Honey Bear Bourbon

Refined and tested recipes for all manner of distilled spirits.

Moderator: Site Moderator

User avatar
Tummydoc
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 967
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:05 pm
Location: attack ship off the shoulder of Orion

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tummydoc »

Its been my go to recipe for a year, but now I'm on to chocolate sundae bourbon, love that!
User avatar
jonnys_spirit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 3630
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am
Location: The Milky Way

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by jonnys_spirit »

gilmore-whiskey.jpg
Quite partial over here too!

Cheers,
jonny
————
i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
————
User avatar
Dutch41
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 3:12 pm
Location: CONUS

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Dutch41 »

Milled or not to be Milled: I'm looking at a few websites for the ingredients needed to make this potion and a couple of them offer the product milled or whole. Yes I do have a grain grinder however is it just easier to have the company do it? Thank you in advance...
User avatar
Tummydoc
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 967
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:05 pm
Location: attack ship off the shoulder of Orion

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tummydoc »

I grind my own, because i order grain in multiple batch volumes. Their grind will be a crack for beer but i want flour. Also unground will last longer without oxidizing if you're not going to use it all soon
User avatar
Dutch41
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 3:12 pm
Location: CONUS

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Dutch41 »

Tummydoc wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:16 pm I grind my own, because i order grain in multiple batch volumes. Their grind will be a crack for beer but i want flour. Also unground will last longer without oxidizing if you're not going to use it all soon
Thanks Tummydoc, I appreciate the advice and it makes sense...
Opiosrex
Novice
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 4:52 pm

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Opiosrex »

Noob question should the wheat be mealed or no????
StriaghtJakket
Novice
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 5:50 pm

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by StriaghtJakket »

Do you mean Mealed or Milled, as in using wheat germ or meal - or whole wheat and Milling it?
sorry mate cant help with that. I have not done any whole grains as of yet. mainly washes and Rum.
User avatar
Tummydoc
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 967
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:05 pm
Location: attack ship off the shoulder of Orion

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tummydoc »

Mealed??? Malted? Milled? Yes use malted wheat and mill it, I fine grind to at least a "meal" if not flour.
just_still
Novice
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:43 pm

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by just_still »

I've done one small 6gal wash/ferment of this honey bear recipe and it went far from smoothly. I'm new to distilling, and still dealing with the logistics of all that corn, and I still haven't come to terms with the idea of fermenting on grain. I tried to mash in a bag and remove the grain prior to fermenting like I would with a beer and what a mess that was. I significantly underestimated the water retention of the corn. I didn't have any rice hulls or anything on hand to help it drain, and trying to squeeze out a large suspended bag of corn goop left me with a sticky mess all over my floor. I ended up with 4.5 of my target 6 gal and decided to top up with fresh water. OG ended up at 1.049. I considered bumping that up with some sugar and decided against it, so after stripping down to 20% abv I only ended up with a little less than 3/4 gal of low wines.

The next batch of this I'm looking to ferment on the grain in a large enough vessel to get 2 or 3 boiler charges at once, probably going to go the trash can route with the easy large mash technique described by ShineonCrazyDiamond. I can be stripping the clear wash off the top while scooping out smaller amounts of grain at a time to squeeze the heck out of and reclaim as much volume as possible. I'll probably be doing this by hand until I can get a mop bucket, wine press, or something of that sort to facilitate the process.
User avatar
Deplorable
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 3984
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 12:10 pm
Location: In the East, (IYKYK)

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Deplorable »

just_still wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:05 am
The next batch of this I'm looking to ferment on the grain in a large enough vessel to get 2 or 3 boiler charges at once, probably going to go the trash can route with the easy large mash technique described by ShineonCrazyDiamond. I can be stripping the clear wash off the top while scooping out smaller amounts of grain at a time to squeeze the heck out of and reclaim as much volume as possible. I'll probably be doing this by hand until I can get a mop bucket, wine press, or something of that sort to facilitate the process.
This seems to be the preferred method around here, and it's worked for me so far. I'll be diving in to AG ferments this weekend with a Single Malt project to fill a 5 gallon barrel. Once that's done, I'll tackle a bourbon mash bill.
Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

So just sitting here with a wee drop of HBB aged three years, Thank you shine on for this great recipe and method :thumbup:
hbb.JPG
Stay safe everyone
OVZ
User avatar
BlueSasquatch
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:00 am
Location: Midwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by BlueSasquatch »

I see now that It was 0.5# of Honey Malt, not a full 1.0# and looks like I'm at a 50/50 Corn/Other Mash bill, not quite 51% but I'll toss a corn kernel or two in there and we'll call it good.

