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I would get a horizontal brew system with a pump. Although I'm not sure $1000 would cover it. A chiller is definitely a great idea. Also some type of fermentation temperature control ( chest freezer with temperature controller ) and an oxygenation setup.

I could be way off here but here goes... I have only done two decoction mashes in my brewing "career". The purpose of holding the decoction at 147 for an amount of time before boiling would be to have some conversion occur before you boil it. I'm not sure if it is necessary. The two times I...

I would suggest keeping the grain bill very simple. Perhaps leave out the wheat, munich and aromatic malts and increase the pilsen malt. Other than that the recipe sounds good! Belgian beers get a lot of their complexity from their yeast. Ferment around 70 degF or so and you should get a...

Welcome to the forums and to homebrewing! It is definitely a fun hobby with many great people to learn from and hang out with. Let us know if you have any questions about brewing (or otherwise)! cheers, Brandon

I have never shortened the dip tube on my corny kegs. Some people don't like to have yeast sediment transferred into the glass when they serve a glass. Usually I will draw off the first partial pint and dump it due to excessive yeast sediment. After that I don't have any problems unless I...

Welcome to the hobby! It is a slippery slope with learning brewing topics. The caramel cream ale sounds very interesting! Let us know how it turns out. I'm assuming you are using the strainer to keep out the trub from the boil. As nice as it is to have really clear wort in the fermentor I...

I don't think it is necessary to soak the oak cubes for a few weeks. Several days would be plenty. My suggestion would be to put the oak cubes and wine in a mason jar. Leave it on the counter for a few days, drain, and add the cubes to your barleywine. Just my $0.02 worth. cheers, Brandon

It would be great to win any of this stuff!!

I also had a huge improvement in my beers when I started making starters. I always recommend making a starter to any brewer I encounter. With that said, do what works for you because in the end it is your beer and the most important thing is RDWHAHB. Happy Brewing, Brandon

From reading the Yeast book by Jamil as well as other sources it is important to rehydrate dry yeast with plain water. The manufacturer directions on the package should state this as well. As beerhappy stated the osmotic pressure can really stress the yeast so you do not want to pitch directly...