Search found 50 matches

by JonB
Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:18 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Corn Mash - flavor and yield improvements?
Replies: 11
Views: 2355

Re: Corn Mash - flavor and yield improvements?

Thats where the barley comes into play. A handful while the corn is heating up. And the rest (a few handfuls) at 150F. I've been soaking my kernels in 6L of water overnight. I then mix with 14L of boiling water. This bring the mash to about 170-175. I then set my electric burner is at 5 and stir eve...
by JonB
Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:12 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Corn Mash - flavor and yield improvements?
Replies: 11
Views: 2355

Corn Mash - flavor and yield improvements?

Been using cracked feed corn for my mashes. At 8lb to 20L (and with another lb of flaked rye/barley) I get a SG of about 1.058 and a yield of about 5% abv. If I use a better corn - say kernals used for popcorn (cracked/milled of course) would I get: 1) better flavors (if so would like more specifics...
by JonB
Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:29 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: iodine test question
Replies: 14
Views: 3812

Re: iodine test question

Thanks.

Fermentation was on day 3 when I checked the last post. Today is day 4 and its still bubbling. So I guess its not a complete loss. We'll see what happens.

Oh - I apologize for not being clear. Iodine is poisonous and so I would never put it in my mash....just my sample.
by JonB
Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:00 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: iodine test question
Replies: 14
Views: 3812

Re: iodine test question

Crap...another F**K up. I tried another round of mashing and left the corn to cool slowly overnight. At 170F I mashed in my barley and let it cool slowly. I noticed that at 130 or so that the mash was not thick, but not real thin either. I crushed 2 beano tablets and stirred them in. At 100F I did a...
by JonB
Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:18 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: iodine test question
Replies: 14
Views: 3812

Re: iodine test question

So after successful boils and a nice long steep, what is the efficiency expected with cracked corn? I've been hitting the 60% barrier for some time, but I guess boiling it the 2nd time might raise this a bit. Info on the main site says that I should be closer to the 80% mark.

Cheers
by JonB
Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:28 pm
Forum: Research and Theory
Topic: Using a double boiler/efficient?
Replies: 23
Views: 4361

Re: Using a double boiler/efficient?

Thanks for the reassurance.

The biggest obstacles are our wives lettin us out........ I mean whats better, staying home and drinking while fiddling around with science or going out to drink and fiddling around with.....?? :shock:
by JonB
Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:41 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: mashing with corn
Replies: 21
Views: 6042

Re: mashing with corn

I'm having an " Ah ha " moment!! I thought that enzymes couldn't live above 165F (from my beer brewing knowledge). Though this threshold has more to do with tannins from the husk I guess? So then for 18L (with some crushed malt), would 12lbs of cracked corn be too much? I guess I could use...
by JonB
Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:17 am
Forum: Research and Theory
Topic: Using a double boiler/efficient?
Replies: 23
Views: 4361

Re: Using a double boiler/efficient?

Well I'm certainly tasting something bad :roll: :roll: ..... could be a bit of puking when I figure out the machine.

I'll try careful racking beforehand and see what happens.
by JonB
Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:09 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: mashing with corn
Replies: 21
Views: 6042

Re: mashing with corn

The stuff we got appears to be "cow corn" ($12 for 50lbs). We milled it down from 6 pieces to about 12 pieces per kernel and it seemed to mash out ok. We got only an OG of 1.030 but I think this was because we err'd on the side of caution and wanted to go thin rather than make a sticky mes...
by JonB
Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:14 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: mashing with corn
Replies: 21
Views: 6042

Re: mashing with corn

Hee Haw - got me a 50lb back of cracked corn and was thrilled that it was super cheap.

This is a great way to start a new year. Thanks y'all.

8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
by JonB
Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:19 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: mashing with corn
Replies: 21
Views: 6042

Re: mashing with corn

we found a feed store close to a relative. We'll try our luck there for the cracked corn. Would we be better off looking at the poultry feed or the horse feed? (us city folks are kinda clueless as u can tell) :roll: :roll: :roll: Also is there anything we need to be careful of? For instance, does fe...
by JonB
Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:14 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: mashing with corn
Replies: 21
Views: 6042

mashing with corn

We are gonna try mashing corn again sometime soon. I've read the various posts on this site and I seem to understand the process. However it is not clear to me what form of corn to start with. Advice/clarification is most welcome. -Clearly flaked maize is the the best, but this is expensive - Corn m...
by JonB
Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:36 pm
Forum: Research and Theory
Topic: Using a double boiler/efficient?
Replies: 23
Views: 4361

Re: Using a double boiler/efficient?

Thanks all.. This is really helpful. Yep -It definitely was a huge heat sink. The time and energy used to pull off a litre would have been better spent at the pub. Junkdawg gave a description of how he insulates, but perhaps I need a picture to visualize this. Any other ways to insulate the boiler? ...
by JonB
Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:22 am
Forum: Research and Theory
Topic: Using a double boiler/efficient?
Replies: 23
Views: 4361

Using a double boiler/efficient?

In the past, I noticed (while helping a friend) that direct propane heat on a boiler caused the yeast to burn, and thus imparted off flavors to the product. Even when trying to slow the heat input we could never get this right. This time we used a double boiler setup whereas the boiler sat inside of...
by JonB
Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:47 am
Forum: Alcohol as Fuel
Topic: Freezing to extract alcohol
Replies: 1
Views: 2265

Freezing to extract alcohol

Been experimentin' with brewin diff types of beer/recipe dev. Some is good. Some aint good. Some is terrible. The bad stuff still has sg of 'bout 1022 or so. Was thinkin using turbo yeast to ferment out remaining sugars to ~.98 and then process for use as fuel in my tractor (when mixed with petrol)....
by JonB
Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:48 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: running a Reflux unit as a pot still
Replies: 2
Views: 795

running a Reflux unit as a pot still

I'm going to post a few questions at the same time because they are related. If one was to use a columned reflux still as a pot still (with thumper), how would this work? Do you still use a condensor? If a condensor was used, wouldn't it cool the product too low to make the thumper useful? Seems to ...
by JonB
Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:31 am
Forum: Condensers/Cooling Methods
Topic: cooling question
Replies: 3
Views: 1046

cooling question

Got a flow rate from my head of 30ml a minute at 130F degrees. To measure the liquid properly, it needs to be at 60F degrees (or there abouts). Was planning on using a 1/4" copper coil in a bucket of cold water, but wondered if anyone had any idea as to how big of a bucket (and how much copper)...
by JonB
Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:16 pm
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: Bourbon and yeast
Replies: 6
Views: 1244

Re: Bourbon and yeast

Why would anyone care about flocculation if you siphon out the beer and leave the bulk of the yeast. Flocculation to me is the clumping of the yeast at the end of fermentation. In beer making we use irish moss to help the yeast to coagulate and sink to the bottom, thus clearing the beer. This got me...
by JonB
Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:48 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: Bourbon and yeast
Replies: 6
Views: 1244

Re: Bourbon and yeast

Busted - yep my lager started fermenting at 70+F and probably settled down at about 55F.
Man you guys are good!! I knew I came to the right place.

What Ale yeasts are considered "fruitier"?
by JonB
Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:26 am
Forum: Novice Forum Graveyard
Topic: Bourbon and yeast
Replies: 6
Views: 1244

Bourbon and yeast

As a bourbon fan and a home brewer, I had a question about bourbon mash and figured that this would be the right forum to get a good answer. In brewing beer, I've noticed that lager yeast - specifically Saflager s-23 (e491) - produces a beer with nice flavor with hints of fruit. My understanding is ...