Search found 143 matches

by PoppaW
Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:43 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Plate stills
Replies: 19
Views: 945

Plate stills

A few questions on plate stills. I searched and found lots on everything else but what I want to know. So my questions are Can you put your wash in the boiler and do a one and done run with 6 plates.? Or more or less? If it’s best to strip how do you do that with plates? I’m pretty comfortable with ...
by PoppaW
Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:46 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Cuts and blending, not just a one-shot deal
Replies: 34
Views: 1279

Re: Cuts and blending, not just a one-shot deal

So now I want a barrel to add all the close but not great jars to. Wait till it’s full many years from now and wait some more. See what happens from all the different jars. Maybe work maybe not.
by PoppaW
Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:30 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Vodka scotch
Replies: 1
Views: 224

Vodka scotch

Well my wife uses a lot of vodka for tinctures and extracts. So she says ‘can you make vodka? Well yes honey I can. So I make barley mashes till I run out of barley. Strip them till I have a 60% volume fill on the Spirit run. Swap the pot still for the reflux and set it up to run slow. My reflux goe...
by PoppaW
Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:54 pm
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Alder smoked barley malt
Replies: 18
Views: 2338

Re: Alder smoked barley malt

You are correct. Was calling it alder here at the house because nobody knows what beechwood is. It was absolutely beechwood smoked grain. Regardless of name it’s a tasty drop. I might try the same recipe with peated barley. I enjoy the slight rye addition.
by PoppaW
Sun Oct 17, 2021 7:04 pm
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Alder smoked barley malt
Replies: 18
Views: 2338

Re: Alder smoked barley malt

Well almost a year has gone by and I blended down the alder smoked whisky. Very nice. Some smoke comes through. I have enjoyed it and some friends have as well. I think this is one of my best yet thanks for the recipe ideas.
by PoppaW
Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:13 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Got some molasses
Replies: 10
Views: 618

Re: Got some molasses

. I have no issue making regular rum again but figured I would see what people think. Have you ever heard of a commercial Rum that has Bannanas or Honey in the wash? Can it really be called Rum with that conglomeration of ingredients. I have never and that is a good point. I will make the same stuf...
by PoppaW
Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:41 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Got some molasses
Replies: 10
Views: 618

Re: Got some molasses

Actually that’s the rum I made. Saved some dunder too. Good stuff
by PoppaW
Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:40 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Got some molasses
Replies: 10
Views: 618

Re: Got some molasses

I did a small rum batch and it turned out real well. Very smooth and tasty. I have access to honey and bananas so figured I would ask if it’s ‘better’. I have no issue making regular rum again but figured I would see what people think.
by PoppaW
Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:34 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Got some molasses
Replies: 10
Views: 618

Got some molasses

So what’s best to make? Banana? Honey? I have both. Or both together. My buddy who likes rum said coconut but not sure how to do that
by PoppaW
Fri May 28, 2021 4:25 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Aging with vacuum
Replies: 1
Views: 457

Aging with vacuum

So I moved some stuff out side after a long winter in the basement. Glass carboys. So I check it too much and with the cool weather I noticed that the carboys are under vacuum more than not. I am going to guess that this is pulling on the oak in the carboy and sucking all the goodness out. So anyway...
by PoppaW
Fri May 07, 2021 6:15 pm
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: How much peat
Replies: 13
Views: 2098

Re: How much peat

The malt place had a peated version that was about as peated as most in brew shops. They quit making that to make a heavy peat version. I did talk to the guy and he told me it was out for analysis but can’t remember what he said he was hoping for. Maybe 70 ish ppm. My grain storage area is very peat...
by PoppaW
Wed May 05, 2021 4:37 pm
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: How much peat
Replies: 13
Views: 2098

Re: How much peat

So the blending is how I tried to figure this out in the first place. I took some laphroig 10 and a little makers 46. I will try some scotch and rye next. So I could do the blend after but figured if it fermented together it would marry the flavours.
by PoppaW
Tue May 04, 2021 6:28 pm
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: How much peat
Replies: 13
Views: 2098

Re: How much peat

So I had a thought. Can peated barley be mashed with rye and wheat to make a smokey peaty whisky? I have done my alder smoked barley with a bit of wheat and rye. So now my brain is thinking that I can’t make a peated scotch to compare to Lagavulin so why not make a peated rye or a peated bourbon. I ...
by PoppaW
Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:47 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Finished product color
Replies: 6
Views: 610

Re: Finished product color

Thanks for the info. The volume of wood is similar for the scotch and bourbon for the volume of product and those are close in colour. I checked my alder smoked and it looks like I was told to age it longer and used some once used wood so that makes sense. I will try to get a pic of the bourbon and ...
by PoppaW
Thu Apr 22, 2021 5:58 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Finished product color
Replies: 6
Views: 610

Finished product color

What makes the final aged product different colours. Single malt has a brownish colour at 7 months. Alder smoked Barley (80% barley) has a light yellow colour at 5 months. My bourbon has a reddish and very dark colour at 3 months. The wood is all the same source so I would assume the grain makes the...
by PoppaW
Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:08 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Spirals not oak
Replies: 10
Views: 915

