First brew! (I made a red ale)

[Sugarbit]

Been lurking for a while, been reading a lot about brewing for a while, and I finally bit the bullet a month ago when I ordered a starter kit from northern brewer that came with an extract kit for an Irish red ale.

Recipe OG: 1.044
Actual OG: didn't take it, hydrometer arrived after brew day
Theoretical OG: ~1.050 (1.044 + honey)

Final gravity: 1.011

Brew day - followed recipe but added about .7lbs of honey (I like honey notes in my beer), a little bit of Irish moss a few minutes before flame out. Also starsan'd all the things prior to use.

Fermented in a big mouth bubbler for 2 weeks. I learned 48 hours in why people use blow-out tubes... Skipped secondary fermentation listed on the recipe.

Bottled @ 70-72f with 5oz of corn sugar. I don't think I'll have bottle bombs, but it is almost carbonated to my taste after 6 days of conditioning at ~70-74f. Not sure if I should fridge it sooner than later...

 

[atoughram]

Congratulations! You've made beer!!

I doubt youll have bottle bombs, but just in case, store it in a bomb proof place. I've had bottles explode a year or two after bottling.

I usually use 2.5oz table sugar per 5 gallons when bottling.

 

[Lefou]

I think you'll be OK.
FG of 1.011 is "beer territory" and you should be safe bottling with an ale yeast. I usually let mine condition for about 3-4 weeks to minimize "green" flavors in my extract/partial mash brews. Just for fun, put one or two beers into the cold early just for comparison purposes. The unrefrigerated beer should keep fresh for a few months, but unfortunately it doesn't last that long in my house.