Steam bourbon

Steam powered cooking and distillation devices.

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shadylane
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Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

I'm cooking a batch of steam bourbon with corn, oats and wheat that was malted and toasted.
I'll be using SEB enzymes and around 2lb/gallon
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FreeMountainHermit
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by FreeMountainHermit »

Shady, how big is your mash pot in the bottom picture ?

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Brutal
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Brutal »

Cap'n! The pot she's gettin' full!
Steam injection rig http://tinyurl.com/kxmz8hy
All grain corn mash with steam injection and enzymes http://tinyurl.com/mp6zdt5
Inner tube condenser http://tinyurl.com/zkp3ps6
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shadylane
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

FreeMountainHermit wrote:Shady, how big is your mash pot in the bottom picture ?

Thanks, FMH.
15 gallons
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Jimbo »

Hot damn! Lookin great shady
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

Nice rig, cool to see it in action. :thumbup:
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shadylane
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

I won't boor you'll with too many details. Basically I put 150f water and SEB HTL in the pot then stirred in 4 pounds per gallon of grain.
Steam injection was used to heat to and maintain 190f for 1-1/2 hours. The contents of the BOP was transferred to the fermenter that already had some water in it. Dixie cups full of frozen backset are used to adjust the pH for the SEB-GL. Extra water will be used to make 2 pounds per gallon.
The mash never did get very thick, also according to my crappy papers, the original pH was around 6 and after the backset it's around 4.5
Edited the temp was just under 150f when the SEB-GL was added.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

My wort chiller is on lone, so I used frozen backset, ice and cold water to dilute the mash. When I got to 2 pounds per gallon the temp was 128f.
Too many times I've let a mash cool overnight and it's already started fermenting in the morning.
Since I couldn't cool the mash to the perfect pitching temp fast, figured to start pitching yeast early and often, even with the temp still too high.
I sprinkled an once or two of bakers yeast on top and didn't stir it in. 30 minutes later the raft of yeast was Much Bigger and the temp measured just below the surface was still 125. So I sprinkled some more bakers yeast on top, the last time I looked, it's formed a thin yeast cap that's covered the top. In the morning I have a 3 gallon starter to pitch.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

The SG is only 1.042 I was hoping for a better mash effiency. But it's fermenting and smells fine.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Halfbaked »

:clap: Good job Shady. I say success. That make some fine tasting drop with tons of flavor. I know you are taking excellent notes to compare to your second run. Its not possible that you didn't add in how much water came from the steam is it? Great thread Shady! :clap:
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

Either I can't measure or the enzymes are still converting starches.
The OG was 1.042 and after fermenting all day the SG is now 1.045 ?
The measurements were done with a refractometer at 60F
The cap is 4" deep and I just dropped a frozen jug of water in the fermenter because the temp is 97F
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by yakattack »

The liquid enzimes continue to convert during the ferment. Don't be surprised to see a few percent more than you expected.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Brutal »

Interesting. I still think the enzymes could be used to our advantage in an intentionally hastily done inefficient mash. Say you mash in 2.5lb/gal and then only let it rest at 150 for maybe 30 minutes. Chill down and pitch yeast and the SG will be low but be fed constantly by enzymatic activity. I think you could get a mash higher than the recommended 6-7% with no ill effects this way. I don't think you could get it much higher, maybe up to 10-12%. Probably only useful for those of us that don't get to brew very often. Brutal's babbling on again. Party on folks.
Steam injection rig http://tinyurl.com/kxmz8hy
All grain corn mash with steam injection and enzymes http://tinyurl.com/mp6zdt5
Inner tube condenser http://tinyurl.com/zkp3ps6
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by woodshed »

190f is a tad high for HTL to work at it's most efficient. 180 is optimal.
Holding the malted grains at that temp denatured their enzymes.
You would be better served adding the malted grains at the same time you add the GL.

Nice rig you got there and what sounds like a great drop bubbling away.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

I should have cooked the corn and used HTL on the heat up to keep the mash from getting thick.
Then cooled it back down to 180ish and added HTL again.
About the "Holding the malted grains at that temp denatured their enzymes"
The wheat had been malted and dried properly, the next step was to be kilning.
Instead it became something like a honey roast. So I didn't have to worry about denaturing it's enzymes while mashing.
I'd already screwed up and done that while trying to kiln it.

