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I like 37 with a 5 degree diff and my temperature probe in the center of the keezer. I've tried tweaking the probe position and differentials, but I find that one is a nice mix of not turning the freezer on constantly and it keeps my beer how i like it.

What I saw in my old tank made it not worth it to me. Use cold water and pick a few weeds or drink a beer while you wait. What's the big deal?

Just dont drop the whole probe in water. Where the end of the probe connects to the wire is not waterproof and when water gets in there it becomes inaccurate. The last one i got read like 90 at room temp after i submerged it, even after it dried for days. The thermoworks one is nice and long so...

I have this one and love it. Works like a charm. I bought a competitors one and submerged the probe in water and it stopped working. Dont submerge the probes and you'll be fine.

Spend money on your own grain mill rather than a sparge setup. I tried sparging the first few times and said screw this!! I batch sparge every time now. I used to get 70% consistently when I got pre-milled grain online or from LHBS. Bought a cereal killer and mill my own grain--I get 85-89%...

I've never used hopville before. But if you entered the same recipe into brewersfriend.com there is a built in option to size it however you want. But yea, if you cut it in half and expect 5.5 in the fermenter you should be fine.

I keep mine in the center of the keezer. You will put more of a strain on your freezer motor, but your beer temps will stay consistent. I have a Johnson controller set to 37 with 5 degree differential. So when it hits 42 it will chill down to 32 and go through the cycle again. My buddy drilled...

My old roommate worked in HVAC. He said not to use the hot water when we had a tank because of the gunk and minerals in it. Think about a hot water tank, it fills with water and sits there all day until you use it. When we took out my tank style we opened it up--holy crap it's gross the junk...

Anything over 1.060 I generally consider big. Depends on the malt--for some reason English ales taste heavier to me than an American IPA of the same gravity. I dont have any "rule" about how to handle the timeframe for bigger beers. I read the yeast manufacturers recommendations, take gravity...

I like 149 for my sach rest with wheat beers. Looks like you are on target.

I add real raspberries to my wheat beers. I use 1lb in 5 gallon batches for a subtle flavor. So .2 lbs should be fine for you. Buy fresh, weigh it out, freeze them, pasteurize them at 160 for 15 mins with a little water, let it cool, dump juice and all in the secondary. This is how I do it and...

True story. I went to Anchor bar this summer and was not impressed.

+1 to the hometown brew!! I never realized Genny had influence outside Rochester. When I'm not drinking homebrew I'll always pick up some Genny. $7.99 for a 12 pack and $14.99 for a case, can't beat it!!

If you happen to stop in Rochester on your way from Buffalo to Syracuse here are a few of my favorite beer destinations: 1. Victoire - Great food and awesome Belgian beers on tap. Focus on Belgian brews. 2. Trata - Amazing draft list. Food is great but just the beer they have on tap is worth...

Bingo

I spent enough money at ThermoWorks to get a free one. I read the details on it and it says it is accurate within 7 degrees. Not good enough for mashing, but close enough to give you a general idea with chilling, boiling etc. It also just gives you the reading of the top of the surface, which...

With ales that I"m not adding any spices or anything to secondary that's what I do. Primary until gravity finishes dropping ~3 weeks, siphon to keg, carb with 40-50% the sugar you would when bottling, let it sit for 2 weeks at room temp, put in keezer, burp the pressure, put on gas, chill...

I agree with DocScott. I wouldn't add the pumpkin at this point either. The last pumpkin ale I made I added a teaspoon of this and pasteurized in a quarter cup of water before adding to secondary.

I have the "Cereal Killer" from adventures in homebrewing. I absolutely love it. Out of the box I got 80% efficiency. After moving the grinders a touch closer I got 87% pre-boil efficiency on my last batch. http://www.homebrewing.org/Cereal-Killer-Grain-Mill_p_2310.html

Whether you cold crash in a keg or cold crash in a carboy you still get trub. I cold crash right in my keg. It limits the beers contact to oxygen when racking. If you were to cold crash in a carboy you'll have an extra racking step (and cleaning). When I pour the first couple pints it's cloudy...