First BIAB really active fermentation!

[blaxbear]

Hey guys,
Wrapped up my first BIAB a few days ago . Went really smoothly, but I designed the recipe on the fly and it is probably going to be too hoppy. Oh well!

3 lbs. Ex. Light dme
1 lb. Vienna malt
.5 lb. Maltodextrin
.5 oz. Chinook 60 min
.25 oz. Cascade 20
.25 oz. Chinook 10
.25 oz. Cascade 0
4.5 gal boil with a final volume of 2.5 gal-ish (just a bit more than 2.5)

Picked up the Ex light dme without meaning to and since i was brewing with a navy buddy who was in town and didn't have time to get a different dme I went ahead with it.

Anyway, here are some pics of the fermentation.

[Beer-lord]

Good on ya! For me, there's not such thing as too hoppy but I'm not sure what you're going for.
Looks like she done blowed up good.

[gwcr]

NICE!! That's some good beer pr0n there!

If you haven't already, I'd take off the bubbler, clean/re-sanitize it, then put it back on. (oh, and clean all the other crud too ) At least you know the yeast are doing there job!!

[mashani]

Krausen stalagmites. Sweeet.

[jimjohson]

they's a party going on! that's why I get a 3 piece bubbler, easier to clean

[Brewbirds]

Picked up the Ex light dme without meaning to and since i was brewing with a navy buddy who was in town and didn't have time to get a different dme I went ahead with it.

FWIW almost all of the extract recipes/articles I've seen suggest using the extra light (DME or LME) and drawing on the specialty grains selection for building the character you are after.

To me yours looks a really solid beer but of course I don't know, when you say too hoppy, what you prefer in a beer style.

Glad you had a great brew while your buddy was there and hope you enjoy the final product.

[blaxbear]

That's interesting, Brewbirds... but it makes sense to build off of a light base. I suggest that it will be too hoppy because 1. I calculated with brewersfriend.com for a 4 gallon batch that would have 50ish IBU but the final volume of the batch was more like 2.75 gallons which I think would jack up the hop utilization, and 2. my friend dislikes hoppy brews.

I was going for an american style pale ale with the hops, but the DME and the Vienna malts didn't lend the color I was hoping for. This has by far been the best learning experience for me (except maybe for my very first extract batch).

[berryman]

Looks like you got some good fermentation going on, and as said above definitely take your airlock off and clean it ASP, use sanitizer or cheep vodka in it. A 3 piece airlock would be a good thing for you to use for an aggressive batch like you have, I use both but use the s type for my secondaries. You could also go with a blow-off tube.
Looks good, you are making beer

[blaxbear]

Looking forward to bottling this one! I sanitized the airlock and got it back on there, but then it got gunked up again, so I sanitized again. This pic is from the final grav reading. It started at 1.060 and is now down to and holding at 1.019 which is about 5.3%

Are BIAB typically this cloudy? Any recommendations on cold crashing to clear it up? I would appreciate some help as I hoped this would be a pretty clear brew (understanding that it's not gonna be a filtered beauty).

[Beer-lord]

Mine are usually pretty cloudy but not as much as yours. Once you rack and bottle and they sit a few weeks conditioning, just put them in the fridge 2-3 days before you drink them and they should clear up.

Did you use whirlfloc or irish moss or any other clearing agent in your boil? I find that helps a lot.

[BlackDuck]

That's a really cool color you've got going on there....almost looks like orange juice!!! I addition to what Beer-lord said about conditioning, I've also found that they will clear quite a bit after a week or even two weeks in the fridge. Of course that's after they go through the proper carb/condition time at room temperature.

Cold crashing would also help clear it up. When it gets down to its FG, put it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, then bottle it up!! The crash will definitely help clear it up.

[haerbob3]

when your primary fermentation is finished the yeast and other stuff will fall out of suspension. How many days in are you??

[Beerlabelman]

Whirfloc rules for clarity. Cloudy never bothers me though. Heady Topper is cloudy as sh*t & it's fantastic.

[blaxbear]

The color isnt quite that orangey, my camera's flash gave it that hue. No whorlfloc or moss. Its been in primary 13 days at 62-64 degrees. Cold in my house lately and the electric bills have been going up
Not sure if I should just stick it in the fridge. Will enough yeast remain in suspension?

[haerbob3]

give another week what yeast did you use?? the temp most likely is fine