Recently I brewed a batch (a 5 gal recipe) and started w/4.25 gallons in the kettle. After evap and leaving (probably too much) solids in the bottom, I transferred the cooled wort into the carboy and had about 3.8 gallons. OG was meant to be 1.075, it was a bit higher so I put in some water and brough it to 1.075, but only had a total of 4.1 gallons at that point. So question is, when going for recipe brews is it better to hit the target gravity or target volume? Or personal preference of having more of lower ABV beer? BTW, the end brew turned out tasty, but 1.9% ABV less than the recipe said... No substitutions were made either. Comments on any/all this appreciated!
Cheers!