Is too much water, too much

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JOBRLA
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Is too much water, too much

Post by JOBRLA »

Greetings all,

This is something I have always wondered but felt to stupid to ask. I have been working with a recipe for a flaked corn/cracked barley wheat/cracked wheat malt and 7 gallons of water.

I have always wondered once I complete the cooking of all items, would it be advisable to use 1 more gallon of water and rinse the brew bag out to get the last of all the wines, or would that dilute the batch too much for fermenting?

I have read a lot and studied but haven't come across anything about too much water in the batch.

Thank you for any advise
Sporacle
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by Sporacle »

I pretty much use around 75% water in my mashes and then use the remaining 25% to rinse my bags, because I'm limited with experience and equipment I mash out of the bag in a BOP and then transfer to cooler (esky) and let the conversion happen in there overnight, then I pass it all through sieve and collect the grains in a couple of paint strainer bags and squeeze and sparge those with the remaining 25%. For my limited experience my conversion has been ok. Generally when I check with the Hyrometer on the 75% before I do a final squeeze my abv is a bit high and with the final 25% I'm right around the 1.060 or there about. Give it a try and check your Hydrometer at both stages, worst case is you will have more to run or strip and best case is you've got your abv to a more manageable point for your yeast
" you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends; but you can't always wipe your friends off on your saddle" sage advice from Kinky Friedman
JOBRLA
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JOBRLA »

Thank you so much Sporacle, ya always wondered if it would be okay to do it but never did. I too, and a very novice to this hobby and I appreciate all the people like you that take their time to answer beginner questions, brew on my friend
Sporacle
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by Sporacle »

No dramas mate, I find that I do as much searching as I can here. Make sure what I'm about to try is sort of similar to other methods and SAFE and give it a try. If it works great, if it doesn't then I know what not to do next time. I keep fairly good notes of what I'm trying as well, I'm really new to this but if I don't start somewhere I will never start
" you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends; but you can't always wipe your friends off on your saddle" sage advice from Kinky Friedman
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Dr Griz
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by Dr Griz »

In my experience as a home-brewer, your efficiency will often go up when you increase the water-to-grist ratio -- I find if I go under 1.5 quarts/pound of grain, my efficiency takes a real hit. Of course, that also means that your diluting the gravity of your wash, which will lower your ABV. For some of my all grain washes, I'll mash in with more water than I need for my fermenter, and then just boil it down to the volume I want.

It certainly adds a step (and requires the right kind of kit -- you can't exactly stick a blue barrel over a propane burner!), but I haven't notice a difference in flavor. In fact, I think it may help to clear the wash, since you've been through a hot break.
qui bene bibit est beatus
Sporacle
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by Sporacle »

This is where this place can get a bit confusing, I believe that Dr Griz and I mash at around the same ratio im at 1kg to 3L (I'm terrible at converting volumes and weights) I probably lose a bit of my initial water due to absorption and I'm not as efficient as I could be due to a lack of knowledge and I'm working with a high percentage of cracked corn. I would imagine that we end up about the same at the end when I top mine back up to 100%. I think the advice is about the same, have a good protocol, don't try for to high an abv and have a look through the tried and true for ratios and have a few tries till you figure out what works for you
" you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends; but you can't always wipe your friends off on your saddle" sage advice from Kinky Friedman
JOBRLA
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JOBRLA »

You mates are awesome, I think I will give it a try. Ill be working with 7 gl of water in this mash, but think ill use another 1/2 gl. to wash the mash in the brew bag. Like Dr. said, it will bring down the ABV, but i hope not too much.
Thank yall once again. Be safe
JesseMarques
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JesseMarques »

you can do parti gyle
-Brew your whisky beer, transfer to fermenter
-add around the same amount of clear water on the grain and mash it again
depending on og reading you decide if you put on fermenter (diluting it a bit) or if you boil add hops and make a beer
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8Ball
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by 8Ball »

Try using 1kg/3.8L total grain/water ratio. Ferment on grain. After squeezing with a paint bag and mop bucket, you wind up with ~93% of your mash to run.
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JesseMarques »

8Ball wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:39 am Try using 1kg/3.8L total grain/water ratio. Ferment on grain. After squeezing with a paint bag and mop bucket, you wind up with ~93% of your mash to run.
+1
JOBRLA
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JOBRLA »

So when you say "1Kg/3.8L" mash to water. Your saying for every 1Kg of grain you need 3.8L of water?
Am I reading that right
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8Ball
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by 8Ball »

JOBRLA wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:50 am So when you say "1Kg/3.8L" mash to water. Your saying for every 1Kg of grain you need 3.8L of water?
Am I reading that right
Correct. 1kg grain/3.8L water.

FYI, grain+water=“mash” 😎
🎱 The struggle is real and this rabbit hole just got interesting.
Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
Sporacle
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by Sporacle »

8Ball wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:39 am Try using 1kg/3.8L total grain/water ratio. Ferment on grain. After squeezing with a paint bag and mop bucket, you wind up with ~93% of your mash to run.

I think we end up at the same point, im at 3.75L per kilo in my final mash, would love to be able to ferment on the grain and I can, its just by straining prior to fermenting utilises more volume in my fermentor.
:D
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JOBRLA
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Re: Is too much water, too much

Post by JOBRLA »

FYI, grain+water=“mash”

Sorry, meant to say grain and water
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