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I see 3 problems. The first two are pretty important. The third one isn't. 1) You aren't sparging with enough water. A five gallon batch should start the boil with about 6.5 gallons. Whatever water didn't start in the mash may as well be in the sparge. (unless this is an exceeding light...

I think your estimated gravities are off. I'm not real experienced in brewing. Only been doing this since spring, but I got into it specifically because of these seasonal and limited edition high grav beers that you can never get your hands on after you try them. I've been looking at a lot of...

I'm a fan of brewing it according to the recipe the first time, then making modifications one at a time after that. I'd brew it up "as is". When you rack to secondary, use smaller vessels and keep one true to the recipe, rack one onto nuts, and rack one onto bourbon. This gives you a...

DON'T DO IT!! The bourbon that's been sitting in that jar is filled with oils and tannins that the alcohol has helped to extract from the oak. You'd be better off if you didn't soak the oak at all and just tossed them separate into the fermenter. Also, no need to toss them in the oven. They...

Since you have enzymatic grains and you're in the proper temp range for mashing, you're technically mashing. 30 minutes isn't enough to maximize your conversion though. The reason for steeping grains is for more color and flavor, but since you've got the enzymatics in there anyway, you may...

I started a similar thread over in the Extract brewing forum, but with almost 10 lbs of grain, this quickly moved from a mini-mash to a partial mash. I've done two mini-mashes in the past and they went quite well. Due to my desire for this particular beer and the fact that you can't buy it...

Birdsong Brewing in North Carolina makes a "Red Wheat" beer that is extremely "wheaty". It has that old school whole wheat bread flavor that you don't get in wheat bread anymore because they mill the crap out of it and extend it with white flour. I honestly can't tell you if this difference...

You might try some Briess Midnight Wheat Malt. They say it doesn't have the bitterness of other chocolate malts. Stone has used it in a couple of their limited edition brews and it makes for a pretty silky texture. If you are looking for a full bodies sipping beer that's got good chocolate...

The math above was for splitting into two batches. I was assuming that you'd split the original 6 into two batches of 3 and add 3 gallons of AJ to each. If you split 3 ways and use 2gal each from your original brew you should have about 70 pts per gallon when you're done. Still going to...

You're definitely choking your yeast to death with alcohol. Most apple juice is about 45 points per gallon. 1lb of sugar will also contribute about 45 points. So you have: 45 * 6 + 45 *10 = 720 points in your must. Divide that by 6 to get the points per gallon. 120 points per gallon for an...

Erik, it sounds like you have pin lock kegs that have been converted to ball lock. Pin locks are 4 inches shorter but 1/2 inch bigger around. That 1/2 inch makes all the difference in the world. Based on thads drawings, you could probably squeeze 1 more in there if the basket guides aren't...

Esters don't hurt you. They are prevalent in many types of beers depending on the type of yeast used. Certain esters even help bring the fruit flavor back out in your ciders. Fusels can be dangerous in concentrated form (ie poor distilling practices or making a highly concentrated applejack...

Personally, I'd go with the citrus-like hop flavors for beer, but as an fyi the "don't use grapefruit juice" is really a "don't try to make a citrus fruit cider" rule. Too much citric acid will stop your fermentation.

I haven't been doing this for long, but I've been experimenting and taking crazy amounts of notes as I go and I've experimented with both things you're asking about. Aeration is always good, although it's much more important with beer than cider. Boiling removes much of the suspended gases...

I knew I could steep the crystal separate as it's already converted. Does the wheat not require mashing either?

I got into brewing about 4 months ago not so much because of things that I liked, but more because of things I couldn't get. Largely, this was cider oriented. We drink a lot of ciders during the summer and wanted a wider selection. I've got 5 cider batches under my belt now, and I'm proud of 4...

Calman, I wouldn't worry about any built in delay. Any delay it has won't be that long. Even it resets the temp every on/off cycle, as long as it's reset to "cold enough" it won't matter (and it should be calling for at least 32 degrees - it's a freezer). The only concern that I'd have would be...

6 available. Steele Creek area of Charlotte.

sold

Des Moines has breweries now? When I lived there you had to go to Minnesota for that. Next time I'm in town, I'll have to pick up a dozen or so Tasty Tacos and head over to check out Confluence.