I finally got around to marking the ten-gallon fermenter with markings at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 gallons by adding those volumes to the vessel and subsequently marking the levels. I was pleasantly surprised to see my calculation for six gallons from weeks and weeks ago was exactly correct. My calculation, however, did miss the seven-gallon mark. I also discovered that I'll lose about 3/4-gallon below the spigot, up from my original estimate of one gallon. Once I got to actually see the fermenter filled-up, seven gallons of beer is a lot of beer.
I have decided that my from-scratch brews will have 1.25 pounds of malt per gallon. Seven gallons of fermentable liquid will require 8.75 pounds of liquid malt extract. Do those of you with massive amounts of experience believe that's too much? Too little? What's your ratio, if you have one at all?
I have multiple cans of mr. beer pre-hopped extract. The American Porter is 1.87 pounds in 2.125 gallons = 0.88 pounds of syrup per gallon. The Northwest Pale Ale is 2.86 pounds in 2.125 gallons = 1.346 pounds of syrup per gallon. The reviewers of the Porter say it's tasty, good mouthfeel, good body, et cetera. My question is how can a beer with a dilution of 0.88 pounds per gallon be as robust, strong, tasty, et cetera as a beer with a dilution of 1.346 pounds of syrup per gallon? I have yet to brew-up either the Porter or the Pale Ale, so I have no real-world experience as to how each tastes.