Took me longer to chill it than I thought it would, all the ice I had saved up melted so fast. If this one turns out okay, I will invest in a wort chiller at least. Tucking it in now, thanks so much for all your help. There will be updates for sure.
edit: aside from the entire process taking me about two hours longer than it should have, from being nervous and very cautious about being clean and meticulous as well as the chilling issue.. it seemed to go pretty smooth. I used the Chainmail Pale Ale recipe I found and linked earlier which says OG should be 1.055, mine seemed to be at 1.058. I do not know if this is good or bad, I always take these measurements but they mean very little to me. The wort also tasted very sweet, and then hit the sides of the tongue with bitter hops. Its the most interesting wort I have tasted from any of my brews so far. I ran to the store to buy ice and chilled the wort to a nice temperature for the first time as well as aerated it well, for the first time. The only strange observation, was that it was a very rich, almost chocolate brown color. Not what I expected for a recipe labeled Pale Ale, but that doesnt bother me. My only worry at this point aside from the obvious (will it turn out okay?), is how much stuff is in it! It used a lot of hops. After reading more contradictory posts about whether or not to strain from kettle to fermentation... I strained it through a mesh strainer just once, at the same time aerating it.
TL;DR: I am very excited and grateful for everyones help (especially from Hello, may have to name it after her)
And a side note, I turned the leftover mashed grains into dog biscuits for my coolest friends Sadie and Frigga! Goodnight all, cant wait to try it!
So now that I'm more awake I want to address a few things.
Color:
You did a partial mash recipe and there is definitely a possibility of getting your beer to a nice pale golden color but in my experience with extract (liquid = LME) is that the color will always be a bit darker because the extract is a darker, even pale extract. Also, there is the point where if you add it too early in the boil you will caramelize it more and the color will get darker. You added it later on, which is what you always want to do.
You did not mention how much water you started with and how much you ended up with. If you did not keep track then do that next time It is very important. If you did, what were those numbers? My guess is you boiled things a bit more vigorously and your pale could be more golden. Do not worry about color right now. This is about taste.
Sweet Wort:
Wort is sweet. I tell people it is like sugar water and the yeast will eat most of the sugar. How the wort tastes won't really tell you the final product results but a good tasting wort is definitely a good sign.
Hop Trub:
There are a few things you can do here. Use a hop sock, like I mentioned before. Cheap and easy. Or you can chill your wort which will also let the trub settle to the bottom. At that point you can use an auto siphon to rack (move) the beer from the kettle to the carboy. In the end though, trub in the fermenter isn't bad and it will settle out. I would not worry about it. You strained it and that is good so you'll be okay.
Gravity Reading:
The reading you took is the specific gravity of your beer. It is the starting point. The end point is the final gravity. The two combined with some fancy math results in you knowing the ABV of your beer. The FG reading will also tell you when your beer is finished. There is no other way. Airlocks bubbling or not bubbling, the julian calendar telling you that it is time, instructions found in the box of ingredients, or dudes on the net...no one will be able to tell you when the beer is truly done. Your final gravity should be around 1.010. The hop schedule now is to wait 7 days then either put more hops in or move to secondary and put more hops in. Like I said, I'd just put more hops into primary but you WILL get varied opinions and definite great arguments for and against that. It is just how I roll.
So in 7 days you add those hops and 7 days after that you should take your very first reading. If that is 1.010 (within a point or two like 1.009 or 1.011) then wait another 2 days and take another reading. If it is the same then technically you can bottle. I always recommend just giving the beer 3 weeks after you brew to let the yeast finish up. Regardless, I think waiting 3 weeks isn't terrible in this situation.
Time:
One thing I learned about brew day is that you should never expect to set a time limit. If you have something to do in 5 hours and you start to brew, you will likely find that you needed 6. Sometimes things take longer than others and once you're back in the saddle, you'll find that you can move along more efficiently.
Overall, it sounds like brew day went a lot better than other brew days or at least you seem more hopeful. Hopefully you remember to report back here with your results and hopefully your satisfaction with your new brew.
Now I will quit my excessive rambling and go do whatever it is I do all day.
