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All advice so far is pertinent and correct. The blow-off tubes are in order and get those air locks rinsed immediately. The foam will encrust them if you let them dry and they become refuse at that point. Run the blow-off tubes from both jugs into the same large glass. I imagine that the...

What I said is that running already milled grist through a Corona grain mill is a mistake. I've got a Corona and have used it for years. I finally stepped up to a roller mill but still use the Corona for raw wheat, raw spelt, rice, etc.

Running already-crushed grain through a Corona grain mill is a mistake. All the Corona will do is shred the husks which will lead to lautering problems. The flaw in the OP's scenario described is the failure to check the mash pH. Flaked corn (as well as barley, oats, rye, etc.), is gelatinized...

Perhaps it was Michelob Classic Dark beer. Michelob has since retired this beer.

When you sparge, the water rinses out the sugars and the buffers which set the pH in the mash. As the buffers are rinsed from the mash, the mash pH will rise to the level of the sparge water. When the contents of the mash tun rise to 5.9 or above, the polyphenols (tannins) will start leaching...

As the OP stated, prepare ALL of your brewing water first before dividing it between mash and sparge. I always treat my sparge water to about 5.7 pH so I don't have problems with astringency. see Astringency

Whether you used a refractometer or not. Whether you transposed the numbers or not. Did you oxygenate the wort properly when you pitched the yeast? That, in my mind, is the central question. High terminal gravities can be easily explained by lack of nutrients, yeast in poor condition, and /...

Potassium sorbate won't stop an active ferment but will stop it from starting up again. Perhaps if you got some non-preserved juice, pitched the yeast in it, and when at full krausen added it to the bulk of your juice, it might work. "Less than 1%" doesn't really sound unsurmountable.

I hate to say it but it's like having a nearly empty tank and speeding to the gas station before you run out. VikeMan is right. Pay attention to the pH of the sparge water. Tannin extraction mainly occurs when the pH goes above 5.9 - 6.0. No matter what your mash pH is, as the buffers in the...

Yes, I guess I'm a nerd. To prove it, I also use a stir plate for my yeast. Honestly, if it didn't really make a big difference, I wouldn't do it.

I noticed a comment about "food grade" oxygen. Some cylinders are marked "medical oxygen" but that means that the cylinder is certified as having no contaminants. These cylinders come with a hefty price boost. The oxygen charged in them is the same as regular industrial oxygen as used in...

Since I started using oxygen, I just won't go back. https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/oxygen-injection-of-wort/

I've got another article which piggy-backs on the one I uploaded. It falls into the same category. It's just a little more to think about and give a try. https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/cold-steeping/

If you test roasted malts in the laboratory, you may find some infinitesimal amount of convertible starch. You're skinning fleas for hides and tallow. I wrote an article which includes this subject. https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/a-bit-more-on-mashing/

The easiest way I can find is to add the "steeping" grains in the mash just before you start the lauter. Remember, roasted grains don't have any convertible starch so they don't need to be mashed.

Keep in mind that chocolate malt, made from any grain, is named for the color; not the flavor. I understand what you're trying to do but consider cold steeping to get there. The majority of cocoa powder added to a wort eventually finds itself at the bottom of the fermenter as a sludge. That's...

I started with a Corona but upgraded to a JSP Malt Mill also. I still use the Corona for raw wheat and raw spelt. Crushing malt with a tight a gap (like 0.020") will produce a lot of flour. When you start working with flour, you're getting into the TURBID MASHING realm which requires a whole...

A friend of mine has done this for years. He calls them "wort-cicles".

That's the problem with "other people's recipes".

There's nothing to my knowledge to alleviate what you have now. Some spices like cinnamon and black pepper don’t give up their flavor and aroma easily and can require a minimum of 3 to 5 minutes in the boil. Use the peppercorns whole, use less of them, and add them closer to knock-out than...