I got rid of my biggest fermenters so the double mash, single boil days for 20 gallon yield aren't a thing these days. I still have a half-barrel that I can fill with a maxed-out mash tun and some topping up after the boil. That fills 3 5-gallon kegs in one brew day and works out pretty nicely. :)

When I've done really big batches, I've had to max out my mash tun twice. And, yeah, I hate that mashout/sparge between the two mash sessions. For me time isn't as much of an issue, except for just being thrilled about a really damn long day doing it. :)

That's about what I do but if I'm not doing a lager, I may ramp the first step up into the 150s for the last 20 minutes or so and/or hold the 158 for a little longer. Seems like the alpha enzymes active at higher temps are shorter-lived than the lower-temp beta enzymes so a really long time in...

Exactly what I do... By selecting the temperatures fairly precisely to maximize efficiency of certain enzymes we can somewhat control the ratio of fermentable sugars and dextrins. Without a mashout the high temp conversion continues through the sparge and changes the makeup of the wort.

And yet...when I do it my numbers are better. Go figure. :) My opinion is that efficiency goes up with converted sugar molecules are efficiently separated from matrix of residual starches and proteins in the grain. If we're to believe conventional wisdom, modern grains do all their converting...

Call me old-fashioned...I still prefer the consistency and high efficiency I get with mash-out and fly sparge. :)

Flip a coin! :)

Bricks are as cheap as under $60, maybe $80 for lager yeasts at good sale prices. The 500 grams is the equivalent to 45 typical packets. That's $1.33 to $1.77 per packet. There's also an advantage with bricks of using larger pitch amounts that may not be multiples of 11 grams. The packets work...

Yeah...extra handling outside of a cleanroom is just risking contamination - though as long as everything stays dry and only touches sanitized surfaces, it shouldn't be a big problem, I personally just minimize the time that the brick is exposed by opening, pouring out what I need and resealing...

Vacuum pack and fridge...no reason to freeze. Oxygen is the enemy more than temperature.

Speaking as someone who has to move up a couple of social notches just to get to basic, I would never cast any aspersions. :D :D

Basic Blonde with adjunct flavor. And that's where the resemblance ends. :D :D Once you've added completely incongruous flavors, it has ceased to be a Kolsch (style) in anything but technicality. :) It may be an enjoyable beer for someone but not for me.

I will never reach a place that I'm not annoyed by the over-use and mis-use of the stylistic designation of Kolsch. It becomes meaningless because it's used as a catch-all for any sort of novelty beer that happens to be fermented with a German ale yeast. :D :D

I'd still go right back on with a good Hefe. It's a style that straddles seasons extremely well! Maybe it's just me but I just don't think the Hefe yeast flavors play as nicely with dark malt flavors. :)