Batch #18 - Power Pack Porter (All-Grain)

With the weather turning colder I am going to try my hand at a porter.  I'm using a recipe from Midwest Supplies.

Ingredients:
12 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
10 oz. Black Patent Malt
12 oz. Chocolate Malt
8 oz. Caramel Malt (120L)
1.5 oz. Tettnang (60 minutes)
1 oz. Willamette (2 minutes)
1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 Whirfloc tablet
1 tbsp 5.2 pH mash stabilizer
1 pkg. Safale S-04 dry yeast
9.5 gallons of drinking water
20 lbs. ice (for chilling wort)

 Process:

1. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
2. Prepare your strike water by heating about 17.5 quarts of water or roughly 4.5 gallons (about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  Aim for 169 degrees.
3. Add about 4 quarts (1 gallon) of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
4. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.
5. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add 1 tablespoon of pH stabilizer, stir and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
6. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
7. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test by removing a small sample of wort from your mash tun and adding a drop or two of iodine.  If the iodine turns black or purple you starch conversion has not fully taken place and you need to mash a little longer.  If the iodine color remains unchanged conversion has completed.  Alternatively, you can simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
8. Perform vorlauf (recirculation) by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.  Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 5 or more times until the runnings are free of grain debris and running relatively clear.
9. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
10. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain bed as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
11. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 6.5 to 7 gallons of beer. The reason for this amount is that boil-off will account for approximately 1.5 gallons of liquid per hour.
12. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
13. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1.5 oz. of Tettnang hops for bittering and boil for 60 minutes.
14. With 15 minutes left in the boil add: Whirfloc tablet & wort chiller to the boil to sterilize.
15. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
16. During the last 2 minutes of the boil add 1 oz. of Willamette hops.
17. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
18. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.067.
19. Estimated post-boil volume is 6 gallons.
20. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  Strain if desired.
21. Optional - add boiled water to achieve desired volume.
22. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
23. Attach blow-off tube and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings (at least 3 weeks).
24. Optional - Cold crash beer for 1 week to further clarify.
25. Keg or bottle by preparing priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 4 oz. of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch (remove from heat).  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.

Fermentation going crazy!

Schedule:

• Brew Day - November 18, 2013
• Cold Crash Day - Omitted.
• Kegging Day - December 25, 2013
• Tasting Day - TBD
• Original Gravity - 1.071 (1.067 was target)
• Final Gravity - 1.020
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV) - 6.9%

Notes:

• Had to use a smaller carboy for this since my 6.5 gallon one was in use for batch #17.  This surely contributes to overflow during fermentation.

The Verdict:

• I was super pleased with this one.  Porters are not normally my favorite style but this one turned out really nice.  It had lots of coffee and chocolate notes - a definite repeat when the weather turns cold again.

It passed the Gina test... :-)

Batch #17 - Citra SMaSH IPA (All-grain)

For this batch I am going to try a technique I've been reading about called SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop).  It is the ultimate in simplicity and a good way to learn about the individual ingredients that make up the beer.  With only one type of malted barley and a single variety of hop being utilized I should be able to really taste what each adds to the beer.  This actually would have been a really good batch to start with when I moved to all-grain.  In any case, I think it will be an interesting brew and a good learning experience.

Ingredients:

13 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt

1 oz. Citra Hops (60 minutes)

1 oz. Citra Hops (15 minutes)

1 oz. Citra Hops (Dry Hopping)

1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1 Whirfloc tablet

1 tbsp 5.2 pH mash stabilizer

1 pkg. American Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1056)

9 gallons of drinking water

20 lbs. ice (for chilling wort)

Process:

