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I would love to take a stab at this, it is one of my favourite beers! It is pretty complex though, and I don't know where to start!

I have used a thermometer like that without issue - just make sure it's in your boil for > 15 mins so that it won't contaminate anything. Thermometers vary.... some are very accurate, some are less so - but that will be enough to get you started. If you are getting used propane tanks, make...

I've used a couple of cans that were a year past their best-before dates with no issues, but five years is a pretty long time... For the cost of a new can of Extract, and the effort involved in brewing, I think I would pass on that one. If you do give it a shot, be sure to let us know how it...

Mine, too. While I generally try to stick to non-twist-off style bottles, I also have used twist-off cap bottles with great success. I haven't had one lose its carbonation yet. Maybe using a bench-capper helps with this? Jay

Just in the interest of science, I thought I'd follow up on this one... I used the expired extract kit, it did not seem to be fermenting very well. After about three days I opened it up to pitch more yeast. Sure enough, there was a krausen on top, but I pitched the additional yeast anyway...

Anything that spends 15 mins or more in your boil will be sanitized. Even the leaves and bugs that fly in during the boil (I do my brew outside). Jay

Congrats! Of all the bottling sessions I've done, I think only the last two have gone really well, so I know how you feel. Actually, it was after I got a couple of kegs that the bottling really improved... maybe it took the pressure off? :cross: Jay

Yeah, that amount of liquid is going to be tough to cool without a chiller... +1 on stirring often, just be careful not to splash. I stayed away from full boils for 5 gallon batches until I had a chiller... I would say doing something less would be good here (ie: 3.5 gallon boil, or even 4)...

I happened across a little can of extract called "Bru-Mix Pale" that appears to have been made here in Ontario, Canada. It looks to be roughly half the size of the cans of liquid malt extract (LME) that I'm used to seeing, and roughly half the price. Surprisingly the recipe didn't call for 2x...

If I just re-pitched on top of the yeast cake do you think I would be over-pitching? I've only ever read about this happening, and have no idea how to calculate what would constitute "over-pitching." Thanks, Jay

Thanks for the reassurances, gents! Much appreciated! This batch is slated to be my first attempt at kegging, too... there's so much to learn yet! Thnx! Jay

How about a 2.5 gallon batch using just one can of extract (intended for 5 gallon batch), has anyone tried this? I don't know if the math scales up like that, but I figure rather than double the LME just cut the water in half... I have a couple of cans I got very cheap that I'm not certain I...

You're lucky... my wife doesn't like the smell, so I am encouraged to brew outside. Even in winter. In Toronto! :drunk: Jay

I showed my neighbour how to make a LME kit beer on the weekend. It was our first nice weather and I could brew outside, bringing the full 6 gallons to a boil. It was also the first test of my immersion chiller, which performed impressively (much better than the snowbank I used in January!)...

I've done it outside in the winter and had some snow get in it... Turned out fine (maybe even better than usual, so maybe there's something good in the snow!). As everyone has already posted, cooling is the thoughest thing, but one little wee bit of something probably isn't going to hurt...

It's possible, but you'll need some additional stuff. At the very least you need to add the hops yourself, which you may not have done if you're used to using pre-hopped liquid malt extract (LME). You may also want to look at some steeping grains to give the DME some more character. It won't...

Has anyone tried using one of the mason jars of washed yeast directly in a batch without using a starter? Is it too risky, given that the yeast might be a non-starter, or is the cell count simply too small? Just curious! Thanks for the thread, I've learned lots! :mug: Jay

It's so common to find decent digital thermometers on sale for $10 or less now, it's really not worth skimping in this area. My LHBS has regular floating thermometers for $4. You certainly need something that goes below 100 degrees! Jay

For the record, I tried this one last night for the first time - it's about six weeks old, two weeks in the bottle - and it is mighty nice! Two things I did differently than usual - first, even though this was a kit beer, I did a full 5-gallon boil. Second, I left this in the primary for a...

Finally tried a bottle of this all-grain stout on the weekend, two weeks after bottling. WOW! I was really impressed. It was delicious! Now I regret only doing 2.5 gallons - this won't last long at all! I can really see the difference from using all grain to extract. The all-grain...