2.5 gallon pre-boil for 5 gallon batch

[Dr. BruBeer]

I am about to try a new recipe that calls for 2.5 gallon pre-boil for a 5 gallon batch. I typically start with about 6.5 gallons for the boil to get down to the 5 gallon mark. Is there any benefit to starting with the 2.5 gallon and adding water later to bring to 5 gallons? Would I be impacting the finished product if I started out with the 6.5 gallon pre-boil?

 

[Minbari]

I ussualy have some preboil for topup water, but only because of boil kettle limitations. I cant think of why it would matter if you have the room for 6.5 gallons.

 

[Dr. BruBeer]

I was thinking the same thing, but wanted another opinion. Thank you.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Is it an extract recipe?

 

[Dr. BruBeer]

Yes, 100%

 

[SabreSteve]

It's not uncommon for extract recipes to have boils smaller than the target volume and then top up with water in the fermenter. It allows you to make the same size batches with smaller kettles than needed for BIAB/all-grain. I don't see why it would hurt to start with a larger boil other than it'll take more time/energy to get it to boil and you might overshoot your volume if it doesn't boil down as much as you expect. But those feel like very minor concerns.

 

[Josh Hughes]

It will affect your hop utilization. I can’t say how much. If you look at recipes that have an all grain and extract most of the time the hop amounts are different.

 

[Daniel Parshley]

I do a lot of 2.5 gallon malt extract batches. Any grains I steeped are added to the pot and then distilled water to reach 2.5-3 gallons for the boil. I usually add another 1/2 gallon during the boil. Putting the makeup water in the refrigerator lets me pour into the fermenter at ~90 F. At my age, weight is a concern.