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Sorry, I posted and then saw your last post. I've heard of people adding sugar in both places successfully. If adding dissolved sugar into primary, just be sure to add while yeast is still active to continue fermentation. Personally I just add into boil to keep it simple. I add the sugar in...

It does depends on beer style one is targeting. Most brews will get their sugars from malts, this is true in general. However as mentioned above some styles do add sugar on purpose during the boil for the wort. An example of this is a Belgian Golden Strong ale, that adds a fair amount of...

There are a few things that contribute to lack of clarifying in your situation: 1 - Yeast As you've stated, "pouring leaving a bit behind does do the trick". That is completely due to yeast, which is needed in order to create CO2 in your bottles. No way around this if you are carbonating...

I thought the SS Brew Tech comes with a dip tube. Their website indicates a "3 piece ball valve with trub dam pick-up tube". I've not seen one of these in person, but your posts make it sound like there is no dip tube. Do you have that pick-up tube, and are you saying it rests at a level...

Many tools (like Beersmith) will offer a pre-boil gravity calculation. This is the best starting point to see if you are on track to hitting your starting gravity when your boil is complete. If you are coming in too low, you have several options to correct. You can add some DME or other sugar...

I threw this recipe into my tool using a BIAB type profile, and got a calculation of ABV potential to be roughly 5% (or so). This is simply a ballpark based on the recipe provided and some estimates on your efficiency and loss, so you may be outside that range, but it at least gives you a...

The tricky thing about this question is that your target of being "reasonably confident" will change the more you brew. Simply put, you will continue to want to raise the bar after each brew as you learn something new. I remember when I started brewing I would make a beer and think, hey this...

If you've cold crashed, you should not see any changes in gravity at this point. Too cold now for yeast to do anything but drop out. For a first beer it sounds like you have more than just the basics in hand, good job!

Did you use the same yeast strain too in all the batches as well as fermentation temps?

I have not tried what you are outlining, so my thoughts are just speculation. My guess is that with more surface area the beer may absorb the CO2 a little quicker, however even that will be determined by the rate of fermentation within the bottle. As technically the headspace volume will be...

For Vegas, you want to hit the Freakin' Frog. It is not far from the airport near UNLV. I have been on the same mission to find a good craft beer place as I travel there monthly. The Freakin' Frog has by far the largest beer selection, several hard to get beers, and in some cases verticals of...

Congrats on taking the first steps on the build! You will look back and enjoy both the build, and using such a great system. Good luck!

nhwrecker, If it makes you feel better (maybe not), I did the exact same thing when I wired my GFCI at first. Glad to see you got it up and going!

I've had a similar issue, and found a thread on another board on the topic. The solution for my system was to use a magnesium anode to help with this. People reported that the rust would go away when they mounted one in their kettle. It is basically just a metal rod that you attach in your...

What I believe many people do, and I do, is to attach the temp probe from your temp controller to the side of your fermenter. Surround the probe with insulation like foam or something similar, and the probe should reflect the temp of the fermenter itself and not the surrounding air. Doing it...

I highly recommend purchasing at the very least his kit of parts. It will basically run you the same as trying to find them all yourself. I bought Kal's kit and finished my build about 6 weeks ago and couldn't be happier! I have also seen pics of the prebuilt units they sell, and the work...

I started around 1995. My uncle first introduced me to the idea as he brewed beer at home. I was simply fascinated with the idea that brewing beer at home was even possible. At the time beer simply seemed a purchase I would make at the store where big companies with gear I could never...

It all comes down to the yeast. Take a look at Wyeast or White Labs websites, they will offer their recommended fermentation temps for each yeast strain which is generally matched with specific styles of beer. Even within a single yeast strain you will get different characteristics based on...

I tried a Vanilla ale a few batches ago, found that adding the vanilla beans to secondary was easy and had good results. Split a couple beans lengthwise, scrapped inside, chopped into small bits, left in a little vodka a couple hours to sanitize, then pitched. My only regret was I was given...

Ah, the light bulb just went off (or on really). If I have 5 gallons of wort, that is 18,927ml. If I take the 100 billion cells I have and divide that by the 18,927, I get 5.28 million cells per ml. That puts me under the 6 million/ml which has me at a decreased pitch. Makes much more sense...