Oh man, what a brew day. I treated myself to a new burner (SQ14) and an immersion chiller for christmas. No more stove tops and water bath chillings for me! Still, there were some kinks to be worked out in the process. I heated my strike water way too hot, had a big boil over upon reaching boil (losing around a half oz of hops or more in the process), and boiled over on the stovetop, too. I started with 2 gallons of first runnings in 2 pots, transferred to one pot when it got down to 1 gallon, and all was going well. With 3 pints left, it decides to make a big, syrupy mess all over the new glass range=boo. I hate electric ranges.
Still, I made 1.084 OG with 72% efficiency. I'm happy with that as it's only a little under my usual efficiency, and a bit higher than usual for big beers. I have a side experiment of 2/3 gallon going with S-04 in a separate jug. I didn't want to put any more than 4.5-5 gallons in my 6 gallon carboy given the blow off problems all of you have been having. It will be neat to taste the difference in the old ale blend and the S-04 once done.
Since everyone loves pictures, here's the hydrometer showing my 1.084 OG. It's a lovely deep red color, almost the same as the cherry wood cabinet it's resting on. For, uh, color comparison, my last glass of Speedway Stout sits next to it. Hey, it was a long brew day, I deserve a treat!
In other news, I have significant airlock activity after 3.5 hours. I'll take that as a good sign.