I keep reading to add top off water to the fermenter.
Is there any issue with adding the top off water to the boil kettle at the end of the boil (before adding my chiller to cool)? My kettle has gallon markers stamped on the inside.
It’s a 10 gallon pot doing 5 gallon extract brews, still trying to learn my equipment and have come up a little short on volume - hoping I can nail down the evaporation rates and just do full boils…
Thanks
Most extract recipe instructions assume a partial volume boil in a smaller pot. If you have room to boil the entire volume, do it.
Adding to kettle will work but I am very much opposed to partial boils and the sooner you can dial in the boil off rate the better. BTW there is always some variance so RDWHAH. Topping off and adding 10-20% is one thing and 50% is another…
When I was an extract brewer, one of the biggest improvements in my beer came when I boiled the entire volume as opposed to just 3 gallons or whatever. I only had a 3-4 gallon pot at first so I had to go partial-volume. But when I got that first 6-gallon (or 7.5… can’t remember) kettle and boiled the entire volume, the beer was noticeably smoother and better.
+1; First full wort was like 20 years ago and remember it well. It was the first time my beer didn’t taste like “homebrew”.
Nothing wrong with having the full volume going into the fermentor in the boil kettle as long as you have the means to cool the wort to pitching temperature.
Just finished a Northern Brewer Nut Brown Ale Extract kit and finished the boil with right at 5 gallons in the kettle!
I started this batch with 5.75 gallons, so hopefully I have figured out my system.
My intention was never to add top off water, that’s why I purchased a 10 gallon pot but I was getting a bit frustrated with my inconsistencies…
This nut ale should be very nice, looking forward to the finished product.
Thanks for the replies and encouragement to stay the course with full boils.
Top off in either spot. Use cold water to help chill. Bottled water is sanitary, so you could keep a gallon in the fridge for when the need arises.