Home Distiller

OtisT wrote:SCD, have you ( or anyone else for that matter) tried this recipe with toasted oats? My next batch of HBB will be using toasted oats, and I’m excited to know if I can taste a difference.

Otis

Yes! Bayou shiner had some of my HBB and CROW bourbon at last years meet up. He went back and made hbb but toasted the oats. He sent it to us for this year's meet up. It was wonderful, and exactly what you would expect from combining the 2 recipes. Try it!

SCD,
I’m at work and decide to snack on an apple and see the sticker on the apple says Honey Bear. My mouth starts to water and now I can’t wait till 5:00 to get out of here and pour myself a glass of my honey bear that’s just about to turn six months. Then I start thinking about adding some apple flavor or aging in a cider cask. Anyone tried this? Or aged on Applewood? Sounds like it could be really tasty.

Cheers,

Irish

Just put into bottle a 2 year old 1 gal barrel of HBB. Sad that the angels took half of it but what I did get to keep is fantastic!! I have a couple 5 gal barrels aging and looking forwards to tasting that batch.
thanks shine on for that recipe
OVZ

With help from StillerBoy, Mars and others I am on my 6th large batch. Here is what I have ended up with that work best for me.

I boil 35 gallons of water with 1000mg potassium metabisulphite to remove chlorine/chloramine
- After adding the 35 gallons of boiling water to my wrapped 55 gallon drum I stir in 45lbs cornmeal with a mixer attached to a drill.
- After bout 30 minuets I check PH to make sure it is in the 5.6 – 6.5 range and below 190F, then add 16ml HTL.
- I leave alone expect for stirring every couple hours until the temp comes does to 156F.
- At 156F I add 4lb honey malt, 8lb white wheat malt, 8lb red wheat malt, 8lb pale malt which drops the temp to 153.
- I after about 30 minutes I check the PH to make sure it is about 4.8 and adjust with citric acid as needed, add 12ml SEBamyl-GL and stir every hour or so for 2 or 3 hours. I then remove the wrap from the drum and start a fan blowing on the drum.
- Once it has cooled to 80F I adjust PH to 5.0 and pitch 1 cup bakers yeast rehydrated in 2000ml of distilled water
- 24 hours after pitching I check PH and adjust to the 4.5 range (also have some pieces of marble in the drum which seem to help PH a little

Hope this helps someone that is trying a larger scale.

Irishgnome wrote:SCD,
I’m at work and decide to snack on an apple and see the sticker on the apple says Honey Bear. My mouth starts to water and now I can’t wait till 5:00 to get out of here and pour myself a glass of my honey bear that’s just about to turn six months.

IMG_1274.jpg

Then I start thinking about adding some apple flavor or aging in a cider cask. Anyone tried this? Or aged on Applewood? Sounds like it could be really tasty.

Cheers,

Irish

Hi Irish. I have done some finishing of my HBB on Toasted Apple Wood, along with Plum and Cherry. I’m no expert at it, but I do like the results. I posted about the experience here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=72255

In a nut shell: I let my HBB sit 11 months in the barrel. It was delicious, in my opinion. I toasted up some fruit wood sticks on two sides, almost half way through so it was like an Oreo (dark on the outside with a thin untoasted strip in the middle). I used a small amount of toasted fruitwood with the bourbon and vacuum soaked it twice over a 24 hour period then pulled the wood. I like the results of the Apple and Cherry. The Plum added some astringency to the drink and I am hoping time will mellow this.

Otis

Thanks Otis!

Just in time too, I just did a spirit run on some HBB last night.

I was hoping someone would respond soon, sitting on some cherry and apple wood right now.

I may need to pick up a vacuum system in the future. I just spent quite a bit on specialty grains a new 15 gallon barrel and I’m about to order some overpriced Mizunara Oak sticks.

Need to read through your thread again and decide how I’m going to split this run up for aging. Ever use fig tree, or quince tree wood?

Thanks Again!
Cheers,
Irish

Irishgnome wrote:. Ever use fig tree, or quince tree wood?

No. I have only used seasoned Apple, Cherry and Plum. I am interested is acquiring some nut woods soon to try out. Lots of Hazlenut trees around here. I’m not in Pecan country, but I hear that wood is great for spirits. Otis

I'm starting the new year with mashing a big ol pot of HBB, just finished grinding all the grains and the house sure smells nice!

