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My last one was in primary for 5 weeks and the bottling sample was great. With healthy yeast there isn't much concern for longer primary fermentation.

Yeah, you've already brewed it. Best case you have good beer to drink. Worst case you give alot of it away to friends and say it was an experiment. ;)

General consensus is minimum 3 weeks at 70. Bigger beers tend to take longer because the yeast are tired and/or close to their alcohol tolerance limit, depending on the strain.

The gravity you bottle at is not really relevant. As long as it is stable for 3 or more days, fermentation is done. My last brew was a big Belgian with a 1.092 O.G. After a week, the S.G. was 1.022. Four weeks later, I bottled it at 1.017. I'd give the yeast time to do their thing. Forget...

Not sure how many you would need, but I've also heard of decreasing the headspace by boiling marbles to sanitize and adding to secondary. Some use the marbles to hold fruit down so they don't need to poke it down every few days. It all sounds like alot of work to me either way. I'm lazy. I left...

I keep a ladle handy (sanitized of corse) and put some of the water from my kettle in the extract cans and swish to get that last bit left in there. Use an oven mitt when you do though. 212deg water is a bit warm. ;)

The reason for re-hydrating is to give the yeast cells an ideal environment to wake up in. They are dormant while dry and the first few minutes they cannot stop toxic material from passing through the cell membrane. Re-hydrating helps maintain the larger cell count when you pitch the yeast...

For dry yeast you want to re-hydrate instead of making a starter. Dry yeast have a larger cell count then vials/smack packs. Re-hydrating helps ensure you keep the cell count high. Most manufacturers of dry yeast have instructions on the best temp to do it at. Welcome to the obsession. ;)

Unless you stir alot when you add the top off water, you will get a lower gravity reading. Sugars are heavy and will stay at the bottom. You're likely fine. When your carboy is empty, use a sharpie and a milk jug and put marks on the side at 1 gal increments so you know when you get to 5 gal.

All yeast you want to get the temps down to pitch, regardless of dry or vial. Dry yeast you can pitch as is or re-hydrate before pitching. Vials and smack packs you can make a starter and pitch the slurry or just pitch them direct as well. People do both and get good results using either method...

Your other option is to use something other then the flask to make a starter. If you can clean and sanitize it properly then you can use just about anything. Plastic jug, mason jars, etc.

The part of the hydrometer you are looking at is the potential alcohol based on the sugars left in the wort, not the actual alcohol content. If you go to the wiki here and search for hydrometer, it will explain what readings you are looking for and how to calculate ABV based on your original...

Find your local brew stores. They will likely carry a starter kit of some kind with the equipment you'll need. Most will also have some pre-made extract kits you can brew. The extract kits are usually set up for a boil of 2.5 gal, so if you don't have a pot big enough for that you'll need one...

Go with whatever method works for you. I do the 3 days before/cold crash/ decant method, but that's what works for me. From an expert standpoint, they tell you to pitch at high krausen. Which would be the 12 hours prior/pitch the whole starter method. One thing I've learned from these forums is...

Not an artist at all (clearly), but I had fun messing with Gimp and it's pile of filters. :)

I do the big Rubbermaid container filled with ice and water. I can get 8 gals of water, 20 lbs of block ice and my 30qt pot in it all at once and stir. Also, leaving the lid off can help cool faster.

For higher gravity beers, I would recommend doing a starter. My last one started at 1.092 and with a 2l starter it only took about 8/9 hours to get going. There's a good pitch/starter calculator on mrmalty.com. The FAQ sticky at the top of this section has some good info on making starters...

I used the mrmalty calc for my last one. Did a 1/2 gallon starter 3 days before. Brew day I put it in the fridge to crash about 10 hours, used a turkey baster to take about 80% of the liquid off and let it sit for 4 hours to bring it to room temp. Swirled to get it all back into suspension and...

Brewed this up a week ago, stuff from the blow off tube smelled fantastic. In one week time the gravity went from 1.092 to 1.022. That's some hungry yeasties! Had some hints of bananas and plum, slightly dry and sweet at the same time. Had that young alcohol warmth. Next time I think I'll add...

Everything I've read says you shouldn't put it directly into the wort because of possible infection. If there were nasties there before you froze the water, they'll be there just as the wort is at the right temp for them to start working on it before the yeast can get going. I use a Rubbermaid...