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I followed the recipe as is and got 10.7%. I did a full boil on the extract version. I'd be willing to bet folks that did AG got better efficiency and/or conversion and ended up with more fermentables. It may also be a question of the calculation people used to come up with it. I prefer to use...

Tastybrew.com has a priming sugar calculator. It allows you to adjust based on current temp (for residual CO2) and lets you pick your style. Then you pick what type of sugar you're using and it will tell you what amount you need.

What did you plan on for an OG? Your math sounds right if that was your OG. A common issue is a false OG reading if you do an extract kit and a partial boil/top off. It's hard to mix 100% and you can get a bad reading.

You're steeping grains, I assume? You want to get the water to 150, then steep the grains for 35 min. You may need to keep the heat on low for a few minutes when the bag hits the water, but after that the temp shouldn't drop too quick. You want to avoid getting above 170 or you risk extracting...

At 8 days you will still have a ton of yeast in suspension. Give it more time and a good cold crash a few days before bottling and it should clear up nicely. I'm lazy and keep mine in primary at least a month, then crash it in my basement for 3/2 days before bottling.

There's a number of extract kits you could try. Brewer's Best makes a RIS and it was pretty darn good when I made it.

Good article in the wiki! have to keep that in mind next time I need some. From what I can gather, pure invert sugar tends not to crystallize. You can never get 100% conversion though. It's kind of like honey. It will eventually crystalize, but it takes a long time. I never checked for...

Sounds like a fun experiment to me. If it does continue to ferment with a different yeast I'd imagine the CO2 produced would drive off your dry hop aroma though. As for the other yeast, it would probably depend on what fermentable sugars you have left over. What's your expected FG? Edit...

I lol'd.

The "hard" candi sugar is a simple sugar that the yeast will consume first. They tend to get lazy and take longer to eat the complex sugars because of it. The late addition of simple sugars ensures the yeast have worked on the complex ones first. The hard candi sugars are exactly the same as...

I like to use http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/. The alternate calc is apparently more accurate for higher gravity beers.

If you use a secondary you want to reduce headspace as much as possible. A 5 gal container would be ideal to reduce the risk of oxidation.

If memory serves, once you get below 170 deg DMS production falls off. So getting from 212 to 170 quickly helps alleviate the problem.

Nasties on the air still have to follow the laws of gravity. And there is positive pressure in your fermenter from CO2 production. Sanitize and refill and you'll be fine.

I'd say under-pitched. I used this very yeast on my last brew and had activity within 9 hrs at 65deg. It ate through 70 points of gravity in a week. I made a 2l starter for that one. One thing to note for starters is you don't need some special vessel to make them in unless you're using a stir...

It's the most debated topic here. I do long primarys because I'm lazy. I can understand both sides, particularly with bottling in mind. I did a RIS with good old '05 and the yeast cake was packed down hard as a rock. The White labs Trappist in another batch was still loose, even though it was...

Tastybrew.com has a priming sugar calculator. It lets you pick a style to carb to and also corrects for residual CO2 in the beer from fermentation at bottling temp. It will show you the various amounts for the different types of sugar.

Even if you got 100% conversion on the grains there's no way it added 30 points to your gravity. And LME/DME contribute a consistent % of fermentable sugars. Is it possible you took the reading before adding the top off water?

FYI, light candy sugar you find in they brew store is the same as table sugar. Save yourself some money if you do plan to do it.

Leaving it on the yeast cake for an extended period of time is beneficial. It allows them to clean up the by-products of active fermentation. It also allows the beer to clear. Reading the directions on the site I assume they only sent you 1 smack pack/vial. A single smack or vial is definitely...