Newbie from Michigan

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Hunter7922
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Newbie from Michigan

Post by Hunter7922 »

Hi guys,
I’m really a newbie! I just finished ordering the last items that I’m going to need to put together my Still. So, in the mean time I have been doing a lot of investigating on processes, rule, standards, and recipes.
I read How to Make UJSSM for Newbies - by StogieFarts and thought it was very informative. I also think Claw hammer supply was a great web site for info and videos but the one question that I have that I haven’t seen yet is why am I seeing some corn mash recipes with using HT and other are not for the fermenting? What is the difference!
Thanks for the info.
And
Shine on!
Ron
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Still Life
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by Still Life »

Hello.
You hit the right place for home distilling.

Not sure what HT is ... high temperature?

Some recipes like UJSSM the corn is there just for flavor, not for high temperature starch conversion.
If granular sugar is part of the recipe, you (usually) won't see the corn being cooked.

Welcome!
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BlackStrap
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by BlackStrap »

Hello, and welcome Hunter7922 :wave:

This is a great place for answering questions for those starting out...May I suggest you read, a good place to start is the Parent site http://homedistiller.org/ and rules this forum follows http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =35&t=5090 for starters.

I personally enjoy the Clawhammer Supply videos, all of them... and copper is pretty
Hunter7922 wrote:I also think Claw hammer supply was a great web site for info and videos but the one question that I have that I haven’t seen yet is why am I seeing some corn mash recipes with using HT and other are not for the fermenting?
I'm drawing a blank on what you mean by HT? (I know it will hit me after you explain it, sorry.)

BlackStrap
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Hunter7922
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by Hunter7922 »

thanks all
Sorry about that. "HT" heat treat or I guess I should have said heat source.

Ron
Hunter7922
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by Hunter7922 »

ok, so I think I got it.

"If granular sugar is part of the recipe, you (usually) won't see the corn being cooked."

no sugar you would want the natural sugars to be pulled by cooking.

thnaks
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BlackStrap
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by BlackStrap »

Your getting there Hunter7922...

Cooking helps break down the corn, to release starches, those starches need turned into sugar.
Some will use a barley malt, others will use Alpha and Beta enzymes for this conversion. There are details in the forum. for an example here is a quote from still_stirrin
In a brewer’s mash we are concerned with the activity of two main enzymes, alpha and beta amylase.

Alpha amylase is the enzyme responsible for breaking large, complex, insoluble starch molecules into smaller, soluble molecules. It is stable in hot, watery mashes and will convert starch to soluble sugars in a temperature range from 145° to 158° F. It requires calcium as a co-factor.

Beta amylase is the other mash enzyme capable of degrading starch. Through its action, it is the enzyme largely responsible for creating large amounts of fermentable sugar. It breaks starch down systematically to produce maltose. Beta amylase is active between 131° and 149° F. But like all enzymes, its activity reaches a peak, declines, and then drops precipitously as temperature increases. The rate is also dependent on the amount of enzyme present. It takes time for all of the enzyme to be destroyed, but what is still intact works very quickly. So as the mash temperature approaches 149° F, beta amylase is operating at its fastest rate but it is also being denatured.

This may seem trivial, but at these higher temperatures the denaturation is so rapid that the enzyme is mostly gone in less than 5 minutes. Also, in a homebrewer’s mash tun, where the grain may be poured into very hot water, the exposure to very high heat for the few seconds before the mixture becomes homogenous may work to destroy the fragile enzymes. This means that, in a practical sense, the manipulation of beta amylase activity can be utilized to control the fermentability of the wort. If the mash is allowed to “stand” at a temperature that favors the action of beta amylase, then a greater proportion of the sugars extracted from the malt will be maltose and hence the wort will prove more fermentable.

In commercial brewers' experience, it was found that changing the mash temperature from 149° to 156° F raised the beer’s terminal gravity from 1.008 to 1.014. This is a significant difference.
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BlackStrap
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by BlackStrap »

Most newbies are encouraged to make a few UJSSM (Uncle Jesse's Simple Sweet Mash) it's easy to prepare, doesn't require cooking, although recommended that you use warm water to help dissolve the sugar... It's basically a sugar mash with corn flavoring, but great to learn on.
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Hunter7922
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by Hunter7922 »

Newbie question on hydrometer gravity reading.
ok, well I've read a lot of New distiller reading Lounge and I think I'm defiantly getting there.

I have done about 90% of the cleaning and will run the ethanol cleaning this week end, but in the mean time I though that since Uncle Jesse's corn mash takes about a week to ferment I would start it now and finish my still cleaning and test runs.

So the Mash I made was 9 lbs cracked corn (bird seed - no preservatives), 8 lbs cane sugar, 5 gal water (2.5 gal I heated up to 180 deg to dissolve the sugar). I then waited until temp was 104 and before I added Red Star dry active yeast I took my Gravity reading.

My Hydrometer did not sink at all, why?
Temp was to high, to much sugar to corn, not enough water....

Any help would be great.

Thanks
DSM Loki
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Re: Newbie from Michigan

Post by DSM Loki »

Just saw your other thread. In any case, Welcome from another michigander.
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