yield problem

Brewed a batch of Christmas Ale yesterday and had what I hope is not a major problem. I used 1 1/2 qts of water for 1 pound of grains (14.5 lbs) for my strike. Using a new boiling pot, my measuring stick would not work, so I had to guess at my volume. When all was said and done after my second running and boil, I ended up with just a little over 4 gallons. Does this happen sometimes? My absorption rate seemed normal with my strike water, and my sparge water seemed to be enough to get to a 6 to 61/2 gallons, but that didn't happen.
Is this batch going to be ok?

On a side note, this recipe call for adding a pound of sugar or honey at the end of the boil........You got it.........I forgot to add the honey. Is this now a forgotten ingredient or can I add it at a later time. It's been in the primary since last night. Thanks everyone.

Honey is a naturally resistant to bacteria, but still should be sanitized somehow, maybe boiling water. As long as your initial fermentation isn't done and the yeast has gone dormant than it shouldn't have any affect being late.

Is your new boiling pot larger than the old? You are probably evaporating more than you used to due to the larger pot.

Thanks for the feedback.
to phatuna-- My old pot is the 30 qt. turkey fryer. (tall and skinny) Boil overs were a problem so this new pot is fatter and shorter with a little more volume. Guess the increased surface area could account for the higher evaporation rate.

to highGravshawn--I see your just across the lake from me. With the honey issue, are you saying that I can maybe boil the pound of honey in a gallon of water and add that to the wort? That would solve both problems. Adding the missing gallon and adding the honey. I just put it in the primary last night and the air lock is active every 20 to 30 seconds.

KNOTSANE said:

On a side note, this recipe call for adding a pound of sugar or honey at the end of the boil........You got it.........I forgot to add the honey. Is this now a forgotten ingredient or can I add it at a later time. It's been in the primary since last night. Thanks everyone.

Click to expand...

You can kill 2 birds with one stone here. Figure out how much volume you need to make up your deficit, boil it up, and mix in your honey. Boil for 10 minutes, chill it to fermentation temperature, then you can put it into your primary. Just be careful with sanitation when you open the fermenter.

Thanks Homer. I will do just that. The star san is already out for bottling another batch, so now I can get to killing those 2 birds.

From everything I have read you shouldn't boil your honey. Just add it in.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/why-not-boil-honey-76634/

I can't comment on the loss of flavor as I never use honey (at least not yet). However, it is a common misconception that Honey kills organisms. While it does resist growth of many types of mold and bacteria because of it's Ph and its lack of water content, there are plenty of things that can live in it including Clostridium which causes botulism in babies which is why doctors tell you not to give honey to babies under 1 years old. So just like just like your tap water it may be safe to eat/drink, but that doesn't make it safe for avoiding infection. It may work, but it's still a gamble.

I use tap water to top off all the time, and in my last beer I didn't boil my honey addition and didn't have any issues.