-Mash Bill (x4)-
5 Gallons of High Quality H20
4# - Rahr Red Wheat Malt, Crushed
4# Rahr White Wheat Malt, Crushed
4# MaltEurop American 2-Row Pale Malt, Crushed
4# Flaked Oats; Unmilled
24# Flaked Maize, Unmilled
4# Honey Malt, Crushed
15g Red Star Distillers Active Dried Yeast
------------------------------------------------------
20 Gallons, 44# Grain*

*I was short-changed on the Corn, only ended up having enough for 5# per batch (20# Corn + 20# Others = 40# Total)
Forgot/Skipped the Oyster Shells.
Fermenting with Grains in 4; 5-gal Buckets with excess in 6-gallon Carboy.
S.G. of the 4 brews was around each 1.061

None of the corn really gelled up for me, so far only one time has it been noticeable, doesn't seem to impact my SG significantly? I tend to heat to 165, add corn (and others when called for) then stir until 153 and add the malt. . Started re-heating back to 165 for twice the time at temp, especially with it being 40 degrees F outside all day.

I plan on picking up a few brew bags to help speed up straining the mash into wash, My current method is literally a strainer and I don't squeeze, so I know I'm leaving liquid gold behind, is there a rough estimate on liquid loss due to grain expansion? Like 10% or some general number?

I would like to age some of this in a barrel, at around 40% ABV. If you wanted the best quality, you'd age only the hearts, correct? I'm contemplating two barrels, and aging the Hearts in one, and a mix of heads/tail in the other, to see if 3-6 months later there is a noticeable difference. I've never done a secondary spirit run, only a stripping run, may give that a go with this batch.

If the SG falls to 1, that's a 8% ABV wash, for simple math, keep it at 20 gallons. What do you think a good estimate is for the stripping run volume? What would a Spirit Run volume be? I've been reading different threads/sites on calculations and starting to get a tad lost, when someone is giving a % on these topics Im not always certain if they are talking ABV or Volume.

20 Gallons at 8% with 85% efficiency and target proof of 80, looking at 3 gallons before cuts, maybe 1 gallon of final hearts only product?

Thanks!
"In the silence of the study one can discuss theories, but only in practice one becomes an artist" - Meunier
User avatar
Halfbaked
retired
Posts: 3398
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:51 pm

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Halfbaked »

Looks like you got yourself a hit shine on. I might have to try this
User avatar
Dutch41
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 3:12 pm
Location: CONUS

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Dutch41 »

Oldvine Zin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:57 pm Did a new years barrel drain of the HBB-O
HBB_O1.JPG
19 liters @ 67ABV when it went in
HBB-O2.JPG
15 liters (that includes the sample that I pulled the other day) @ 65ABV is what I collected
So around 20% to the angel's

Happy New Year
OVZ
OZ, what level char do you purchase with your barrels, just curious and by the way, your final product looked great...
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Dutch41 wrote: Tue Nov 03, 2020 6:11 am
OZ, what level char do you purchase with your barrels, just curious and by the way, your final product looked great...
My go to barrel is a 5 gal Gibbs, med toast and a #2 char. And the color was great, setting that glass on a brown desk might of given it a richer color lol

Stay safe
OVZ
User avatar
BlueSasquatch
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:00 am
Location: Midwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by BlueSasquatch »

To continue my post above, made a 20 gallon mash, had to split it into 4 buckets and 1 carboy. SG to start was 1.061 the fermentation went well, slowed down considerably the 2nd week. Bought a brew-bag to help strain the grain, ended up doing 5 runs through a 6 gallon pot still. Ending SG was 0.996 which is a first for me.
Leg gave out on my cheap boiler, entire still fell over, lost pretty much an entire batch. Bent the leg back into shape and proceeded with caution the rest of the day. Discarded Foreshots but made no cuts the rest of the day apart from tails.
In the end managed to collect 4 gallons from the 4 successful runs, each at 50% ABV and then 1/5th of Tails at 20% (Might have about 3-4 gallons of tails from various stripping runs, will try an all-feints run before the end of the year) Took me about 1 hour from start heating to start of tails for each run.

So the next step is a Spirit run, I've only done about 8 stripping runs, not yet a Spirit run. if I have 4-gallons at 50% I need to add water until it gets to about 30-40% reading up on the forums about making better cuts, unsure what to expect for the yield, I would like to age most of this on oak and wanted to get an idea of what barrel size to buy.
"In the silence of the study one can discuss theories, but only in practice one becomes an artist" - Meunier
Big Stogie
Swill Maker
Posts: 255
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:39 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Big Stogie »

I made a few batches of this to get 4.5 gallons of 130proof that went into a new 5 gallon bbl. 13 months later it came out at 140 proof and a rich dark color with lots of sweetness, vanilla and caramel flavors. I have a lot of good commercial bourbon and I can say this holds up to some very highly regarded bottles and far surpasses most of them. If you are wanting to make bourbon this is the one. Make 5 gallons and buy a barrel it’s worth the time and effort. Thanks Shine on !!!
When the student is ready the teacher will emerge.

