top up or not?

[keahunter]

Hello, first time brewer here... I made a Brewers Best Robust Porter and followed the directions to the tee. As i added the wort to the fermentation bucket i topped up a bit with water. I checked the gravity and got 1.054 and that's right on target according to the directions. The problem is, i only have 4.25 gallons in the fermenter. Do I continue to top up to the 5 gallon mark and lower the og or do I just accept less yield so that I can stay on og target?

Also...what could make my gravity so low if I followed the kit's directions to the letter.

Thanks!

 

[Hammy71]

Extract brews are notorious for being difficult to get an accurate OG reading. When you add the water, it is near impossible to get an even mixture. I would follow the directions and top off to the 5 gallon mark. Extract brews are pretty much a no brainier for the OG since the extract has a known sugar value. What ever OG the directions say you should have I would use for any future calculations (ABV % etc.)

 

[keahunter]

Thanks Hammy, I took your advice and topped it up