Topping up when transferring to secondary

[DerCribben]

Ok, so at one point I read someones reply saying that topping off a low (less than 5 gal) brew would just amount to watering it down, ok duly noted. That being said, I did it again, when I was aerating the worth the foam got to be too high to see the level (now I bring the level up with pre-boiled water before I aerate), I added some pre boiled water, but apparently I didn't add quite enough as I am sitting at about 4 1/2 gals in my IIPA.

Now, I also brewed an American ale the day after I brewed my IIPA using the same DME, Honey, and Yeast that I made the IIPA from and there is about 5.5-5.75 gals of that.

My question is, since i would MUCH rather have a solid batch of the IIPA and I haven't even dry hopped it yet so I know I am just going to lose more of it, would it be totally off base to put everything above 5 gallons of the American ale into the IIPA as I rack into secondary for the 3 weeks of dry hopping? Not with water, but with BEER:rockin:. I'm not even dry hopping the American ale so I really do have a bunch extra, not to mention I honestly only brewed it because I had an extra four lbs of DME, some extra yeast, hops, and honey and I wanted to try brewing something my parents weren't afraid of.

Below I'll post images of the recipes, I'd really like to hear both opinions on whether I should, and some educated guesses on what effect it will have on the IIPA, remembering that all of the ingredients for the IIPA are in there, just not quite as much water (3/4 to 1 gal).

TIA

The IIPA:

Annnd The American Ale:

 

[DerCribben]

I wish I could edit the subject to include the words "with beer" after topping up...

 

[duboman]

In short, the beer with less top off water will be of higher gravity or higher ABV than expected, assuming it fermented to the desired FG. The beer with too much top off water will be lower gravity than expected resulting in lower ABV. This is why measuring your water volumes is important in making beer. If you want what is to be expected you need to pay attention to the recipe, ingredients and complete process.

It's like cooking and baking, if you want the food to be great then you need to follow the recipe and process or you'll go hungry eating sh***ty food!

 

[DerCribben]

So would it be a disaster, or even detrimental to add 3/4 of a gallon of the weaker beer to bring the level of the IIPA up to around the 5 gallon mark? Same yeast, same DME, same honey, different hops, but still better than adding water right?

 

[Kentunkel]

Personally I would just enjoy my 4.5 gallons of IIPA. You will change the character by adding a lower gravity, less hoppy beer but it wouldn't be a disaster to blend in 2 quarts either. If the goal is to make a great IIPA and you trust your recipe and process, then leave it be. If the goal is to have 5 gallons of beer, blend. For me, blending is to achieve a desired taste, not a desired volume. If you decide to blend, the best thing is to add a little and taste until you get what you want. If that isn't possible you're not going to hurt anything by topping-up. If you haven't brewed this beer before you may never know the difference.

 

[DerCribben]

Personally I would just enjoy my 4.5 gallons of IIPA. You will change the character by adding a lower gravity, less hoppy beer but it wouldn't be a disaster to blend in 2 quarts either. If the goal is to make a great IIPA and you trust your recipe and process, then leave it be. If the goal is to have 5 gallons of beer, blend. For me, blending is to achieve a desired taste, not a desired volume. If you decide to blend, the best thing is to add a little and taste until you get what you want. If that isn't possible you're not going to hurt anything by topping-up. If you haven't brewed this beer before you may never know the difference.

First, thanks for giving me some insight on this topic, seriously. And I know this is a noob post but the place where I get my questioning of whats in the fermenter is that if 6lbs of lme, 2lbs of dme, 2lbs of honey, 6oz of hops and the steep from the 1lb of caramel 40 was meant to make 5.57 gals which end up as 5 gals of bottled beer, then I worry that what I have is a concentrate of sorts and isn't really the beer I brewed, I mean, all of those things are still there, the only thing that isn't is that extra gallon of water.

I guess I could taste it and blend, that makes sense but I worry that all that commotion would/could over oxygenate the beer. I just wonder if the finished product would be closer to the intended if I did top off, and was thinking (with an unexperienced brewing brain) that it might be better with the beer than with water?

Do I make sense?

 

[Kentunkel]

You make perfect sense. I guess I thought with trub and transfers that you had lost a half gallon here or there but now I see that you are doing a partial boil with top off water.

I still stick by what I said but I can see your reasons for considering the blend now. Looks like either way you'll end up with a beer that is off from your target. Its really up to you, no harm can come from either (in theory) and it just depends on the beer you want. 10% isn't as far off in practice as it is on paper, especially in a complex style such as this. You're gonna have a great beer either way.

 

[DerCribben]

Cheers bud, thanks for the input. I'm going to try adding the beer to it, mostly because the other beer is literally only made as an extra stuff on hand/ lets see if the 'rents will drink "THIS" brew and the IIPA is all I will have of my brewed beer for the next month and a half. So unless I get some input from someone else giving me a valid reason NO! (and even though you only have 3 posts, 2 being from this thread, it sorta sounds like you have a bit more experience than is immediately obvious from your hit count) I think you have given sound advice here, but still aren't actually saying don't do it. Thanks for the input Ken, you've definitely helped me out.

BTW, This was sort of a partial boil, but not completely, my kettle IS a 5 gal kettle, but from evaporation during the boil, I always have to add pre boiled water to bring it up to the 5.57 mark prior to primary ferm.

 

[Kentunkel]

Cheers. Sounds like you know what you're doing, you may consider yourself green but I can tell you've studied up on the craft. Getting used to your system takes plenty of time whether you're starting out or growing your brewery.