First Brew, IPA

So i've had my first brew in the fermenter for about a week, and i took a gravity reading today, its about 1.020, and i'm looking for about 1.015 as a FG. The kruesen is gone, and CO2 activity has stopped (at least at the airlock), would another week get me down further to 1.015? Also, there were some particles floating around, i am assuming from the Hop Pellets. What is the best way to filter these out when i bottle?

OG was 1.050

thanks,
jderm

what's your rush? Wait two more weeks and check gravity then.

Congrats on your first Brew. I am sure it will be excellent.
I would just wait couple of more days. And check it again.

Are you going to rack and dry hop it since it is an IPA? That would give it more time for the yeast to clean up etc and potential drop your gravity.

When you say floating around - do you mean only on top? Or are they "swimming" or suspended?
It is either yeast floating down or could be some hops residue. Just relax and take it all in. Learning it all is the best part.

Also, what yeast did you use? funny little things yeast - have a mind of their own - Even at 1.020 it will taste ok .. nice as crisp perhaps .

I am guessing everything is going to be fine in a day or 2 or 5 ... just wait ...a little more...

Good luck.
T

thanks.
They are suspended. almost like orange pulp. i think its left over sludge from the hop pellets, but i did taste it earlier, so far so good. I was considering dry hopping, but i don't really have a secondary vessel.

If you are not going to rack it to a secondary then def wait at least 10 days maybe 14 before you bottle it. At least I would - Give it time to drop and clear as much as possible. It is not going to hurt a thing having it in there for 14 days.

now when you open the fermentation vessel, (in my case, a pail) you expose the beer to oxygen. i didn't stir it at all, but how damaging is it to the beer to open the lid?

Ah. I would not. More messing with it more chance of you getting it infected.

Really, if you are not going to rack your beers to a secondary - (I do not on my pales and such - I do on my ipa (for drop hopping and conditioning and freeing up my primaries for more brew ) just pitch the yeast and let it sit a good 14 days.

There is NOTHING you can do at that point anyway other than mess it up. .. Just sit it and forget it. Really.

Granted, as you learn more etc and read around here .. you will learn more and more about yeast and if your beer gets a stuck at a level FG that is not low enough or potentially the yeast goes beyond where you want it to take the FG. But that is advanced stuff. Google (how to brew - John Palmer - read it. Read it again. Read it again. I have read it (sections) over the years and I am blow away how I pick out different things that I never noticed)

Point is at this level. Pitch the yeast and let it sit. Safer that way. 14 days should give it enough time to ferment and let the yeast clean up.

That is my 2 cents.
Good luck.
T

You can dry hop without a secondary. Wait a few days for the yeast to clean up some more, then throw in your dry hop addition. Let it relax for a week or two and you will have an awesome IPA with great hop aroma. Or don't, and it will still be great. Just wait it out. My last brew was in the fermenter for 41 days. It can be rough waiting.