I have been using the Pasteur Champagne yeast very successfully, but I am making very sweet Christmas Metheglyns. >3.5# of honey per gal. This leaves a sufficient residual sugars for what I desire. I don't know what it would do for a dry or med dry mead.
Centennial and cascade are primarily grapefruit flavors for me. I've had piney flavors in some lagers(not mine, not ready for lagers yet), but I don't know what they used.
My Chocolate Oatmeal Stout won't be ready:(...Wait...I still have plenty of my Smoked Wee Heavy and my Chocolate Chipotle Porter will be jjust right.:rockin:
I just fill 'er up with oxyclean solution (1 oz per gal), and leave it set overnight. Then rinse well with hot tap water (I use a jet washer to rinse).
I go no less than 2 weeks. Other than that it depends on the beer. My pale ales and wheats are pretty well ready by then. My stouts, heavies, and such may have the carbonation, but the flavors don't start to mature until about a month.
I do up to a 12 lb grain bill BIAB. 5 gal Lowes paint strainer and a 21 qt canning kettle for mash. Wrap an Army wool blanket around kettle to maintain temp. I put a rope through a ring bolt in the ceiling of my garage to let the bag drain. Use 2 pot lids to squeeze bag. I sparge in my 7.5...
You could do a mini mash with some 2-row and your chocolate malt. Without the 2-row you won't have the DP to reach conversion. I'm with you tekton, boil for conversion? Boiling will kill your conversion.
Since I went BIAB and AG I haven't gone back. BIAB doesn't take much longer than extract w/steeping grains. Since there is less water to bring to mash and sparge temps it really cuts the time it takes me to do AG. This only applies to my equipment set up. I don't know how it is for other...
I've had some rauchbiers that were delicious, and some that were like drinking a liquified virginia ham. I love a little smoky flavor in a scottish ale or a brown, but smoke is easily overdone.