My first AG batch...

Well, my first AG batch is in the fermenter. Had some issues, but, I'm sure I will still end up with beer!! Also learned an important lesson..... never try to smoke ribs, cook chili, AND brew your first batch of AG. (For the record, the chili and the ribs turned out nice.) My issues were:
1. Had a pretty good boil over. I'm used to dealing with the hot break on the stove, but it was crazy on the turkey fryer!!
2. The worthless turkey fryer that I bought has a 20 min timer on it. I completely forgot about this. At one point I walked out to find that my wort was no longer boiling and I had no flame. I rapidly pulled the pot off and put it on the stove to return to boil. At about the same time, I remembered the timer! So, pulled the pot off the stove and returned it to the fryer. Total boil time loss, bout 5-7 minutes.
3. My SG was off. This was an AHS Hoppy Ale kit, which predicted a SG of about 1.051. I hit 1.045.

I guess all in all, it wasn't too bad. I'm sure it coulda been worse. Guess we'll find out in a few weeks!!

Sounds like good beer to me! congrats on your first AG! Looks like you did your homework if you had a boil over and still ended up at 1.045 on your first AG.

blueline The ribs still happen to me. I will have a brew day planned and family will want ribs that day. I feel your pain there. Sounds like you had a good day though. AG will get easier and faster the more you do it.

Hmmm...smoking the ribs WHILE making the beer. This is genius! Now I need another propane tank...

Yeah, it's SWMBO's fault about the ribs. She suddenly decided she wanted some. Gotta keep her happy!! I hope it gets easier. Not that it was too terribly bad. I did find some leaks here and there (mostly on my HLT). But I'll get that taken care of. I've also decided to get a bigger MLT. I thought the 5 gallon would be ok, but I now see why most people go for a bigger one!! And I think I'll invest in some foam control to help with those pesty boil overs!!

Congratulations! 1.045 sounds great - it'll likely take a couple of batches for you to figure out your system's efficiency.

And go for the foam control. It'll change your life!

Well, all appears well!! Checked the SG today and voila, 1.008! Looks like I did ok on my first batch of AG. Hmmmm, now time for a name... how bout, Hoppy Cherry Popper Ale?? lol One side question though, I have to dry hop for 5 days. I've never dry hopped before. So far, temperature has maintained 70 degrees. I'm considering moving to the basement, which is around 55-60 degrees when I dry hop. 2 questions:
1. Any issues with this? (Regarding the temperature)
2. Should I just drop the hop pellets into the secondary, or do I need to put them in some type of bag or strainer?

You must have got that turkey fryer at walmart. I had the same one (or similar), the damn timer pissed me off too many times so I retired it and got another one, from walmart.

I dry hop in the primary after fermentation is done for about a week. Then I cold crash for a few days and secondary in the keg. No bag just dump the pellets right in. the pellets may need to be swirled around a bit but they will drop out soon enough. It works for me and seems to be alot more efficient than having to rack three times.

Yes indeed, a good 'ole Wal-Mart special. The 20 minute timer really sucks!! Gonna have to find a way around it.

Thanks MashStirBrew. Answers my question for the most part. I think I'll just rack onto the pellets in the secondary and then cold crash. Don't keg, so that leaves that option out.