Please critique my 2nd brew

[Mellow52]

Please critique the steps for my second ever (extract) brew planned for this coming weekend. The instructions is a bit vague and I think geared towards the experienced brewer. It did not give me OG, FG or ABV?

Belgian Blonde Ale

Grains
Wheat 0.25 lbs.
Crystal 40L 0.75 lbs.
Cara-Pils 0.75 lbs.
Munich 0.5 lbs.

Extracts
Pale 0.5 qts.
Adjunct 2.0 qts.
Super Light 0.5 qts.

Bittering Hops
Perle 0.5 oz.
Kent Goldings 1.0 oz.

Finishing Hops
Saaz 1.25 oz.
Irish Moss 1 Scoop

Yeast
Belgian Wit -White Labs liquid WPL400

1. Take yeast out of fridge to get to room temperature, shake occasionally
2. Ad 1 gal of water in kettle and get to 160 - 170 F
3. Steep all crushed grains in sock for 30 min
4. Add 5 gal of water (1 extra gal is for burn off) and raise to 200 F (I have a Polar 32 qt kettle)
5. Turn off heat and add all extracts (pre warmed in hot water to flow easily) and stir well bring back to a boil
6. At boil turn off heat and add bittering hops, return to rolling boil for 60 min
7. Stirring occasionally to avoid scorch and leaving the lid on with just a small gap
8. 15 min before full boil turn off heat and add finishing hops, bring back to boil
9. Kill boil and use wort chiller to bring to 70 - 90 F
10. Transfer to primary (6.5 gal plastic bucket) by pouring through sieve
11. Take OG between 70 - 80 F
12. Pitch yeast and shake vigorously for 5 min to aerate
13. Place lid on with airlock filled with vodka
14. Ferment (in dark) at 67-74 F for 2 weeks and/or FG is a constant over two days
15. Prime, bottle and age for 3 weeks before first sampling

Other questions I have
1. I am not planning a secondary fermenter since I will not be lagering. Can I use my 5 gal glass carboy as the primary and is there any advantage to this?
2. Should I be considering a secondary, if so when and how long?
3. Should I make a yeast starter a couple days earlier?
4. The instructions mentions this before pitching "Finally swab (or spray) a little alcohol on the outer surface of the yeast pack or vial" What is this about, sanitation?
5. Any better way for aerating than shaking it like a loony?
6. How do I calculate what the OG, FG or ABV targets are prior to brewing?

Did I miss anything? Obviously I a striving to make the best beer possible so thanks for any help and tips.

 

[atom]

1. no, you cannot ferment a 5 gal batch in a 5 gal primary. you need extra headspace for fermentation.
2. i wouldn't, but it's totally up to you
3. again, it's up to you. i typically do a starter if OG is above 1.050.
4. yeah...sanitize the the yeast packet
5. there are multiple ways. shaking is your cheapest, easiest option.

 

[Mellow52]

1. no, you cannot ferment a 5 gal batch in a 5 gal primary. you need extra headspace for fermentation.
2. i wouldn't, but it's totally up to you
3. again, it's up to you. i typically do a starter if OG is above 1.050.
4. yeah...sanitize the the yeast packet
5. there are multiple ways. shaking is your cheapest, easiest option.

Thanks Atom, your answers all makes sense. For aerating I was thinking of taking a big sanitized wisk to it.

Did step 1 to 15 look OK?

 

[atom]

steps 6, 7, and 8 seem a little off. no need to kill the boil when you do your hop additions. also, i wouldn't boil with the lid on.

 

[Mellow52]

steps 6, 7, and 8 seem a little off. no need to kill the boil when you do your hop additions. also, i wouldn't boil with the lid on.

Roger that. Thanks!

 

[Mellow52]

Any more reviewers?

 

[Pie_Man]

Don't forget your Irish moss at 10-15 minutes.

6. Also, what's the weight of your extracts? That's typically how I see recipes posted. The product should list gravity points per gallon (ppg). Your OG (in points) = extract weight * extract ppg / final water volume.

 

[Mellow52]

Don't forget your Irish moss at 10-15 minutes.

6. Also, what's the weight of your extracts? That's typically how I see recipes posted. The product should list gravity points per gallon (ppg). Your OG (in points) = extract weight * extract ppg / final water volume.

Thanks Pie Man. Yes the Irish Moss will go in with the finishing hops with 15 min left on the boil.

I do not know the weight of the extracts. I asked my HBS why they do not give the OG, FG and ABV and this was the response...

"As a general rule, we don’t provide gravities with our recipes… Mainly because we have found that they can vary, depending on the ingredients themselves (which do fluctuate from month to month) and because results will vary depending on the who brews it… With that said, you’re looking at beer that should be in the 7%ABV range (with a gravity roughly around 1.065)."