NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

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frenzy
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by frenzy »

Curious, I’ve done a couple 5 gal stripping runs, stopping just below 10 abv and getting between 1/2 and 3/4 gal of product. Is that in line with y’all’s experience? Just curious if I need to refine my process.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina BourbonA

Post by frenzy »

I did not do those things... time to up my game, it seems. Thanks
Down_Home52 wrote: Fri Nov 06, 2020 5:24 pm Did you check your conversion with iodine? If it was totally converted 1.080SG is strong. What yeast? If it stalls probably will be low ph. Throw some crushed oyster shells in there and it will boil up showing it was needing calcium.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by vafarmdog »

Okay, so today is 3 days later. The yeast was bubbling like crazy for the past 3 days but doesn't appear active now. Could still be, but no bubbling.

As of now the gravity is 1.012. I'll check again tomorrow but if it doesn't drop any further, should/could I do anything?
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by Sunshine1 »

vafarmdog wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:31 am Okay, so today is 3 days later. The yeast was bubbling like crazy for the past 3 days but doesn't appear active now. Could still be, but no bubbling.

As of now the gravity is 1.012. I'll check again tomorrow but if it doesn't drop any further, should/could I do anything?
What's the temperature?
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by Down_Home52 »

vafarmdog wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:31 am Okay, so today is 3 days later. The yeast was bubbling like crazy for the past 3 days but doesn't appear active now. Could still be, but no bubbling.

As of now the gravity is 1.012. I'll check again tomorrow but if it doesn't drop any further, should/could I do anything?
I have stalled 3 days in before and it was due to low ph. I swear by crushed oyster shells to raise the ph. The wash will use exactly the amount it needs as it dissolves the shells. Try it. Can't hurt. My bourbon wash usually ends up below 1.000. As previous post is also correct. 75-80 degrees is what I shoot for. The ferment creates its own heat until it slows. You might need to add some external heat. By the way, my wash takes off for 2-3 days but I usually have to wait 12-13 days to get down to the lower FG's.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by Durhommer »

So got some crack corn getting ready for a 6gallon run of this gonna do small batches since its easier to squeeze and it gives me something to do though the winter once spring hits I'll go big again and fill a new barrel
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by VillaVino »

First go at this recipe. OG 1.058 FG 0.999
Started with 5 gals of strike water
Did use 1 tsp of amylase at 150
Did throw a scoop of Malt in during the cooking of the corn and all 12 oz of Rye
Used Walmart 10% iodine-worked fine
Used 10 gal Anvil setup with a 30 lb brew in bag.
Fermented 7gals of wort in a SS 8 gal pot with grains in bag and a 1 gal glass jug
Fermentation lasted 4 days then done
Stripped 1 week after cooking
Started Strip at 120 proof and took down to 20%.
Got 1.5 gals of low wines total
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by VillaVino »

Second go at this recipe was exactly the same except I threw a hand full of ground oyster shells to even out pH. Handheld pH meter should arrive this week.
Spirit run next weekend.
This is first time trying anything other than a brandy and I think I messed up the corn mashing.
What I did was as soon as I got all the corn into the 165F strike water, I turned the Anvil temp down to 150F. If I’m reading this correctly, I should cook the corn for 90 mins and then lower the temp to 150. Would someone confirm.
Thanks from a noobie
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by StuNY »

VillaVino wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:29 pm Second go at this recipe was exactly the same except I threw a hand full of ground oyster shells to even out pH. Handheld pH meter should arrive this week.
Spirit run next weekend.
This is first time trying anything other than a brandy and I think I messed up the corn mashing.
What I did was as soon as I got all the corn into the 165F strike water, I turned the Anvil temp down to 150F. If I’m reading this correctly, I should cook the corn for 90 mins and then lower the temp to 150. Would someone confirm.
Thanks from a noobie
Yes, corn has to cook first. I pour boiling water into my corn meal and let it sit for 90 minutes with occasional stirring and high temp enzymes.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by VillaVino »

Ok. I’ve read it both ways where some pour the grains into the water and visa versa. With my all in one brewing system, I kinda have to get the water to strike temp and then pour in the grains. Now, I’ll hold 165F for 90 mins and at the end of that time, I’ll dial it down to 150F. I guess I did hurt it too much the way I did it but I want to get as much converted as possible. Thx
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by kyolic »

I am planning to make this with flaked maize. As the flaked maize is already gelatinized, I don't have to cook it at all, right?

I plan to heat the water to 150F (65.5 C), add the flaked maize and then malted barley and keep it at the same temperature for 3 hours.

Do you guys think I will get a good conversion this way?
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by NcHooch »

kyolic wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:17 am I am planning to make this with flaked maize. As the flaked maize is already gelatinized, I don't have to cook it at all, right?

I plan to heat the water to 150F (65.5 C), add the flaked maize and then malted barley and keep it at the same temperature for 3 hours.

