uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

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BDF
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by BDF »

BDF wrote:Stripped my first gen today, also my first non-cleaning/non-sac run on my new still, got ~2 gallons of low wines from ~6/7 gal. Collected until output read nearly 5 proof. Started up my second gen with the backset, and this time with the amount of sugar listed in the first post, and a scoop of corn to replace what was removed.

Can't wait to have enough to do a spirit run.

Edit: Checked it this morning and holy hell, it's taken off like nothing I've seen. Like 3-4 bubbles a second out the air lock.
Bubble activity has basically stopped, so I checked the SG. Measuring 0.995 with a temp of 68°F (exactly my hydrometer's calibration temp). Has the right smell, doesn't get sticky when dry.

Is it really possible that this can ferment dry in 4 and half days?! I wanna run it again, is there anything else I should check? It seems too good to be true.

Edit: Ran it, and next gen is bubbling away.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by DBCFlash »

Started a new UJSSM, this time with EC 1118 instead of Fleischmans Yeast. Took a few hours more to get started but now it's bubbling away. I ran the last one through 6 generations and I have high hopes for this one as well.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by rob3rd »

I used UJSSM recipe extensively last season and found it to be very simple and effective. I really don't see any need to clarify it beyond what it says in words. Pictures or video may help some users, but that's really dependent on how an individual likes to receive information or instruction. I agree that it's a great way to initiate a novice into the art/science of creating spirits. RR
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

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DBCFlash wrote:Started a new UJSSM, this time with EC 1118 instead of Fleischmans Yeast. Took a few hours more to get started but now it's bubbling away. I ran the last one through 6 generations and I have high hopes for this one as well.
First generation and I really like the difference the EC 1118 makes in the nose. There's been a slight, sweet aroma to everything I've fermented using Fleischmans bread yeast. It's very subtle, but I smell it in everything. The UJSSM I just made after using Champagne yeast is missing that smell. Much cleaner taste. I like it better, I think. I'll run a few more generations and report back.

Ed. Second generation took right off. Pleased :ebiggrin:
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by WTD »

Pikey wrote:
bentstick wrote:He has one! And taste is subjective! Tomatoe tomato
He also seems to have :

" a 2" Hybrid pot/reflux still."

my bad, not on here often enough to change signature part of my posts but have now. i have a 4" bubbler and a glass thumper almost finished. ill try an inline thumper run when i finish it but atm its going well on 3 plates. slow run through hearts, maybe 1.5-2.5l hour then if i have feints also ill run harder around 2.5-3.5l/h on 3 plates. seems to work so far but i have only done 3 runs this way with the UJ and 2 cans of LME. last run was gen 6. gen 7 is bubbling away with loads of corn and barley in, no more LME now, saving money to do AG and other bits and pieces. AG is round the corner i feel :ebiggrin:
Working on my 7th still, a 6" on a big boiler with a lot of gas power
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Q

Post by SpiritAnimal »

Qqqqqqqq
Last edited by SpiritAnimal on Sun May 28, 2017 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by SpiritAnimal »

So my mistake with this was I didn't think it through. I wanted to try this and have some experience. My goal is always cut down the work. So I used backset for the first mash. Everything went well. Mash was 28 gal. Pulled out everything I could. And here's my mistake. I didn't measure what I took out. Didn't think to... So I had water boiled with a lil corn soaking and cooling put a lil suger in there too. I counted that water based on 1st mash recipe - backset I used. I had a full run charged ran that wile water and corn cooled. When the time was right I pulled the rest of my wash out and scooped some grain then put cool water in. It was to much. FERMENTERS was near full. And I still had to get the sugar and back set in. Obviously I realize that the problem always is and always will be getting all the juice out of the grain. So now I have a almost full fermenter with a low SG. Think boy think. So I mix my backset with the suger is concentrated as I can get it. Hopefully the sugar inverted doing that. I don't know never tried. Assume I would need more heat. Anyway.. I do that second strip. Wile surprised backset cools. End up getting g almost 4 gal out of the total. My beging SG was 1.072 ant 24 gal. Prolly got out 15 gal or so. Got the SG down to 0. I set my ph and used all my tricks. Taste great. Think I'm gana save till this goofy batch is done. Ok back to what to do now. Think boy think. Anyone figure out what I did¿ maybe I did goo maybe not... Time will tell. Lettin this one run oh naturale. Meaning I didn't test anything after my best fix.
So I have a mostly full fermenter that I want to use. Some water and corn and suger. I had stopped once I saw the problem... Backset with 20 pounds of suger in it. Which I combined.

