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I made a heater out of a paint can and a light fixture. Works great in my fermentation fridge. That reminds me, must check to make sure that bulb is still good now that the colder weather is coming. Don't want my SMaSH to get too chilly.

That is the truth. Mine comes out cloudy from the word go but I haven't had a problem with it yet. Personally I toss mine at the end of every function that requires sanitation so I don't know how long it keeps for me. 1 oz. (5 gallon dose) is $0.52. I'd rather use fresh Star San and be sure then...

If you like Austin Homebrew's kits, try the "Our Special Holiday Ale" kit or the spice pack that you can buy seperatly for $1.99. Has ginger root, cinnamon, nutmeg. I just opened my first ones over the weekend and it was a great hit. I've already ordered another kit to see if I can finish one...

I did 4 before getting a chiller and just did my first one with the chiller. What a difference. Time and stress saved from ice baths is awesome. I have recenlty been reading about people leaving their wort overnight to cool though. Apparently the "cold break" isn't as important as some people...

I'm not chasing numbers but I also would rather use the ingredients that I have then throw away a bunch of fermentables and add $5 worth of DME. Not sure what the OP is trying to say. If you want to make your brew day easier just switch to Extract and spend the extra $$ doing that. Adding DME...

Don't worry, just do it! I messed tons of stuff up on my first beer and I still haven't had anywhere near a "perfect" brewday yet but I still make tasty beer that seems to dissapear far too quick. You will too.

Not that one, the unscented one. I think it has the green top. I use it to clean my equipment and bottles and I have no such aftertaste. +1 to the water thing. I filter my own water to brew with.

BMCs have a few things going for them. They are cheap, readily available, easy to drink, and socially ingrained (at least in America). I hope that some of my SMaSHes turn out to be as drinkable and as cheap as Bud Light. Before I started homebrewing that was my mainstay. I'd like to say that my...

#1. Don't worry about a little scorch. You may get a more caramel taste to the beer but if you didn't actually have burnt extract stuck to the bottom you should be fine. Your beer may be a little darker too if you care about color. Make sure to stir more in the future. #2. Always have extra...

I like this thief: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_67_363&products_id=1227 It does drip from the bottom but it is a gravity valve so it only drips a little but it is super easy to use. I put the hydrometer into it, lower it into the carboy until the hydrometer floats...

My Mom just finished beating the worst kind of lung cancer. It can be done!!

I use the Colonna for capping and corking. Haven't had a problem yet. The bottle adjustment takes a few seconds so it is easier to cap all same size bottles or have them grouped by size in advance. No problems at all and I'm glad I got something heavy and stable instead of a wing capper...

Nope, all looks good. The krausen is the foam you are talking about and it will fall back into the beer as fermentation continues so you are right on track. Seal it back up and wait as long as you can. Get carboys if you have to look at your beer. I use glass ones. The less you open your bucket...

I went with the 12 hour plan. Starter was built with Mr. Malty to 1.3 liter. Actually ended up being 1.5 because I over judged the necessary water. Stir plate ran for 12 hours. Starter looked like it was at or near high krausen when when I put it in the refridgerator. Monday I will take it out...

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Flying Dog Raging Bitch are both terrible. Both of them are like coating your tounge with baking soda mixed with lemon juice. Just aweful.

I have Monday off so I will be brewing AHS Magnum Just Beer kit as my first All Grain.

Its not there yet but Monday I will be brewing AHS Magnum Just Beer kit as my first attempt at All Grain.

Welcome to the forums. This place is packed with helpful people and tons of information. The Search function will get you far. Good luck with your pumpkin beer!

So I bought my first stir plate: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OSX2Q0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 The thing is loud. Even without the bar on it it is just really loud. Checked feet/level surface and the noise is coming from inside of it. It also isn't pulling any kind of vortex, even...

I've been tossing mine in the trash and now that I think about it, what a waste. When I brew next Monday I'll take some and spread it in the yard and compost an area that I'm going to try and grow hops in next year. Yet another win from HBT!