brewed an APA loosely based on Mike Tasty McDole's APA recipe

1 can (3.3 lb) of Light LME, 2 lb of Pilsen DME, .5 lb of wheat DME, 1 lb of ExtraLight DME, plus steeped .5lb of Crystal 40 and .25 carapils. According to BeerAlchemy, I was looking at about 1.055 and 35 IBU, much of which comes from later hop additions

Brought a gallon of water to 165° and added the steeping grains, placed covered pot in the oven to hold the heat, for 30 minutes.
While that was steeping, I started heating up the 5.5 gal of water in my brew pot out on the burner. After 30, I added the gallon from steeping and continues to bring the whole 6.5 g toward a boil, gradually mixing in all the DME. Once the boil started, I started the hop additions (60, 20, 10, 1, and flameout). Put in the immersion cooler about 10 minutes (it had been sitting in the fermenting bucket in star san), started up after the flameout hop addition. THEN, AND ONLY THEN, do I realize that the can of LME is still in the kitchen, sitting in hot water. I had sanitized the can opener already, so I opened it up and dumped it in, mixing as it cooled.

Finally got it into the bucket and took a reading... what should have been around 1.055 was more like 1.045. not sure if the low reading is simply due to the LME being added so late and not properly mixed in. Pretty bummed out. First attempt with so many different hops/additions and I got caught up in that and blanked out on the LME (which I planned on adding late, but more like around 15 minutes to go, not after the chiller had started!

Just pitcthed the Wyeast 1056 and now it's wait and see. Supposed to have dry hops added (I would do after the heaviest activity over the first several days)


**Update: about 12 hrs after pitching, no activity in the airlock yet. I know that doesn't mean it isn't working. I did not make a starter. Used the Wyeast whack pack (burst the nutrient pack inside, let it puff up for a 2-3 hrs, and then pitched. Considering adding some Safale 05 dry yeast, but will wait until I get home from work tonight to see if the airlock is bubbling. If it is I'll leave it be. Got the bucket in a tub of cold water holding the temp around 63, assuming the fermenter will want to warm up once the yeast starts working.

If you are just steeping the grains, you can add them to your water at any time, and then remove them when the temp reaches about 170 F. Use a strainer and swirl it around in the pot. If you get 90%+ out, you are OK. All you are doing is dissolving the sugars from the grains; there is no need for a 30 minute steep.

If the immersion cooler is going into boiling water, there is no need to put it in star-san.

Putting LME into hot wort is OK. If above 145 F (after addition), it will sanitize it.

It is difficulty to properly mix extract and water, you probably got a wrong reading. LME sinks.

I know it is tough to wait, but I would recommend waiting 2 weeks before adding the dry hops (add either to primary or rack and add), and then wait another 2 weeks before bottling.

Was away for a week on vacation. I dry-hopped before leaving (after 5 days in the bucket). Took a gravity reading just now (Monday) and got it at 1.010-.011. Tasted the sample. Bitter and plenty of hop aroma (perhaps more than typical for a PA). The color is much lighter than anything I've brewed prior, likely due to the use of the 2 lb of pilsen DME and a pound of wheat DME.

The bucket warmed up to around 75-76 while I was away (had a bit of a heat wave here compared to the past month). Probably a good thing in that I fermented in the low-mid 60s for the 1st week, then it warmed up to clean things up. I hope I can bottle tonight, but not sure I'll have the time. At 1.010, I can't imagine it needs much more work.

Gave it an extra week in the bucket and it remained @ 1.010. Bottled yesterday. Lightest color brew I've done thus far. Taste is a bit too bitter to me, so it's possible the OG was low like the reading I got. A good amount of hop aroma and flavor from sipping the sample. Hoping after carb/conditioning it's a bit more balanced. Labeling them as hoppy pale ales for now. Hoping that 3-4 weeks in the bottles will do the trick.

waited only 2 weeks and chilled a bottle. Hop aroma and flavor, if not a bit too bitter for the malt backbone. Thinking it's due to the extra late LME addition. Waited a few more days, chilled and tasted a 2nd bottle, again good on the aroma and flavor, but didn't come across as too bitter this time... so perhaps (I'm hoping) additional time in the bottle is going to prove helpful. Got a wine party to go to in 2 weeks, but I'm bringing homebrew for the beer drinkers there to try. My bavarian hefe (some folks have already had some and liked) and this PA.

Got my parts purchased to convert my old 48 qt Igloo cooler to a mash tun, so maybe only one more extract batch before making the move to AG.