Water amount to start boil

[jamnich314]

For a 60-minute boil, how much liquid do you normally start with? I try to make 5.25 gallon batches figuring I'll lose 1/4 gallon between the sediment-y crap at the bottom of the wort, the trub and a bit during bottling. Last time I used 6 gallons for a porter and ended up with 5.5 gallons and it was a bit weak.

I'm making a milk stout (60 min boil) and red ale (90 min boil) this weekend and I'm trying to figure out how much to start with. I'm thinking 6.5 gallons for the red ale since it will boil 30 minutes longer and maybe only 5.5 gallons for the milk stout? Does the style of beer dictate how much liquid you lose while boiling?

 

[flars]

Are you doing all grain or extract. With extract brews, I don't try to calculate boil off. I top the fermentor off to bring the volume up to recipe volume. No chance of a thin beer this way.

 

[jamnich314]

The Milk stout is an extract, the red ale is partial mash. I also have a 9 gallon brew pot so I do full boils. Don't know if this makes a difference or not.

 

[runkelia]

You should figure something like 1.5 gallon per hour boil off rate.
I collect 7.5 gallons for a 5.5 gallon batch, there are other system / trub losses in addition to the boil off.
That is for a 60 minute boil. I would yield less with a 90 minute boil, like 5 gallons.

 

[JimRausch]

Typically I start my boils with 6.5G, which gives me 5.5G after a 60 minute boil, and 5.25G into fermenter because of trub loss and temperature shrinkage. Everyone's boiloff rate varies because of different strength burners, different elevations, different relative humidities. Occasionally I am a little short on volume and have to add some topoff, but it's never been more than a qt.
After a few boils, you should be able to calculate you average boiloff rate.

 

[Rjppunk]

If you're all grain brewing, this is what I've been recommended, with about an extra brew volume for sparging


"your strike water. The amount of water required varies between 0.95 and 2.4 quarts of water per pound of grain (2.0–5.0 L/kg), and a good consistency — or mash thickness — for most beers is 1.25 and 1.375 qts./lb. (2.6-2.9 L/kg)". Source https://byo.com/newbrew/all-grain

 

[jamnich314]

So for my amount of grain (just north of 6 lbs...partial mash), I should be using about 2 gallons of water for the mashing. I'll sparge with 3 gallons of water (1.5 ratio according to How to Brew). Then I'll add about 2 gallons of regular water to get me to a 7 gallon boil. 90 minutes later I should have between 5 and 5.5 gallons of wort. If I'm low when I transfer to the fermenter, then I'll top off with regular water. Sound right?