Flute Journey viewtopic.php?f=17&t=69736
User avatar
ShineonCrazyDiamond
Global moderator
Posts: 3433
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:14 pm
Location: Look Up

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Thank you stogie. Makes me happy to see it hold up to expectations, even still.
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
Big Stogie
Swill Maker
Posts: 255
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:39 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Big Stogie »

tasting it every month was the real interesting part and how very different it was every month. i will say month 8 was very hard not to drain the barrel it was sweet and super smooth. it has more bite now and a little more oak but not too much. i compared it to some commercial bottles and i am very pleased. doing a blind taste test with some whiskey snobs tonight, will report back
When the student is ready the teacher will emerge.

Flute Journey viewtopic.php?f=17&t=69736
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

So sipping on some three year old hbb , Happy t day to all the usa folks here and a happy day to every one else
hbb.JPG
Stay safe
OVZ
Tirefryer426
Novice
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:24 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tirefryer426 »

Been lurking for a while. First I wanted to say I love the recipe so far. This isn't my first AG, but first time I've fermented on grain.

I have a question for some of you folks that have been at this longer.

My first batch - I had a terrible off flavor. Really difficult to explain what it tasted like. But to take a whack, almost like a dulled down cinnamon - but not good. Definitely didn't belong there. I chalked it up to learning curve. I made a mistake thinking one of my ferments stalled out, and i added some calcium carbonate to try and pull the ph back up and get it going again. This is where I learned that you have to correct the numbers when using a refractometer after fermentation has started. So I figured I'd stressed the yeast - lesson learned. Complete noob mistake.

Round 2 is much better, but the flavor is still ever so slightly there. I don't believe I'm stressing the yeast, unless I'm fermenting at too high a temp. I pitch yeast at around 87 deg, and I hold at 83 during fermentation. I'm using the Fleischmans yeast, and otherwise following the recipe almost exactly. I use flaked maize instead of cracked corn, so I don't do the cook phase. I heat up 5 gallons to about 165, put in 6.5lb of the flaked, and the .5 honey malt. I let that sit until it gets to 147, I put in the other 3 malts, do about 3 hours before I use an immersion chiller to get it down to pitch temp. I'm always at 1.060 to 1.065 sg and my ph is right around 6 every time. I let the ferments run 2 weeks, they looks done inside of a week. Have to check my notes, but I believe I end under 1.0. usually around .995
I use paint strainer bags and a mop bucket to separate the grains. What I have left at this point definitely has some sediment in it.

This leads me to the other spot I think it could be coming from. I'm using an electric still with an exposed element. I've been doing my stripping runs with the sediment, so I wonder if it could be some light scorching? I'm doing my third go around and plan to try cold crashing and then siphoning to minimize sediment. I'm doing 6.5 gal buckets, just plan on doing an extra bucket to offset the loss.

The only other thing to note is that the first run was pretty young. I aged for a month in gallon glass jars with charred oak and the top left cracked.
The second try was the same way, but I ran two months. I'll be aging this run for 6 months in a 2.5 gal barrel.

So the conclusion I've reached is that it can only be one of three things. Am I on the right track, or am I chasing my own tail?
I'm stressing the yeast still.
The sediment is scorching in the still
its normal and it will dissipate if I let it age longer.
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

A couple of questions: was that off flavor in your wash or in the distilled product, also not what type of still that you are running but I assume that you did the proper cleaning runs.
For my runs I ferment, mop ringer squeeze and rack into carboys and rack again so only clear liquid goes into my boiler, from experience I toasted an element while trying to steam strip some corn.
Once you scorch nothing will save it not even age

Stay safe
OVZ
BigJames
Novice
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2020 3:34 pm
Location: NC,USA

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by BigJames »

Started my first batch of Honey Bear Bourbon today. Everything is going smoothly. The corn and honey malt gelled added my other malted grains and waiting now. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the great recipe!
Tirefryer426
Novice
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:24 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tirefryer426 »