1. Optional - Prepare a yeast starter at least 24 hours in advance of brew day.
2. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
3. Prepare your strike water by heating about 16.25 quarts of water or 4 gallons (about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  Aim for 169 degrees.
4. Add about 4 quarts (1 gallon) of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
5. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.
6. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add 1 tablespoon of pH stabilizer, stir and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
7. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
8. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test by removing a small sample of wort from your mash tun and adding a drop or two of iodine.  If the iodine turns black or purple you starch conversion has not fully taken place and you need to mash a little longer.  If the iodine color remains unchanged conversion has completed.  Alternatively, you can simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
9. Perform vorlauf (recirculation) by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.  Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 5 or more times until the runnings are free of grain debris and running relatively clear.
10. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
11. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain bed as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
12. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 6.5 to 7 gallons of beer.  The reason for this amount is that boil-off will account for approximately 1.5 gallons of liquid per hour.
13. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
14. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1 oz. of Citra hops for bittering and boil for 60 minutes.
15. With 15 minutes left in the boil add: Whirfloc tablet, 1 oz. of Citra hops & wort chiller to the boil to sterilize.
16. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
17. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
18. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.068.
19. Estimated post-boil volume is 6 gallons.
20. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  Strain if desired.
21. Optional - add boiled water to achieve desired volume.
22. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
23. Attach blow-off tube (or airlock) and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings (at least 3 weeks).
24. After 2 weeks of fermentation, add 1 oz. of Citra hops for the dry hopping process.  Let these hops age in the primary fermenter for 7-10 days.
25. Optional - Cold crash beer for 1 week to further clarify.
26. Keg.
27. Optional (for bottling only) - Prepare priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 4 oz. of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch (remove from heat).  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.

Schedule:

Brew Day - November 1, 2013

Original Gravity - 1.062

Dry Hop Day - November 15, 2013 (18 days)
Cold Crash Day - Omitted

Kegging Day - December 3, 2013 (33 days in Primary)

Tasting Day - December 5, 2013 (Planned)

Original Gravity - 1.062

Final Gravity - 1.010

Alcohol by Volume (ABV) - 6.8%

Notes:

• Made a yeast starter for this batch.
• My timer stopped about half way through so boil times had to be estimated.  I think I was within 5 minutes.
• I ended up with about 7.5 gallons of wort in the boil so my OG was lower than anticipated.  1.062 actual compared to 1.068 estimated.
• Didn't stir mash on second vorlauf.  Probably not a big deal.
• Ugh!  Fermentation ended up going crazy and bubbled out of the top of the airlock.  I wish I had taken a picture but I was too concerned with cleaning up the mess and switching over to a blow-off tube.  Note to self... just use a blow-off tube every time.  I hope this batch didn't get infected.  I am guessing with so much fermentation left it will be OK.
• Getting a "banana" smell coming from the airlock.  Not abnormal but I don't remember it being this strong.
• Skipped cold crashing due to being out-of-town and refrigerator not being ready.
• Dry hopped for 18 days - about a week longer than I wanted. 

The Verdict:

• This one turned out pretty much as expected.  The simplicity allowed me to understand what the single malt and single hop contributed to the beer but it was somewhat bland.  I think I prefer the complexity of multiple grains and hops.

Batch #16 - Andy's American IPA (All-Grain)

Ingredients:

10 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt

12 oz. Cara 8/Caramel Pils

8 oz. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L

1 oz. Chinook Hops (60 minutes)

1 oz. Chinook Hops (15 minutes)

1 oz. Cascade Hops (2 minutes)

1 oz. Citra Hops (Dry Hopping)

1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1 Whirfloc tablet

1 tbsp 5.2 pH mash stabilizer

1 pkg. American Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1056)

8.5 gallons of drinking water

20 lbs. ice (for chilling wort)

Process:

1. Optional - Prepare a yeast starter at least 24 hours in advance of brew day.
2. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
3. Prepare your strike water by heating about 14.5 quarts of water or 3.5 gallons (about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  Aim for 169 degrees.
4. Add about 4 quarts of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
5. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.
6. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add 1 tablespoon of pH stabilizer, stir and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
7. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
8. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test or simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
9. Perform vorlauf by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.    Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 5 or more times until the runnings are free of grain debris and running relatively clear.
10. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
11. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain bed as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
12. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 7 gallons of beer.
13. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
14. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1 oz. of Chinook hops for bittering and boil for 60 minutes.
15. With 15 minutes left in the boil add: Whirfloc tablet, 1 oz. of Chinook hops & wort chiller to the boil to sterilize.
16. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
17. With 2 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. of Cascade hops.
18. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
19. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.059.
20. Estimated post-boil volume is 6 gallons.
21. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  Strain if desired.
22. Optional - add boiled water to achieve desired volume.
23. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
24. Attach blow-off tube and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings (at least 3 weeks).
25. After 2 weeks of fermentation, add 1 oz. of Citra hops for the dry hopping process.  Let these hops age in the primary fermenter for 7-10 days.
26. Optional (for bottling only) - Prepare priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 4 oz. of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch.  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.

