The only thing I don't think we did right was the sparging. Graham Wheelers Beer Engine suggests a 72.2% mash efficiency, so I shouldn't really complain
We batch sparged, added the 1st batch after 90 minutes, gave it a stir and left it for 15 minutes. We recirculated the first 10 litres or so until the runnings stopped being full of bits then drained it down. The 2nd batch went in and we gave it another gentle stir. I think we left it for 15 minutes before draining, but should we have left it for longer? The hydrometer reading towards the end was down to 1.010, but we collected a couple more litres than we needed.
My cooler worked amazingly well. I recorded it as 25litres from boiling to 25C in 16 minutes
When I checked the fermentation bucket this morning the lid was bulging a little and the air lock had forced out some of its water - I take both of these to be good signs, but didn't want to open the lid to inspect inside. The next step is to let the fermentation finish. Should I be taking hydrometer readings every couple of days, or can I leave it to do its thing for the first week? How long should I leave it after fermentation is complete before transferring to my bottling bucket and on into bottles?
Hopefully it'll be ready for consumption in the middle of January, then the proof will be in the tasting!