Lalvin D-47 is a popular yeast for medium to sweet meads and retains full mouthfeel. It is tolerant to about 14% abv. Lalvin 71B-1122 seems best for melomels (fruit meads).
As alluded to in earlier posts, those Tripels really do go down a bit too easily. I developed a recipe for a Single which tastes like my Tripel but is a bit less likely to make me start drooling and getting loud if I have more than one.
The lauter and sparge is the area in which most of us can really improve our efficiency. A slow lauter is the number one trick in coaxing the sugars out of our mashed grist. Close down the valve to the point of taking about 90 minutes or more to finish running the wort into the kettle. On a...
Rye at !/3 the grain bill is exactly what I use. If you're looking for "rye-bread" aroma and flavor, start with a tsp. of crushed caraway seeds in the last 10 minutes of the boil. See if that works and adjust on the next batch. However it goes, let us know.
When I first started brewing, it was indoors on the stove top. My wife had no problem with boiling wort until I dropped in the hops. It didn't take long until I moved outside. I started with a Bru-Heat setup and eventually settled on a propane burner and S/S kettle.
I wrote an article about cold steeping some time back. It might bring out a few facts and clear up a few thoughts.
https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/cold-steeping/
Boys and girls, it's all about technique. I would venture to say that DBhomebrew pays attention to detail and doesn't try to rush every detail of his brew day. Well done!
I used to be plagued with boil-overs. I used my long handled spoon to stir the foam back into the wort and that seemed to work. Sometimes I couldn’t keep up with the foam and I’d have a boil-over anyway. Then I got the bright idea of simply skimming the foam from the kettle to solve my hot...
Here are some old references – You decide.
The American Handybook of Brewing 1902
THE DECOCTION OR THICK MASH METHOD
“The initial or doughing-in temperature is about 28° to 30° R. (95° to I00° F). If hot water is run in, it should be done slowly and while keeping the mashing machine moving, so...