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I just filled up my first keg this weekend and it seems to hold pressure. I sealed it up at 30 psi and have since reduced to about 12 psi, and don't see any bubbles when I spray it down with Star San. But last night I opened the refrigerator and heard a slight crackling/gurgling sound. After...

Yeah, looks normal to me. It should be fine after fermentation is finished.

Yeah, a swamp cooler is cheap and really easy. It will cut the temp by at least 5 degrees, so your 76ish ambient should be OK with one. http://billybrew.com/swamp-cooler-homebrew

Yeah pasteurization is your best bet. Some people just throw the fruit in, but it's easy to pasteurize so why take the chance? I would put the berries in the oven at 160 degrees for a little while though, instead of hot water. If you add them to water, you're going to lose a lot of the juice.

Really big beers take a long time to carbonate. I've got a roughly 10 percent ABV Scottish wee heavy that's been in bottles for about three weeks and has no carbonation, just a little pressure releasing when I open the bottle. I'm just planning to let it sit for several months. Eventually it...

You can add some corn sugar or honey for an easy boost. But be careful not to go too crazy - that will add alcohol but not body, so it's easy to mess up the balance. You can also add some DME, but you'll have the same issue if you add too much without adjusting the hops.

Always a good idea to follow the recipe for your first batch.

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. TungstenBeer, the temps in the fermentor hit about 67 degrees during active fermentation and have been about 63-64 since. Trox, I plan to let it age for several months in the bottle. I don't have the ability to infuse pure oxygen, so I basically did the...

I brewed a Scottish wee heavy on Nov. 16. Target OG was 1.120 and I measured SG as 1.109. It's an extract brew, so that might be due to mixing. I racked to secondary on Dec. 13 and went to bottle it today, seven weeks after brewing. I'm concerned because the target FG was 1.030, but I measured...

I'd let it sit a while. Even if fermentation is complete, the beer will benefit from some time on the yeast cake to help clear up and condition. Letting it sit for a couple more weeks will only improve the flavor.

Looks like the krausen is just hanging out at the top. I'm sure it will fully drop in time. If not, rack around it.

I've used Willamette and U.S. Kent Goldings in an Irish Red before and had great results. That should be fine for your recipe.

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with brewing kits. If you think about it, doing kits is really no different than finding a recipe online or in a book and buying the ingredients individually. Either way, you're still following someone else's directions. The only difference is the...

I've had batches where I never got a single bubble, and they turned out fine. Ale pails are notorious for leaking gas out the lids. The fermentation is producing CO2, it's just following the path of least resistance, which often is between the bucket and lid. It's nothing to worry about, just a...

Are you saying you have gushers when you open the bottles? If so, that probably means fermentation wasn't complete when you bottled.

Most ales should ferment between about 60 and 70 degrees. Fermentation also produces heat, so the temp in the fermenter is often 5 degrees or more warmer than ambient. If you pitch at 80 degrees, the wort may not cool enough before fermentation starts generating heat. If the fermentation is too...

Don't add more yeast yet. As iglehart said, 75 degrees will not kill the yeast. Just wait, and keep in mind that bubbles do not equal fermentation. If you want to be sure fermentation has started, take a peek inside the fermenter and see if a krausen has formed. If so, the yeast is working.

Bubbling does not mean fermentation is happening. The lack of bubbles does not mean fermentation is not happening. If you know fermentation started, forget about your beer for a few weeks and then check the gravity. I'm sure you will find your beer is done and ready to bottle.

Boiling the malt extract can caramelize the sugars, leading to a darker color. You can try adding some fermentables later in the boil to reduce caramelization.

There's no need to mix -- you don't want to stir it up and risk aerating the beer. Just draw off a sample and measure the gravity from the bottom of the meniscus. I wouldn't put the sample back in and risk contamination. Drink it and sample your new brew! As far as the alcohol lines on the...