Two words... Equipment. Profile.
I am not familiar with Brewers Friend. I have used Beersmith for 10+years and the first thing any user should do when getting a new system is create a custom equipment profile. It doesn't matter if your recipe creation software has the system you bought in the...
If you are really set on getting the color right consider something that will add color without affecting flavor like Sinamar. Personally however I wouldn't be concerned about color and just use the 350 at the same rate as the chocolate used in the recipe.
I vote for inconsistent mash temperatures. Also, keep in mind that gravity numbers published by a recipe are estimates and not absolutes. If you hit the numbers that's great but there is nothing wrong if you don't. That said, a massive difference could mean problems but I wouldn't worry about a...
I remember reading an excerpt from a brewing publication from the 1800's on the brewing process. In the section regarding mashing it said something to the effect of... grains only need be broken into two or three pieces (paraphrasing) and the reason being that water will do its job once the...
You probably only need 1/2 to 1/4 of that previous yeast cake. Harvest half of it and refrigerate for future use and pitch the new beer on the remaining half.
As I remember hearing it; the water tool was vastly improved in BS3. I can't answer the question for BS2 as I haven't used it since 3 came out but know that 3 gives treatment for both mash and sparge... or the ability to calculate for mash only. I would suggest upgrading to v3
What do you know about AMCYL ball lock kegs? I'm looking for 3 gallon ball locks and they have this brand for a decent price at Amazon. Any experience? Pros Cons?
https://tinyurl.com/AMCYL-Kegs
Traditionally beer that was fresh was called "mild". That is what the word mild originally meant in the beer world. It wasn't a style. Mild was used to distinguish itself from aged or "stale beer. Stale being another old beer term that has changed meaning in our world. Stale beer had aged enough...
Rather than making something he already can get why not make something in the same style. Out of all the hazy IPA recipes I've ever seen this one has enticed me to make my first hazy. Not a clone recipe of anything specific brewed at Tree House Brewing but some solid guidelines to create your...
Short of getting a new fermenter (much advised over using a dangerous glass carboy) it would be wiser to adjust your profile to achieve the volume that fits your fermenter. You may end up with less than a full 5 gallons at the end but you will also end up with the beer you intended.