Two Question--OG and Trub Filtering

Hey guys, Long time lurker first time poster. Love the site. More information that one guy can file in a lifetime.

I have recently started brewing with only one batch behind me. It has turned out well, so with that success I started my second tonight. In my haste I may have made a few errors. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

My brew tonight is a Apricot Wheat from AHB. Partial Mash/Mini Mash. I steeped my grains with 3 gallons at 155 for 45 minutes as directed, Sparged with 1 gallon 170 water and it was clear. Added 3lbs DME and boiled for 60.

At T-15 I added Whirlfloc, finished my brew as per instructions. Topped off to 5 1/2 gallon. OG should be at 1.050 but I am at 1.039. Seems way off. Easy way to fix???

Second, in my haste I cooled the wort to 78, filtered via grain mesh bag and pitched. There is an extreme amount of protein floating around. Way more than my first batch. Should I have let the wort settle for longer to eliminate that much protein going into the primary??

If I have forgotten any needed info just accept my apology now. ...

Thanks...Shannon

Don't worry about the break material floating around. It will settle and won't cause a problem.

1.030 is low. You probably should do something to correct. I don't do extract brewing, so I'll defer to others more experienced in that area. Good luck.

Okay Pawn, Just wasnt sure if I would get any off flavors from all the hops and protein left in the primary.

About the OG...

It's possible that you didn't mix the top off and the boil well enough and that could contribute to your low OG, but given that you did a partial you may not have gotten all that you expected out of the mash. To reduce the first possibility, I used to mix the boil and the top off vigorously to aerate and mix the two solutions. This is before yeast and fermentation of course.

Now since I've switched to AG, I try to keep some DME for just these occasions when I don't hit my estimated OG.

About the trub, agree for sho with pawn... Your wort may taste bitter with the trub/hop particulates but should settle in the coming weeks following fermentation... hope this helps....

With extract you should get your OG pretty close. Errors are caused due to the syrups and water not being mixed fully. Don't worry, the yeast will find the sugars. If you are concerned, post the recipe and someone will calculate your OG for you. Do a search, and you will find lots of threads where people get low gravity readings.

Don't worry about the trub, it will settle. The longer you leave it the more compact it will become.

Thanks for all the replies. I am hoping that I didnt mix it good enough. Easy to not do enough in a glass carboy.

Now onto tomorrow....Pumpkin Ale Baby!

Thanks to all that have brewed before me. You give me the confidence to no only brew but brew something worth drinking!

You're welcome for all the replies. We'll be over in about 6 weeks to collect our dues for all the help. Make sure you have cold homebrew for us all.

Done!!!