Easy Large Batch Mashing

[Sporacle]

Not sure if I’m getting conversion. It was 195 at 6 last night, 182 this morning. Got home around 3 and it was 150, but water was on top and corn was on the bottom. I used the high temp amalaze last night. Stirred it up and got to 145 so I added my malts. Can’t put the low temp in until 110 to 95

Put a hydrometer in it and do a temp correction, or do a iodine test, or simply put your finger in and taste it

[elbono]

Mine has a translucent yellowish layer on top in between stirrings after the AA. It's sweet and gives me a red result with iodine which indicates dextrin. After malts and GA it gives a faint brown result.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

That water was what you were looking for. You should be giving it a good stir a couple times during the long mash, but taste it in an hour or so and I bet it will taste like sugar water. It's water and starch, the solids just settle down during the rest.

[Housemoney]

This was easy! I stirred it this morning to get the temp down to 100 so I could put in the low temp enzyme. Dropped the hydrometer in and had 1.50, wrapped it back up and went to work.
Hopefully pitching yeast when I get home and can get a final SG.

1.060 sg pitched yeast this morning, so I got decent conversion.

[The Booze Pipe]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

[elbono]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

I'm a fan of harbor freight but the pump I think you tried to link doesn't look up to boiling water to me.

Easy enough to figure out set it up and do a few test runs dumping the water on the ground.

I set the boiler on a bench and dump it into the fermenter. Dead easy.

[Deplorable]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

Before I converted to electric, I would boil water in my boiler over a burner, then transfer to a bucket and dump it on the grain. Now, my fermenters are on barrel dollies, and my boiler is elevated on the work bench. I drain straight into the fermenter. Much safer.

[The Booze Pipe]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

Before I converted to electric, I would boil water in my boiler over a burner, then transfer to a bucket and dump it on the grain. Now, my fermenters are on barrel dollies, and my boiler is elevated on the work bench. I drain straight into the fermenter. Much safer.

I’m following you but I want to be able to drain the fermenter straight into the boiler!

[The Booze Pipe]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

I'm a fan of harbor freight but the pump I think you tried to link doesn't look up to boiling water to me.

Easy enough to figure out set it up and do a few test runs dumping the water on the ground.

I set the boiler on a bench and dump it into the fermenter. Dead easy.

The pump is rated for 95F. But ya, trying to avoid the fermenter on the ground.

[jonnys_spirit]

Question about transferring boiling water to fermenter: I set my fermenter on a bench/pedestal I was thinking I would transfer boiling water with a transfer pump instead of trying to pail it or set the fermenter on the ground under the hot water heater spigot. 1/2 hp pump with cast iron body, unsure if the seals will hold up to boiling water. Any other concerns or ideas??
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-hp-cas ... 63316.html

I'm a fan of harbor freight but the pump I think you tried to link doesn't look up to boiling water to me.

Easy enough to figure out set it up and do a few test runs dumping the water on the ground.

I set the boiler on a bench and dump it into the fermenter. Dead easy.

The pump is rated for 95F. But ya, trying to avoid the fermenter on the ground.

I use 55g blue HDPE barrels for AG ferments and put it on a dolly to keep it off the ground and move as needed. 16g Boiler w/drain goes up on a bench to boil the water and empty it into the fermenter.

For emptying the fermenter to strip I'll let the ferment finish and settle a bit before using a vacuum pump to move the clear beer into carboys up on the bench (i don;t have to lift anything), then i'll siphon about 1/2 - 2/3 of a bucket from the carboy (once cleared enough) to then dump into the boiler (for safety, I try hard to not lift carboys). I get about two strips worth of clear ferment before hitting the grain bed and needing to squeeze or top up for next ferment depending on what I'm doing... Along with feints and topping up the spirit charge with fresh ferment that's enough for a good spirit run that yields about 2.5g ~60%abv after cuts:)

Cheers,
jonny

[The Booze Pipe]

I finally got all my new toys, including a 26 gal boiler, 50 gal mash tun I’ll use to ferment in, and a transfer pump rated for 250f so I can keep everything off the ground.

https://brausupply.com/products/brau-brew-pump Got it on sale for half off!

I’m hoping the mash tun will hold the 80 lbs of grain and 40 gallons of water. It’ll be to the brim if it does

Soon as I get over this COVID disease, I’ll get it all cleaned up and ready to go!

[The Booze Pipe]

I am currently stripping my first batch of this, and ya, the flavor is pretty amazing.

[The Booze Pipe]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.

