Also, I was thinking of adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg but it sure seems that you guys are opposed to adding too much. Someone suggested coffee beans, which I thought was a good idea too. To be sure, I am always very restrained with the ingredients I add. Last thing I want to do is to add...

Ok, so here's another question. We've done this before and as for the vanilla bean, we just cut it up into smaller pieces with scissors and added it that way. The bean was also a little old and dryish. I didn't really notice the vanilla flavor at all. I've got two fresh vanilla beans for this...

Making a brown ale this weekend with the wife's grandfather. We're going to do a holiday version which we've tried before with some success. Base recipe is: 7lbs Dry Malt Extract – light 10 oz Special Roast (US) 8 oz Chocolate (BE) 6 oz Victory (US) 6 oz Caramel/Crystal 80L (US) American...