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Maybe I'm just being a snob, but I think 1.047 is a pretty low starting gravity for an IPA. I usually aim for 1.060 or higher. In any case, I feel like the lower your starting gravity is, the less of a need you have to mash low to dry out the final product. I mash my imperial IPA at 149, but...

You know that chocolate malt isn't really chocolate flavored, right? I would throw some actual cocoa in if you want "chocolate and bananas" flavored, but I couldn't say how much as I've never used it myself. I like the flaked barley if you are using it for an increased mouthfeel/milkshake type...

Yeah, you can't see through thermoplastic at all. With the silicone you can see through it enough to see that there is or is not liquid in it.

As it turns out, this mellowed out really nicely to be basically exactly what I wanted it to be. The aroma of garlic is there in the nose, then it has a nice smooth garlic taste to it, but without ceasing to be recognizable as a smoked porter. If the idea of a garlic beer intrigues you, and...

I have some of both, and honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either. To answer your question you can't see through the thermoplastic, but you also can't see well enough through the silicone tubing to check things like color/wort clarity/etc. Neither one of them gives you the visibility...

Try to get your hands on an old milk vat from a farm. That's what aspiring brewers used to do back in the 80's before you could buy microbrewery equipment commercially.

This comment is obviously too late, but that seems like a lot of crystal. By the book IPAs aren't meant to go much above 10% crystal, if that. Looks like that wasn't a problem for you though.

Yeah, so I added the roasted garlic as planned about a week ago, and I kegged it today. Tasted the gravity sample, and it was noticeably smokey/roasted garlicy. The raw garlic did not come through nearly as much as the roasted garlic added to the fermenter did. You could say the garlic flavor...

That's from this company: http://conical-fermenter.com/ They're less expensive than Blichmann, but still legit. Here's a lengthy thread about it: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/stout-tanks-kettles-400-14-5-gal-conical-156929/

You add boiling water to your cooler to raise the temp.

Yeah, among other things that will be helpful. Also make sure to raise the temperature before draining. That will liquify the gummier mash particulate. I think there's a tendency to panic when faced with a stuck mash, especially if it's your first. A cool head is key to getting through it.

I feel your pain. A pumpkin ale for your first ever all grain batch is... daring. Read up beforehand on how to avoid/alleviate a stuck mash.

I brewed a garlic beer today, and I intend to post my tasting notes assuming I survive. Here's the recipe specifics: Smoked Garlic Porter 8 lbs american 2 row 2 lbs smoked malt 1 lb victory malt 12 oz crystal 80 8 oz chocolate malt Mashed at 151*F for 75 minutes 75 minute boil...

Yeah, the corona mill is a bit fickle. Some grain goes through completely uncrushed and the some gets pulverized into flour. If you're interested in crushing your own grain, I'd say anything less than a Barley Crusher is probably a waste of time.

Did you already dump it? I have never done this myself, but this seems like a textbook case where Beano could be used to increase fermentability. I mean, if you're going to lose the beer anyway, you might as well try it...

Willamette was the one that we harvested from. The perle is not far behind, and the cascade has yet to flower, but when it does we expect a good harvest. It's our second year and they are much more abundant this time around, as seems to be the norm.

Thanks for the replies. The Homebrewer's Garden talks about this papery quality without talking about a potential for browning; in fact it mentions that brownish cones are a sign of overmaturity. But certainly it does get quite hot quite quickly where I grow and I wouldn't be surprised by a...

Hi Folks - I grow in Western MA, and for the past two years have been struggling with a good indicator for harvest maturity. Currently I am growing Cascade, Williamette, and Perle, and I find that if the cones start to brown slightly at the edges and I can see lots of lupulin without pulling...

You left off the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla. It's kind of buried in the text on that blog, but it looks like they did use it. Would that account for the complexity you feel is missing? Seems pretty darn complex to me...

Maybe you should try something with no crystal malt and a low mash temp, and see if you still have attenuation problems. Unless you are under pitching, which it doesn't seem like you are, then there's no need to use more yeast.