Clive of India Pale Ale question

[Black_Sheep]

I have followed DaaB's thread of extract recipes and had a crack at Clive of India. I had followed the instructions except I have added 2 teaspoons of protofloc during the last 10 minutes of the boil. The recipe says "Rack after 5 days into a closed fermenter. After a further two weeks, fine and bottle or barrel in the usual way". I cooled the wort and transferred to a fermenter, pitched the yeast, Wyeast 1028 London Ale (followed the Wyeast starter instructions). I left the lid slightly loose, after 4 days I have closed it, it's been in the FV for 7 days now and SG is 1020 ish. A proportion of the yeast cake has risen to just below the surface and looks like beeswax, there's still a bit of bubbling going on. I wasn't sure what "Rack after 5 days into a closed fermenter. After a further two weeks, fine and bottle or barrel in the usual way" meant.

My questions area:
-Was the protofloc a bad idea?
-Is the yeast's behaviour normal?
-I don't usually use finnings so when can I bottle, do I just wait until it reaches FG of 1011?
- How long do you think it will take until it's ready? It's fermenting at 23C.

I'm slightly panicked as it's my first extract using a proper boiler, it's an expensive one due to the ingredients and I'm impatient. Although the beer looks very clear under the surface and smells divine!

[KevP]

Does it look like this? :- viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21670&p=244066&hili ... oc#p244066

[Black_Sheep]

Yes it does, I really must close my curtains at night. Thanks Kev, I've read the thread and realise it's fairly harmless. The trouble is in the absence of any replies, I took matters into my own hands I transferred the beer to a closed FV. Without a meaningful yeast colony it will now struggle to get below 1020 SG, I've chucked in a teaspoon of yeast vit and intend to wait a couple of weeks hoping the SG comes down so I can bottle it but I'm nervous.

[KevP]

No worries mate, I hadn't had this problem until my last brew (and the one since too!) and on the last one I scooped the bits out and repitched another yeast and it was perfect, a nice tight yeast bed and very few floaty bits, fermented out to 1008 too.

[Black_Sheep]

Do you think I should pitch some more yeast?

[KevP]

Not if you've left it as it was mate no, it'll be fine, honest

[Black_Sheep]

That's sort of the problem, I've transferred it to another FV and I did it carefully not to carry any yeast or trub over. Now it's still at 1020 and looks fairly inactive.

[KevP]

Then i'd bypass waiting and chuck in another yeast, after giving it a gentle rouse with a sanitised paddle.