topping off fermenter?

[Dumpsterboy]

I was about 3/4 gallon short of my 5.25 batch with an all grain recipe. if i want to top it off,from where do I get the water and what temp do I add it to my fermenter. Also, do I do this before pitching the yeast, and does it have to be boiled first for sanitation purposes. Never topped anything off before, so i am not sure of the entire process. Thanks

 

[DubBrew]

Boil it and add it before the yeast if possible. you should cool it to pitching temp or ensure your whole batch is at pitching temp before pitching.

Use what ever water source you used for your brew.

 

[Dumpsterboy]

Thanks-- will do

 

[TopherM]

Is your original gravity on par with the recipe? Adding water will just WATER DOWN your beer if your gravity reading is to spec. You really only want to add water to reach your expected OG, not to hit an arbitrary starting volume.

I wouldn't add any more water if I were you. More things can go wrong than go right.

You could add 5,000 gallons of water to make more "beer", but you're going to water down the body and lower the ABV!!!

Stick with what you have and have a slightly higher ABV and body, or just top up enough to reach your OG...the 5.25 gallons is an EXPECTED yield, not a hard number, you need to hit the OG for the recipe to turn out correct!