My 1st IPA, and New Equipment +Pics

I brewed up my very 1st IPA this evening

Everything went smoothly except for the end bit. I was using my new 6.5g glass carboy. Well first off, I didn't think this through, and realized that I didn't have the equipment necessary for taking an OG reading I dislike that.

The other bit that got me concerned was the rubber stopper for my 3 piece airlock. It felt as if the slightest pressure were to build up in the carboy, the stopper would just pop out! Are these rubber stoppers supposed to feel like that?

Lucky for me, I decided to buy some large blowoff tubing today at my LBS :rockin: So I ditched the rubber stopper idea, sanitized the new blowoff tube, and hooked it up to the carboy!

Here it is, in the new fermentation closet:



I don't know why the beer looks so damned dark in this photo; it's much lighter is person.

Anyway, this was a Specialty Grain & Extract recipe using 3 types of hops, and 7lbs of extract. I steeped the pound of grains in 2 gallons water, and added the whole kit-n-kaboodle to 2.75g of water in the carboy. Having done a lot of these specialty grain/extract recipes, I'm guessing the OG is sitting between 1.050 - 1.060 on this one.

Is it me, or does that fermentation closet look strangely similar to a shower stall? I hate to ask where you keep the coffee.

Ha! Yes it IS a shower stall

See this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19017

It was my brew project last weekend.

5gB

If you are doing an extract the OG will not vary that much and should be very close to what the recipe stated. It's the FG that will likely vary.

I forgot to mention that I have better success with a stopper like this after the first one went into the carboy.
Link > http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=16655

5gBrewer said:

Anyway, this was a Specialty Grain & Extract recipe using 3 types of hops, and 7lbs of extract.

Click to expand...

care to expand on that??

Just for an update:

When I came home from work today, the krausen had started to form... at least i THINK it was krausen. It sort of looked like mold, but as the hours passed, more and more built up. And just now, I went to check on it, and was pleased to see my carboy pass gas :cross: from the blowoff tube; love those bubbles.

So I'm assuming it's krausen. I still don't see that classic 'rolling' yeast activity yet, but I'm sure it will be moving by sometime tomorrow.

As for the recipe, Brewtool...

I'd love to, but I never got the instruction sheet for this batch, and I tossed all the labels for the hops. here's what I remember though:

6lbs. Northern Gold liquid Extract
1lbs. DME Something golding i think

Hops...

something 13.3% alpha acid, 8.8%, and 6.6(or4)%

I did the hop schedule as 60, 30, 5

The specialty grains were a mix of two diff. strains.

All of this is partly why I'm naming this brew the Who Knows? IPA

5gBrewer said:

All of this is partly why I'm naming this brew the Who Knows? IPA

Click to expand...

Excellent!
:rockin:

I have gotten much better results from my stopper if it and the neck of the carboy is dry. If they are wet it will just slip right out or even worse....in.

Wow, and here I am meticulously typing in all the details of my recipes from a book to Beersmith then making any changes I want. I think I have every detail of all batches I've done to date. There will be a day when I just throw stuff in and let it roll - that is when brewing is no longer a science, but an art!

Believe me, Knipknup, I would have rather had the recipe for this one, especially since it was my 1st IPA. The one guy at my LBS is a little, well, flighty at times. He even told me that he was going to print out my recipe too! I guess he did, but never put it in the bag.

Anyhoo, I have done enough of these extracts with specialty grains to know the routine that works best for me and my equipment, so I just went for it. This could be that golden batch that tastes wonderful, and I'm never able to recreate because I don't know anything about what I used! hahaha

I'm planning on racking a IIPA on top of this IPA's yeast cake when this bad boy is done, and I should know a whole lot more about it :cross:

5gB