Bad Brew Day - Missed my gravity by a lot

I brewed a Russian Imperial Stout this morning. My expectation was an OG of 1.950-1.100. Unfortunately, I only got to 1.083. I this was due to a mixture of too much mash or sparge water (I pulled about 1.5 gallons from the mash tun), a shortened boil time (calculated for 2 hours abut ony had time for 1.75 hours, and other issues. I was off my game.

The wort is great and has no flaws I can find. I am concerned about the GU:IBU ratio being a bit high. roughly 1 lbs of sugar should bring me up to a better spot. A strong simple syrup can be made. I can also sprinkle sugar in slowly as the beer ferments to not shock the year. Is this foolish? What route would you take?

I would just dump it in once the yeast has gone through the bulk of fermentation. De-gas first though.

If it were me, I’d just go with the 1.083 OG.  It may just be me but I’m not a fan of the flavor element that corn sugar brings.  Some people say they can’t taste it but I can to some degree when adding at the level of one pound or more.  I’d add dry malt extract before adding corn sugar if at all possible.

I wouldn’t touch a thing. You probably made a fine beer and chances are you are just going to screw it up by tinkering wit it now. As a suggestion, it is always a good idea to keep a pound or two of DME around when brewing high gravity beers just to dial you numbers in properly.

I agree with Keith that I’d probably let it ride.  I’ve made some great stouts in the 1.083 range.

I’ve also added sugar to the fermenter to bring the OG up to where I wanted it, so that is a viable route if the OG/abv is important to you.  I’ve added the sugar direct into the fermenter, all at once, no problem.  Maybe not a full pound at once, but at least 1/2 pound followed by 1/2 pound the next day.  I’ve had no issues pouring it in dry, no need to make a simple syrup.

I agree with the majority; leave it the way it is. Concentrate on having a great fermentation, and driving the FG down. It’s a RIS, so I am assuming you are going to age it for a while. Age it a little longer than you had planned for, and hopefully some of the hops will drop out. Good luck!

Sometimes things are best left alone and this is one of them. It may turn out better than you think. I certainly understand your disappointment but I bet you’ll be surprised by the outcome.