OK I screwed up - can I fix it?

I just made a honey blonde with 8.25 lbs of grist for a 5 gallon batch. I screwed up the mash calculation and only ended up with 5 gallons pre boil and about 3.8 after boil. I took a gravity reading and it was about 1.045 - fine. I then put it in the fermenter (glass carboy) and realized just how short of 5 gallons I was. I decided to add some bottled water to make up the difference. I took a gravity reading after adding about 1.5 gallons of water and it is 1.022!

I added my S-05 yeast.

Can I boil some table sugar to up the abv? If so, how much to get it back to 1.040 or so? I am trying to end up with something around 4.2% - 4.8% ABV.

If I leave it be and end up at 1.010 I will be at 1.58%

you can add some sugar, and i would. however, if you add enough sugar to bring it up to 4.5, it'll be almost pure cider. i'd maybe instead add 2 lbs of pure honey, and make it a honey ale. that might be the only way to save it, and keep it close to what you want

Can you get your hands on some malt extract to use instead of honey or sugar? Both will thin it out quite a bit, though I agree honey would be better than table sugar, but malt extract would be best if you want it close to the beer you intended.

Or you could just let this one ferment out and brew another batch with a higher gravity than originally intended. Then blend the two batches after fermentation.

Or you could ferment it out then freeze it until it is slushy, scoop out the ice, and what you have left will be a higher gravity because of the difference between the freezing temps of water and alcohol. Like making an eisbock.

12 hours later it is bubbling away. I'm not sure I can get to lhbs today or tomorrow. I could add some honey either later today or tomorrow (after I get some). Is there a specific amount you would add in this instance? I was thinking about 3 pounds.

I'm still getting used to all the mathematics involved in changing gravities around and what have you, but I think at 5 gallons, 3 pounds of honey would boost your gravity by about .02 (Please challenge that if you know better.) putting you at an OG 1.042-.043.

If you measured, 1.045 at 3.8g you should have 1.032 at 5.3g, not that that helps, but you're not as bad off as you thought. definitely go with honey or dme over the table sugar.

It is hard to know exactly with honey, but you have to figure at least 35 GU/lb. So, if you have 110 GUs, you would need 90 GUs to get to 1.040 @5 gal. So, 2 lbs would give you 1.036 and 3 lbs (a typical bulk honey amount) would give 1.043. Your wort would be almost 50-50 malt and honey, so you would actually have a braggot.

I'd stop spending money on this batch and call it a learning experience. Let it finish and see what you get.

OK - I got a three pound container of honey at a local farmer's market yesterday and added about 2.5 pounds through a funnel in the top of the carboy. It was added about 15 hours after the yeast. I did not stir it or anything - is that ok? It is bubbling away. We'll see what happens in a few weeks.

What the hell - I like braggots and have never made one before.

Normally one would add it to warm water to dissolve. I would gently stir it until the lump of honey (presuming there is one) has blended in.

UPDATE:

I stired up the honey about a day after I added it. Yesterday I took a gravity reading and I was at 1.010. I don't know if I'll go any lower. I also found that due to the heat wave here I was fermenting in the 72 - 75 range. I moved the carboy next to an A/C vent and now it's showing in the high 50s (a neat trick I'll do from now on).

The color is a bit milky. I am considering trying out polyclar on this batch - I have never used it before - perhaps now is the time.

So should I keg this or is there a reason to wait? It was pretty much done bubbling monday or at most yesterday. As of now I get a bubble perhaps once every 5 - 10 minutes or so. Given the 1.010 reading, I'm not sure what I'm waiting for. I will see what everyone here says and probably cold crash it for a day or two and then keg it.

i would think cold-crashing it now would be the best

I ended up moving it of the yeast cake to a secondary bucket. I added 2 tsp of polyclar mixed up with about 12 ounces off sterile water and added it to the bucket. I only moved it because of the polyclar use. I don't have room to cold crash a bucket so I think I will keg it tomorrow morning after it has had 24 hours with the polyclar and then put the keg in the fridge (I do have room for a keg). After it cools for 24 hours I'll put 30 lbs of gas on it for a few days.

don't put 30 lbs of gas on it when it's cooling. you'll end up with foam. depending on the temp, you'll probably want 11-12 lbs on it when it's cold. i don't have room to crash a bucket either; only kegs.

It is now carbed up and I must say fairly tasty. I think a lot more of the honey ended up fermenting out than I would have liked. After about half a pint, you start to taste the honey. It is a bit more bitter than I was planning. I think I was targeting about 23 IBUs and I think it is a bit more - perhaps in the 30 range. One of the surprises - excellent head retention and foam lacing. Not sure what I did to deserve that but I'll take it! I can only guess at the ABV but my guess is about 3%. I was aiming for 4.4% but I guess I'll just have to live with it.