First batch fermenting!!

[GatorBeer]

I've done some Mr. Beer kits (with horrible results), but finally bought a 5 gallon kit and did my first brew last night. It's currently sitting in a bit of water right now to help keep it cool (being from FL, its about 97 outside right now). A few things:

I brewed an amber ale, suggested from How To Brew.
4# amber DME
3.3# amber LME
.5 oz centennial (60 min)
1 oz mt. hood (30 min)
1 oz will (15 min)

I took an OG reading and got 1.15. This was obscenely high and it took me today to realize that I took this on my 2 gallon of wort, not the wort after I topped it off with water, so I don't have an OG reading.

To keep the fermentation temperature constant I have a rubbermaid bin with water in it and towels on top and I throw frozen water bottles in it throughout the day. The ambient water is at 60 F, is this too low? I'm seeing minimal airlock activity and no activity in the fermenter after 18 hours. (I know, I know, RDWDAHB).

Anyways, just wanted to share my joy and hopefully get a little feedback. Cheers!

 

[BendBrewer]

Are you sure about your 2 gallon volume when you took the reading?

What was your final volume?

We can figure out your OG if you are sure about the volumes.

 

[GatorBeer]

I put 2.5 gallons in to boil and make the wort. Then I added enough to get to 5.5 gallons in my 6 gallon BB.

 

[halite]

60 F is a little on the low side and so your yeast is probably struggling to perform at that temperature. probably should aim for about 65-68 F.

 

[BendBrewer]

Well it's hard to guess your evaporation rate from the 2.5 gallons, but we can assume a little. Let's assume you boiled off .75 gallons.

This means that your hydrometer reading of 1.150 was from approximately 1.75 gallons.

150 * 1.75 = 262.5

262.5/5.5 = 47.7 or 1.0477

Round up and your OG is right around 1.048 give or take a few points as we are assuming a little here.

 

[GatorBeer]

It took about 3 days and raising the temperature of the water from 60 - 70, but I have some serious fermentation happening!!!! It was in the matter of hours that I have a thick krausen formed and my airlock is bubbling happily. I'm maintaining the ambient water at about 67 now and it seems to be working.

My krausen is mixed with some of my leafy hops. Is this a problem or will they settle out eventually?

 

[BendBrewer]

Nope, you're right on track. Let it do it's thing for another 12 days.

 

[Justibone]

My krausen is mixed with some of my leafy hops. Is this a problem or will they settle out eventually?

Sometimes they settle but sometimes you have to filter out the hops. I use a hop bag to add hops, personally, but if yours are loose then no worries. Just put a mesh bag (grain bag, hops bag, any bag with holes smaller than the hop leaves) over your siphon when you rack the beer, then that will get rid of the hop particles.

A dedicated hops bag is pretty handy, I have to say.