Very high gravity

[kmonty]

Brewed a Sweet Stout today with a new brew kettle. I couldn't reach hot break due to a near-empty gas container (using burner outside). So I let it go a little long and evaporated too much water. I didn't realize how much until I took the OG reading. The target was 1.059. The actual was 1.073, before adding the 2L starter.
I didn't have any bottled water me hand until several hours later, and by then, bubbles were already coming out of the airlock, so I was afraid to open it up and pour in some water to dilute it.

Should I add water at this point, or just deal with a stronger stout than I intended?

Thanks

 

[ChadChaney]

I would not add any water at this point, I have tried this in the past, and it just makes for a watery beer. If you want to modify the beer, think more on the lines of adding oak cubes or chips, vanilla beans, cacao nibs, etc. Or, just have a higher ABV beer than you intended. Just a tip, but I always try to have a few extra gallons on water on hand for brew days, we use a Kureig coffee machine so we have some anyway, just in case. I'm sure the beer will turn out, just maybe different than you expected. You could always split the batch too, secondary half w cacao and vanilla and the rest normal. I have a big RIS in its second month of aging with cacao nibs, oak cubes I soaked in port for a month, and smoked ancho chilies. DELICIOUS!

 

[kmonty]

Thanks for the tips!
I have undershot my target OG before, then I always have extra DME on hand. And now I will always have bottled water around!
I guess I'll wait and see how it turns out after two to three weeks before planning on any additions that you suggested - like vanilla, cocoa nibs, etc.

Just looks as though I made a Foreign Extra Stout instead of a Sweet one for now....