Deathwish Wheat germ recipe

Still_Crazy · Post by **Still_Crazy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:19 am

I've been using the cheap blue airstones from wally world or others... today I'm going to pick up one of the stainless types. Easier to sanitize, not so fragile.

Or after thinking on it some, just make my own using either a stainless or copper tube, and several small holes etc.

I don't care to pick up the fermenter and shake the bageeezus out of it, or stir and stir again.

Post by **HookLine** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:59 am

bronzdragon wrote:A lot of people either stir vigorously, inject pure O2 or run a air pump into their wash/wort for awhile.

I just get my ferment water from the kitchen tap, which has a standard aerator fitting on it. It does the job well and easy. My ferments are up and running within an hour or so.

Post by **bronzdragon** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:26 pm

I've only really seen a difference in fermentations with higher specific gravity. In other words, if you're making over a 1.070 wash, it will benefit from more O2 in solution. If you only boil a portion of your mash/wash and then come back and top off with a couple gallons of fresh water, that water still has the O2 in it. So there shouldn't be a problem.

~r~

Hornblower · Post by **Hornblower** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:44 pm

I have found an electric whisk has been the biggest single improvement on on wash & wort fermentations. It came as an attachment to one of those hand held stick blenders. About 5 minutes of that thing making a foamy whirlpool in the wash is heaps easier than shaking & a bit less hassle than airstones IMHO. Fermentations take off and finish much quicker now.

Great site this. I have been reading it for ages and have just starting to produce some great drinking product, Including the brilliantly simple DWWG.
Here's to the collected wisdom of many!

tracker0945 · Post by **tracker0945** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:54 am

Welcome Hornblower, you have been quiet, lurking in the background, glad you have decided to join.
Cheers

Still_Crazy · Post by **Still_Crazy** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:45 am

HookLine wrote:
bronzdragon wrote:A lot of people either stir vigorously, inject pure O2 or run a air pump into their wash/wort for awhile.
I just get my ferment water from the kitchen tap, which has a standard aerator fitting on it. It does the job well and easy. My ferments are up and running within an hour or so.

I know this is under the DWG recipe, but due to the current comments just thought I'd throw this in. I started a Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe this weekend using only water from the tub spout (it gets hot there instantly) with no boiling. I did aerate it for a few minutes and adjusted the temp with cool water till I could pitch the yeast...It has taken off and seems to be fine so far.

For the DWG wash I wrapped a seed bed warmer or seed mat around my 6 gal carboy to give it some heat.
It is doing nicely. The temperature strip on the side of the glass shows right at 84F.

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:17 pm

I am exactly a week into the fermentation for some DWG. I have 3.5 gallons in two 2 gallon fermenting buckets and I just measured the SG and its 1.400. It also has a sour taste/smell to it. Is this all normal? How longer should it take, I'm guessing another week? There are still bubbles every 6-7 seconds.

CoopsOz · Post by **CoopsOz** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:20 pm

Patience Grasshopper - leave it to do it's thing.

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:25 pm

Lol you're right, guess it's just too hard. Maybe I'll start another wash while I'm waiting. I just want to try this one out since my first wash was just some sugar mash and some old wine.

CoopsOz · Post by **CoopsOz** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:29 pm

Definitely start another one, then you will have staggered ferments and always have something to run.

Post by **blanikdog** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:00 pm

Yairs, staggered ferments is the way to go.

blanik

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:26 pm

Would this be considered a vodka? Just want to know what to tell my friends, don't want to tell them they're drinking something other then what it is.

Rudi · Post by **Rudi** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:18 pm

Depends how and with what you distill it

tracker0945 · Post by **tracker0945** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:05 pm

MisterSteve124 wrote:Would this be considered a vodka? Just want to know what to tell my friends, don't want to tell them they're drinking something other then what it is.

Run it through a pot still twice to end up with a 60 - 70% abv product and call it corn whisky.
Put it through a reflux still of some description at 85 - 90% abv and it will be Vodka.

Rudi · Post by **Rudi** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:17 pm

tracker0945 wrote:Run it through a pot still twice to end up with a 60 - 70% abv product and call it corn whisky.

or you could call it wheat germ whiskey

Post by **Tater** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:13 am

Can call it anything I guess but true wiskeys and brandys have no added sugar.UJSM and dwwg are grain flavored sugar lickers.

pothead · Post by **pothead** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:17 am

How do you all rate this as compared to UJSM?

