Selfish Angels

Cenosillica · Aug 28, 2010

So I'm brewing an Imperial IPA that required a pound of hops. I knew that would take quite a bit of volume and skew my liquid volume that I end up with so I overcompensated for the hops and "angels share" that happens in my primary fermenter. I sealed the primary with 5.75 gallons. OG was still on target at 1.080

When I transferred into the secondary, I had 4.25 gallons leaving behind the trub which was about 4-5 inchese thick in my fermentation bucket. Gravity reading is 1.040 after 1 week in the primary. So my question is, can I add sterile water to the secondary to bring it back up to 5 gallons the recipe calls for? Will diluting have adverse effects? I'm content leaving it just how it is for now but can't help think about all those pints the angels are snaking from me and my peeps!

Cheeto · Aug 28, 2010

leave it be!

yes you will be a bit short, but if you add anything to it now you will desroy what you have created

cheezydemon3 · Aug 28, 2010

Agreed.

Divine intervention should not be undone.

It will be all the better for having lost a little.

Next time though, for such a brew, I would just filter with a hop bag over the output and get just about ALL of the liquid.

You will transfer again and can leave behind more trub then.

Or Hell, do a tertiary if you want, but you will still get more in the end.

4 inches.....GEEEZ!!!lol

Cenosillica · Aug 28, 2010

Thanks! Yeah, its funny Cheezydemon3 that you mention filtering with a hop bag. I was just reading my Joy of Homebrewing 3rd edition... on page 125 there is an illustration of straining the wort into the primary. I always thought I should ferment with the hops to extract all that AA goodness - no straining at all, I would dump the whole pot into the fermenter. This is my lesson learned this time around.

For the record, I did leave it be Cheeto. Thanks for the advice.