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If you ever get a chance, try (any of) his beers. They're all excellent. We're extremely happy he's releasing his beers up here.

bstacy1974 -- We did a 10 gallon batch today. Nothing like a little ice fog in the garage (when you open the door).

Did you top off after your boil? If so, might be from incomplete mixing. Also, did you calibrate your refractometer? Mine was 15 points off when I received it.

Yeah, you can start with what you've got. I'd look into setting up a blow-off tube for the water jugs, since they're only 5 gallons. I'd be cautious to look for boil overs with a 6 gallon kettle, but if you're cautious, you should be able to do full wort boils. If not, lots of 5 gallon kits...

I'd leave it on the primary and bottle it whenever it's ready (steady FG, and it tastes right)

Carb tabs are just sugar tablets, formed in an appropriate amount for a bottle of beer. You still need yeast to provide CO2 if using them. Even if your beer is clear going into the bottle, there will be enough yeast left in it to prime the bottles.

Sounds like it. If it hasn't dropped over the last few days, then it's done fermenting. On to the bottles!

I agree with scrabledegg81 and say go for the full-tub method. If you get a skewer-style thermometer, you can possibly force it through a carboy cap (after sanitizing) to hold it in place and get a constant wort reading. Concerning your fridge, you'll probably have to get a temp controller for...

I'd say you'll probably be OK. By moving the fermentor, you run the risk of oxidation, which can lead to wet cardboard flavors. But, I say bottle it, and and drink it. I think (and someone with more experience may correct me) it takes awhile to set in, so if if you consume it relatively...

If you want to save on ice, you can knock it down to around 100 degrees (ish) with the tap water, then swap over to the bucket with the ice. That way you're not "wasting" ice on the initial cooling, where your tap temps are ok. I use full tap water pressure to chill mine. I haven't...

I've used on buckets, bottles, and carboys and never had a problem. All should stabilize eventually, and read the beer temp.

On a side note, using a jar of water in the fridge won't give you the actual beer temp. It's a smaller mass of water, and since there is no fermentation, it won't account for the heat created by the yeast during fermentation. You may want to consider taping the probe to the carboy/bucket and...

Was it an extract kit? If so, it's really tough to miss the OG. It's just not mixed thoroughly. The fermentables are still there, but the layering of the water is throwing off your readings.

Anything would probably work as long as it's properly sanitized and covered loosely with tinfoil. My plastic pitcher is filled with scratches, so I'd be very careful about cleaning and then sanitizing. But other than that...you're good to go...

If you can, you can pull a measured amount (say 4 ozs), cool it, and then add extract by a graduated medicine dropper to get the flavor profile you want. Then you can back calculate how much you want. I'm in the same boat as you, not trusting my taste, but in the end it's your beer. Flavor it...

Using a hydrometer to tell if the fermentation is complete is pretty simple, really. What you're looking for is consistent readings over a period of time, say the same reading, 3 times over 6 days. Some people do 2 readings over 3 days. If your reading is dropping (going closer to 1.000)...

1) Yeah, I think you should have received a steeping bag in your kit. As far as your beer goes, did you boil the grains? Heating the grains too hot (over 170) leads to tannic extraction, which can lead to an astringent quality to the beer. As far as running it through a filter, I believe...

You're fine. As the pressure builds in the carboy, it will push the water up. Just let it be....

I'm not certain, but a quick search shows (info provided by Kai) that Acid Malt contains around 3% Lactic Acid by weight.

You're just tasting (really) green beer. 50 hours is WAY to early to make any decisions about your beer. The longer you let it sit on the yeast cake, the better chance the yeast have to do their job. Time will take care of the cloudiness and flavor. Some fermentations go quick, others slow...