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Some people skip the sulfites altogether & just pitch a big yeast starter. Probably better than giving the grapes back... Skip the katadyn chemicals - that's for making safe drinking water while backpacking. What about getting campden tablets mail order?

Coincidentally, I was thinking of how best to do a Maerzen as as ale. I think the Safale 05 fermented cold is a good choice. What about using all Vienna malt rather than Pilsener + Munich?

Agree with Beehemel - carapils/dextrine may be about the only choice. Although Imperial Pilsner is not exactly a classic style, as a riff off of Pilsner, it really shouldn't have any colored malts. When I brew a Pilsner, I use 100% pilsner malt. For extract brewing, that would translate to no...

I think you need to take a sample for a gravity reading. Airlock activity is good information, but you can be deceived by the CO2 slowly coming out of solution for some time after fermentation has stopped.

Clearly, there are pros/cons either way. I would not rack it again - more chance of oxidation and/or infection, and it's unlikely that a few weeks on the sediment is going to hurt.

The cider will add more "tart" than sweet - not a bad idea, though. I think the cinnamon stick is a great idea. I'd use the whole stick, but then I love cinnamon. I'm thinking that in stick form, you might not extract that much flavor. I've always ground it before using.

Agreed about the Guinness - thinking that it's heavy is purely psychological. However, comparing 16 oz of RIS vs. 16 oz of Bud Lite, the RIS has many more calories, which will definitely affect how satiated you feel. Think about the limiting case - just a tiny step beyond Bud Lite - a 16 oz...

I think you're on the right track. I wouldn't worry too much about the "higher alcohol" strain. The problem is likely yeast health, not too high an alcohol level (although that certainly doesn't help). Best bet is to have a large population of active yeast. Even the dry Safale packets could do...

I doubt it's autolysis. If your yeast is in good health, you'll be hard pressed to ever get autolysis. Why do you think it's not sanitation? It sounds exactly like infection to me. Do you use campden tablets?

Sure it will affect the flavor - more roasty, less burnt. If you feel you won't hit the darkness you want, why not use a bit more?

The reason for putting tea in fruit wines is to make up for tannins that come from the skins in grape wines. With raspberries, it seems to me that you extract a fair amount of tannins from the seeds. With some other fruits, sometimes I use a little grape tannin, but for raspberry, I'd skip it...

My mash tun has a ss tube that is connected to a valve at the kettle wall, and bends 90 degrees to go down through a hole in the false bottom. A ss washer around the pick-up tube covers the hole so the mash grains don't get sucked down through the hole in the false bottom. The ss tube...

Basic water heater elements work well in a RIMS - you want to put it in the wort return line (and you're right - go for the 240V). I haven't seen how this is done on the Brutus 10, and I moved on from my RIMS ~10 years ago. My only other suggestion is to design the cavity that will hold the...

Agreed - it's not the yeast. I've used Wyeast #1007 many times - it's my house favorite. I've never seen attenuation like that, and I mash at ~150F. With a grist of Vienna + Munich, I'd guess you'd be pretty hard pressed to explain that kind of attenuation from thermometer calibration. Have you...

I'm sure there's no end to online sources (i.e., alternatives to Pex) I assume you're looking for someplace local - just go and look. The x-fitting is more unusual than an elbow or a T, but not exactly rare...

Preferably glass, but basically anything you can fit with a stopper & f-lock. I've used apple juice jars, wine bottles, beer bottles, growlers, probably some less reputable containers, too.

klamz has the right questions. If you try to control attenuation by any other means besides mash temperature (and, of course, yeast strain), you risk over-carbonation. If you have consistently high attenuation, it's either too low a mash temp (if all grain) or infection with a super-attenuative...

I've not had fruity flavors from the Koelsch yeast (I assume WL is identical to the Wyeast strain). I guess floral aroma could be interpreted as fruity. Sounds like grounds for experimentation...

Looks like a good recipe to me. I'd be tempted to shoot for higher IBU's, but then again, I've brewed some Xmas ales where the spices got lost... I think the spices, citrus zest, citrusy Cascade, and phenolic-spicey trappist flavor profile all play together.

I've made spruce beer a couple of times, many years ago. I stopped when some of my friends started comparing it to Pine Sol.