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A little sediment is perfectly normal. Did you cold crash and/or use any fining agents?

Since you want to brew now (probably an hour ago) would it possible to rework your process to go without the pump? I've gotten away with mashing small BIAB batches over direct heat with a false bottom, the occasional stir, and very very low occasional heat inputs to maintain my desired...

I'm brewing an APA. I did one in the fall with a mix of light munich and 2-row with cascade hops. This time I'm increasing the munich percentage, adding just a little C-80, and using chinook to bitter and centennial for the late additions. More malty, more hoppy...should work out.

From the couple of peppered batches I've done I was surprised at how much heat the beer took on. It's not "hot" in the normal food sense but it's the kind of thing that'll get you in the back of your throat. I'm used to really spicy food and those were only chipotles! This should be an...

Shmaltz is about a 20 minute drive north of Albany in Clifton Park. It's a straight-up microbrewery in the suburbs (with tasting room and tours) so it might not be what you are looking for, but they're a fun bunch and they make some really outstanding stuff. If you'd rather stick to Albany...

This is going to sound dumb, but have you tried tapping the thermometer? (I'm assuming it's a dial indicator.) I spent a few years in university laboratories surrounded by dial indicators of all kinds and the first thing I learned was not to trust one unless I'd given it a tap or two.

I mashed 16lb at 1.25qt/lb in my orange Igloo yesterday with loads of room to spare. The only issue you'll run into as grain bills get bigger is that more water volume comes from mashing and less volume is available to sparge. Worst case you lose a few efficiency points or spend a little more...

Headed to my LHBS shortly for supplies.

Grain Bill: 54% US 2-Row - 7lb 38% Rye Malt - 5lb 8% Caramunich - 1lb Mash Schedule: Step 1: Betal Glucan Rest, 20min @ 105F Step 2: Saccharification Rest, 60min @ 152F Hop Schedule: 60min: 1oz CTZ 20min: 1oz Willamette 10min: 1oz Willamette Flameout: 1oz Willamette Fermentation: 1 packet of...

I had a hop-heavy weekend. I bottled a Citra IPA on Friday, brewed NB's Ace of Spades AG kit today, and followed that by racking this year's version of my house rye IPA to the brite tank. Not sure what I was thinking when I planned this string of brews but I don't think there will be much...

Yeah, for that much grain you are right around 55% efficiency so something isn't right. If you used to hit your gravities and suddently can't after switching to your LHBS, then the crush might be to blame. If you pick up a handfull of crushed grain you should be able to see lots of exposed...

Software will calculate bitterness (IBU) but doesn't know much about flavor and aroma. For those you need late hop additions (~15min or less before flameout) that don't contribute much to bitterness. Last weekend I brewed an IPA with additions at 20min, 10min, and a big hopstand at flamout...

Nothing wrong with an ordinary bitter. Beers in that gravity range are great when you want a beer but you don't really want a buzz. I happen to have an OB in the fridge right now.

I've only had the pleasure of visiting Mexico once (Veracruz). Looks like I know where to go if I can find an excuse for a second trip! You have quite the setup.

Because I enjoy rye in all forms.

Most kits like that come with "steeping grains." The distinction is that steeping grains provide flavor above and beyond what is possible with a malt extract, but you aren't attempting to convert the starches to sugar. (And those are typically specialty grains only without adequate diastatic...

Add me to the brutally self-critical list. This is a tendency that I have in general. Not that I've made many beers that I thought were "bad" but I can find something that should have been better about every single one. I remind myself to RDWHAHB whenever I drink a well-regarded, fresh, not...

You might get more and better responses on the Extract Brewing forum since that's what this kit is. But to answer your question, I got away with using a ~3gal pot to brew 5-gallon extract and PM kits for years. That's about the minimum that will boil half the volume without immediate...

I don't think there's any good reason to spend a couple grand on your first AG setup. You can make great beer with a decent brew pot, burner, mash tun, and the stuff that you used to use for extract brews. The advantage of starting simple is that you will get a better feel for which parts of...

If you were referring to my honey batch, it was around 11.5% ABV.