Ale convert first AG brew

[ManxMan]

Let me start by saying up until 9 months ago I was a life long lager drinker. I won't touch it now. Moving up through the ranks, as it were, from kits to extract convinced me that AG was the way to go.
Well today was D day. Not everything went to plan though. A mis-calculation with the sparge arm mount meant recourse to a watering can & fine rose. Oh, and I forgot the Irish moss. Despite that, a quick slurp out of the fermenter and it tasted pretty damned good! This is my stab a an IPA type thing and it goes like this:

4.5kg maris otter
.5kg crystal malt

Boil vol. 5.5 gal
Batch. 5 gal

50g Northern Brewer - 60 mins
25g Progress - 15 min
15 g Progress flame out. 30 min stand.
Safale so4

Possibly on the hoppy side but I do like IPA

[Naich]

Congratulations! You won't regret going AG. You might get a slight haze from the lack of copper finings, but it won't affect the flavour.

[staplefordbill]

Fun isn't it? I moved from kits to AG this week and I'm hooked now.

[monkeyboy]

i went the same path recently, and now wonder why i bothered with kits having forgotten something every time so far (this time i forgot to rehydrate the yeast) i'd say that making a checklist is the way to go. i forgot that, cos it wasn't on my checklist! Doh! Anyway, looks like a good one. My experience so far is that i don't get the same hop bitterness as the various calculators out there predict, so it might be less hoppy than you're expecting.

[ManxMan]

One pleasant suprise was the predicted OG being a little pesimistic. I was shooting for 1051 and got 1053. As for the yeast, I just followed the instructions on the packet and emptied straight into the wort. Bubbling away like a good 'un as we speak.

[DarloDave]

Welcome to All grain. If you were a lager boy, wait till you get some fermentation temp control, and marvel at how good a lager you can brew at home.

[paulcav]

+1 on DarloDave. I got a temp controller recently and did my first lager. I feel I've moved up a level!