Schedule:

• Brew Day - Sunday, June 30, 2013
• Dry Hop Day - Sunday, July 21, 2013
• Kegging Day - Sunday, July 28, 2013
• Tasting Day - Monday, August 29, 2013
• Original Gravity - 1.058
• Final Gravity - 1.010
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV) - 6.3%

Notes:

• Omitted the yeast starter since the original gravity was relatively low at 1.058.
• Volume of wort transferred into carboy for fermentation was just under 5 gallons.
• Had trouble with the screw on that regulator that adjusts the PSI but a little WD40 on a Q-tip around he screw did the trick.
• Had trouble with the "Out" poppet and the large O-ring leaking.  I tried to re-seat them several times but didn't have any luck so I purchased a set of new o-rings, keg lube and a universal poppet.  That seems to have done the trick.  I hope my beer wasn't exposed to too much oxygen during this time.

The Verdict:

• Overall, I would give it a B-.  I struggled a little bit with getting it carbonated at first as noted above and believe this may have contributed to a little oxidation but the beer still turned out nice.
• Interestingly, it doesn't seem to have the same hop character that the same recipe(batch #10) produced when I bottled the beer.
• Still worthy of a repeat performance.

Batch #15 - CFNA No-Fail Ale! (All-Grain)

This all-grain wheat beer is for my Crossfit North Alpharetta workout buddies.  It is a take-off on "Ryan's Wheat Revenge".  It is NOT Paleo, organic, vegan or low-calorie.  Enjoy... you deserve it. ;-)

Ingredients:

5 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt

4 lbs. White Wheat Malt

8 oz. Cara-Pils/Dextrine

8 oz. CaraVienne

8 oz. Rice Hulls (to help establish the grain bed since wheat tends to be more sticky that 2-Row, etc.)

1 oz. Sterling Hops (45 minute boil)

1 oz. Palisade Hops (last 2 minutes of boil)

1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1 tablespoon  5.2 pH mash stabilizer

1 pkg. American Wheat Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1010)

5 oz. Corn Sugar or approximately 2/3 cup

9 gallons of drinking water (added .5 gallon to compensate for the added rice hulls)

Process:

1. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
2. Prepare your strike water by heating 13 quarts of water or 3.25 gallons (1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  I heated the water to 169 degrees and this seemed to hit the target for mashing.
3. Add about 4 quarts of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
4. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.  Mash temp maintained about 153 degree throughout the hour.
5. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add pH stabilizer and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
6. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
7. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test or simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
8. Perform vorlauf by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.    Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 2-5 times until the runnings are free of debris and running relatively clear.
9. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
10. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain be as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
11. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 6.5 - 7 gallons of beer or a measured pre-boil specific gravity of 1.048.
12. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
13. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1 oz. of Sterling hops for bittering and boil for 45 minutes.
14. Add the wort chiller to the boil during the last 15 minutes to sterilize.
15. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
16. With 2 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. of remaining Palisade hops.
17. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
18. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.048 (according to BrewSmith software).
19. Estimated post-boil volume is 5.98 gallons.  Optional - add water to achieve target SG.  Ended up with less than 5 gallons in carboy after boil.  Should have been more but still seemed to hit target OG.  Not sure what, if any, affect this will have on the finished product.
20. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  I strained this batch to reduce trub.  Make sure you have the volume you are aiming for and if it is off then consider adding top-off water.
21. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
22. Attach blow-off tube and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings.
23. Optional - Transfer to secondary fermentation carboy for clarifying.
24. Prepare priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 5 oz. (approximately 2/3 cup) of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch.  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.  My last batch was over-carbonated so I am reducing the amount of sugar in this step to approximately 4 oz.

