Here are the notes I took while brewing my IPA... i had the computer in the kitchen and I was OVERLY anal with getting everything down so i could go back and review in case things got fucked up...

As water was brought to a boil (started 2:15pm), the steeping bag with crushed crystal malt was put in the wort. When it reached a nearly full boil the bag was removed (3:00pm). Extract syrup was warmed and added while stirring (3:10pm). DME Amber was added while stirring as well, almost immediately after the syrup… the wort was then stirred until foaming subsided (3:20). The Millenium hops was immediately added after the foaming subsided (3:20). This will serve as the 45 minute mark. We had a bit of boilover, around 3:24 or so…and may have lost some hops, but got things cleaned up and proceeded. The Amarillo hops was added at the 30 minute mark (3:35). The yeast began re-hydrating at 3:50, and at 4:00, I added a Tablespoon of sugar to proof it. The Willamette hops were added at the 3 min mark. (4:02) The wort was moved to the sink with the coldest tap water and stirred, then placed in the other sink with the ice bath (although there wasn’t much in the way of ice) and it was stirred again. The wort was poured from height of 3 ft into the ice cold water. (SEE YEAST BELOW) Pitching temperature was 77 deg F (4:25). I placed the fermenting vessel, in a recycling bin that was lined with a garbage bag, to help with spills and put it in my closet.

Hydrometer Initial Reading: 1060-1061, from the top of the wort, immediately before pitching the yeast
Taste at Hydrometer Reading: almost undrinkably sharp taste from the hops (WOO-HOO!!); the reading was taken from the top of the wort, the aroma was very hoppy. Though I’ve abused my nose so much with sniffing from the empty hops bags I may have residue in my nasal cavity.

Yeast: Rinsed the large pyrex measuring cup w/ boilingwater, then added boiled water to it to cool in time to pitch the yeast. Pitched the yeast from the can, re-hydrated then added the proofing sugar. Nothing was happening and it was almost time to pitch, so I added a pack of the Coopers yeast that we had purchased fro our first beer. I dumped that, stirred quickly, and up came a strong head of form shortly thereafter. I pitched at 77 deg F.

Cost: $35

I can’t think of anything that I KNOW for certain I messed up except for the boil over where I MAY have lost some of the Millenium Hops. I plan to add a small amount of dry hops to the fermentation vessel after the initial fermentation has ceased in 4-5 days.