Happy new year
OVZ

This is my best HBB ferment to date
85 lbs of grain to 50ish gals of water brought me to 18 brix, pitched 4 packs of US 05 yeast and it's bubbling crazy. I would like to thank SCD for this recipe and everyone else on this forum for all the great advice

Thank-you
OVZ

You're most welcome. Happy new year friend.

started a batch with cornmeal and rolled oats 5 days ago. OG was 1.03. was bubbling away good for a few days. opened it up today to check it and the SG is 1.02 which i thought was weird but then took a temp reading and it was 105F. I had a brew belt around my ferment bucket. I used bakers yeast. If i take the brew belt off and let the temp of the mash go down will the yeast kick back in or did i kill them and need to repitch?

Jpfeife wrote:started a batch with cornmeal and rolled oats 5 days ago. OG was 1.03. was bubbling away good for a few days. opened it up today to check it and the SG is 1.02 which i thought was weird but then took a temp reading and it was 105F. I had a brew belt around my ferment bucket. I used bakers yeast. If i take the brew belt off and let the temp of the mash go down will the yeast kick back in or did i kill them and need to repitch?

I use Red Star brand bakers yeast. I've had ferments that ran in the low 100's the entire duration. They finished dry with no problems.

Jpfeife wrote:started a batch with cornmeal and rolled oats 5 days ago. OG was 1.03. was bubbling away good for a few days. opened it up today to check it and the SG is 1.02 which i thought was weird but then took a temp reading and it was 105F. I had a brew belt around my ferment bucket. I used bakers yeast. If i take the brew belt off and let the temp of the mash go down will the yeast kick back in or did i kill them and need to repitch?

Hi Jpfeife. On a separate note, the next time you plan to make HBB you should pay attention to your conversion process and maybe ask for help before you start. If you followed the recipe, your OG should be near 1.07. If your OG reading was correct, you only got less than half of the sugar/alcohol out of your grains.

Otis

Just tasted a bit of the HBB that I ran yesterday. Wow the middle hearts was unbelievable, almost didn't add that jar to the mix but knowing how good this will be after a couple of years in barrel it went into the mix. One more batch and then I'll have enough for another 5 gal barrel.

OVZ

Started up a batch of hbb with more oats than I used last time. I’m doing several batches and filling at least a small 10l barrel.

-jb

Oldvine Zin wrote:Just tasted a bit of the HBB that I ran yesterday. Wow the middle hearts was unbelievable, almost didn't add that jar to the mix but knowing how good this will be after a couple of years in barrel it went into the mix. One more batch and then I'll have enough for another 5 gal barrel.

OVZ

You know, it's been a long time since I had white honey bear. I knew I wanted to share the recipe after the first time I had that middle jar. I need to make some just for white.

Cheers.

I'm on my umpteenth batch, today I used 1-minute oats as they were in the brewhouse from a batch of stout I did. The mash was light and mixed really well almost watery I checked my measurements and they were right on I thought I might have halved the cornmeal. Just an interesting observation.

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:

Oldvine Zin wrote:Just tasted a bit of the HBB that I ran yesterday. Wow the middle hearts was unbelievable, almost didn't add that jar to the mix but knowing how good this will be after a couple of years in barrel it went into the mix. One more batch and then I'll have enough for another 5 gal barrel.

OVZ

You know, it's been a long time since I had white honey bear. I knew I wanted to share the recipe after the first time I had that middle jar. I need to make some just for white.

Cheers.

+1.

I have also gotten in the habit of saving the middle jar from my HBB and a few other recipies. It’s just too good to pass up, and I don’t think it impacts the barrel cut at all.

Going to try some rolled oats in my next hhb. Where do you source the oats. Super market in the breakfast food section? thanks

I either use those, or "rolled oats" from Tractor Supply (or grain supplier).

Can this recipe be used to do a scotch? they have peated malt at my homebrew supply can I use that and if so what quantities?

Corn and scotch in the same sentence don't even sound right.

That's what I thought.

