve 5 gallons. You do NOT need to "split" your hops for this. Boil all the hops in the smaller volume and then simply add the additional WATER at the end. It is BEST if this water is boiled to sanitize - but frankly, most of the time I use the water right out of my tap as top water, without any treatment. MOST municipal water supplies (read - NOT a well) are very clean and sanitary, so they can be used without treatment. If you're worried about yours, get a report from your local water district.

That being said, STILL SPLIT THE DME - but not between the water. Use half of it up front in the boil, and then add the second half with just 5 minutes to go. Most people agree that "late addition of extract" provides for a better tasting product (though this applies more to LME than DME).

4) Will you really lose half a gallon to the boil. YES. In fact, maybe more. This will heavily depend on your stove, pot, and process. Personally, I use a turkey fryer and a 7.5 gallon pot (with approx 6 gallons of liquid) for a 60 minute boil. I lose about 1 gallon to evaporation, not accounting for the volume added by my LME (which is to say that I probably lose 1.5 - 2 gallons, but the LME adds 1 gallon, so I only "lose" 1 gallon). But you don't have to worry about that, because if you're adding simple tap water as your top water, you just adjust that amount so that you "end up" with 5 gallons after all is done. To assure myself of this, I have marked my carboys with a line indicating 5 gallons (painstakingly measured out by weight at about 70 degrees F, so I know it's an accurate volume). DO NOT TRUST THE LINES ON THE PAIL. mine are off by as much as half a gallon, depending on temperature of the wort.

EDIT: I just read up and saw that you noted you'll be making a 2.5 gallon batch ... however, if you have a large enough pot, I would recommend doing a 2.5 gallon boil for a "full boil" as opposed to adding top water. Full boils are almost always better in hop utilization than partial boils. And why "need" to add half your water as top water? It's not necessary. That being said, unless you know how much you'll lose to evaporation, don't start with too much more than your final volume. Better to add top water than miss your mark by having too much water.

 

[m1batt1]

+1 to what masterfool101 said. I attempted to tell you about the boil off and adding at the end in my first post but it seems to have posted blank for some reason.

 

[qjackson]

Thanks for the advice. Im planning on brewing tomorrow and was very curious about the 3 gallon water boil.