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I'd recommend compromising and splitting that aforementioned 2 oz into 1 oz FWH, 1 oz Bittering, not polarized. You presumably picked those additions based on bitterness preferences, this would get the best of both worlds, both IBUs plus flavoring and bittering.

I stopped using the Bazooka. It clogged with all manner of trub: hot and cold break, etc, let alone hops. When I upgraded to a 70 qt cooler for mashing/lautering, and it works great compared to manifolds or braids. My boil technique is to whirlpool with a pump inline with the chiller a few...

I whirlpool for 10-20 minutes with a pump starting 3 minutes before flameout. Then I let it sit for another 5-10 minutes. The spin is quite vigorous, and I never notice any normal HSA-associated traits. In fact, whilrpool additions beers have spectacular aroma, even when dryhops fade. I...

10% for crystal malt might be bold, I'd recommend you limit to 5%ish and perhaps mash at a higher temperature if you want a sweet backbone to support the Double D. In my experience, wheat doesn't contribute "flavor" as you mentioned, but more body and head retention as madira_maker said. It...

A long time ago, I thought I was pulling amazing efficiencies on a batch or two, when looking back at my notes, I realized I just underestimated my boiloff. Kai's writeup on the partition of efficiencies is great for homebrewers, so I now I check my pre-boil gravity more carefully. On a side...

Funny that they have a full-page advertisement in the latest Zymurgy. Perhaps they plan on having a retail front for homebrewers again, and aren't interested in competing with themselves... Glad I got to participate in the last group buy, thanks again for the hard work Stefin. I'll surf on...

I bought a Schmidling non-adjustable and have been very happy. I just mill my adjuncts and other hull-less grains in a $25 Corona mill, and grind with the Maltmill for the rest. If I were to do it again, I would order the base adjustable from their Barebones page, and use leftover materials...

A quick search shows nobody mentioning stirplates in the responses. You get a bigger bang for your OG starter with a stirplate, to answer the OP, alongside Kaiser's volume recommendation.

Just thought I'd share, I've had this naturally carbonating in the keg for quite some time and just sampled it with some friends. The 1007 is spectacular with this grain bill; this is definitely one of my favorite ambers.

Even with 0.6 lbs of roasted malts, Kai and Martin's spreadsheets predicted the mash pH. Lesson learned, add the pickling lime to the mash after adding the grains.

Calcium was 51 ppm, and Mg was 5 ppm. I calculate the water had RA of -6, seemed fine for an ambery beer. Here is what I suspect went wrong: I added the pickling lime for that batch to the mash liquor before heating it. I'm sure it was readily dissolved, but perhaps some of the pickling...

My cheapo analog timer worked great! Rather than combing sparge and strike water, I only preheated strike water (5 gallons) to see how it fared with the predicted 1.5 hours. I was only off by about 15 degrees, so it was mere minutes before my mash tun was preheated, and my strike water ready...

I double-checked with color pHast strips. Not the most reliable, but they validated my measurement when accounting for bias. The water had plenty of calcium. And I did make measurements within the unstable period you mentioned. BW estimated my protein rest pH to be 5.3 (fine for...

Looking forward to experimenting with another water tool! Like the IBU formulae, I like trying to find a 'window' of expected IBU or mash pH. I think the SO4/Cl metric is a bit overblown. That said, I like to separate sparge and mash water for darker beers. BrunWater's option to adjust...

I experienced a lower mash pH recently on a recipe with some carafa and crystal malts. I mixed both baking soda and pickling lime in my mashing liquor to raise alkalinity, and also add some sodium, aside from other additions. The model was fine at 1.2 qt/lbs for the protein rest, but the...

I would say it turned out spectacular. Lagunitas' clarity must be derived from filtration, whereas the absurd quantity of dry hops definitely adds that dry hop haze. A recent brew day lead most to concur it is a worthy beer, possibly besting the real deal; the unfiltered dry hop aroma is off...

I don't have a DO meter, but I've saved substantial O2 using this method. I purge the headspace a few seconds until I can smell wort aroma escaping, cap tightly with foil and vigorously tilt the carboy back and forth on the floor to absorb. Not too much effort, and I repeat two to three times...

Indeed I will! With work, I can't brew for at least a week despite the timer arriving today. Fat-fingering the pins for "on" times seems more reliable than accidentally setting the digital timer for the wrong day of the week, but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if this one is just as...

I have an extra pair of double-seal o-rings you can have for the dip and gas tubes. They're Buna-N, I only use silicone for my gas post o-ring. I'll bring them on Saturday.

I just ordered a 1 kW heater and timer. I got a simpler 15A analog timer for $10 cheaper since I don't need the complicated programming of the digital one. Once I get a hang of the timer, I'll probably inline a Ranco controller in case I sleep in, and to avoid overshoots. Thanks for...