Gravity higher than anticipated - what to do

Hello,

I brewed the ordinary bitter from Brewing Classic Styles yesterday and was shooting for an OG of 1.038 - ended up at 1.043 (dialing in new process). I should have adusted the gravity by adding water, but I didn’t have any more RO water on hand and my tap water sucks for beer.

This is one of the few recipes Jamil says you can get away with pitching a fresh vial, so that is what I did. With the gravity where it ended up, I probably should have pitched a 2nd vial. I pitched and oxygentated about 18 hours ago. It was still in the lag phase when I left for work - should I grab a 2nd vial and pitch when I get home or will it be too late at that point (assuming it may be in the exponential growth phase by that time)? Or should I just not worry about it? I was planning to harvest this yeast for other batches and would still like to, although having a good tasting beer is my priority.

Typically I would have made a starter, but it wouldn’t have been necessary if I had known my efficiency.

Thanks

A .005 gravity difference is not a big deal. One vial, if somewhat new yeast, should be just fine. I don’t think there would be need for a second vial or a starter. That’s still a relatively low OG.