So I siphoned off the fermenter into another fermenter. Added my suger backset just the liquid. Put the grain in the 2nd fermenter I just have to start out of necessity. Will see what will happen. I'll prolly top off the 2nd one with some kind of experiment. It will work out.

Moral of the story is Count what you take out. Don't rely on the recipe and what you put in because you're having a brain fart. Just put back what you took out because you will never get everything off the grain.

I tried to be as clean as possible during all this. I think I have some happy yeast tho.

Anyone use those Bird calcium things people put in bird cages to stabilize pH. I've been thinking of trying one of those.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Pikey »

CAlm down SpiritA, you'll do fine:

Firstly - I suspect your SG was 1.01 not 1.1 :wink:
Second maximum sugar you should be using is around 1.75 lb in a gallon (US) of addition (you might get away with 2 lb - but it will take a longer time to ferment out).
Third - It's good to "invert" your sugar, but not essential - just granular sugar tipped in there will sort itself out - may take a while longer - but don't stress - your yeast will do it !
atb

p

[Edit - UJSSSM - is called a "sour mash" - because it likes to be - Well "Sour" - Ph stabilisation ? - stop stressing about it :ewink: ]
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by The Baker »

Hi, Spirit Animal,

You said, "Anyone use those Bird calcium things people put in bird cages to stabilize pH. I've been thinking of trying one of those."

Get the shell intended for chooks (okay, for most people, domestic fowls).

It should be hugely cheaper and some of the 'little bird' products are stuck together with glue or something (dunno what but it might not be good).

Geoff
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by SpiritAnimal »

Yeah that's what I figured. Thanks.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by SpiritAnimal »

Yeah that's what I figured. Thanks Geoff.

Yeah sry about the typos. I'll get better. I'm just getting my feet wet. Not really stressing. I'm just a info junkie.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by NZChris »

SpiritAnimal wrote:Anyone use those Bird calcium things people put in bird cages to stabilize pH. I've been thinking of trying one of those.
If you mean cuttlebone, cuttlefish bone, the only reason I don't use them is because they don't get washed up on my local beach. They are mostly calcium carbonate, so they should work well.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Stillernz »

Bubble bubble my first UJImageImageImageImage

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by WTD »

Stillernz wrote:Bubble bubble my first UJImageImageImageImage

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
i have the same fermenter with the same uj wash going.

nice :thumbup:
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by brokenlightbulb »

This recipe is officially my favorite. Im running gen 2 and the hearts are coming out so smooth with a nice slightly sweet corny flavor. I did a little finger dip test on the stuff I saved on the gen 1 strip too and it was surprisingly smooth with a ton of corn flavor even though it's filled with heads and tails.

Plan is to run about 4 gens as quick strip runs and save everything minus foreshots as feints. Then I think I'm going mix them back into the pot up to about 25-30% on gen 5 and 6. Those I'll do spirit runs on. Looking forward to the final product.

My only concern is keeping my ferments going. I was down to about 3 pH after my first gen so I ended up adding baking soda to get it up to around 6 on gen 2. I know acidic is preferred but every time I ferment I end up with a pH crash so I'm playing it conservatively and starting the batch only slighty acidic. Started bubbling immediately at 6 pH so the starting pH wont be an issue. Hopefully I dont build up too many salts in the process though.

