Diluting at bottling stage.

[Grealish]

I have recently become more efficient in my brewing, plus my new kettle seems to be set to nuke. As a result, I am brewing some very pleasant but very strong beer. All good except I am having a few earlier nights than I really want. I tried to brew a sessionish 5% bitter and it came out at about 1065 OG. I'd quite like to dilute it when I bottle it by boiling my bottling sugar with a litre or two of water instead of 100mls. Will this cause any problems?

 

[MyQul]

No it wont cause problems. You can dilute it at any stage from the boil to when its in your glass

 

[Drunkula]

Oooh - when diluting at bottling then boil the water first to drive off oxygen as you can get oxidation from using tap water. It was a feature on one of them podcasts that I listen to, it was, where I constantly go "Well fancy that, that's why my beer's cack!" as every time they list some horror it's like I've already got a full house on the bingo card.

So you're thinking "Well bottle conditioning the yeast will just use the oxygen." but apparently oxidation happens. Not me saying this, the voices in my head during my aerobics... which are mostly from my mp3 player. Mostly.

 

[MyQul]

Oooh - when diluting at bottling then boil the water first to drive off oxygen as you can get oxidation from using tap water. It was a feature on one of them podcasts that I listen to, it was, where I constantly go "Well fancy that, that's why my beer's cack!" as every time they list some horror it's like I've already got a full house on the bingo card.

So you're thinking "Well bottle conditioning the yeast will just use the oxygen." but apparently oxidation happens. Not me saying this, the voices in my head during my aerobics... which are mostly from my mp3 player. Mostly.

How long does it take to oxidise a beer. I've done all kinds that is supposed to oxidise a beer but have never had an oxidised off flavour in my beer to my knowledge. But then again I only make 10L batches, I drink em very young and it never lasts more than 2-3 weeks.

 

[fury_tea]

How long does it take to oxidise a beer. I've done all kinds that is supposed to oxidise a beer but have never had an oxidised off flavour in my beer to my knowledge. But then again I only make 10L batches, I drink em very young and it never lasts more than 2-3 weeks.

I've definitely had it, after 3-4 weeks it starts tasting like cardboard. It's unmistakable.

 

[MyQul]

I've definitely had it, after 3-4 weeks it starts tasting like cardboard. It's unmistakable.

My batches dont often last 4 weeks. I did have it once in a kit I once made which i left to condition for a long time

 

[Grealish]

Thanks, guys. I will boil it anyway because I am manic about sanitisation.

 

[RichardM]

I check SG after the boil and if needed dilute before fermentation. It's never occurred to me to wait till after. I wonder what difference it makes.

 

[foxy]

I check SG after the boil and if needed dilute before fermentation. It's never occurred to me to wait till after. I wonder what difference it makes.

Thats how breweries do it, it makes sense in the fact that the fermentation is the biggest holdup in brewing. So brewing and fermenting a big beer then diluting it down to the required ABV after fermentation would be money saving. As suggested boil for sterile and oxygen reduction and add to wort carefully.

 

[Grealish]

I check SG after the boil and if needed dilute before fermentation. It's never occurred to me to wait till after. I wonder what difference it makes.

I was intending to do that but I got distracted by my children enthusiastically trying to kill each other. By the time I got around to it, fermentation had started.

 

[proost]

Joy's of parenthood

 

[MartinHaworth]

I recently started checking pre boil gravity and liquoring back into the boil.

 

[Cwrw666]

I think some breweries ferment a really strong brew then dilute to different strengths to produce different beers. Which would account for why some breweries beers all taste the same just with different labels on the bottle and different ABVs.
I've been thinking of doing a really strong pale ale and then splitting it between 2 FVs and diluting each to give me 8 gallons instead of the 4 I normally do. Obviously just doubling up quantities of everything so it tastes right once diluted.

 

[Tony Palmer]

Don't do it. Professional High Gravity Brewing does just that. It's called cutting liquor in the trade. However this is de-aerated water using specialist equipment (ozonators and the like) For the home brewer it destroys shelf life and taste.

 

[MyQul]

I think some breweries ferment a really strong brew then dilute to different strengths to produce different beers. Which would account for why some breweries beers all taste the same just with different labels on the bottle and different ABVs.
I've been thinking of doing a really strong pale ale and then splitting it between 2 FVs and diluting each to give me 8 gallons instead of the 4 I normally do. Obviously just doubling up quantities of everything so it tastes right once diluted.

Good idea. You could use a lot f sugar too, to be added to the boil, so the mash wasn't heavy to lift/fitted in the mash tun

 

[Cwrw666]

Don't do it. Professional High Gravity Brewing does just that. It's called cutting liquor in the trade. However this is de-aerated water using specialist equipment (ozonators and the like) For the home brewer it destroys shelf life and taste.

Wouldn't boiling the water drive off enough oxygen?
Just asking because a big brewery might well use specialist equipment instead as boiling huge quantities of water would be very expensive.

 

[Nicks90]

Getting your hop and bitterness profile right when diluting is another complication.
Hop utilisation is different depending on the volume and gravity of your boil. So you have to factor that in and then how the dilution will effect the overall.
Just as a test, entered the figures from my last session bitter in to BF and the IBU was 25. Added an extra 2kg of malt and the IBU dropped 7 points and that's before diluting post boil!

 

[Tony Palmer]

Hi, As previously mentioned HGB (High Gravity Brewing) is widely practised in the large breweries with professional levels of equipment. It is unsuitable for the home brewer. Party gyling is the answer to some of the questions raised. i.e. Start at high gravity in the Copper and differentialy dilute two streams at the fresh wort stage, on "asis" and the remainder diluted to the desired gravity. Even then getting the hop balance right requires further adjustments. Incidentally boiling water to dearate liquor for dilution is not sufficent,