My first go at AG tonight.

[MyQul]

I was thinking about this but wasn sure if I still get a decent OG. Think I will try next time though.

Just use this dilution calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/dilution-and-boiloff-gravity-calculator/

 

[SwissBrew]

Just use this dilution calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/dilution-and-boiloff-gravity-calculator/

Cheers. I was more worried the due to the dilution i would end up with a too low gravity but i suppose i can just use more grain of course.

 

[MyQul]

Cheers. I was more worried the due to the dilution i would end up with a too low gravity but i suppose i can just use more grain of course.

Yes or a bit of DME if you have it

 

[nigelnorris]

Just use this dilution calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/dilution-and-boiloff-gravity-calculator/

The Brewer's Friend PC app has a handy 'Lock Ingredients' button on the recipe page. Click this and then all you have to do is change the target volume and it automatically recalculates everything, bitterness, colour, gravities, the lot, based on the original values in your recipe.

So for example if you set out to make a 20L batch but you only end up with 18L lock the ingredients, change the output volume to 18L and it will tell you what you have actually got in your bucket, give or take. If you want something different then change the target volume again until you get something you'd like, then the difference in actual and the new value will tell you how much water to add to make it so.

Someone will no doubt come along with some science and I'm sure that there are going to be differences but as a rule of thumb I've not found any issues doing it this way so far. I'm guessing that any differences caused by diluting rather than using the right water quantity from the off will be within the margins of error for all the other calculations Brewer's Friend does for you anyway.

I would think the online recipe builder has the same thing though I've not used that much.

 

[SwissBrew]

Thanks guys that's some great help. Must go and buy some malt now

 

[cheapbrew]

As long as you extract all the potential sugar from your grain in the mash it shouldn't matter about the volume of liquor used, you will just have a stronger wort which can be diluted to hit the correct SG, obviously you need enough liquor to start to allow for grain absobption.

A useful formula.....
Pre boil gravity x volume = Post boil gravity x volume.....use the last two gravity points.

so if you have 25 lites pre boil with a gravity of 1050
25 x 50 = 1250
if you end up with 20L post boil then
1250 / 20 = 62.5 so your SG should be 1062 ish
adding 5L of liquior will bring it back to 1050

this volume x gravity is also handy to work out how much liquour to add if you end up with too little wort with too high an SG

 

[Manxnorton]

nice one!:)
great pics.

 

[SwissBrew]

So put in secondary today. At day 5 I dry hopped with 40g Crystal. FG was 1.023 which is because I mashed at 70c. Dont ask me why I mashed so high ha. Will do low end mash next and then a mid-range one.
Anyway, smells and tastes great but looks like soup still. I added gelatine and really hopd it will clear a bit but I doubt it. Next time I wont squeeze the bag so much as I really would fancy a slightly clearer brew. We shall ses what magic the gelatine can do.