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Since I want that clove-y, 4-vinyl guaiacol coming off of my belgian wit yeast, feruilc acid rest is a must. @Vladoftrub, I brewed this yesterday, targeting my mash thickness at 1.33 during the saccharification rest. If I had the time, experience, and resources (read: pH meter) to...

I would think so. Checking your activity is like watching a pot ready to boil -stop worrying and let the magic happen! Your only real concern would be if the fermentation was stuck 48h past inoculation, which may have indicated that you pitched too little yeast cells. Sounds like you done good...

It'll definitely clear up on its own, particularly with Whirlfloc - it always gets the job done for me. But, for some reason, if it does seem a bit hazy when it hits the secondary, you can throw in some Gelatin or Biofine for fining purposes - just a little extra insurance against haziness!

I'm making witbier, I need to get that ferulic acid for a nice clove character.

A quick followup: I asked a pro brewer (Battle Road Brewing Co.) this question. He recommended that if you're using boiling water to increase the temperature in your mash, the target mash thickness should be hit around the saccharificaiton temperature rest in order to best manage your sugar...

I had a 3-gal batch with a no-sparge mash, so my overall efficiency was about 55% and I hit that 1.065. I should have noted that in my recipe. I pitched 2 packs out of habit, since my starter equipment is OOC for now... hopefully it won't kill the esters too much, great point there. It's about...

That I have, but as this first batch was to test the malt bill (only a 3-gallon batch), I'd have to pitch a fraction of a live yeast vial. If this goes over well, I'll most certainly do some yeast strain experimentation.

Hmm. I just ran it through the brewer's friend calculator just to check it, and you're right on target with your calculations. One thing I can think of is maybe your pre-boil gravity reading was off somehow? A cold pre-boil would be a high reading, giving you the idea that you had more sugar...

I'm interested to see what this recipe would be classified as in the BJCP guidelines, as it's kind of toeing the line between Old Ale and ESB. I started with an ESB recipe, and bumped up the OG while balancing the hop-to-malt flavor ratio, intending to add more alcohol to an already drinkable...

I'm a beginner AG brewer, but I have a few batches under my belt. I'm also a proponent of tweaking my recipes to make them my own, which means I'm also brewing different styles all the time. Changing mash thickness per style is advice I've gleaned from books and forum posts here, but there's no...

You could make a decent session beer if you bought another 2# of malt extract? Or a small batch of something. Or just save your DME for a yeast starter later and use the other stuff in the near future for something else. Or make a kitchen-sink experiment! Woo!

I agree, give the carboy a good swirl/mix before sampling it for OG. Also make sure it's at the correct cooled temperature if using a hydrometer. There are methods of calculating expected gravity from the #s of extract added per gallon of beer (5gal). Reference "how to Brew" by Strong. Too...

*arnold voice* WHAT DA HELL AH YOU

Whew, that's what I figured. I'm assuaged by all the great reviews / swear bys / if-I-had-to-bet-my-life-on-it-I-would's.

Just bought into the hype and purchased some StarSan. I've used it before with friends during brew sessions at their insistence, but I'm having some reservations... anyone ever get off-flavors that could possibly come from these no-rinse sanitizers? I don't like pouring wort onto bubbles, it...

Hopefully in the morning, but I'm not against a post-work brew sesh if I'm running dangerously low :P

I just finished building my 9-gal Coleman Cooler mash tun, and I did a little differently on the manifold design. I've attached a diagram below, viewed from the top of my rectagular tun. The spout is on the bottom. Positive/negative feedback please? Thanks.

You may learn that the basic characteristics of a stout (full body, thick mouthfeel) can be achieved with proper brewing techniques and PATIENCE. Temperature, time, and tendency can brew a consistently stellar high-FG stout. Dry stout is a bit easier. If you need a reference for stout, I'd...

If you don't buy it, I will. :D

Yes. Hell yes.