[akaRedbeard]

I have been brewing for awhile now, have brewed 5 all grain batches which have turned out decent. I have been using a 28qt brew kettle so I can only boil 4 gallons at once. I then just add cool water to the fermenter to bring it up to 6.5. First question is does this affect the product, and 2nd question should I be using more malt in general  since its essentially being diluted. Thanks for the help.

[toby]

I would say that yes, it does make a difference in my experience.  Several factors come into play.  First, I always found that partial wort boils wound up with a darker end-product for me (although I was boiling significantly less than 4 gallons, probably more like 2.5).  Second, I think it also created a bit more 'twang' factor that made me think the 'extract' flavor that many describe as 'extract twang' was more a byproduct of partial wort boiling since it went away with full wort boils, even those using extract.  Third, yes, you'll need to plan your recipe around that dilution.

[akaRedbeard]

Thankyou for the input

[santoch]

Hop extraction is also reduced when boiling a concentrated wort.