Re: Spirals not oak

What flavour does end grain give. Now im curious?
by PoppaW
Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:06 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Spirals not oak
Replies: 10
Views: 915

Re: Spirals not oak

I figured the spirals would work ok. I guess I need to get a barrel and not be so cheap. Ihave experimented enough to know what I made good so should focus on making enough to fill a barrel.
by PoppaW
Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:10 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Spirals not oak
Replies: 10
Views: 915

Spirals not oak

So I found som bigger charred spirals and like what I have and saw sugar maple and spanish cedar spirals. I can see sugar maple giving a good flavor but what about the cedar. I figure it’s for wine but I like to experiment.
by PoppaW
Sun Apr 11, 2021 1:23 pm
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: How much peat
Replies: 13
Views: 2098

Re: How much peat

Why not do one large ferment with it I would love to. Can’t get enough though. I need three ferments stripped to do a good spirit run. I did that with my bourbon and got way more product. If ths works out and I need more peat I may have to drive to the maltsters and get a couple bags to try. It wou...
by PoppaW
Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:01 am
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: How much peat
Replies: 13
Views: 2098

How much peat

I had a co-worker stop in a brew store and get me a partial bag of Heavy Peat malt. I have 44 lbs and need to cut it with unpeated. I decided on 15lbs of peat Malt to 7lbs malt. For about 12 gallons of water. I will do three ferments and add regular peat malt on the last batch as I have 2lbs. I know...
by PoppaW
Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:45 pm
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Barley vodka with some potato
Replies: 5
Views: 713

Re: Barley vodka with some potato

Im not worried if the potatoes make any added abv. Just thinking they might make some good flavour
by PoppaW
Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:37 pm
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Barley vodka with some potato
Replies: 5
Views: 713

Barley vodka with some potato

So just reading on adding potato to grain ferments. I was thinking of adding 2lbs of potatoes to 20lbs barley malt. Cook them and add the potatoes and water in to the fermenter and see what happens. I do have powdered potatoes also so could just toss a pouch in to see what that does. My wife and I l...
by PoppaW
Sun Mar 07, 2021 9:10 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Ferment/distil in boiler
Replies: 62
Views: 5863

Re: Ferment/distil in boiler

My wife can taste yeast in young whiskey. Seems age takes care of it. So to be safe I drink it younger so she doesn’t suffer. As for fermenting in the boiler I have wondered if it would save me space and time. A guy can still let the beer clear and siphon it out into pails then get the yeast out and...
by PoppaW
Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:25 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: is this rig the right set up
Replies: 14
Views: 878

Re: is this rig the right set up

https://www.northstills.com/wp-content/ ... flux-1.jpg

Link to pic. I have the same but smaller. Now I know more there are better reflux designs
by PoppaW
Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:45 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: is this rig the right set up
Replies: 14
Views: 878

Re: is this rig the right set up

Buddha, I have the same setup but the 8 gallon. My first few runs were like yours. I packed my column with copper and even stuffed some up in the top to see if that helps. Best run after cuts was 86%. I want to do vodka and will try again on a high water flow max heat type run. I usually run my boil...
by PoppaW
Sat Feb 27, 2021 1:15 pm
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Bourbon run done
Replies: 3
Views: 521

Re: Bourbon run done

I air popped the popcorn and added it in as is. It mostly melts in the water. No iodine test Sg was 1.074 corrected for temp Fg was 1.010 I think. My whiteboard was wiped clean. I figured it was close to 8% abv. It may have finished drier if left alone but after ten days in the house the family hate...
by PoppaW
Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:34 am
Forum: Recipe Development
Topic: Bourbon run done
Replies: 3
Views: 521

Bourbon run done

Well I type my recipe down on the ipad and change it many times as I sort out what I have and what I can get. I started with popcorn again as my main source of corn. I got 6 jugs from Costco. That was a huge driver in the percentages on the grain bill. I decided that I wanted to use my corn meal als...
by PoppaW
Thu Feb 25, 2021 5:03 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: What'd ya'll make today?
Replies: 6949
Views: 736625

Re: What'd ya'll make today?

I have 4 of the 5 stripping runs on my bourbon. Ended up using popcorn and cornmeal. Wheat rye and barley malt. Smells pretty flavourful on the strips so far and I hope to get the spirit run done this weekend and get it sorted for aging. I did do my biggest mash and ferment this time and don’t want ...
by PoppaW
Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:48 pm
Forum: Whiskey
Topic: Wondering about wheat
Replies: 17
Views: 2070

Re: Wondering about wheat

My 100% white malted wheat was very nice to sip on. I only made a small run to try but will do it again and will try red wheat also. I add some wheat into a bunch of my runs now. Not sure if it replaces corn or not but it should go with it well.
by PoppaW
Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:49 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Too sweet rye
Replies: 6
Views: 1012

Re: Too sweet rye

Well for new years I tried a little blended to 45%. No sweet. Well very little anyway. Just a bit up front and then the spicy kick. Put in some coke because whats more Canadian than rye and coke. All the flavour comes through even mixed.

Next new years I hope it’s even better