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For a low budget heater, I used to put the fermenter in a small closet with a small space heater, a jar of water and a thermometer in the water. Set the heater to kick in around your target temp. Give it an hour or two and check the thermometer. Adjust the heater setting accordingly until the...

Yeah, if you do a search for "1020 curse" you'll find plenty of validation. Cheers!

It is a little unusual that two different brews with two different yeasts would both finish 8 degrees low. You might double check your hydrometer in water to make sure it reads 1.000. A tiny crack of chip can effect the calibration.

Even in secondary, there is still yeast present. Give it a swirl and keep it at 68-70-ish for a few days. That should ensure that it's done. Don't worry if the gravity doesn't change. It may already be done. Assuming this is an extract brew, it is common to finish around 1.020 so don't sweat it...

Oops! Sorry. Should have mentioned "3 or 4 oz in 10 gal". Either way, sounds like you've got it handled.

You probably don't need 1/2 cup. Put your spices in and then just add enough rum to suspend them. Let it soak for a few days. Too much rum will make the beer taste boozy. I usually only need 3 or 4 oz. When it has soaked a while, dump the whole thing into the fermenter once fermentation is done.

Just a couple.of weeks ago. Check this. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/long-trail-hibernator-recipe.657985/

How's it going today? My personal record is 84 hours for a brew that came out fine so don't sweat, yet. As you implied, you under pitched so it will take some time for the yeast to gear up. You can always give it a gentle swirl and warm it up a couple of degrees. 60F is also a bit too cool for...

Haven't tried Hibernator but my understanding is that it's a basic winter warmer. I use about 4 oz of chocolate malt in my 5 gal brew so you might want to amp that up a little for 10 gal for just a touch of roastiness. Though some folks stay away from honey malt, I like it so I say go for it...

If it's any comfort, it's most likely not the fruit flies causing a sour flavor. Lacto bacteria are what create sour beers. Fruit flies carry acetobacter, which is different and turns your beer to vinegar. The nibs, strawberries and vanilla beans could carry lacto if they weren't sanitized by...

Be sure the refill station specifically says it is RO water and not just filtered water. Super Wal-Marts in my area have the "Prime" RO bottles and refill stations. These are definitely RO and say so. Another possibility is that the off flavor you are detecting is not chlorophenol but something...

+1^ Currently have a Milwaukee 102 (same as 101 but with temp, too) and it is great and very accurate. That said, I had an Oakton EcoTestr that was less expensive and still did fine for 3 years. It's not as accurate (+/- 0.1 instead of 0.01) but it was fine for brewing. If you can get the...

Yes, pH will change as the mash progresses but an early reading at 10-15 min allows for some correction with acid or base if you're out of range. By 30 or 60 minutes, conversion is pretty much done and it's too late to change to address pH during conversion. However, later measurement can still...

I have a couple of winter warmers I brew. The base is about 65% MO and 15% Munich. The remaining 20% usually has some Chocolate Malt, C60, and maybe some flaked oats and even a little Honey Malt. I have a holiday ale that includes nutmeg, ginger and orange peel. Other options are cacao nibs...

I usually check my mash pH about 10 min after mashing in.

I haven't used EZ water so I can't help you there. In Brunwater, you fill in the results of your water test on one page and enter your grain bill on another page. Then on a third page you can pick a water profile (e.g. "Yellow bitter" or "Amber malty") and adjust your mineral additions (calcium...

Silver^ is correct. The dark grains really will drop your pH that much without buffering capacity. I would also recommend not using calcium carbonate (chalk) to raise pH since it does not readily dissolve without additional measures. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and lime are easy...

I use 8 oz in my nut brown. It may take some time for the flavor to meld and mellow.

Martin can explain it a lot better than I but basically, because of the low alkalinity in your water, the dark grains in your stout will lower the pH of your mash below the acceptable range of 5.2-5.6. That is why I mentioned above the need for lime or some other base to raise the pH to an...

That's really soft water. Great for brewing since its pretty much a blank slate. I highly recommend posting this in the Brew Science forum. Lots of great advice there. They also have a sticky there with the basics of water chemistry. The next step is getting a water chemistry app. EZ water is...