That leaves 32 gallons for water. I know I can shrink the mash down, but the reason for the 40 gallons of wash was a one-and-done approach. It gives me the right amount of low wines for a spirit run. Mostly posting for future reference but if anyone does have feedback let me know

[Deplorable]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.

That leaves 32 gallons for water. I know I can shrink the mash down, but the reason for the 40 gallons of wash was a one-and-done approach. It gives me the right amount of low wines for a spirit run. Mostly posting for future reference but if anyone does have feedback let me know

I routinely mash and ferment 50 pounds of grain and 23 gallons of water in those white 30 gallon HDPE barrels with the red screw on lids, and dont have a problem. I only have about 1.5 to 2 inches of head space, if that helps.

edit to add that if you look at the picture of SCDs 55 gallon drum on page 1 after about 20 hours of rest you can see he has a lot of head space in there with 40 gallons of water and all the grains.

[NorthWoodsAb]

I thought the same mashing 12kg(24ish#) of grains with 60L(15 15.5g) in a 20gal pot. I misjudged saturation. Total volume in my pot was 17.5 gal. Lots ot head space. I'd do a couple more gal water and another kg of grain comfortably in that pot next round.
Just a thought.

[The Booze Pipe]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.

That leaves 32 gallons for water. I know I can shrink the mash down, but the reason for the 40 gallons of wash was a one-and-done approach. It gives me the right amount of low wines for a spirit run. Mostly posting for future reference but if anyone does have feedback let me know

I routinely mash and ferment 50 pounds of grain and 23 gallons of water in those white 30 gallon HDPE barrels with the red screw on lids, and dont have a problem. I only have about 1.5 to 2 inches of head space, if that helps.

edit to add that if you look at the picture of SCDs 55 gallon drum on page 1 after about 20 hours of rest you can see he has a lot of head space in there with 40 gallons of water and all the grains.

Ok wow that’s 8 gallons of grain and 23 gal water for 31 gallons total. I wasn’t taking saturation into consideration.

[Deplorable]

You can always ease into it if you're unsure, and start off with say 70# of grain in 35 gallons of water and see how much room you have left in your 50 gallon pot.

[The Booze Pipe]

Im Looking at doing that. 70# grain is about 14.2 gallons. I have a corn, wheat, rye whiskey planned to mash in tomorrow. I was going to mash the full 80# but I’ll scale it back and see how that goes.

For reference I converted weight of grain to volume-
Medium corn meal: 1 pound= .156 gallon
Medium grind whea: 1 pound= .206 gallon
Flaked rye: 1 pound= .231 gallon

[higgins]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.
...

Your 25 lbs of cornmeal occupies 4 gallons of volume by itself, but when mixed with water it will only take up about 2 gallons of space. Saturated grain takes up about .08 gal per lb of grain. In other words, 1 lb of grain in 1 gallon of water occupies 1.08 gallons of volume.

My last bourbon mash was 25 lbs cornmeal, 8 lbs rye meal, 3 lbs malt which is 36 lbs. I use 1 gallon of water for every 2 lbs of grain, so the volume it displaces is 36 * .08 + 18 (the amt of water I added), or just under 21 gal. I use 30 gal fermenters and there is a good 8-10" of head space on this fermentation. I could go bigger, but I settled on this grain bill because I could buy a 25 lb bag of cornmeal per mash, and a 25 lb bag of rye will make 3 batches. I've always got some malt hanging around (I brew beer, too) so it is a matter of convenience for me.

For the 50 lbs grain & 23 gal water that Deplorable uses the total volume would calculate to be 27 gal (50 * .08 + 23).

[The Booze Pipe]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.
...

Your 25 lbs of cornmeal occupies 4 gallons of volume by itself, but when mixed with water it will only take up about 2 gallons of space. Saturated grain takes up about .08 gal per lb of grain. In other words, 1 lb of grain in 1 gallon of water occupies 1.08 gallons of volume.

My last bourbon mash was 25 lbs cornmeal, 8 lbs rye meal, 3 lbs malt which is 36 lbs. I use 1 gallon of water for every 2 lbs of grain, so the volume it displaces is 36 * .08 + 18 (the amt of water I added), or just under 21 gal. I use 30 gal fermenters and there is a good 8-10" of head space on this fermentation. I could go bigger, but I settled on this grain bill because I could buy a 25 lb bag of cornmeal per mash, and a 25 lb bag of rye will make 3 batches. I've always got some malt hanging around (I brew beer, too) so it is a matter of convenience for me.

For the 50 lbs grain & 23 gal water that Deplorable uses the total volume would calculate to be 27 gal (50 * .08 + 23).

Thanks Higgins,
Looks like 80 pounds of grain and 40 gallons water will be around 46.4 total volume. Always learning in this hobby!that’s why I like it.

