Good thread! I used to home-brew a few years ago, but stopped because I moved to a tiny flat and it just wasn't possible. I've never brewed full or partial mash, only kits, home-made cider and wine. Anyway, here's a few things I learned...my advice isn't gospel, it's just what I get up to.
1) Any of the books by Graham Wheeler are great, and really worth a good read.
2) With cider, mince the apples up using one of those bucket-and-drill bit jobs. Then freeze it. The apple juice expands when it turns into ice, puncturing the cell walls and the structure of the apple fragments. So, rather t
