Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Steam powered cooking and distillation devices.

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yakattack
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Re: Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Post by yakattack »

I don't think I did. When I run my next batch I will get a process thread done. I've been lax with my updates and documents. If I was going to design it again I would do it slightly differentry but I will explain all of that in the thread.

I busted my grain mill yesterday (sheared off the bolt used to drive it. So I have to re drill it out and tap it again or just invest in a better grain mill.
HDNB wrote: The trick here is to learn what leads to a stalled mash....and quit doing that.
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MichiganCornhusker
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Re: Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

yakattack wrote: (sheared off the bolt used to drive it. So I have to re drill it out and tap it again
BTDT. If you thread the bolt most of the way into the mill, and then use a lock nut against the mill shaft, instead of just tightening the drive bolt into the mill, it is much easier to replace the bolt if it breaks. No need to drill or tap then.
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yakattack
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Re: Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Post by yakattack »

Now you tell me .. lol. I'm a carpenter,I should have known that. But at least I should be able to fix it.

I will be getting a different mill soon as I want to hook it up to an electric motor instead of a drill. But this is a cheap one and the shaft isn't true. So before I hook it up to an electric motor I want a decent one.

I currently use my electric controller to control the speed of my drill while grinding the grain. I clamp it in place and let her run.
HDNB wrote: The trick here is to learn what leads to a stalled mash....and quit doing that.
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Re: Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Post by casper the Irish »

I am mashing with flaked grains. The hot rolling has partially converted starches to sugars, so the mash does not need cooked above gel tepreratures.
My Steam is generated in a wallpaper stripper attached to 1/2" copper.
I use several mesh bags and a ceiling hoist. Fermenting on grain.

There are a few special problems I have seen when making 200l 50gal brews

pH
Using a pH meter after mashing I can see the pH fall rapidly a few hours after being left to cool.
It dropped quickly to pH4 by the time temperature was 120°

Next time I will add backset to the dry grain, acid should suppress bacterial acids.
Also, I should chill the mash quickly with a wort chiller.

I would also observe the mash temp shoots up after pitching, even in a cold garage. That wort chiller may be needed for days. By the time fermentation slows enough (after 4 days) for temperature to drop, its time to stop. Any more fermentation is producing complex esters.... good for beer drinkers, bad for stillers
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rgreen2002
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Re: Mashing 100lbs of cracked corn with steam injection

Post by rgreen2002 »

casper the Irish wrote:I am mashing with flaked grains. The hot rolling has partially converted starches to sugars, so the mash does not need cooked above gel tepreratures.
My Steam is generated in a wallpaper stripper attached to 1/2" copper.
I use several mesh bags and a ceiling hoist. Fermenting on grain.

There are a few special problems I have seen when making 200l 50gal brews

pH
Using a pH meter after mashing I can see the pH fall rapidly a few hours after being left to cool.
It dropped quickly to pH4 by the time temperature was 120°

Next time I will add backset to the dry grain, acid should suppress bacterial acids.
Also, I should chill the mash quickly with a wort chiller.

I would also observe the mash temp shoots up after pitching, even in a cold garage. That wort chiller may be needed for days. By the time fermentation slows enough (after 4 days) for temperature to drop, its time to stop. Any more fermentation is producing complex esters.... good for beer drinkers, bad for stillers

So I mash similarly. I steam mash in a bag and then ferment on the grain in the bag: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 92&t=62490 (just got a big tough bag that holds well over 100# too)
I have been making 35-40 gallon mashes at a time most recently as well.... that kicks it up a notch :mrgreen:

If I recall correctly pH will drop a little during mashing and that is normal. pH really starts to drop during the ferment! Adding backset won't help in that way since backset is usually acidic and would cause the pH to drop (albeit maybe not too much since you're already down to 4) Most yeast will ferment just fine in the 4-5 range so I would not be too concerned starting up. You may crash later though.

A good option would be to add a handful of crushed shells to the mash. You can pick them up at almost any feed store and a 5lb bag will last quite a long time. I won't get into the shells possibly having low levels of lead in them since I don't have all the info to make an educated decision there.

Another option shaping up nicely is to use marble slab: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =3&t=64169
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