Check the Technique

Hey Guys.
It's been sometime since I have brewed and I am getting back into it. Can someone review my technique and make sure I am not missing any critcal steps. Improvements would be gladly accepted.....

I'm making and American Wheat in my return batch

( Proper Sanitation of all tools assumed)

1) Boiling ingredients in 2 gallons of waterf or 45 minutes at approx 170 degrees

2) Put addional 3 gallons of water in primary fermented ( 6.5 gallon plastic bucket)
3) Transfer boiled contents to primary fermenter
4) Wait until Boiled mixture cools to 90 degrees or below
5) add yeast, seal bucket with blow-off tube to seperate bucket
6) Monitor first fermentation for activity. When setlled transfer/ strain to secondary fermentation container (5 gallon glass carboy)
7)Seal carboy with a water/gas lock. Monitor for bubbles 4-10 days
8) When bubbles subside ( less then 3 per minute?) trasnfer to bottling bucket
9) Add primary sugars and bottle
10) store bottles for 4-8 weeks tasting often

I feel like I am missing a crucial step here. It's been four years since I have made a home brew. Techniques? Tips? Suggestions? Anything to help a confused home brewer would be much aprecaited.

Are you doing an extract only brew? Are you steeping grains too? Looks like your step 1 might need some work. If you are steeping, I suggest dropping that temp. And then you add your extracts and bring to a boil (212) and then at that point go for another 60 minutes with whatever hopping schedule you have.

Step #1 should be boil ingredients for an hour (depending on the kit, I suppose) which implies something greater than 212F for wort, not 170F. There may be an additional step prior to boiling at 150-170F if your recipe includes grains, but you would certainly want to remove those before boiling.

Sounds good.

Here's my thoughts.

1) Are you using just extract?(You don't want to boil any grain) What size pan do you have, you want to boil as much of the wort as possible.
8) Taking hydrometer readings will take the guess work away.
8a) I know you don't have an 8a but a Secondary ferment is worthwhile.
10) 4-8 weeks is great. Carbonation should be done in 2 depending on sytle, from then it just gets better.


But when it comes down to it we all do things differently.
Do it the way you want.

Good luck.

One last questions:
When I transfer from Primary to Secondary Fermenter do you recomend Pour and Strain or Siphon and Strain? Does it make a difference to the sediment at the bottom?
Many thanks to all who previously replied. Gives me the confidence to get back into it.

never pour the beer after fermentation has started. you don't want to introduce any air into the beer, and pouring will cause splashing and churning. Use a siphon.

-walker

As Walker said, don't do anything that would splash, slosh, fizz, or otherwise aerate your beer when transferring to secondary. Straining is fine as long as you keep the outlet of your siphon submerged. I don't usually bother with a strainer when going to secondary, though I'll occasionally tie a mesh hop bag around the inlet of my siphon when going from secondary to bottling bucket.