b33risGOOD
Well-Known Member
About to start boiling, before I do. I will be filling my pot with 5 gallons, when I am completly done and some water has evaporated, should I top up the pot, or fermenter back to 5 gallons or just let it be?
Quick question
- Thread starter b33risGOOD
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If you're making a 5 gallon recipe with the ingredients for 5 gallons, you want to top up to 5 gallons when you're done.
Some people use bottled water to do that. I always used tap water, since I have good tap water here. If your tap water isn't very good, or is very strong with chlorine, you can boil some in advance and chill it and have it ready for topping off.
Some people use bottled water to do that. I always used tap water, since I have good tap water here. If your tap water isn't very good, or is very strong with chlorine, you can boil some in advance and chill it and have it ready for topping off.
Professor Frink
Well-Known Member
It depends on how you calculated your recipe. If you calculated your recipe to be 5 gallons after the boil, you can either a) add more water before the boil so that it is 5 gallons post boil or b) top up with water after the boil to make it 5 gallons. You will get slightly different hop utilization depending on which method you use, but how you do it is usually dictated by your equipment.
b33risGOOD
Well-Known Member
I should mentioned I am using a coopers kit. So Maybe I should just add extra water pre boil? How much should I expect to boil off.
There is no way to tell you how much you'll boil off. It depends on your burner, the vigorousness of the boil, the width of your pot, even the relative humidity where you are. Most people boil off 1-1.5 gallons per hour, though.
annasdadhockey
Well-Known Member
How big is your pot? It's usually better to do a full boil(example: boiling 6 gallons down to 5) than to do a partial boil and top up w/ water later...something about hop utilization, etc.
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TipsyDragon
Well-Known Member
top off in the pot. depending on how you transfer to the ferementer you are going to lose even more liquid which you will then have to compensate for. the more water you have to add the lower your OG will be and the resulting ABV. as always wait till after you top off before you take a SG reading.