On a side note, I've been think the same thing that Brutal's babbling about.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

Brutal wrote:Interesting. I still think the enzymes could be used to our advantage in an intentionally hastily done inefficient mash. Say you mash in 2.5lb/gal and then only let it rest at 150 for maybe 30 minutes. Chill down and pitch yeast and the SG will be low but be fed constantly by enzymatic activity. I think you could get a mash higher than the recommended 6-7% with no ill effects this way. I don't think you could get it much higher, maybe up to 10-12%. Probably only useful for those of us that don't get to brew very often. Brutal's babbling on again. Party on folks.
I'm not sure we have to intentionally try do a slow conversion with the gluco. From what I'm reading, that's the way it works.
""Saccharification time (typically 24 – 96 hours)""
It appears to be slow, steady and has a pH range wider than a ferment and a optimum temp range at the top of fermentation temps.
In other words it's nibbling away at dextrin's and feeding the yeast simple sugar while the fermentation is going on.
https://enzymash.biz/download/sebamylgl.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Swedish Pride »

shadylane wrote:Either I can't measure or the enzymes are still converting starches.
Shady I think you are bang on the money there, I had the same with my URRV, same gravity after two days of fermenting as I had when I pitched the yeast
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by HDNB »

cool beans shady. love the steam unit...you are fermenting on the grain then?

I have been using malts and enzymes the same way for my enzyme sourmash whiskey, it has been a great success...other than i keep losing the sourmash to lacto on/by the 3 gen. I have been getting better than expected conversions even though i'm off the grain. getting finishes under 1 tho... :ebiggrin:
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

The caps fallen. It's still fermenting, just not as crazy as it was. The SG is down to 1.015
I've got the steam rig set up and I'm doing a sacrificial run with some nasty old feints.
Yes I'm fermenting and distilling on the grain. Wish me luck.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

Is this from the wheat thread where you tried to malt in the husk? Sort of a crystal malt wheat? Can't wait to hear how you think that contributes to flavor of final spirit.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

Yes that's where the wheat came from. The stuff tasted good enough to steep in hot water and eat.
There was barely enough enzymes left to make it slightly sweet.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

An update on the steam bourbon. It's in the jugs setting on oak.
I learned a couple of things. The ferment went like crazy until 1.015, the cap fell and appeared to stall?
The temp was 85ish. pH 4ish and the refractometer said 1.015 for a couple of days.
The mash started clearing, so I tested it with the hydrometer 1.000
Stripped it with steam and spirit ran in the pot still.
I learn something new, the hydrometer and refractometer agreed about how much sugar was present in the beginning.
Once the yeast started on the sugar and began pissing alcohol only the hydrometer was usable.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

I think I've seen Jimbo mention that the refrac doesn't read correctly once alcohol is in the mix.
I think there is a conversion calculator he recommends to correct the reading on another website.

Searched "jimbo horked refractometer"
http://onebeer.net/refractometer.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =2&t=56610
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

Thanks.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

shadylane wrote:so I tested it with the hydrometer 1.000
Nice to see a low FG.
I was wondering if the kilning process would have developed some caramelized or crystalized unfermentables.
Looks like not so much.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Brutal »

Same happened to me. I've not taken the time to learn about my refractometer yet. I just put it down. I'll come back to it one day.
Steam injection rig http://tinyurl.com/kxmz8hy
All grain corn mash with steam injection and enzymes http://tinyurl.com/mp6zdt5
Inner tube condenser http://tinyurl.com/zkp3ps6
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by Jimbo »

MichiganCornhusker wrote:I think I've seen Jimbo mention that the refrac doesn't read correctly once alcohol is in the mix.
I think there is a conversion calculator he recommends to correct the reading on another website.

Searched "jimbo horked refractometer"
http://onebeer.net/refractometer.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =2&t=56610
Ya that calculator is great. Gives ABV and FG. Another cool trick is it allows you to figure out your SG if you forgot to measure it, like I did this year with my cider (what, you press 800 lbs of apples and tell me you dont forget shit) If you use both refrac and hydrometer you can use the calculator to work backwards and give you your SG.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by CR33G3R »

Looks good Shady. Reading about all these steam rigs you guys are building is giving me the bug to build something.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

MichiganCornhusker wrote:
shadylane wrote:so I tested it with the hydrometer 1.000
Nice to see a low FG.
I was wondering if the kilning process would have developed some caramelized or crystalized unfermentables.
Looks like not so much.
I was expecting a high FG. That's why I wasn't surprised when the cap fell at 1.015
I was hoping, given some more time it would drop a little more.
What I didn't realize, was my measurement was off and the FG was much lower.
I need to make a couple more runs of steam bourbon and take better measurements.
The basic process works, the equipment and protocol needs work.
I need to learn more.
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Re: Steam bourbon

Post by shadylane »

I'm sitting here "sampling" a small glass of steam bourbon.
It's not too bad, there's a definite taste from the grains, from the beginning to the after taste.
Enough time will mellow that out. Even at 55abv and less than 2 weeks there's not much burn.
Figure to give this batch to my only teetotaler sister for long term storage.
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