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All the NB extract kits are like that. I have done 5 so far, and none of them tell you what to expect as a FG. I just give it a month, then take a couple samples a few days apart to make sure it has stabilized before bottling.

Boil the water, not the gelatin -180 is too hot for the gelatin. Bring the water to a boil, let it cool a bit, dissolve the gelatin in the water, let it bloom and cool for a few minutes, pour it into the beer.

I'll take a sample before pitching the yeast. If I am going to use a secondary I will take another before racking it over. I'll take one a couple days before I plan on bottling, and one again on bottling day. All good chances to taste my brew-in-progress... and while I am at it I will check...

Walmart. The last time I braved that hole, I found they had both imperial and standard pint glasses at $8 for 12...

My business ships product to Guam (as well as APO/FPO) addresses fairly often. It is not unusual for packages to take 3-6 weeks to arrive. Plan ahead in your purchases, and don't buy anything that cannot handle sitting in a hot warehouse for an extended timeperiod.

Try cold crashing and gelatin. After the 3-4 weeks of fermentation you are allowing, toss the whole thing in the fridge to chill down for a day or two. Boil some water (1 cup is plenty), dissolve a packet of knox gelatin, pour it into the beer, put the bucket/carboy/whatever back into the...

As I understand it, part of the reason for the addition of the sugars is that the additional alcohol thins the beer. Otherwise the beer would be too thick and too heavy for the style. Not to say you shouldn't try it -you may find you like it better without.

lol... "You might be a homebrewer if..."

Contact KegConnection and ask them. Either they can give you advice on correcting the problem or they will call it defective and swap it out for you.

It will settle out in time. Gelatin works by attracting yeast (and other small particles) and forming larger particles which then drop out of solution faster than small particles... It isn't instant, but it is faster than without.

It sounds like you should look into the Brew-in-a-bag method. It should work really well for 2 gallon batches. You won't need to buy much beyond what you already have. As for recipes, 2 gallons is just 2/5 of 5 gallons, so just order 2/5 of the materials called for in the recipe. Timing...

I'd expect ball bearings to be fine, but would avoid anything like nuts/bolts with places for crud to collect.

Pipettes are pretty simple. You can blow your own with nothing more complicated than an alcohol burner and glass tubing from your local hardware/art supply store.

I picked up a dozen half-pint mason jars at walmart over the weekend for under $5...

If in doubt, throw it out. ;) Seriously, replacing a couple bottles is easy. I would not risk my delicious brew.

4 weeks is generally safe, BUT the only way to be sure is by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Honey is known to take longer than simple sugars to ferment completely, so don't be surprised if it is not ready. Sample, test, taste, then decide.

Stir plates are cool, and very effective. On the other hand, an awful lot of people just use the "swirl the beaker every time I walk by" method. It works just fine -not as well, but generally good enough. If you want a stir plate check the DIY section for a good howto on building one.

Just let it sit as is and wait a few weeks. As long as it doesn't get too cold it will finish in its own time. I racked my first brew to a secondary too soon (following the directions that came with the kit) and regretted it. It was still beer, just not very good beer.

My last order was from NB: Ordered on the 12th, shipped on the 16th, delivered on the 19th. 7 days order to door. I placed an order today with Midwest... we shall see what the timing is like. Maybe I will place my next order with AHS just to see how they do (OK, also to get a few of the...

I have a saison kit with the 3711 yeast... I am just waiting on warmer weather before I kick it off. It sounds like I made a good choice with this one.