All Bran Recipe

[waylyn]

Fair enough I will up it on the next run

[mtblackdog]

Getting ready to run a batch of raisin bran, and was gonna add a 12 oz jar of Grandmas Molasses, how much of my 10 pounds of sugar to 5 gallons of water should I subtract by adding the molasses? Im thinking 2 pounds?

[RiskyWhiskey]

Just ran my first batch of All Bran using the recipe on page 5 of this thread scaled up to a 25L wash. I substituted WalMart brand Bran Flakes (100% in the vitamins and minerals category, just like All Bran or Total cereals). My wash fermented dry in 72 hours. I used Miracle Gro Tomato fertilizer, but have since understood that ferts with urea-based nitrogen aren't good for distilling. I found a replacement at Lowe's called Better-Gro Orchid Plus that's 20-14-13 and no urea.

Since this was my first run, I pot stilled and collected in 200ml batches. Collected a total of 3.2L ranging from 80% in foreshots/heads down to about 30% in tails. I'm about to head out to start trying to make cuts on these fractions, pitching the first 200ml collected as fores.

[waylyn]

Just ran my 56ltr batch in pot mode, after I threw just over 450 ml of nasties I collected the first 3lts and averaged out at 65abv the next 3 ltrs averaged out @ 58 then the next 1.5 liters averaged out @ 48abv and the next 1.5 liters 45abv then finally I collected 1150mls @ 39 abv the next 200 ml started to become oily but still collected a further 1.5 liters inc the 200ml oily @ 38 abv. My question is Im need to add a clean AllBran neutral to my gin to dilute down to 43% but whenever I get nar that abv I collect oils this is in pot mode, any idaes for the best way to reduce voume without adding water but still have a quality product

[Odin]

Take narrow cuts, add quality water!



Odin.

[waylyn]

Would tap water do it if it was put through a brita filter, or just buy some mineral water?

[Odin]

I used to distill water, but somehow found that a lot of work. Since then, I bought a Brita filter and it works magically! Brita filtered water would be perfect!

Odin.

[waylyn]

Thanks again

[drpotoroo]

Thanks for the tips on getting my brew up to pace. In the end I just rehydrated some yeast and added on top (hadn't read rad's suggestion of a starter at that point) and gave it all a vigorous stir. The pace picked back up but it is still going to be a long wait. I recently ran a batch I made up the recipe for myself (before I found the tried and true recipes) that stopped after a month without completely fermenting all the sugars. It finished at 7% and the spirits I got out of it still tasted very clean. I threw the backset back on the yeast and it's fermenting away again. So I'm not going to worry myself about this one taking a while.

[drpotoroo]

So my brew finished with an SG of 0.998 from a starting 1.101 just shy of one month after I started. I was impatient and distilled my 16 litres of wash in four batches without letting it fully clear first. Doesn't seem to have been a problem. I've triple-distilled it in my Still Spirits Air Still. I got 4.5 litres of 40% spirit before taking cuts in the third run. I haven't quite run the whole lot yet, but it looks like I'll get 3.4 litres good to drink and around 1 litre of feints.

For any other Aussies out there, I substituted weetbix for the all bran in equal quantities. Seems to have worked well. I had a slower, but complete, ferment, and I didn't use any epsom salts, DAP or 20-20-20.

[Viocot]

Waiting on my third batch of this recipe. First 2 were 1 gallon batches and the third I scaled to 4 gallons. I pretty much went by the recipe on the 1st page. Trying to read this whole thread..... currently on page 47. The first 2 batches worked great, and fermented and cleared within a week. I didn't boil the cereal for the first 2 but tried it on the third. I also reduced the amount of yeast in the 4 gallon since I'm in no rush and if I'm correct the amount is just to speed up fermentation. I only used 3 packets. It's been bubbling for 2 weeks now and only has a gravity of 1.024. The S.G. was 1.058(think I messed up the sugar/water ratio). Seems to be really slow but I am in no hurry. What has me a bit concerned is when I checked the gravity yesterday it kinda had the consistency of snot. I'm kinda hoping this is just the gooey cereal slop I poured into the wash being suspended by the fermenting yeast. Otherwise the look, smell and taste seem fine. So just a few questions.

1. Is a slimy consistency normal mid-fermentation?
2. Is it ok for it to take 3 weeks to ferment?
3. Could the cereal have lowered my S.G. since I boiled it or did I just most likely mess up the ratio?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Rad for this simple and tasty recipe(that I somehow messed up lol). So much for idiot-proof.... I pot stilled the 1st 2 batches stripping and spirit runs. Tasted great with a touch of wheat flavor.

[rad14701]

Viocot, I'm a bit concerned about the snot consistency of your wash... You didn't mention the wash temperature so I'll assume it to be in proper range... I prefer to use ample yeast so as to help eliminate the possibility of infection as well as to hasten fermentation...