Final Brewlength problem

[JamesH]

Hi, I have just had a brewday (photos to appear online tonight hopefully) and I had a problem with the final brewlength.

I made a 4 gallon batch of Summer Lightning using the GW recipe. All was going well but during the boil I noticed that there didn't seem to be enough liquor left in the boiler (it's a Burco and I don't have measurements markers on it). So I added two more litres of water to it. Come the end of the brew, only three gallons came out of the boiler.

So it seems that, in order to achieve a final brewlength of 4 gallons, I would have had to add not two but ten extra litres of water to the boil. This seems a bit excessive to me, given that it is over 35% of the total liquor in the recipe. Does it sound like I am doing something wrong? I had the boiler on its highest setting. For my next brew I am planning on adding ten litres to the total liquor given in the recipe. Do you think I am wise to do this?

Also, although the OG was a good 1.048, will being a gallon short increase the EBU?

Cheers,

James.

[trucker5774]

For a typical 23L brew I boil 29L. I loose 6L to evaporation and hops. Different kit varies a little as does boil time and the vigor of the boil. I prefer to end up a little short and dilute back rather than have to boil for hours to reduce the volume. You can top up during the boil or in the FV it will be fine.

[JamesH]

Cheers Trucker,

So topping up by that amount might not be too much?

I guess the way to find out is to do it and see. Like you say, all kits differ.

Planning a Black Sheep Best Bitter on Saturday. Will what comes out if I add ten litres to the boil.

James.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

I don't think you're sums add up. 10 litres is just over 2 gallons. You were probably about 6 litres short, which is a fairly typical amount for boiler losses although you don't say what your pre-boil volume was so it's hard to know if your boiler losses were of that order.

[JamesH]

I don't think you're sums add up. 10 litres is just over 2 gallons. You were probably about 6 litres short, which is a fairly typical amount for boiler losses although you don't say what your pre-boil volume was so it's hard to know if your boiler losses were of that order.

Yes, you're right. I don't know what my pre-boil volume was but I started off with 27.5 litres of liquor. I guess it would be handy to know how much I lose at the mash and boil stages separately.

I ended up with about 15 litres from a 19 litre recipe so I guess I should try adding 6 litres like you say.

I guess I should really just make some kind of marker to measure the volume in my Burco and top up during the boil as and when I need to.

[trucker5774]

James, I think you are saying you started with 27.5 litres before the mash................so you have ended up with 15 litres in the FV, so a total loss of 12.5 litres. That being the case it may not be quite as bad as it first seems. You will need to measure the dead space in your mash tun and boiler. The rough guide for loss to grains is about 1 litre per kilo (I lose about 1.2L per Kg) you may lose about 3L to the hops depending on the amount you use. Keep accurate notes of what you do and after about 3 brews you should hit the mark, or very close to it.

[JamesH]

Trucker, yes that is what I mean. 27.5 litres before the mash. OK, I'll measure the loss separately after the mash and boil for Saturday's brew, work out what the loss per kg of grain is then try for a few brews until I get things just right.

Cheers,

James.

[Kev75]

I had the boiler on its highest setting.

Hi James

You may not need to have your boiler on its highest setting. Once you hit a good rolling boil it may be wise to turn it back to a lower power setting but not so low that you're not hitting you're boiling temp if that makes sense. Should help reduce loss through evaporation but temperature seetings depend on all manner of variables such as whether you're boiling in a draughty old shed or a nice double glazed centrally heated one!

Best Regards

Kev

[JamesH]

Cheers Kev,

I did wonder about turning the heat down. A guy at work said it's best to keep it on its highest setting to make sure as much of the acids come out of the hops as possible. Maybe I'll stick with the highest setting for now and measure what the loss is. Then see how what difference it makes if I lower the power setting.

Had a smell of the brew this morning and it's lovely. Hope this can be my first real winner.