Thanks for the response. Good question. Yes, I believe I am. The still is a 5 gallon copper clawhammer unit. After brazing, it got scrubbed down with 5 star PBW really well, everything soaked in white vinegar for a day, vinegar run, then the sac. run on a sugar wash. I always wash it out after each run. And then I wash it out again before I make a run. Its been a few months since I've used it, so I'm going to scrub it down again and do a vinegar run before running any product through it. I'd be interested in what your cleaning protocol is, maybe I'm missing something there.
I can't tell you if the flavor is there in the wash, I never taste that. Stripping runs all smell amazing, but I'm not tasting those either. I collect and dump my foreshots during strips. I can't really pinpoint where it is in my cuts, either. Its not obvious at higher proof. It seems to come out more at around 95 proof after I've made cuts.
I'm just starting another run, and i'll be racking after straining the grains out. I did a few hours of reading, and I think that the taste has to be coming from the yeast thats left in the wash or some light scorching of sediment. A few people in here said they were running with sediment in stills with electric elements, but I think I'd just like to rule it out. I'm not getting anything burnt onto the heating element... And I do stage my heat up cycle, I'm not cranking it to 100%, I come up about 10 degrees at a time until it starts to drip.
I've done sugar washes that all come out fine, I did a different AG, but I didn't ferment that on grain, it tasted fine. So I'm more focused on any differences between the methods I've used and this one.


Oldvine Zin wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:57 pm A couple of questions: was that off flavor in your wash or in the distilled product, also not what type of still that you are running but I assume that you did the proper cleaning runs.
For my runs I ferment, mop ringer squeeze and rack into carboys and rack again so only clear liquid goes into my boiler, from experience I toasted an element while trying to steam strip some corn.
Once you scorch nothing will save it not even age

Stay safe
OVZ
User avatar
jonnys_spirit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 3630
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am
Location: The Milky Way

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by jonnys_spirit »

For cleaning runs you just need the vinegar and sac run. You don't need to clean every time and actually shouldn't. Every time you do a strip run you;re running a hot acidic vapor through it and a spirit run is hot ethanol vapor - both good for keeping it clean. It will develop a patina on the inside which is good. Some folks say fresh cleaned copper has a taste to it until there's a patina built up - not a green or blue verdigris patina - more of a dull or brown'ish patina on the inside. All I do is rinse with water and let air dry. Don't even scrub it out. The liker will take care of it just like our livers...

Cheers!
-jonny
————
i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
————
Tirefryer426
Novice
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:24 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tirefryer426 »

Good info, thank you!
jonnys_spirit wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:33 am For cleaning runs you just need the vinegar and sac run. You don't need to clean every time and actually shouldn't. Every time you do a strip run you;re running a hot acidic vapor through it and a spirit run is hot ethanol vapor - both good for keeping it clean. It will develop a patina on the inside which is good. Some folks say fresh cleaned copper has a taste to it until there's a patina built up - not a green or blue verdigris patina - more of a dull or brown'ish patina on the inside. All I do is rinse with water and let air dry. Don't even scrub it out. The liker will take care of it just like our livers...

Cheers!
-jonny
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Tirefryer426 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:22 am
I've done sugar washes that all come out fine, I did a different AG, but I didn't ferment that on grain, it tasted fine. So I'm more focused on any differences between the methods I've used and this one.
So maybe you just answered your question, ferment on the grain you will have to rack your mash clear before you run it.

Stay safe
OVZ
Tirefryer426
Novice
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:24 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Tirefryer426 »

Thats the conclusion I've come to. I'm getting ready to start doing stripping runs on 20 gallons of cleared wash. Thanks for the guidance folks!
Oldvine Zin wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:37 pm
Tirefryer426 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:22 am
I've done sugar washes that all come out fine, I did a different AG, but I didn't ferment that on grain, it tasted fine. So I'm more focused on any differences between the methods I've used and this one.
So maybe you just answered your question, ferment on the grain you will have to rack your mash clear before you run it.

Stay safe
OVZ
User avatar
Oldvine Zin
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2414
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:16 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Tirefryer426 wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 7:44 am Thats the conclusion I've come to. I'm getting ready to start doing stripping runs on 20 gallons of cleared wash. Thanks for the guidance folks!
Oldvine Zin wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:37 pm
Tirefryer426 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:22 am
I've done sugar washes that all come out fine, I did a different AG, but I didn't ferment that on grain, it tasted fine. So I'm more focused on any differences between the methods I've used and this one.
So maybe you just answered your question, ferment on the grain you will have to rack your mash clear before you run it.

Stay safe
OVZ
Great :thumbup: :thumbup: I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. When you get this recipe down, try adding a bit of oats for a little more mouth feel.

Stay safe
OVZ
Sk8brew
Novice
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:32 am

Re: Honey Bear Bourbon

Post by Sk8brew »

I have a batch at 5 months. Getting really good. It is amazing how well the honey flavor comes through. Great recipe Shine.
Post Reply