Do you guys think I will get a good conversion this way?
You'd want to heat the water somewhat warmer (approx 162) , so when you add the cool grain to the hot water , the mash ends up at 150. Make sense?
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

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Well I can finally provide a review of this recipe! I’ve had about a half gallon of 62.5% aging with oak for a year and a half, some of which was done with a cork stopper, so I lost a bit to the angels.

All I can say is wow! After giving it a good amount of time with the wood, this has evolved into something very nice. It took a lot of patience to let it sit so long. I was going to shoot for 2 years, but man, it’s already so damn good.

At the 6 month mark, I was worried. Tasted terrible. I did a wider cut to try and capture some of the awesome flavor buried in the tails, at the cost of needing more time. After a full year, it was pretty good. The tailsy-ness had faded a lot into other good flavors, but there was still a bit there. The extra 6 months really ironed out the rough edges.

The final product is very complex in flavor. I used DADY distillers yeast, which I’ve found provides some great fruity esters like cherry, fruit punch and a bit of apple “think jolly rancher.” There’s also the lovely vanilla and a nice mellow spice from the rye. Total flavor bomb with an endless finish on the palate. Even the smell left behind in the glass is amazing, reminds me of spiced apple cider.

When I bottled it, I decided to leave it at the full strength. It has a little heat, but doesn’t burn like a typical barrel proof whiskey. The color from the wood is fantastic as well, with a deep reddish hue.

Thanks NCHooch! This is an awesome recipe I plan to keep working with.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by WayFastJett »

late to the game here but today is mash day. going for a 45L mash using cracked corn and 2 row (i have half a bag of 2 row malt and no 6 row. if I like it i will restock with 6 row malt next time i order. i am mainly a Rye guy but since i started at home i am liking new flavours so giving them all a try. thanks for recipe and i will update how mine turns out, Thanks NcHooch!
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by rcazparts »

Tried this recipe last weekend. I failed...Started it late after working UJSSM, burned a little corn on the bottom, never checked if starch converted properly, forgot to add the extra water until the next day... Got about 2 quarts of yuck.

Round two will go better. I will start it in the morning and give myself enough time to properly make the recipe. At times, the learning curve is steep.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by WayFastJett »

first run was so good i started another the day after running. second one done an aging. i will be starting another in the next week i suspect but this one i will set up my basket to run through some vanilla bean, have set aside some from second run to do a vanilla infuse after aging and compare the 2 to see which one i like best. i am a big fan of vanilla and this tastes ripe for some additional complexity.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by seedfarm »

Thanks to NChooch for this recipe. :clap:

My first all grain brew - I've done one batch and stripped and the hearts tasted pretty good even then. My second go at it I soaked the corn in backset and then had some scorching after it got to temp for gelatinization - I think it was already pretty gelatinized from the soak and didn't need the next step... :oops:

Batch 3 I had a go at oven gelatinization and that seemed to work pretty well. I did 3kg (6.5lb) of corn to 9L (1.9gal) of water in 3 pots / oven tray in my ovens at 100c (210f) for 3 hours (....3hours :wink: ). I stirred every 30 mins but none of looked like it was going to catch so I probably just could have left it. I added a little bit more boiling water at the 2 hour mark to loosen it up on a couple that were getting a bit thick. It ended up like chunky polenta which I think is a win! Here's the test batch I did up the night before:

Image

I then heated up 10L (2.2gal) of water and mashed the corn and grain 1.5kg (3lb) malt, 0.5kg (1lb) of rye in at 68c (154f) and hit my 63c (145f) mash temp bang on. Mashed for 3 hours, wrapped up overnight. Topped up to 25L (5.5gal). Starch test was good with a SG of 1.058.

The second batch is happily bubbling away in the corner and I'm hoping it's done by next weekend so I can strip and do a spirit run whilst my Dad is in town. :D
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by JustinNZ »

Hey, I just did my first one too. Great recipe. I stuffed up the addition of malted barley cos I forgot to lower the corn temp to 150. Big d’oh, but I had some extra malt on hand so I cooled the mash and mixed it in and it seems the little bugs did their trick (phew) and enough sugar was released overnight in the cooler bin.

I fermented 25L at 30deg Celsius (in New Zealand) with bakers, and the other 6 Gallons at 18deg with US-O5. The US smelt nicer but stopped around 1.008 after two weeks. The bakers nailed 0.999 after one week. Straining all good. Did the spirit run yesterday and at 55%abv the white dog tastes oh so good. The balance of corn and grain is perfect. Kept about 2/3 of distillate. So 4 quarts (I’m doing my best) aging now for a year on charred American. I’m a rum and brandy boy but this has opened my eyes. Thanks NChooch.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by NcHooch »

:thumbup: :thumbup:
Two thumbs up to all y'all carrying on the tradition. It's not easy like some recipes, but the end result is well worth the effort!
...and just so ya know, it keeps getting better and better as time goes on. I've had the pleasure of sampling some that was 8 years old, some of the best bourbon I've ever tasted.
Cheers
Hooch
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by BoomTown »

NcHooch wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:29 pm :thumbup: :thumbup:
Two thumbs up to all y'all carrying on the tradition. It's not easy like some recipes, but the end result is well worth the effort!
...and just so ya know, it keeps getting better and better as time goes on. I've had the pleasure of sampling some that was 8 years old, some of the best bourbon I've ever tasted.
Cheers
Hooch
Huh, hey Hooch! Happy New Year!
It’s been a while since I was prolific on this site, and have lost access to older postings. Not complaining, but would like to see this “Carolina Bourbon” recipe. Can you re-post it. Or PM it to me please?

