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when you withdraw steeping grains, they retain a significant amount of liquid that has captured the flavor. Rinsing the grain draws that out. Think of it like a tea bag...if you pull it out of the cup and pinch it, more tea comes out. If you were to rinse it, even more would come out.

if you'll stick with five gallon batches get the 10 gallon kettle and spend the difference on other stuff or save it. You can always sell the pot later if you change your mind. You don't need a pot that's triple the size of your batch.

Stainless (metal in general) is easy to deal with - but once rubber is contaminated its's shot.

Bread yeast has a pretty broad temperature range...I keep a biga in the fridge for bread making and it's mildly active at 40 degrees. Also, you need to rack it in my opinion.

I love reusing yeast. I usually save it off in a mason jar with a few inches of beer over it and it sits in the keezer. I brew almost exclusively with Safale 05, though I saved off some 04 once, too. I've been successful with stuff that's up to two months old and reusing twice. I won't push...

I love my beer, too. Is it as good as store bought? Yeah, I think so, but that's never the point with me...it's fun to make and it tastes good - I've been at it for nearly 30 years. But finding a great beer at the store or at a pub or restaurant is also fun. And contrarian that I am, I think...

Do you even know who owns any of these shops on the Internets or your local? The whole NB thing is out there because it was announced, but the ownership status of any other shop/purveyor is completely unknown, including those most people will switch to. So what are you avoiding and where are...

In! Down with it!

I don't see how this changes anything. Local shops are already beaten on price by internet sales; they survive or die on service and by keeping interest in the hoppy high in their community. It's possible there's a threat to other internet-based brew shops, but that's a big 'maybe.' More than...

I'd sell your kegerator and use the proceeds (plus the c-note) to invest in a chest freezer that holds more kegs.

I have an orange igloo (5 gallons) that I love. They all work great if you preheat with hot water (tap water is fine) before mashing. I generally fill mine halfway with hot water and close it up while I heat my strike water. I generally do 90-minute mashes and lose only 1-2 degrees over that...

The 'why' to this question escapes me...there's a lot going on at the top of a keg between head space, the dip tube, bleed-off valve, and the lid seal. I don't see any upside to messing with it.

I dry hop at room temperature out of convenience, but it makes complete sense to use lower temperatures - the beer is far less volatile, so just like C02, the compounds drawn from the hops will stay in suspension better at lower temperatures. I might have to try it in a keg sometime.

All sounds very normal - I would not worry. It's probably done and you just need to let it settle out.

To each their own, eh? There's nothing wrong with a recipe you enjoy and your friends like. There's lots to be proud of when that happens. I enjoy some commercial beers like Pliny that have loads of additions. But I don't feel confident enough in my knowledge of hops to try it. One or two...

Lately I've been adding hops only at the end of the boil and I've been really pleased with the low bitterness/high hoppiness nature of the beers. Try 2 oz Cascade at the end and 2 oz Citra dry hopped at 10 days - package at 14 days

I stir because I can't help myself. Restless.

I brew at room temperature (72-78F) and I like my beer just fine. I generally use S-05 and it seems really tolerant of that range. Eventually I will build a chamber and get some lower temps but I don't think it's a prerequisite to quality. People were making good beer long before they had...

I use Lalvin 1118 and don't back sweeten. My cider stays in a primary for two weeks and then I bottle with corn sugar for carbonating. It produces a bone-dry cider that a lot of people seem to enjoy. I tell folks if it's too dry add a shot of grenadine, but I think most commercial cider is...

I don't see anything wrong here - just stuff you might do differently next time. Enjoy your new hobby!