First Beer, Feedback?

[jsmay_]

Just racked my first beer to 2ndary. Took a sip as I checked the FG and am pretty happy thus far.
I started with an IPA recipe (guided by the LHBS) but worried about early Spring temps, so switch yeast to San Fransisco Lager Strain. (63F for 14 days; moving to 55F for 2ndary))
Anyway- not sure what category this falls into now. Assuming probably still just an IPA...?
Also would like to hear thoughts on secondary treatments, and carbonating:
- not planning on any dry hopping
- considering some gelatin in the last 5 days or so, to clarify
- planning on 5 oz of corn sugar to prime
Any thoughts or feedback would be awesome- thanks all!
(The recipe below is with the help of brewers friend .com)

Brew Method: Extract w/ Grain Steep
Style Name: ???
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch/Ending Kettle Size: 6.5 gallons (added water, probably unnecessarily...)
Boil Size: 6 gallons

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.015
ABV (standard): 4.07%
IBU (tinseth): 71.23
SRM (morey): 6.89

FERMENTABLES:
7 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light (84.8%)

STEEPING GRAINS:
0.5 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 60L (6.1%)
0.5 lb - American - Vienna (6.1%)
0.25 lb - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (3%)

HOPS:
0.75 oz - Galena, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.9, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 30.56
0.75 oz - Galena, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.9, Use: Boil for 20 min, IBU: 18.51
1.5 oz - Galena, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.9, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 22.16

YEAST:
White Labs - San Francisco Lager Yeast WLP810
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 67.5%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 58 - 65 F
Fermentation Temp: 63 F
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

PRIMING:
Method: corn sugar
Amount: 5oz/batch

 

[mrphillips]

I like your grain bill, but I might add more vienna. You won't get a lot of color or flavor from just .5 lbs, but it's not gunna hurt you to keep the grain bill as is.

I also like your single hop selection. I've never used that specific hop, but a simple hop schedule is always a nice way to start brewing. It'll give you an excellent idea of what that hop tastes like for future brews.

The one area that I'm not on board with is your choice of a lager yeast over an ale yeast. Lager yeast tend to have off flavors if you can't keep the temperature very low (like between 33-40 degrees) after the initial fermentation, and Lager yeast should really be fermented closer to 55 degrees. Here's a link to checkout -

https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_lagerbrewing.cfm

 

[jsmay_]

Thanks for the thoughts- picked the SF Lager (ie Cali Commonbeer) strain for high temp range, suggested 58-65F. Didn't taste anything "off" yet, but was definitely worried.... Hope nothing weird comes out in the 2ndary....

 

[brewkinger]

Thanks for the thoughts- picked the SF Lager (ie Cali Commonbeer) strain for high temp range, suggested 58-65F.

Good yeast selection and it sounds like you kept it in range.
Answers your question too... call it a California Common IPA

 

[jsmay_]

Any ideas on clarifying- have either of you used gelatin in the 2ndary?

 

[brewkinger]

I used it once but don't bother anymore.
I have success with simply cold crashing at 40 degrees for the last week of primary or once it is kegged.

 

[mrphillips]

I used Gelatin in a cider once, but I'm not sure it was worth the trouble. I agree with brewkinger - cold crash and hope your wife/girlfriend doesn't mind you taking up real-estate in the refrigerator

 

[jsmay_]

Done. Thanks guys- gotta love simple.

 

[bragona71]

Sounds like a tasty beer.I would be hesitant to call it IPA maybe APA would suit it better. Traditionally IPA would have a lot more hops and definitely dry hopped. My boil has 4-5 oz and dry hop is at least 2-3.thats just my opinion. enjoy your first beer!! watch out for the brewing bug! most of us have it and you might also. You can never brew enough beer and are always looking to improve your beer and equipment!

 

[mrphillips]

Make sure to post results! That's a Lager yeast I've never used, so I'll be VERY interested to hear how it affects the flavor profile.

BREW ON!

 

[rodwha]

And an IPA is certainly well above 4.1% ABV.

 

[jsmay_]

Yeah there are so many variables that keep me jumping between settling on a style. Not too concerned about styles but perhaps I shouldn't have deviated so much for my first....
Pretty tasty from the FG sample I tasted. First impressions are a nice mouthfeel, nice subtle malt, pretty sweet, and then finishing bright/bitter. Overall nicely balanced. Not sure but I think I'm tasting fruits that aren't from the hops, the esters I'm guessing. I like the idea of clean fruity flavors from well handled yeast/fermentation, but can hardly be confident that I've achieved those flavors in my first beer with such unmanaged ferment temp....
I'll give a final report when I taste the bottled product, but happy so far!

 

[jsmay_]

What a bummer- figured I'd bottle tonight since I decided not to do anything in the 2ndary. A bit of mold has formed floating on the top of the wort. From a bit if reading, sounds like I need to dump, bleach my entire set up and start again....
Any experience with mold here ?

 

[mrphillips]

DON'T DUMP! Sorry, that's just an automatic reaction response.

First off, I'm pretty sure you don't have mold. Do you have a ring of dime-sized circles on the surface? If so, I think you're fine. Towards the end of fermentation, some yeast is still working. For whatever reason (and I'm sure MANY people on this forum can explain it better than me), I've seen this happen with many of my beers. My experience is that it is not infection - simply the normal process of yeast taking delicious sugar and turning it into ever more delicious beer.

I guess another question to ask is...is it fuzzy? Fuzzy is not good, but again, not worth dumping.

