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I'm not the most experienced brewer, but I don't think the pot is large enough for that amount of water. I recently boiled 4 gallons in a 5 gallon kettle and had the wort boil over. Even before that happened, the water was boiling very close to the top of the kettle. I won't say it's impossible...

These responses certainly make me feel better. The OG is probably a result of a poor mixture, and I'll just have to do better next time. Either way, it is now bubbling away (quite vigorously) in a swamp cooler in the basement. I was quite happy that it started fermenting in less than 12 hours.

Well, I'm happy to say I have finished my second round of brewing (a hefeweizen). And while I did a better job with some things (rolling boil, chilling), I still feel as though I may have messed up in a couple of ways. I built an immersion chiller for this brew, but the first time I boiled the...

I most certainly made a sticky mess on the stove. I'm just happy I have a stove with a glass top, which should make cleaning it off much easier. At least that's what I'm telling my fiancé. :D

This definitely makes me feel better. Now I'm thinking I may need to lower my batch size from 5.5 gallons to 5 gallons just to be safe. Brewer's Friend said my starter should be work, but I just don't want to mess up my beer by not pitching enough yeast. This is a stupid question, but how...

I made my first starter tonight and I'm hoping I didn't mess it up. According to Brewer's Friend, I needed 1 liter starter, while Mr. Malty said I needed a 1.8 liter starter. I decided to go somewhat in between and made a 1.5 liter starter. I used 1.5 liters of water and 158 grams of DME. This...

Thanks for all the information. I will probably try to get my starter made tonight so it can be ready for brewing this weekend. I will be fermenting in a bucket. I thought about just sticking a tube in the rubber grommet, but that seems like it would have to be a very small tube. Would that...

I am hoping to brew my second batch this weekend (an extract hefeweizen of my own creation), but I have a few questions before starting. My first question is about the stir plate, as I have never used one before. Do I make the starter and let it stir until I'm ready to add it to my wort? Do I...

I finally had a couple of funny things happen this past weekend. First, I saw this at the restaurant I went to Friday night. It seems Chimay, Corsendonk, Duvel, and Rochefort aren't "Belgian beers," but Blue Moon is. Also, the Kentucky Bourbon Ale has become a lager. It wasn't all bad...

I know the hops are different, but I would prefer to have a more traditional-tasting hefeweizen as opposed to an American wheat. I don't think it would be be a problem to order other hops, I was just hoping to use what I already have, A shipping issue (in my favor?) provided me an extra ounce of...

Thanks for the information. I'll probably just try to make it a few days before I brew so it doesn't have to sit around too long. I figure my first time will be a learning experience, and I can only hope it will be a good one.

I have only brewed one batch (extract) so far, but I have decided I would prefer to make up my own recipes as opposed to just using kits. I used Brewtarget to create my first recipe, a hefeweizen, and I want to make sure I do everything correctly. The recipe is this: 5 lbs. Bavarian Wheat DME...

I plan to share some of my first home-brewed beer with who I hope is my future father-in-law. I will be asking for his daughter's hand in marriage this weekend.

This is most definitely the plan. I was way too impatient the first time, but I have learned my lesson. And I did boil all the extract in the beginning. I may also change that for my next beer, as I would like a lighter color. Wheat beers (mostly hefeweizens) are actually my favorite style of...

I brewed my first batch (NB's American Wheat Ale) in April and had it in bottles at the beginning of May. I tried my first bottle a couple weeks after that, but it was hardly drinkable to me. It didn't taste terrible, it just wasn't what I was expecting. It has gotten better as time passes, but...

Thanks for the information. I know it won't be a "traditional" hefe, but I'm okay with that. And if it turns out poorly, I'll know what to avoid doing in the future.

Is it possible to brew a hefeweizen using one (or both) of these kinds of hops? Due to an issue during the shipping of my first kit, I ended up with an extra ounce of each. I don't want them to go to waste, but I don't want to just brew another American wheat beer. I figured I could just buy...

Thanks, guys. I didn't think it would be an issue, but it's nice to know for sure. Now, I just have to wait for them to be ready for drinking.

I finally bottled my first batch yesterday and it is now sitting in the closet to condition. I do have a slight concern, though. While I was racking into my bottling bucket, the auto siphon came slightly out of the beer and I could hear it sucking up the liquid. I could then see bubbles form in...

Thanks for all the information. I'll just work on my patience and wait for it to finish. And I'll probably go buy some smaller jugs so I can keep some sanitizer around.