Wheat and Corn Mash
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- Wino2Distill
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Wheat and Corn Mash
Friends,
I purchased Ian's Smiley's "Making Pure Corn Whiskey" a while back and am ready to do my first batch of whiskey. I have a 50lbs bag of flaked corn and another of malted wheat. I chose wheat instead of barley or rye because I figured I would attempt a wheat vodka with the leftover wheat. Re-reading through Ian's book I am realizing that there is no pure corn and wheat recipe, but it is mentioned. A friend of mine told me that malted wheat doesn't have enough diastatic power to do the starch conversion. Is this true?
Should be noted that I will be mashing with a friend who is fully equipped to brew beer (the pro way) so we should be good equipment wise.
Thanks,
Wino
I purchased Ian's Smiley's "Making Pure Corn Whiskey" a while back and am ready to do my first batch of whiskey. I have a 50lbs bag of flaked corn and another of malted wheat. I chose wheat instead of barley or rye because I figured I would attempt a wheat vodka with the leftover wheat. Re-reading through Ian's book I am realizing that there is no pure corn and wheat recipe, but it is mentioned. A friend of mine told me that malted wheat doesn't have enough diastatic power to do the starch conversion. Is this true?
Should be noted that I will be mashing with a friend who is fully equipped to brew beer (the pro way) so we should be good equipment wise.
Thanks,
Wino
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
wheat malt is 60-90 according to my chart
you need 30, so 1:1 would be the safe bet.
you need 30, so 1:1 would be the safe bet.
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- shadylane
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
No or maybeWino2Distill wrote:A friend of mine told me that malted wheat doesn't have enough diastatic power to do the starch conversion. Is this true?
Depends on malted wheat
- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
It is OiO Canadian Malted Wheat. I found this information:shadylane wrote:No or maybeWino2Distill wrote:A friend of mine told me that malted wheat doesn't have enough diastatic power to do the starch conversion. Is this true?
Depends on malted wheat
Color °L 1.5 - 2.5
Protein Total 12.0 - 13.0
Moisture % Max 4.5
Extract FG Min 80.0
I'm confused by the "Color°L". Something a brewer could clarify for me pretty quickly I think...
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
or dr. google. try this:
http://nomodachi.weebly.com/grains.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://nomodachi.weebly.com/grains.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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- ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Allow me to interject, here. I am a big fan of wheat as the primary conversion malt. Can't remember last time I did one without it . I say it all the time. Wheat malt has more conversion power than even barley! I use it at about 30% of a grain bill, and even that is overcompensating.
http://www.brewunited.com/grain_database.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Nice data base that even list by brand
http://www.brewunited.com/grain_database.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Nice data base that even list by brand
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Thanks for the link SCD that is a much more comprehensive list than mine. nice!
it shows wheat from 50-130 with lots at 130 that makes it a 3:1 cereal to malt if you have the right brand.
that bestmaltz pilsen is crasy shit... it shows 329.
it shows wheat from 50-130 with lots at 130 that makes it a 3:1 cereal to malt if you have the right brand.
that bestmaltz pilsen is crasy shit... it shows 329.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Thanks guys, going to give it a try this weekend. I'm thinking 30/70.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Should I boil a portion of the wheat malt to make the starches more available to the enzyme work (which would be brought by more malt that was not boiled)? Or should I simply mix everything and keep at strike temperature (63C) for the prescribed 90 minutes?
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- still_stirrin
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
According to this gelatinization chart: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 9#p6850398Wino2Distill wrote:Should I boil a portion of the wheat malt to make the starches more available to the enzyme work?...Or should I simply mix everything and keep at strike temperature (63C) for the prescribed 90 minutes?
boiling the malt is not necessary. In fact, it'll do more harm than good.
Mash temperatures are good for both wheat and barley malt.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
So if I understand gelatinization and this chart correctly, all I need to do to get all of the available starch available from my ground malted wheat is bring the mash to about 66C for a certain period of time. Right?
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- MichiganCornhusker
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Beware, as a wise man once said, that chart is Horked! Do not believe it for one second about corn!Wino2Distill wrote:So if I understand gelatinization and this chart correctly, all I need to do to get all of the available starch available from my ground malted wheat is bring the mash to about 66C for a certain period of time. Right?
Otherwise, yes, you are fine just adding wheat, barley, rye, etc. at mash temps without cooking at higher temps.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
My corn is pre-gelatinized so I should be fine.MichiganCornhusker wrote:Beware, as a wise man once said, that chart is Horked! Do not believe it for one second about corn!
Otherwise, yes, you are fine just adding wheat, barley, rye, etc. at mash temps without cooking at higher temps.
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- MichiganCornhusker
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Just a heads up, if you haven't worked with corn before know that the mash will behave much different than a barley mash for beer. The corn will make it much thicker. But corn and wheat will sure make a good whiskey though.Wino2Distill wrote:Should be noted that I will be mashing with a friend who is fully equipped to brew beer (the pro way) so we should be good equipment wise.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
MichiganCornhusker wrote:Just a heads up, if you haven't worked with corn before know that the mash will behave much different than a barley mash for beer. The corn will make it much thicker. But corn and wheat will sure make a good whiskey though.Wino2Distill wrote:Should be noted that I will be mashing with a friend who is fully equipped to brew beer (the pro way) so we should be good equipment wise.
Yup we smashed a 54L damejane this morning while trying to declump the corn cake that had formed in the bottom. Luckily it was inside a leak proof basket so we'll just have to ferment with a bit of broken glass.
Working on batch two and three this afternoon. Wish us luck!
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Only ended up doing batch 2. All wen't well. Ended up with a slightly lower SG than Ian's recipe but I'm thinking wheat simply yields less starch per pound than corn.
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- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
Just to let you know that I reduced the wheat to 30% and got full conversion in less than 1hr. I'm fermenting this batch cooler than the others and so far it smells much more like beer as opposed to funk!
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
But funk is (often) good!
I'm a fan of Smiley's work, though never a faithful practioner. Did you build his still too or go with something different? You say you recently bought it, so I guess 2nd (or later?) edition? There were a lot of differences in distilling protocol between 1st and 2nd, but I think mashing was the same.
I'm a fan of Smiley's work, though never a faithful practioner. Did you build his still too or go with something different? You say you recently bought it, so I guess 2nd (or later?) edition? There were a lot of differences in distilling protocol between 1st and 2nd, but I think mashing was the same.
- Wino2Distill
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Re: Wheat and Corn Mash
No, I purchased the gin reflux still that's on his website. I have the second edition of the book.zapata wrote:But funk is (often) good!
I'm a fan of Smiley's work, though never a faithful practioner. Did you build his still too or go with something different? You say you recently bought it, so I guess 2nd (or later?) edition? There were a lot of differences in distilling protocol between 1st and 2nd, but I think mashing was the same.
Starting out with an Essential Pro Series II - 8 Gal Kettle