 

[jrgtr42]

What he said. Don't dump yet - if you can, post a picture so we can see what you're looking at and tell if it is or isn't mold.
A couple things I'm thinking - #1, I do like the grain / fermentable bill - sounds tasty.
The hops could be interesting also, though I personally am not sure that is enough to really be IPA, though the IBU contribution says so. I personally would recommend, if you do this again, move the 20 minute addition to 5 min or flameout - 20 is on the borderline where aromas and flavors blow off, without having the time needed for full isomerization (make bitteree.)
How long were you planning on secondarying, and how long was it in primary?
generally with an ale yeast, you don't need to secondary, and your temps seemed right in line with what I like as ale fermentation.
Lagers generally need much colder temps for secondary - Lagering - than 55, they really want as close to freezing as you can get. LIke others, I haven't used that San Fran lager yeast, I presume it's the Anchor Steam strain. They do odd things with their yeast that are backwards from common usage, so it might work out.
Anyways, I wouldn't add anything for clarity, just leave it completely alone, let the yeast settle out, then move it to bottling area a couple hours before racking, to let things resettle.
5oz corn sounds good for priming, especially for a 6 gallon batch. It might be a hair overcarbed for the style (be it IPA, APA or IPL) but nothing that you need to worry about bottle bombs.

 

[jsmay_]

Great news- let me know what you think of the pic below. (Actually, glad I looked again- looking less like mold. Let me know what you think.)
Primary was 14 days.
Regarding 2ndary: just intended to cool enough to calm the yeast and settle before bottling, once I decided not to dry hop or add anything to clarify. Any thoughts? Should I leave in the 2ndary longer?
Thanks again fellas- really appreciate all of this feedback...
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429152609.082273.jpg

 

[Iseneye]

Sounds like a tasty beer.I would be hesitant to call it IPA maybe APA would suit it better. Traditionally IPA would have a lot more hops and definitely dry hopped. My boil has 4-5 oz and dry hop is at least 2-3.thats just my opinion. enjoy your first beer!! watch out for the brewing bug! most of us have it and you might also. You can never brew enough beer and are always looking to improve your beer and equipment!

70+ IBUs is double the BJCP guidelines for an APA. At 4% it sounds like a bitter brew.

 

[adainxiao]

I've never used that specific hop, but a simple hop schedule is always a nice way to start brewing. It'll give you an excellent idea of what that hop tastes like for future brews.

 

[jsmay_]

70+ IBUs is double the BJCP guidelines for an APA. At 4% it sounds like a bitter brew.

Yeah the original recipe was something like 115 IBUs; when I decided to use the San Fran Lager yeast, achieving lower ABV, I adjusted the hop schedule. I know its still a bit high, but wasn't too bitter.

 

[jsmay_]

DON'T DUMP! Sorry, that's just an automatic reaction response.

First off, I'm pretty sure you don't have mold. Do you have a ring of dime-sized circles on the surface? If so, I think you're fine. Towards the end of fermentation, some yeast is still working. For whatever reason (and I'm sure MANY people on this forum can explain it better than me), I've seen this happen with many of my beers. My experience is that it is not infection - simply the normal process of yeast taking delicious sugar and turning it into ever more delicious beer.

I guess another question to ask is...is it fuzzy? Fuzzy is not good, but again, not worth dumping.

What do you think- mold or yeast activity...? I am leaning toward the latter, now, after watching for a few days. Seems to be dispersing... But would love your thoughts!

 

[mrphillips]

It's a little tough to tell from the picture, but I'm still leaning towards yeast activity.

Anybody else have input? I've only ever seen one infection first hand, and it looked a lot different than what's in your picture.

 

[jsmay_]

Definitely ended up being ongoing yeast activity. Really thinned out the body from primary through secondary. Bottled this weekend. Hoping some of those hops mellow out. But reading more about California Commonbeers, looks like the hoppiness isn't "uncommon" in current versions.... I'll give a final report in 3 weeks or so... Thanks again all.

 

[Subdivisions]

I'd just call it a session IPA. Glad it worked out

 

[mrphillips]

I agree with the Session IPA idea. It's summertime, and it just feels right. Haha.

What was your OG/FG again?

 

[jsmay_]

Actually ended up dropping another few points in the 2ndary: 1.046 & 1.011.

 

[madscientist451]

I've used the SF lager strain in several brews of an Anderson Valley Summer Solstice clone as well as a rye Kolsh. 62 is a good temp but I like to run that yeast a little lower, around 58. You can call your brew whatever you want, but not using an ale yeast pretty much makes it something other than an ale, so its not an Session IPA.
I'd call it an uncommon California single hop common. The beer will benefit from cold lagering 4-6 weeks after bottling, but you can drink some right away if you like the way it tastes. At least lay a six pack pack back in the bottom of the fridge for a month, so you can see what the taste difference is after lagering. The hop might fade some, but the malt flavor will be different as well.
If you have to drink

 

[B8A_AMYLASE]

Strange brew but thats the beauty of home brewing. Be sure to post the results of your tasting as I am curious now!

 

[jsmay_]

Thanks for the thoughts. Definitely am enjoying the creativity of home brewing... Broke open a bottle after a week- looking for more carb, so planning to put it all in the fridge in another 10 days or so. The first bottle was nicely malty and sweet, with a pallet cleansing bitterness in the finish. Hoping both (hops and malts) will mellow for a little more balance. Overall really happy for my first brew. I'll report back in a few weeks!

 

[mrphillips]

I would leave the beers at room temp. for a couple weeks. The yeast won't work at fridge-temperatures, so it won't carbonate in the fridge.

Glad to hear you enjoy it! BREW ON!