Respectfully,
Boomtown
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by Deplorable »

BoomTown wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 11:46 am
NcHooch wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:29 pm :thumbup: :thumbup:
Two thumbs up to all y'all carrying on the tradition. It's not easy like some recipes, but the end result is well worth the effort!
...and just so ya know, it keeps getting better and better as time goes on. I've had the pleasure of sampling some that was 8 years old, some of the best bourbon I've ever tasted.
Cheers
Hooch
Huh, hey Hooch! Happy New Year!
It’s been a while since I was prolific on this site, and have lost access to older postings. Not complaining, but would like to see this “Carolina Bourbon” recipe. Can you re-post it. Or PM it to me please?

Respectfully,
Boomtown
Its still in the very first post. 70% corn and 30% 6 row malted barley.

For his 5-6 gallon mash he cooked 7 pounds of corn in 4 gallons of water for 90 minutes, then dough in your malts once you cool it to 150 degrees. Stir every 15 minutes and mash for 3 hours. Cool to pitching temperature, ( he used 80F and pitched Prestige WD) top up the fermenter to 6 to 7 gallons total volume.
I Start with 7 pounds of cracked corn, n cook in 4 gallons of good water for at least an hour (i usually go 90 mins) at a low simmer. ...careful not to burn it.
*optional - you may add a half pound of 6-row malted barley while cooking the corn to loosen it up a bit ( this is called pre-mashing) as it gets very thick.
Then cool to exactly 150f.
Pour into a large cooler (helps conserve heat during the mashing session)
Add 3 pounds of 6-row malted barley ...The temp should drop to approx 145f
...stir well every 15 mins, while you mash for 2-3 hours. Keep covered.

* Note: Don't add malted barley to the corn if it exceeds 155f! the enzymes will be denatured in short order and and you won't get no conversion.the mashing process requires that you keep the mash at 145f +/- 5f for the entire duration of the mash session which is why you use the insulated cooler.

*optional - If you want, you can add a lil beano (we'll look the other way)for additional conversion...and let it continue to mash overnight.

At the end of the mash, cool to 80f and transfer to fermenter (grain and all).
Top up to 6-7 gallons total volume.
Aerate well and pitch yeast (Prestige WD or your favorite yeast).
Ferment for a week on grain.
After fermentation is complete, strain out grain, and transfer wash to boiler. No need to let the wash clear.

*Note: I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bag to separate the grain from the wash.

I distilled with my Bok (removed a lil packing so the spirits are 80% )....make appropriate cuts and dilute final spirits to 60% abv using good water.

I oaked at 60% with 2 pcs of my own new charred white oak sticks for 6 months in a glass jar (once again, we'll look the other way if you dont have a barrel). As long as you're using new charred white oak I think you can call it Bourbon.
Once your agin'/oaking is complete, dilute down to 45% and bottle.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by JustinNZ »

Just a big thanks to Mr Hooch for my first real bourbon (albeit in New Zealand…). Man, after just six months the flavour is intense and delicious. Bottled my first ever today. Masses of grain, corn and charred oak flavours - all in harmony. Those beautiful angels took their share and that probably enhanced the flavour. Couldn’t be happier. The aroma is off the planet! Anyway, looking forward to the one-year-old. Cheers, ears.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by JustinNZ »

Holy Moses! Six months later and I’ve just proofed (not much, really - dropped from 50%abv to 45% in the jar, and I took it down to 40%) and bottled my year-old and, surprise surprise, it’s better than the six-monther. The grain has mellowed beautifully, and it’s now definitely an easy-drinking sipper. Cheers.
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Re: NChooch's Carolina Bourbon

Post by NcHooch »

I recently did a quadruple batch , (go big or go home right? ) :) Nah, I just figure if I'm gonna do it, I might as make it worthwhile.

I did it in two days , two batches at the same time. If you know what you're doing and can juggle a little, it works for me. I sorta upsize that batches a little too . 8 lbs of corn, and 5 pounds of barley. Something I try to do is pay attention to that mashing rule about No less than 1.5 quarts of water for every pound of grain. So if you're boiling 8 pounds of corn, use no less than 12 quarts of water, and then before you mash with the barley, add another 7.5 quarts of water (I usually use 7.5 quarts of luke warm water to drop the corn temp down to ~155, rather than waiting for it to cool by itself) . Once you stir in the barley, temp usually drops to 150 and you're good . Mash for an hour or so and give it the ol' taste test.

Anyways, maybe that'll help.
Happy new years Yall, and don't drink too much.
NChooch
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