liqouring back

[swheatbeer]

I have promised to make beer for a mates wedding and for other reasons I had planned to increase the size of my kit by this time (end of year). Not sure how likely it is I will have increased my capacity by then so was thinking ahead and considering making concentrated wort and liqouring back. I know that this is not ideal but I figured I can still make quality ale but twice as much, or maybe increase by 60-70% rather than double.

One of my thoughts was that some of the quality wont be compromised if I am dry hoping a pale ale as I am treating the whole lot.

I have one or two books on brewing but they dont cover this aspect of brewing (even though its fairly prevalent in commercial breweries)

I plan to increase the grain bill for a proportional amount but not sure where to go with the hops and my hop knowledge is pretty poor. anyone got any recommendations of knowledge sources for such techniques or tips/experiance at this?

[boingy]

I've never heard it called "liquoring back" but if you are asking about diluting wort in the FV then it is fine. Just make sure the water you add is de-chlorinated with a campden tablet. You basically create the recipe as if you are doing the full amount but just scale back the water. The only exception to this is that the bittering hops need boosting because you get lower utilisation at higher gravity boils. I'm sure I have a link to the graph somewhere but I cannot find it atm. I'm sure someone else will chip in with the formula or graph. Your practical limit will probably be your mash tun. You can only get so much grain and water in there.

Edit: found it. It's a US site so utilisation has a 'z'...

www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-5.html

[swheatbeer]

Thanks for the link. Just searched around on web for high gravity boil and someone suggested colour may be darker.

[Bribie]

"overgravity" brewing is done by a lot of the commercials, but they don't do concentrated wort then dilute it prior to fermentation, they actually ferment over gravity as well, then "adjust to sale strength" using de-oxygenated water. For example they would end up with a 8% ABV beer and cut it back to 5%. You could do that as well, so you can use your current FVs, and dilute using water that has been boiled to drive off oxygen, then cooled in a sealed container.
Biggest problem I could see is hop aroma and just the general "character" of the beer, but you should be able to produce a drinkable drop. I'd maybe do a trial run with a double strength batch but ending up with just half a FV full and get a 10L or whatever plastic water cube for the de-ox water preparation.

[brewzone]

Graham Wheeler suggests that having to use extra hops in high gravity brewing is BS.

I would agree with Him having done a number of HG brews using exactly the same OG:IBU as when I'm brewing at normal concentrations.

[guypettigrew]

Can't you just make two lots?

Guy

[swheatbeer]

Two lots? not sure i understand, sorry

[guypettigrew]

Two lots? not sure i understand, sorry

Errrm. If you have the capacity to make (say) 5 gallons, and want to make 10 gallons, then why not make 5 gallons twice? If you bottle it you'll need twice as many bottles, and if you barrel it you'll need two barrels instead of just one.

As you don't need to do it until much later this year, gathering the extra bottles or buying the extra barrel (which will always come in handy!) won't be too difficult. Easier, surely, than doubling the volume of your mash tun, hot liquor tank and fermenting vessel. Or have I missed the point?

Guy

[swheatbeer]

I was looking to move away from doing that and time is a major issue as spend nearly all my time as full time dad. For the foreseable I cant afford bigger boiler or have electrical set up to take large or multiple elements. To mash and boil high gravity will only require an extra fv which i already have . I can prepare some treated liquor in advance poss night before.