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I go strictly by temperature on the steeping grains - 165F, they come out, regardless of the length of time. I normally add extract at about fifteen minutes, then at about 45 minutes into the boil.

Seven days? Let it go another two weeks.

I was wondering about this also - this did not strike me as the way to help a novice.

http://hometownbeverages.com/about-hometown They advertise on the sports talk radio shows all the time. They sound fishy to me, like they have money to burn and they are trying to sound like something they aren't. The money they have for advertising makes me wonder. Does anyone know...

I've said this about skiing many times. A bad day skiing is better than a good day at almost anything else. Enjoy your beer!

PassedPawn beat me to it - an ESB is a nice change from the typical American pales but still "accessible," taste-wise, for someone who is used to hoppy beers.

Two weeks in the fermenter and a week in the bottle might just get you in under the wire and it should qualify as "drinkable" but if you have the luxury of waiting until New Years eve, you would be better off.

"Making it big" will be very tough. There's a lot of competition. But if you develop a mastery in your own kitchen, chances are you will be brewing a better beer than you can buy anywhere (like maybe 97% of the brewers here do). Figuring out how to run the traps to get it produced and sold...

Agree - chances are, your hydrometer isn't calibrated all that finely anyway.

I use spring water. The county water here (Delaware County) is perfectly safe but not very good tasting.

Just to be on the safe side, I have put my whole (garden picked, dried, frozen) hops in a microwave for 15 seconds when I've done this, but I don't think I will do so in the future - I can't help but wonder if this might hurt the flavor.

I would not imagine so but who knows? Monk's is a landmark for Belgians especially - the selection is amazing.

Here are a couple places to consider - not brew pubs but all are pretty close to or in downtown (Center City, in the local language). I like using Yelp for these - anyone can say anything on their web site: Northern Liberties: http://www.yelp.com/biz/standard-tap-philadelphia Rittenhouse...

Disagree - Manayunk Brewery makes very good beer and has a terrific menu. Been there many times, never disappointed. http://www.yelp.com/biz/manayunk-brewery-and-restaurant-philadelphia

I can still remember the first time in my life when I came home from a night out in a bar and didn't stink like smoke. It was, of all places, the Dock Street Tavern, original home of Dock Street Beers, an early craft beer in the Philly area which went under years ago and since has been revived...

Rule of thumb is that the best bottle from each batch is always the last one.

Well, swing tops are a different issue anyway. I use regular bottles and cap them - it's tedious and if I had any sense, I would get all swing tops, just because I value my time.

The main thing you get from steeping grains is color and the proteins that aid in head retention. I often use a half pound and never more than a pound with good results.

So wait...<gets out calculator>...call it three bucks to make the math easier, $3.00 X 24 bottles in a case = $72 for a case of empties?? Is the Canadian dollar that bad? A case of good craft or micro in the states goes for $35 - $40, or less that $2/bottle. And this is with beer in 'em.

Really? Your first post, and this is it? Come on, you aren't trying very hard! :D