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You can pitch right in on the yeast cake. I have done so many times. A lot of the folks on this forum advocate not pitching onto the whole cake, but instead using about 1/4 of it. If you drained all the beer off of it you will have to pitch on it right away or wash it and store it in the...

I know anise tastes like licorice. People do tend to put extra stuff in Belgian beers, so that might be a source of that flavor.

Most Saisons seem to have a sour bite, I quite like that about them. Which yeast did you use? I doubt it (the sour taste) is from an infection.

Have your brew with some Stilton cheese or a good dry salami. Often times food will balance out the bite. And Stilton is just really good.

I am glad you pitched the yeast instead of waiting. I have a poor track record getting the smack packs to burst. I have pitched more than once without it breaking and had no issues. I usually make a starter if I have time and if not will pitch more than one pack of yeast.

Is the Victory malt providing all the enzymes for the starch conversion in the mash? I was not aware it had that much diastatic power. I thought wheat needed help converting. I have only ever used a small amount of torrified wheat so have no experience with it as the main backbone of the grist.

My boil is usually more vigorous than your 2nd boil, I really want my alpha acids to isomerize well. I loose a lot of volume that way and have to account for it. The Blickmann burners can just really hammer a 10 or 15 gallon pot.

If there is loss somewhere in the system then my statement would not hold true. I squeeze my hop bags and dump the entire amount of the kettle (minus perhaps a cup of stuff) into my fermenter. So for each person and their setup, they would have to take into account any losses (hoses, spills...

How many total gravity points do you yourself calculate as potential? I like to start with that number. I.E 10 LBs of two row at 36 points per LB potential gravity = 360 total possible points. Then take a gravity reading from your well mixed pre-boil wort. If your hydrometer is accurate and...

Thanks to the OP for this one. I finally got around to marking all four of my kettles using this technique. I have markings covered in paper towels soaked in water and citric acid solution, covered with plastic wrap, soaking overnight. My markings are accurate enough, but not nearly as nice...

You could just use that weak batch as a yeast starter; your gravity is right in the sweet spot for that. So make up another batch in a week and save off a portion of your yeast cake for later usage. Then pitch right on top of the rest of the yeast cake. I bet you would get a really great...

I have had really good success with White Labs 810, your Wyeast version appears to be a similar or perhaps the same strain (I just looked it up).

If that yeast is any where near as good as the album 2112, your brew will Rock!

Just in case you cannot find someone local to buy from. These pots are reasonably priced ( you will just have to punch or drill a hole and install valve ): http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/kitchen/stainless-steel-stock-pots/c1995.aspx I purchased one at a fellow forum members advice and...

I calculate your brew is at 2.8% ABV, if you want it to go higher try the following: Boil up some DME in chlorine free water, cool it and add it in the fermenter to restart the yeast. See if that does it for you. That Mangrove Jack is supposed to be the dry version of PacMan yeast and Pac Man...

I have done that before too, and if I am not in a hurry, that is how I prefer to carbonate; But if I want a bunch of bottles to share or refrigerate, it is not worth busting out the beer gun for only a few bottles. Since I have to clean it and what not.

A very good question. The reason being that I do not have a refrigerator for my kegs ( I drink them at room temperature and just chill the mug ). Getting the right amount (predictable levels) of carbonation is therefore chancy. I can eliminate temp as a variable by doing it that way. I can...

I presume you meant .22 caliber ;-)

I got mine from McClendons hardware, great hardware store, but I probably did not need such a high grade bit (how many pots will I end up drilling anyway?). Twelve bucks is a lot easier to swallow. Cheers

Step drill bit is what I used on mine, the bits are not cheap ($35-$50).