Notes, Results and Lessons Learned:

• Brew Day - March 10, 2013
• Kegging Day - April 9, 2013 (30 days in Primary, no Secondary)
• OG - 1.050
• FG - 1.012
• ABV - 5%
• Notes:
• Fermentation on this batch went CRAZY!  It was a good thing I attached a blow-off tube since so much of the krausen overflowed into the water-filled growler.  After pitching the yeast I shook the carboy for about 1 minute and then infused pure oxygen for 30 seconds.
• I am going to keg this batch.  It will be my first kegging attempt.

The Verdict:

• The keg didn't last long at the party so I'd say it was a success.

Batch #14 - Triple C/J IPA (All-grain)

This brew is a rewind back to batch #10 which I think is probably the best one I've made so far.  My fiancee's son and a friend of his wanted to learn the process so I thought this one would be worth a revisit.  They both like hoppy beer so I thought this one was worth of a re-do.

Ingredients:

10 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt

12 oz. Cara 8/Caramel Pils

8 oz. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L

1 oz. Chinook Hops (60 minutes)

1 oz. Chinook Hops (15 minutes)

1 oz. Cascade Hops (2 minutes)

1 oz. Citra Hops (Dry Hopping)

1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 Whirfloc tablet

1 tbsp 5.2 pH mash stabilizer

1 pkg. American Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1056)

4 oz. Corn Sugar

8.5 gallons of drinking water
20 lbs. ice (for chilling wort)

Process:

1. Optional - Prepare a yeast starter at least 24 hours in advance of brew day.  This isn't really necessary since the ABV for this batch will be around 6.5%.
2. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
3. Prepare your strike water by heating 14 quarts of water or 3.5 gallons (1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  Aim for 169 degrees.
4. Add about 4 quarts of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
5. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.
6. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add 1 tablespoon of pH stabilizer, stir and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
7. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
8. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test or simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
9. Perform vorlauf by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.    Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 5 or more times until the runnings are free of grain debris and running relatively clear.
10. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
11. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain bed as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
12. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 7 gallons of beer.
13. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
14. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1 oz. of Chinook hops for bittering and boil for 60 minutes.
15. With 15 minutes left in the boil add:
1. Whirfloc tablet.
2. 1 oz. of Chinook hops.
3. Wort chiller to the boil to sterilize.
16. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
17. With 2 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. of Cascade hops.
18. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
19. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.059.
20. Estimated post-boil volume is 6 gallons.
21. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  Strain if desired.
22. Optional - add boiled water to achieve desired volume.
23. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
24. Attach blow-off tube and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings (at least 3 weeks).
25. After 2 weeks of fermentation, add 1 oz. of Citra hops for the dry hopping process.  Let these hops age in the primary fermenter for 7-10 days.
26. Prepare priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 4 oz. of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch.  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.

Notes, Results and Lessons Learned:

• Brew Day - February 10, 2013
• Bottling Day - March 9, 2013 (27 days total fermentation)
• Tasting Day - March 17, 2013 (8 days in the bottle)
• OG - 1.060
• FG - 1.020 (This should have been closer to 1.011.  Bottled to early? Stuck fermentation?)
• ABV - 5.25%
• Notes:
• I didn't dissolve the yeast nutrient in warm water before pitching it into the wort. I doubt this will be an issue but wanted to note it.
• I increased pre-boil wort volume from 6.5 gallons to 7 gallons.  This seemed to produce the right amount of post-boil wort to generate the desired 6 gallons of fermentable wort.
• Added 1 oz. of Citra hops for dry hopping on February 24, 2013 (two weeks into fermentation).  Dry hopped until March 9, 2013 (13 days).
• I expected the FG to be closer to 1.010.  I hope I don't have any bottle bombs!
• Consider a yeast starter next time or letting the fermentation go longer.  If so, agitate to keep the yeast going. 

The Verdict:

• I went ahead and popped the top on this one a little earlier than I normally would have (only 8 days in the bottle) and it was plenty carbonated.  My thought was that since it most likely didn't finish fermenting as far as it could have there was plenty of sugar left for bottle conditioning.  My hunch was right in that it was perfectly carbonated.  I decided to refrigerate some to stop them from carbonating further.
• So how did it turn out?  Very good!  Beautiful aroma and smooth taste.  One of my best.  Plus, Jordan liked it - ;-)