Recent content by brewhooligan

According to Briess' website, that ratio is correct. So yeah, that's exactly how I would go about converting the recipe to all-grain.

I like this...it's like adding flameout hops. Great for hop aroma.

My general reaction: :rockin:

If a liter of LME actually weight 1.48kg, you should be alright without any sugar. Beersmith is showing me a starting gravity of 1.047. Is there a target starting gravity in the kit instructions?

Adding more LME instead of sugar is definitely a good idea. Adding another 3.3 pound can of unhopped LME should get you close to 1.050-ish as a starting gravity for a 5-gallon batch. Try to use the lightest extract available. If you know how much a liter of liquid extract weighs, you could...

Just tell people it's an Double Saison...or something.

The entire point is that these kits aren't capable of making a 5 gallon batch on their own. If they were, they wouldn't need an additional 3 pounds of table sugar. While it's true that the fermentability of sugar versus extract is not the same, this doesn't change the fact that substituting...

There's a lot of oil in nuts that could potentially cause head retention problems. This is just a guess, I've never brewed with nuts -- just something to consider. If you're in favor of a sweeter beer, you might consider a Southern English Brown as the base recipe. The coffee would add a...

Using more malt extract as opposed to adding a bunch of sugar is definitely a good idea. If you're going to add hops, I would suggest keeping them on a short boil schedule -- probably not more than a few minutes. Those pre-hopped kits aren't really designed with a traditional 60-minute boil in...

Zoinks...it looks like I virtually plagiarized your response. :D

The gelatin will pull a lot more yeast out of suspension. If you start with less yeast, it's going to take longer for the beer to properly carb. So, yes...it takes comparatively longer for gelatinized beers to carbonate. After you add the gelatin, wait about 3 to 5 days before bottling.

Honestly, I don't think it's worth it. Given enough time, anything that's going to fall out of suspension, will fall out of suspension. The more you fool around with your beer, the more you run the risk of contamination or oxidation. If you're worried about clarity, use some gelatin. Cold...

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-3.html This section of Palmer's online book explains how the yeast continues to condition the beer even after the bulk of the sugar has been fermented out. His online book explains this idea within the context of a secondary fermentation. But even...

I actually like that Brewmasters Warehouse will package my own recipes in a kit. It's handy for those instances when I only need 4 ounces of some random grain, and don't want to have to buy a full pound at the LHBS.

Wyeast 3711 makes for some pretty dry beers. Expect roughly 80% attenuation. However, I wouldn't ferment at 63 degrees. You'll want to keep fermentation temps higher than you're probably comfortable with. I'm currently brewing a Saison with the exact same yeast, and Wyeast's website...