Some lager advice

[skb]

I am
About keg a lager which I made 3 weeks ago but due to a set of errors I made it at 6.7% ABV instead of 5.2% (boil off was significantly more than expected). Can I just add water to bring it back down, how will that affect flavour ? Can you just water down ? FYI I will boil water then freeze it to ensure sterile. Just wondering on flavour profile.

I am keen to get the ABV down as it is for a party and from history the lower ABV gets a better result.

Any advice welcome

 

[Dan Pratt]

It's not something that I've done, but watering it down will make it......taste watered down.

Pour a glass of beer, have a drink, fill with water, taste it again.

 

[TwoCrows]

Good advice Pratty1,

If you have a high ABV prediction pre fermentation water it down then.

Just enjoy your lager , maybe you could use smaller glasses and an option of another beverage.

 

[TheWiggman]

The big brewers (CUB, Lion Nathan etc.) typically ferment at high gravities then dilute down later in the track. The main benefit of this is that you can ferment more packaged beer for a given vessel, the other being one can tailor for different beers on their way to the bright beer tanks from the same brew. However, they have much stricter controls over their product and your main enemy is oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is present in water unless it has been deoxygenated.
Oxygen added pre-ferment will be dealt with by the yeast - in fact it is beneficial - and removed in the fermentation process. Adding oxygen after this will initiate and accelerate staling, which is bad for all beers but most noticeable in a lager. Boiling will effectively remove the oxygen but as soon as the boil finishes the water will suck in surrounding O2 if it's exposed to it. A method I'm aware of is -

1. Boil in a keg
2. Finish boil, purge headspace with CO2 and cover
3. Pressurise headspace with CO2 as it cools

Easier said than done. I wouldn't freeze it, this will increase O2 solubility.
If your original beer is simply a concentrated version of the desired beer then adding deoxygenated water should bring it back into spec. Hopefully you've pitched enough yeast for the brew as if you simply brewed more efficiently and have a higher ABV for the same volume your yeast pitching rate is likely under.

 

[wereprawn]

If you have time before the day , you could make a lowish abv lager, and blend it with the stronger one.

 

[Blind Dog]

If it's for a soon to be held party, then your main issue (oxygen as pointed out above) isn't likely to be an issue as it'll be drunk before it starts to stale.

It won't be the same beer as the water will dilute malt and hops and reduce carbonation - only the last one is easily fixable. As suggested before, dilute a sample to your target ABV and try it before diluting the whole keg

 

[manticle]

You can add soda water to avoid oxygenation.

I'd leave it unless it tastes bad.

 

[Bribie G]

I'd tend to disagree that boiled deoxygenated water, if not splashed around too much, would somehow suck oxygen back in on the way to the keg.

LC would be able to do a quick calculation on that.

Another option that wouldn't affect flavour very much, if you don't mind spending $15 would be to run in 12 stubbies of a bland lite beer such as Aldi Storm Light. Seriously, back when I started I did something similar with Carlton Mid to "cut" a stout that I'd accidentally made with a 2 kilo bag of sugar, and it brought it back from lethal to sessionable and got good comments.

Just don't tell the guests what you did.

 

[Mardoo]

Very interesting idea Bribie G. I may use that on my lethal cyser (15.8% abv)

 

[TheWiggman]

I'd tend to disagree that boiled deoxygenated water, if not splashed around too much, would somehow suck oxygen back in on the way to the keg.

There's no doubting it does, it's the rate that it does it that's of interest. It's no different to exposing a brew to air - the O2 will find its way in.
With something like a bulk prime the beer is exposed to O2 for a limited time because it's transferred and then bottled (then undergoes additional fermentation). The problem with allowing to cool is the duration of cooling extends the exposure time. I agree with Blind Dog though - as long as the beer will be consumed soon and quickly, there's not much to worry about.
Actually if kegging I think this is pretty easy to manage.

1. Brew and ferment 12l of 1.070 beer
2. Boil 6.5l of water
3. Tip straight into keg
4. Purge, hook up CO2 at serving pressure
5. Allow to cool
6. Add beer

Thus effectively brewed a 5%-odd beer. Now you've got me all inspired.

 

[manticle]

Very interesting idea Bribie G. I may use that on my lethal cyser (15.8% abv)

Wot? add Carlton mid to it?

 

[skb]

Thanks for all the responses, I have 50 Lts of the Lager, so I am going to keg it today in 3 kegs. I will lager and carbonate over the next 3 weeks, then I am :

1) going to test a small amount with Water - if this works then I will put the boiled water into an empty keg and carbonate it lightly. Then mix this into the beer (with great care not to flare up
2) I am also going to try mixing it with a light beer as suggested - see how that tastes

I will go with the best of the above. The good news if I do the water one I will just mix the water the day before the party so low risk.

thanks for all the good advice !

 

[Black n Tan]

I have added pre-boiled and cooled water to a keg of beer before with good results, however I tend to drink it whilst young. Next time I will add a spoon full of sugar and some yeast to the cooled pre-boiled water and leave for 24 hours to ensure all the oxygen has been mopped up. Surely this is better than adding commercial bottled beer.

 

[rude]

I've also diluted with cooled boiled water but it was an ale which came out fine

 

[contrarian]

You could also dilute into the keg and prime with sugar, that would clean up any O2 that got into the mix.

 

[skb]

Results will be known in 3 weeks. My rice lager came out of fermenter at 7.2% approx 46lts. So I :

1) Keg 1 - 14 Ltr lager and 5 ltr water (water boiled put in keg under co2 pressure after flushing O2, while cooling)

2) Keg 2 14ltts lagerand 5 ltrs Hahn ultra premium

3) Keg 3- straight lager 17ltrs approx of straight lager.

Will update on taste test in 3 weeks. Beer tastes great out of fermenter but 7.2% is a bit overboard

 

[skb]

Ok results are and keg 1 and 2 are the best, keg 3 is good just too strong. I have to say I am really impressed with the water mix one it is bloody fantastic. Thanks for the advise and the book it hard putting it in keg under pressure clearly stop oxidation !!

Thanks again