Should I add water to my beer that is already fermenting?

[Calypso]

I made an IPA tonight. It is 5 gallons of wort in a 6.5 gallon ale pail. I measured the SG and it was 1.073, but the recipe said 1.066. I realized that I forgot to add 0.5 gallons after the boil, and according to the BeerSmith dilution calculator, that 0.5 gallons would take it down to 1.066.

So the question is, at this point, should I boil up 0.5 gallons of water, cool it down to 70 degrees, and toss it into the bucket, or just forget about it?

 

[jekeane]

Is there already visible fermentation happening? If not, I would add the water I personally wouldn't bother with sanitizing you .5g though just sanitize the bottle top or whatever you are pouring with. Whenever I have used top off water I have never boiled and have't had a problem. If you are in active fermentation I would be a little more leery of adding the water.

What yeast are you using did you use a calculator to make sure you had enough for that high of a gravity?

 

[Calypso]

Is there already visible fermentation happening? If not, I would add the water I personally wouldn't bother with sanitizing you .5g though just sanitize the bottle top or whatever you are pouring with. Whenever I have used top off water I have never boiled and have't had a problem. If you are in active fermentation I would be a little more leery of adding the water.

What yeast are you using did you use a calculator to make sure you had enough for that high of a gravity?

No airlock activity, haven't opened it up since I closed it up though. And yep, I used Mr. Malty and made a 1.7L starter. It's WLP001, California Ale.

 

[Calypso]

A related question: if I do add the missing 0.5 gallons, taking the total wort volume to 5.5 gallons, is 1 gallon of headspace going to be sufficient?

 

[jekeane]

I would peek inside if there are no bubbles id do it. But seeing you made a starter you'll likely be fine dealing with the extra gravity points you'll just have a little less beer.

As for headspace, Im not sure. I only use carboys and I put blow off tubes on everything for the first few days after my first volcano.

 

[Northbanu]

I'd boil the 1/2 gallon, cool it in an ice bath in the sink (careful not to splash into it, maybe use aluminum foil) then add it. The sooner the better.
Starsan everything. Be clean with everything, always.

I can't address the headspace issue. Just be ready with a blow tube.

 

[Northbanu]

On second thought if it were me, I'd likely not do anything, and live with 1% boost in ABV.

But if you want to top it off, I don't see why not. Just be careful w/ cleanliness and do it asap.

 

[flars]

I made an IPA tonight. It is 5 gallons of wort in a 6.5 gallon ale pail. I measured the SG and it was 1.073, but the recipe said 1.066. I realized that I forgot to add 0.5 gallons after the boil, and according to the BeerSmith dilution calculator, that 0.5 gallons would take it down to 1.066.

So the question is, at this point, should I boil up 0.5 gallons of water, cool it down to 70 degrees, and toss it into the bucket, or just forget about it?

If you really want to get back to the recipe volume top it off. No fermentation yet so don't worry about oxidation. The yeast still needs oxygen at this point. If you have bottled water, aerate it and pour it in. You will need a blow off tube especially if you are not controlling the fermentation temperature.

 

[Calypso]

I decided to go for it. Hooked up a blow off tube while I was at it. Hopefully my yeast won't hold it against me.

 

[dbsmith]

As long as your methods are sanitary, I'm sure it would be fine to add water. The high ABV and high hopping should help minimize infection, as long as you do it quickly. Personally, I would just let it ride, though. Nothing is ever perfect in brewing (especially small scale homebrewing), and your beer will probably be great while packing an extra punch. I've missed my OG MANY times, and it's always been just fine.

EDIT: Oh, I see you went for it, hah. Cheers, then!