A couple of folks up the thread suggested a screw in the hole. Take their advice. Use a fine-thread stainless steel screw with a silicone washer (or a dab of silicone bathtub caulk). This is a cheap fix and will stand up to the pressure for a goodly time. If/when it starts to slowly leak, repeat...
How long did you let it carb up in the bottles and at what temperature? Maybe it just didn't sit long enough (speaking from experience here). I'm always impatient to get the first one cracked...
In my experience, LME is too thick (like honey) to dribble anywhere. In fact, I put the can in the sink with warm water to thin it and make it more "pourable".
Brewer's Friend has really good recipe-building and brewday software, plus a boatload of recipes of all styles from all kinds of folks. If you're not using it, you're really missing out.
Excellent thread -- really glad it's available. I'll be doing a Modelo Negra batch in a few weeks and don't have the wherewithal to 'properly' brew a lager, so these comments are pretty encouraging. Thanks applescrap and all!
Excellent article George. For my very next brew I'm pretty much copying your setup here. I've been messing around with an ice bath in the kitchen sink, which is pretty slow (a half hour for a three gallon pot). Thanks!
I made a batch of partial mash APA two weeks ago and just siphoned to secondary. It's incredibly cloudy but has reached its target 1.010 fg. I've read that gelatin clearing strips hop flavors. How about if I let this 5 gallon batch sit for a week or two, then gelatin for three or four days, then...