Thanks for the recipe UJ!
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Pikey »

If you kept a small jar of each generation, and a small portion of "hearts" from your next strips, I'd be very interested to hear how they taste in comparison to your spirit run :)
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by NZChris »

brokenlightbulb wrote:My only concern is keeping my ferments going. I was down to about 3 pH after my first gen so I ended up adding baking soda to get it up to around 6 on gen 2. I know acidic is preferred but every time I ferment I end up with a pH crash so I'm playing it conservatively and starting the batch only slighty acidic. Started bubbling immediately at 6 pH so the starting pH wont be an issue. Hopefully I dont build up too many salts in the process though.
I use a few large whole shells in mine, weighing them before and after the ferment and keeping records of the pH so that I can adjust the amount used next time. By putting them in at the start, they act as a buffer, preventing the pH crash. As long as the ferment remains active and you don't put stupid amounts in, they shouldn't push the pH too high.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by brokenlightbulb »

Stripped my 3rd generation and, me being the novice I am, ran out storage vessels haha. So that means the next run is going to be a spirit run to free up some space :D
. Each strip was off about 3 gallons so I ended up with about 2 gallons of 45% when all was said and done. I mixed the 2 gallons of 45% with 1 gallon of backset and I'm letting it sit for a week until I have some time to run it. Calculation said 30% on the mix and the hydrometer agreed with it. Looking forward to testing the finished product.

I'm doing a little experiment as well since I can only do one run a week. Normally I would start the next generation immediately but I want to see if I can stall it for a week while I do a spirit run. I added 1 gallon of backset back to my 5 gallon wash/mash bucket which was already filled with about 1.5 gallon of mash/wash. I then topped it off to about the 4-4.5 gallon mark with water. I'm going to see if I can let this sit for a week before adding any sugar and more water back to it to start up another generation. I'll report back on how it works out.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Aussiedownunder01 »

Interesting I had a 6 jen uj stall
200 litres, 15 litres backset 32 kg sugar
Stalled at ph 3.5 sg reading 030
Tried a yeast bomb ec1118 dident work
Then tried vit b tablets dident work
finally a handful of shell grit through the grinder been going of its head for 10 days
Looking like its almost done :clap:
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Blarney Stoned »

Day three of my UJSSM that I followed to the letter in UJs opening comment of this thread. Only deviation was the addition of Pugi's Yeast Bomb to the fermenter. I'm using an open top fermenter in my chest type freezer that is used as a temp controlled fermentation chamber and took a quick peek inside a few minutes ago. WOW. Things are rocking and rollin' in there. Observing strictly from an activity standpoint it's definitely the most active ferment I've done in many years. Thumbs up !!!
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by brokenlightbulb »

brokenlightbulb wrote:Stripped my 3rd generation and, me being the novice I am, ran out storage vessels haha. So that means the next run is going to be a spirit run to free up some space :D
. Each strip was off about 3 gallons so I ended up with about 2 gallons of 45% when all was said and done. I mixed the 2 gallons of 45% with 1 gallon of backset and I'm letting it sit for a week until I have some time to run it. Calculation said 30% on the mix and the hydrometer agreed with it. Looking forward to testing the finished product.

I'm doing a little experiment as well since I can only do one run a week. Normally I would start the next generation immediately but I want to see if I can stall it for a week while I do a spirit run. I added 1 gallon of backset back to my 5 gallon wash/mash bucket which was already filled with about 1.5 gallon of mash/wash. I then topped it off to about the 4-4.5 gallon mark with water. I'm going to see if I can let this sit for a week before adding any sugar and more water back to it to start up another generation. I'll report back on how it works out.
Spirit run came out awesome. Collected half a gallon of hearts from about 78% down to around 70/69%. Still quite a good amount of flavor to it and while it does pack a serious punch at that abv, it's much less than I would expect which is a good thing.

My experiment was also successful :thumbup: . Next batch started up a week later with no problems as soon as I got some sugar in the mix. Now it's on to a few more strips so I can do another spirit.

