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If your mash temp was low then it would have created a more fermentable wort and you will get a lower FG. 1.005 is very low, even for WLP001 which is a strong attenuator. Next time check the accuracy of your thermometer and aim for a slightly higher mash temp.

My current brew is a classic West Coast pale ale using Cascade and Amarillo which are a favourite combo but also Eureka, which is a new hop for me. The descriptions say it's intensely citrus and piney with tropical fruits and opening the hop packet I was not disappointed. The smell from these...

When you took the pre-boil gravity sample that came out at 1.030 was that at mash temperature or did you cool the sample. As @divrack says, if you measured the gravity when It was warm the actual gravity will have been substantial higher. You can get hydrometer correction calculators online, or...

Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW) for removing organic material then citric acid for lime scale.

Just took a gravity sample and this one is down to 1.009, bang on target. The taste is great straight from the fermentor. I chucked the dry hops in and gave it a blanket of CO2 to protect it from any oxygen I let in to the fermentor. I'm going to start cold crashing tomorrow and maybe keg it...

Did you bottle or keg the ESB? If you bottled I'd look to move them somewhere cool and preferably keep them in a waterproof box of some kind. I'd be surprised if that Nottingham doesn't start up again and carry on fermenting. Bottle bombs seem quite likely.

P People talk about a cooked corn or sometime boiled cabbage flavour. I think I had it in the first couple of beers I made but they were both stove top extract beers and my under powered hob could barely reach a simmer so I had to keep the lid on. I think the DMS that should have evaporated...

I've started boiling for less time recently, particularly for hoppy beers where late kettle additions are a good thing and so far I've had no issues. The main reasons people recommend longer boils are: To concentrate the wort to your intended specific gravity. This can be achieved by upping...

The brew day went well. In fact it was one of the smoothest brew days in a while. I've been concentrating on speeding up my brew days so did a 45 min mash and 30 minute boil. I also skipped the 20 minute hop stands I've been doing, replacing it with a 5 minute addition and immediate chilling at...

I've not come across that beer. It was originally called summer stunner but that felt a bit inappropriate for the time of year, so it got tweaked to be a bitter instead of a golden ale.

Windsor and high mash temp should do it. I'd avoid the simple sugar as this will increase attenuation.

I don't think you will regret a grain mill. I know you said you don't buy in bulk but it certainly opens that option up. It also definitely makes a difference to the efficiency you will get. Make sure you get one you can attach a drill too. Milling by hand is a bit of a ball ache.

What was your recipe? How much lactose did you use and how much dark malt? Can you check the accuracy of your thermometer? I'm sure you are right that it shouldn't stop this high but I have found lots of dark grains can have a big impact on the FG.

A priming sugar calculator is highly recommended. The Brewer's Friend one is good and works well for me. The temperature to use in the calculator is the highest temperature your beer reached at the end of/after active fermentation.

Planning this one for the weekend. The recipe started life as a strong golden ale but as the night have drawn in I tweaked it by upping the crystal and knocking it down a few ABV point to become a very hoppy best bitter. I'm going to be reusing yeast from my last brew. Its only been in the...

If you are just making pale ales and using Tesco Ashbeck then I think you may need to check/calibrate your pH meter. It is very soft water with little bicarbonate to buffer against the acids in malted barley. A normal grist of pale malt and maybe a bit of crystal would almost certainly...

I've heard people talk about using 1-2lb of fruit per US gallon, so that would be about 1.2 - 2.4KG per 10L. If it works let us know.

I've heard people talk about 'micro-oxydation' from barrel aging beers and this is presumably the same for wine. I believe they do let a small amount of oxygen permeate but I would have thought that would be accounted for in the style of the wine. Also, it would likely be a small amount as the...

I think the yeast will probably do what you want them to but do you not want a bit of body in your ESB?

HDPE is much more oxygen permeable that PET and PET is much more oxygen permeable than glass or metals. I'm not familiar with HMPE but if it is a higher density HDPE then it is likely to lack the oxygen barrier effects you would want from a finished wine storage vessel.