[The Booze Pipe]

Just mashed in the corn and rye. Ph is 6.2 and best I could do for the temp is 165f. Hopefully that’s hot enough to let this gel and the alpha amylase work for the next 6-8 hrs.

I’m skipping the Glucoamylase as I am using malted wheat. I know some people use both but I don’t see the point, unless the gluco or malted barely has something the malted wheat doesn’t.

[The Booze Pipe]

So I’m not sure how I under-thought this, but I purchased a 50 gallon stainless steel pot for 40 gallon ferments. But it’s definitely too small! After getting into this, I now realize to ferment on the grain, the grain bed takes about 18 gallons of volume. 25# of medium grind cornmeal is equal to 4 gallons. I’m going to assume any other medium ground grain will equal a similar volume.
...

Your 25 lbs of cornmeal occupies 4 gallons of volume by itself, but when mixed with water it will only take up about 2 gallons of space. Saturated grain takes up about .08 gal per lb of grain. In other words, 1 lb of grain in 1 gallon of water occupies 1.08 gallons of volume.

My last bourbon mash was 25 lbs cornmeal, 8 lbs rye meal, 3 lbs malt which is 36 lbs. I use 1 gallon of water for every 2 lbs of grain, so the volume it displaces is 36 * .08 + 18 (the amt of water I added), or just under 21 gal. I use 30 gal fermenters and there is a good 8-10" of head space on this fermentation. I could go bigger, but I settled on this grain bill because I could buy a 25 lb bag of cornmeal per mash, and a 25 lb bag of rye will make 3 batches. I've always got some malt hanging around (I brew beer, too) so it is a matter of convenience for me.

For the 50 lbs grain & 23 gal water that Deplorable uses the total volume would calculate to be 27 gal (50 * .08 + 23).

Just finished mashing in 80 pounds of grain, and 40 gallons water (50 gallon mashtun) and my final volume is 44 gallons ( according to the etch mark on the mashtun). Gravity is 1.060 I’m not sure why I didn’t hit the 46.4 mark.

[Deplorable]

Thanks for the math higgins.

Booze Pipe, the gluco will help by continuing to converts starches to sugar during fermentation.
I assume you are mashing in the 50 gallon kettle over a flame. How is it that you cant reach temps over 165F?
If I pour 212 degree water into dry corn meal in a poly drum wrapped in reflectix and two wool army blankets it will maintain temperature quite well.
After two additions of grain and boiling water, Once the doughballs are stirred out, my temp is at 180 to 183. I seal it up, and 2 hours later add my HT Amylase dose to the top of the polenta and cover it up. If I do an overnight mash, in the morning my mash is still 170F and thinned out. I think your low OG is due to not holding the temp high enough, for long enough prior to adding in your malts.

[The Booze Pipe]

Thanks for the math higgins.

Booze Pipe, the gluco will help by continuing to converts starches to sugar during fermentation.
I assume you are mashing in the 50 gallon kettle over a flame. How is it that you cant reach temps over 165F?
If I pour 212 degree water into dry corn meal in a poly drum wrapped in reflectix and two wool army blankets it will maintain temperature quite well.
After two additions of grain and boiling water, Once the doughballs are stirred out, my temp is at 180 to 183. I seal it up, and 2 hours later add my HT Amylase dose to the top of the polenta and cover it up. If I do an overnight mash, in the morning my mash is still 170F and thinned out. I think your low OG is due to not holding the temp high enough, for long enough prior to adding in your malts.

I understood that malted grain contains that same gluco? Anyway, I went ahead and added two tablespoons.

I’m using the method stated here, but not the same setup. The 50 gal kettle sits up at counter height, and the water heater is currently on a 12” height pedestal. I’m using a pump to move the boiling water by silicone hose. I did pre-heat and No flame under the kettle.

I had a mishap while brewing, and pushed some cold water into the mash, no idea how much. But I blame that ha. I might move the water boiler closer to the kettle, buts it’s a “change one thing, change another” situation.

I didn’t calculate what my SG. should it have been, 1.070? I’m happy I got 1.060 because I know the more I do the better it will get.

[The Booze Pipe]

Maybe I’m mixing too much? I started the water into the kettle, then my partner slowly added corn as I run the mortar mixer. Are you dumping water and grain, then doing a little bit of mixing?

[Deplorable]

My boiler sits on the work bench. I drain boiling water straight into my drum while I mix in the corn.
I start with about 10 pounds of corn in the bottom of the barrel before I open the drain on the boiler.
I gell my 32 pound of corn in 20 gallons of water.