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It is a hobby; time doesn't count as a cost. But I agree, it does require a large investment in your time.

2 to 4 ozs whole beans in 5 gallons. No need to crush, the beans will readily give up their flavor. We only crush/grind beans to extract the flavor in a few minutes in the coffee maker.

Never brewed before, never brewed with someone before. Start with an extract kit and beginners equipment and see if this hobby is for you before you spend serious money on it. Extract can make decent beer, all-grain can make great beer (and bad beer if you don't know what you are doing)...

How sturdy is it? Have you tested it out with 3 full fermenters to see if it is stable (use water for the test)? I think I'd put a couple diagonal braces on the back and maybe on the side too. Remember a square shape can collapse (to a diamond shape, and flatter), while a triangle will remain...

You may be done, and the dry hops are causing a lot of the entrained CO2 to come out of solution. The hops provide nucleation points for the CO2 to be released (like the laser etch on the bottom of some glasses. It should slow down. Trust the gravity readings.

If the beer tastes good, don't mess with it. Maybe mix it with a lower abv beer in the glass.

Yeast will continue to develop pressure for a while after storage. After screwing on the lid, I back it off slightly, just enough that the lid is not compressed tight, Works fine for me. Alternatively you can burp the jars occasionally.

I'm sure a lot of yeast purists will cringe at this, but I have tried the yeast counting, and yeast washing and starters with slurry, and after several years (maybe decades at this point), I have come to the conclusion that it is all just a guess and washing and starters are just more potential...

Extract batches tend to finish with a relatively high FG compared to similar all-grain beers (higher FG means a sweeter tasting product). This seems to be a major complaint of extract brewers. Adding some simple sugar will both increase alcohol and lower the FG. Adding 1 lb of table sugar to...

30 years brewing and I still check every time. I like to ensure the yeast start working in a decent amount of time (usually between 12 and 24 hours). While I can't ever remember ever having a problem, it is always a relief when I see bubbles in the blow-off.

Looks good to me

Glad it was US gallons. UK gallons and it would be more of a lawnmower beer rather than a session IPA. Give it a couple of days for the next sample, and if the same, it should be done. Right now, you are balancing clarity (this may not be much of a factor in a hazy IPA) vs hoppiness. The...

StarSan will not hurt your brew. I have heard that it actually has nutrients that are good for yeast. I would remove the airlock before you remove (and replace) the lid to minimize the amount you spill into the brew, but don't worry if a little gets in.

Use bleach. It is not a problem. Make sure you keep everything clean, and use bleach at a rate of a couple of ozs per gallon (research Clorox site for concentration). Soak equipment for 5 to 30 minutes, and rinse with hot water. If you trust the water from the tap, use it straight from the...

US or UK gallons. Either way, it doesn't appear to be in 'IPA' territory. Maybe 1.045 if US gallons, or 1.037 if UK. I guess it is a session IPA. With that low an OG, you are probably done.

Buy a beginner's brew set and an extract kit to see how a simple extract brew goes before you start to invest too much. The brew kit will have a couple of buckets or fermenters, hoses, hydrometer, racking canes/siphon, and other bits and pieces. Get some sanitizer and a large brew kettle...

The CO2 one would fare better. Why would anyone leave half a beer?

Hot soapy water (dish soap), and then rinse with clean hot water. Do the same thing after every use.

30 years into this hobby, and I don't think I have spent $1,000 on equipment. I may be wrong, but I think it is way less than that. Equipment lasts for years; I am still using fermenters I bought 35 years ago when I was wine making. One of my goals with the hobby was to make beer that costs...

I guess you just didn't add enough! I usually find about 500 ml of liquor is about right for a 5 gallon batch (Bourbon, Rum, Whiskey, etc) to give you a nice subtle (not overpowering) flavor of the liquor in the beer, but it depends on the beer and your own taste, and how much of a presence you...