I've added peated malt many times and really like it.I call it bourbotch

acfixer69 wrote:Corn and scotch in the same sentence don't even sound right.

Lol

Mash #2 done and pitched on this run. I used 20# corn meal, two large tubs of rolled oats, 2# honey malt, 2# raw torrfied red wheat, and 13gallons boiling water + backset. Oats and malt thru the grinder. Wrapped it in reflectix and let it drop to 150 over about 12h. Added ground malts - 2# each red wheat white wheat and golden promise malted barley. Also used liquid enzymes and og was just over 1070.

I’m planning several mashes for this winter lager run of hbb. The cellar is cool and the lager yeast keeps chugging away at the wort. I’m looking for a couple gallons of clean white hbb and at least three - five gallons barrelled. I’ve got my work cut out on this and as i top up my barrels and jugs i’ll move into rye mode and use this general process with added rye grains and some heavy rye bread plus a specialty malt or two.

I also re-use a portion of the spent grain and backset each generation and macerate feints in another portion of spent grains. Squeeze em into the next spirit run.

Thanks SOCD for the recipe!
-jonny

On this run - Mash #1 stripped - 12 gallons beer = 4 gallons low wines. Mash #2 AF complete & settling in the brute for one more week. Mash #3 mashed pitched and off to the races. I might strip #2 one day this week.

I harvested and washed about 750ml trub/sediment from Mash#1 and storing in the fridge in a wine bottle. I’ll use this saflager yeasties as a starter for each mash in this run. 9-12 mashes planned.

I reincorporate some spent mash (33%) from the last squeezing back into each new mash at pitch time to drop temp and just for fun too.

I take a day or two to bring the yeasties back out of dormancy and colonizing on a mini-mash that i prepare just for them before pitching into the brute.

First carboy of low wines smells the honey bear !!

Cheers,
-jonny

Hello,

I posted in this thread last year. And I chickened out due to the fear of all grain mash so this year I'm back to try it again. I figure 2 pounds of grain per gallon 42 gallon total wash size. This is my upscaled grain bill for 42 gallons. Please let me know about any corrections or comments.
Thank you.

57 pounds ground corn. 68% corn
8 pounds red wheat malt
7 pounds White wheat malt. 20% wheat
8 pounds pale malt
4 pounds honey malt. 12% barley?
6 handfulls of oyster shells? Too much or not enough.
Is the pale malt and honey malt a barley grain?

Gonna make with 30 gallons boiling water to mash and 12 gallons to water to cool to pitching temps. 85°
Last year went with liquid enzymes had good converions due to a finer grind of corn (almost cornmeal) and grits. Was a good experience. Wasn't a fan of corn whiskey tasted like eating field corn.

Thanks again.

I sipped 2 long drinks last week that I brought home from the last S3 gathering .
SCD's rendering is a mark for any stiller to shoot for .
I'm saving a sealed 'hand grenade' from 2 years back to share with GAflatwoods in early May .

rollmeown wrote:Hello,

I posted in this thread last year. And I chickened out due to the fear of all grain mash so this year I'm back to try it again. I figure 2 pounds of grain per gallon 42 gallon total wash size. This is my upscaled grain bill for 42 gallons. Please let me know about any corrections or comments.
Thank you.

57 pounds ground corn. 68% corn
8 pounds red wheat malt
7 pounds White wheat malt. 20% wheat
8 pounds pale malt
4 pounds honey malt. 12% barley?
6 handfulls of oyster shells? Too much or not enough.
Is the pale malt and honey malt a barley grain?

Gonna make with 30 gallons boiling water to mash and 12 gallons to water to cool to pitching temps. 85°
Last year went with liquid enzymes had good conversions due to a finer grind of corn (almost cornmeal) and grits. Was a good experience. Wasn't a fan of corn whiskey tasted like eating field corn.

Thanks again.

Sorry rollmeown, just came across your question. In case you haven't pulled the trigger yet, you want to observe the optimum temps of each of your grains. Your batch is large and should make a great drop, as long as you follow procedure. Read through this explanation and it'll help with understanding the process.

Yes, the honey and pale malt are from barley. The honey malt loses its enzymes with higher kilning temps, and do not contribute to overall DP.

Don't forget to take an SG and FG of your ferment. Good luck.