I might just do this stuff next

mrotch · Post by **mrotch** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:38 am

I have made it a couple of times - I really like it. Flavor is lighter and dryer than UJSM It is pretty darn good white and lightly aged on oak mine was a lot like a light scotch.

It's a little more work, you have to make sure it cooks for a whole 90 minutes, you can't throw it in the fermenter like a UJSM. I have a wort chiller that I use to cool it off quickly and saves a lot of time waiting to pitch the yeast. I run 10 to 12 gallon ferments in a 17 gallon glass carboy.

I found that DWWG ferments a little faster and a whole lot more violently than a UJSM too

I have added backset to a DWWG, but only got 3 generations before I stopped it. I had too much hooch, not enuf bottles - I was running my 8th generation of UJSM and ran out of glassware.

pothead · Post by **pothead** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:48 pm

good to know,
Thanks.

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:03 pm

This my first time using a hydrometer for a wash and my DWG has been at 1.100 SG for about a week and it's been in ther fermenter for a little over 2 weeks total. Does it have to get down to .990 or whatever or am I ok to run it this weekend? It still smells a little sour, like vinegar a little bit.

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:30 pm

I read back through your posts and I noticed that you started with 1.400 SG.
I am surprised it fermented at all. If you are at 1.100 then you have already attenuated 0.300 points.
Are these figure accurate?

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:58 am

Wow I just looked at my hydrometer and realized I was reading it wrong, they have the numbers set up a little goofy. It was at 1.040 SG not 1.400 sorry. But that wasn't what it started as it was that was what it was at when I measured it a week and two days ago. Now it has been at 1.010 for about 4-5 days. But unfortunately I got the hydrometer after it had already been fermenting for about a week.

Post by **Husker** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:03 pm

MisterSteve124 wrote:Wow I just looked at my hydrometer and realized I was reading it wrong, they have the numbers set up a little goofy. It was at 1.040 SG not 1.400 sorry. But that wasn't what it started as it was that was what it was at when I measured it a week and two days ago. Now it has been at 1.010 for about 4-5 days. But unfortunately I got the hydrometer after it had already been fermenting for about a week.

1.010 might be done. NOTE that there can be suspended solids and other things which keep your reading from going under 1.000 If the SG is hanging stable, and if the bubbles have slowed way down, then run it.

H.

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:09 pm

I agree with Husker. Run it.

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:13 pm

ok thanks guys I don't have time to run it now but I will this weekend. Maybe I'll just rack it into another container to give it a few days to clear.

Post by **Husker** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:02 pm

MisterSteve124 wrote:ok thanks guys I don't have time to run it now but I will this weekend. Maybe I'll just rack it into another container to give it a few days to clear.

Rack and clear is a fine solution. You will end up with better (IMHO) results if you do it that way anyway.

I know there are people who never clear, they just dump it in and let'r rip. I usually clear, but for UJSM I only partly clear, as I try to keep enough running so that I can always have some fresh backset to carry forward the sour mashing.

H.

Post by **MisterSteve124** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:08 pm

ok thanks I'll do that tonight.

Post by **Uncle Jesse** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:10 am

tater wrote:Can call it anything I guess but true wiskeys and brandys have no added sugar.UJSM and dwwg are grain flavored sugar lickers.

I'd just call UJSM a moonshine. There's not really any classification meeting this type of recipe in Title 27. I don't believe most shiners cooked their corn mashes in the woods either.

I've done cooked corn mashes and really like a true Tennessee whiskey but it takes quite a bit longer since corn isn't easily dispersed by cooking. I think the big boys use pressure cookers to do the job.

mrotch · Post by **mrotch** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:25 pm

I got a bunch of large oversized glass carboys from the "botanical gardens".

School children used them to build terrariums inside of and when the projects were abandoned they stored them. A friend found them in storage and thought they would be great for fermenters - he gave me 14 of them ranging in size from 10 gallons to 17 gallons. I have had them for about 20 years and have made thousands of gallons of beer, wine and mead in them before turning to DWWG and UJSM

Northern_Shiner · Post by **Northern_Shiner** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:41 pm

after i cook the wheat germ do i strain it out or do i just toss it all in the fermenter?