It’s been a while since I posted on HBT, but I’m at the Dallas Beerfest at Fair Park as I type this. Lemme know if you’re around, and we’ll snag a beer. Will check thread every so often until I’m too drunk to stay!
In case anyone actually cares, I stumbled upon a case of this nearly 12 year old beer during a recent move. I tried one. It’s almost good! So if you use spruce extract, just wait 12 years and then you might be rewarded with a beer you can be proud to have not dumped maybe.
According to this page, you'd need 3 1/8" shanks to successfully pass through 2x material.
http://www.kegconnection.com/shanks-all-sizes-choose-your-size/
I've been meaning to incorporate a heavy ginger note in a light ale for years now and still haven't. Thai basil could also be interesting, but I think you could easily overdo it.
I enjoy making brew days a social event. I forewarn potential "helpers" of the lack of excitement and likelihood that they'll be helping with the equivalent of "doing the dishes." I also make sure there's plenty of beer and food.
I had similar wifi woes and very recently upgraded to a business class access point. I looked into the Ubiquiti series but ultimately settled on the Xclaim Xi-3. Setup was slightly troublesome, as they rapidly roll out firmware updates that don't play well with the online, strangely...
Are you sure the controller is supplying 220VAC to the element? 120VAC at the element would really cramp your style. If the wiring is correct, then your controller is somehow at fault, and I'm not familiar with the Brew Boss.
A glove is fine. You can put a tiny hole in it to vent. That'll hold you over until you get the proper stopper. While I might get some flak from the sanitation police, I'll offer that a piece of aluminum foil is just as good for the first few days.
@thatjonguy did such a good job answering, I figured this should be a sticky thread. As such, I cleaned up the off topic banter (which was harmless other than cluttering the thread). Thanks for the great reply!