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Double batch vs. hi gravity brewing w/ dilution

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  • Double batch vs. hi gravity brewing w/ dilution

    Hi all,
    Currently, for my biggest selling IPA, i make double batches of it. I brew the first half the first day, pitch yeast for the volume of that batch with a hefty aeration procedure, and brew the next batch the following day. by the time the wort for the second half is added, the yeast has grown so much that it can effectively ferment the full volume. we have been doing this for a while now, with good success.
    However, i've been wondering about making that same double batch in a single day rather than spacing it out over two distinct brew days. I've done a decent amount of research into this high gravity method and i think i am ready to tackle it but first would like to hear any advice from the forum.
    Here is how I'd like to approach this:
    I have beersmith and therefore its dilution tool, so I will be utilizing some of its calculations to help me. I plan to adjust these numbers on brew day in case anything is off.
    I will brew the high gravity portion of the beer. We run water through our HEx, so i will capture the runoff and use that for my dilution water. I will heat sterilize that water before pumping into the fermentor with the high gravity wort. I will do the appropriate mineral additions for the water, as well as acidifying it with lactic acid to match the pH of the wort.
    Pitch the yeast and then go.
    Anything else I should consider?

  • #2
    I have been looking into this as to possibly cut a 2 day tripple batch fill down to a single day double batch. My big wonder is hops and specialty grains, do they translate directly, or do you need to scale up a little higher to keep flavor intact to the original recipe.
    IE do you need to simply double the recipe or do you need to go slightly higher to achieve the desired flavor.



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    • #3
      From my research, hop utilization will go down. Also, at least on my brew house, mash efficiency is way lower for high gravity beers. The savings will come in time spent brewing, not in ingredients. I've also read that you shouldn't do a 50:50 dilution but rather about 70% wort 30% water, which would give you a ~1.6x batch instead of a 2x batch. I believe that specialty grains scale a little closer to linear. I plan to start with a light beer with minimal specialty grains to get my feet wet.
      If you have BeerSmith, there is a dilution tool that will tell you what gravity you need, and how much water you'll need, to reach your target gravity.
      Hope that helps you explore the possibility.

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