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I don't think we (Canadians) use imperial gallons. Before learning to brew and trying to decipher how much liquid to add, I'd never even heard of imperial or us gallons (only 'gallon')! Most kits here are labeled in terms of liters...although it's been a while since I've read the label of a...

I had a random batch of beer that didn't get fizzy for 3 months! Not sure why...I guess a very low yeast count made it into the bottles? Anyways don't fret...it'll get there. And in the meantime your beer should age quite nicely.

The best two investments I've made in bottling is a bottle washer: ...and a tree: Takes about 15 minutes to sanitize an entire batch of bottles. You can even do it while your beer is racking into your bottling bucket!

My stove is too small to do a full boil in a 6 or 7 gallon pot so I have to do partial boils. I've used DBs method many times with great success! For sparging, I definitely don't use 1.5 qts/lb. I simply take the largest pot I have, figure out how much water I can get in there with the grain...

That is a great formula PeterP. That will definitely make a great extract beer! Also one thing to note, if you notice any 'off' (like banana or overly fruity) flavours, just give it more time. If you're bottle/keg conditioning these extract beers definitely get better and better with age.

I've had nothing but great success as well with the Cooper's kits! Unfortunately every style seems to use the same yeast (cooper's ale in the gold foil packet), so if you're looking for a different flavour try experimenting with different yeasts.

Instead of a winch you could sew (or get someone else who knows how to sew as I did) an elastic band around the top of the bag. Then just stretch it around the edge of the pot! This seems to work just fine for me; no hot steam burning my arms as the bag stays firmly in place! Might be...

I think 75% is pretty easily achievable if you use a fine crush and do a mashout. 83% sounds totally feasible (and awesome!). You mention that you have a BIAB RIMS system. Very interesting...do you have any pics or a little more info on this? I can't brew outside in the winter here so I'm...

In the past I've boiled some water, let it cool then poured it into those re-usable ziplock sandwich 'tupperwear' style containers (sanitized first of course). Then freeze and simply drop into your wort giant like giant ice cubes! My idea which I will try in my next brew (I use a IC but...

Beautiful photos! What kind of heating elements are those in your plastic bucket? No problems with burning (or melting) of the plastic?

I think if you're using a BIAB similar to this method there should be no sparge. A mashout however will greatly increase efficiency! I usually am able to get 75+% using only one pot and a bag (and some heat). Just make sure that your bag is not touching the bottom of the pot when the flame is...

I find this thread very interesting. I think you might be on to something if it works out ok! I have one of these burr style coffee grinders that I no longer use: Perhaps I will have to play with grinding some grain and seeing how it comes out. The above coffee grinder can go on sale for as...

My LHBS also sells yeast in the little zip-lock bags. I'm sure there are 100 reasons why this might be a bad idea, but so far it seems to work just fine for me!

I made cider a while ago using very similar ingredients. Make sure you measure the OG before adding any of the sugars! I added too much sugar and my cider is now around 9.5%. Don't get me wrong...it's still an awesome drink (especially due to the high alcohol content!). However I think...

I put my grain sac in a colander and let it drip into the boil kettle for a few minutes (colander will rest on the pot). That will usually get me an extra bit or wort!

Just read this Cracked article "7 High Tech Products and their cheap-ass-ingredients". (love Cracked, one of the funniest sites on the net. Also be aware there are swear words and pictures of scantily clad ladies if you're reading from work. But i digress...). According to that article...

Thanks! I just recently watched a Nova special called "Absolute Zero" which was all about 'cold' (they used to think it was an element called Caloric). Fascinating stuff...it's a well presented and informative special that I'd highly recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about cold!

When you put ice into water, the temperature of water will fall until it reaches the freezing point (32F). Pure water (at standard atm. pressure) cannot get any colder than this or else it would be ice! When you add salt it lowers the freezing point of water. Therefore if your ice is nice and...

I've also noticed that when a batch is split between glass and bottles, all other things being equal, that the carbonation is always a little flatter in the PET bottles. Now I try to use mostly glass bottles, but always bottle one or two in a PET so I can squeeze it to see how the carbonation...

I also think it looks good! The few entries so far are well written and informative. The zebra-stripped background (which covers a large part of my monitor) causes my eyes to go a little buggy, but that may be due to my monitor. I'll definitely check the website regularly for updates!