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Possibly. But I think it more comes down to the difference in beer culture between the US and UK. (I know I'm on thin ice here, given the recent posts of NorthernBrewer and Miraculix!) The UK is much more pub-oriented, and UK beer enthusiasts are much more focused on cask-conditioned ale. In...

I only do No-Sparge now. I consistently hit 70% system efficiency (compared to ~90% when I was batch-sparging). In addition to simplicity, the benefits are improved malt flavor and much lower tannin extraction. Well worth the couple of extra dollars for malt, in my book. And I'm gearing up to...

Belhaven produces a "Wee Heavy" -- possibly for the US market only? A lot of British brewers produce US-specific beers, which, along with stuff Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhardt wrote in the '70s and '80s, heavily influenced American beer geeks' , homebrewers', and craft brewers' impressions of...

This could be a source of contaminants. If you're going to make your own ice, you should sanitize some plastic ice trays, fill them with boiling water, and cover them with fresh foil or saran wrap while they freeze. Store the ice cubes in fresh gallon zip-lock bags while you make additional...

Fruit flies are definitely a concern. Other concerns: What is the source of the ice? It's pretty much impossible to get sterile ice, but some ice is more likely to be a source of contamination than other ice, depending on how it's made. When I was starting out I used bagged ice from the...

What is your full procedure? Do you do a full-volume boil, or top off with water? How do you chill your wort before pitching -- and how long after the boil do you pitch? How much yeast do you pitch? This was my immediate suspicion, but if you say you tasted the sourness before secondary, it...

One school of thought is to split all hop additions between pre-boil (ie, FWH), and post-boil (flame-out/whirlpool and dry hops). FWH provides most of the bitterness and (allegedly) some flavor, post-boil provides most of the aroma and flavor. If you went this way, you might want to include...

Well I do, for one. That's the beauty of hobbies: we all get to be interested in what we're interested in, and ignore what we're not.

A little brown malt goes a long way, and a half pound will make it taste very roasty and porter-like. Fine if that's what you want, but if I was aiming at something in the pale ale/bitter spectrum, I'd skip the brown malt entirely. Also, I agree with Miraculix on the high amount of crystal.

I've smelled composting spent grain. It doesn't seem at all strange to me.

Well then, this is a golden opportunity, isn't it!

I'd go with the lowest cost bourbon you wouldn't mind drinking. For me, that would be something like Jim Beam.

It makes seriously great compost.

Is this available in the US in quantities less than 500g?

I don't know -- it depends on how expensive your dry yeast is, and how valuable your time is. For me, two packs wins every time. You also need to consider whether or not you'd get much population growth by putting a pack of dry yeast in a typical starter. Or rather, how large a starter you'd...

In my opinion there's not much point to making a starter for dry yeast. If you need a larger pitch, just add another pack of dry yeast. It can't hurt to hydrate them first, and might help. If all else fails, take a page from the ancients - stock up in the spring, and don't brew in summer.

Haven't brewed in 5 years, and pressure-check the keg only after the beer is transferred to it. Don't do that.

Conversely, is anyone using a diasticus strain to make Brut IPA?

What kind of handling is required? (The yeast that is, not your other half...) Does it need active rousing, or just a higher-temp. rest? Regarding M15, do you generally trust Mangrove Jack's yeast? I've seen mixed opinions regarding their quality.

A lot of US homebrewers and beer enthusiasts outside of the Northeast never quite understood the Northeastern US fascination with Ringwood yeast, either.