I'd also like to say I actually enjoy the smell of this recipe in both the wash and the backset.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by NZChris »

brokenlightbulb wrote:Spirit run came out awesome. Collected half a gallon of hearts from about 78% down to around 70/69%. Still quite a good amount of flavor to it and while it does pack a serious punch at that abv, it's much less than I would expect which is a good thing.
I hope you realise that there are serious health risks from drinking spirits at those abv's. Anything that does cell damage is a cancer risk, and drinking high abv liquor does damage cells in your mouth and oesophagus.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by brokenlightbulb »

Yeah forgot to clarify I'm not actually drinking at that proof. Diluted about 50/50 with water first during cuts which still has some nice warmth to it.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Blarney Stoned »

Blarney Stoned wrote:Day three of my UJSSM that I followed to the letter in UJs opening comment of this thread. Only deviation was the addition of Pugi's Yeast Bomb to the fermenter.
Late addition to the above post. Day 4 and the vigorous activity stopped as though it had brakes. Dropped my hydrometer into the wash and,.... .090 ! :)

I've always proofed my yeast in the past but first timer with the Pugi yeast bomb. Is the sudden stop as well as swift fermentation typical of using a PYB ?

Thanks, BS.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Tito »

BDF wrote:
BDF wrote:Stripped my first gen today, also my first non-cleaning/non-sac run on my new still, got ~2 gallons of low wines from ~6/7 gal. Collected until output read nearly 5 proof. Started up my second gen with the backset, and this time with the amount of sugar listed in the first post, and a scoop of corn to replace what was removed.

Can't wait to have enough to do a spirit run.

Edit: Checked it this morning and holy hell, it's taken off like nothing I've seen. Like 3-4 bubbles a second out the air lock.
Bubble activity has basically stopped, so I checked the SG. Measuring 0.995 with a temp of 68°F (exactly my hydrometer's calibration temp). Has the right smell, doesn't get sticky when dry.

Is it really possible that this can ferment dry in 4 and half days?! I wanna run it again, is there anything else I should check? It seems too good to be true.

Edit: Ran it, and next gen is bubbling away.
My 5th gen finished dry in 24hrs. SG was 1.050...previous gens took about 3-4 days
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by BDF »

Tito wrote:
BDF wrote:Bubble activity has basically stopped, so I checked the SG. Measuring 0.995 with a temp of 68°F (exactly my hydrometer's calibration temp). Has the right smell, doesn't get sticky when dry.

Is it really possible that this can ferment dry in 4 and half days?! I wanna run it again, is there anything else I should check? It seems too good to be true.

Edit: Ran it, and next gen is bubbling away.
My 5th gen finished dry in 24hrs. SG was 1.050...previous gens took about 3-4 days
Yeah, this was my first experience giving new food to already large and healthy yeast population. Was really taken aback by it, but each of my following generations finished just as fast if not faster.
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Uncle Jesse »

BDF wrote:
Tito wrote:
BDF wrote:Bubble activity has basically stopped, so I checked the SG. Measuring 0.995 with a temp of 68°F (exactly my hydrometer's calibration temp). Has the right smell, doesn't get sticky when dry.

Is it really possible that this can ferment dry in 4 and half days?! I wanna run it again, is there anything else I should check? It seems too good to be true.

Edit: Ran it, and next gen is bubbling away.
My 5th gen finished dry in 24hrs. SG was 1.050...previous gens took about 3-4 days
Yeah, this was my first experience giving new food to already large and healthy yeast population. Was really taken aback by it, but each of my following generations finished just as fast if not faster.
Just watch your pH levels!
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Uncle Jesse »

Whoever modified my recipe to change "flavor" to "flavour"... it's spelled "flavor"!

:wave:
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Aussiedownunder01 »

NZChris wrote:
brokenlightbulb wrote:My only concern is keeping my ferments going. I was down to about 3 pH after my first gen so I ended up adding baking soda to get it up to around 6 on gen 2. I know acidic is preferred but every time I ferment I end up with a pH crash so I'm playing it conservatively and starting the batch only slighty acidic. Started bubbling immediately at 6 pH so the starting pH wont be an issue. Hopefully I dont build up too many salts in the process though.
I use a few large whole shells in mine, weighing them before and after the ferment and keeping records of the pH so that I can adjust the amount used next time. By putting them in at the start, they act as a buffer, preventing the pH crash. As long as the ferment remains active and you don't put stupid amounts in, they shouldn't push the pH too high.
Shells will 0nly push the to 7 then they taper off
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Re: uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Uncle Jesse wrote:Whoever modified my recipe to change "flavor" to "flavour"... it's spelled "flavor"!
:wave:
That U.J. depends on what part of the world you live in.
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