uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

[Boozewaves]

At the end of every series of runs, I put enough backset in the freezer to start the next ferment.

Yes. If you have backset, dump it in. For my first (ever) generation of UJSSM I didn't have any backset so I made up a couple-three quart jars of sour corn starter. It was easy-peasy and went exactly like the instructions said it would.

O.K , handy to know . Thanks guys . liking this recipe so far , the ferments the quickest I have ever experienced so i'm planning ahead

[MichiganCornhusker]

15 year anniversary coming up!
Who else is brewing up a batch February 28?

[DetroitDIY]

I've got a batch brewing now. Last UJSM was a year and a half ago, just before we met up Cornhusker. I saved the backset and corn in a few large buckets, sealed and left out in the workshop all this time. We'll see how it goes on the start-up (I did re-pitch it with some bourbon yeast through). I'm doing a little educational bit for a few folks, so I'll be catching a jar of heads, hearts, and tails for educational sampling, plus some of my 18 month old that's been on oak all this time for comparison. Got lot's left if we ever can pull off another shin-dig.

[jog666]

15 year anniversary coming up!
Who else is brewing up a batch February 28?

Ill be slaving away in the salt mines on the 28th but I did a somewhat slow stripping run today (gen 1) & started gen 2. Wanting to do something different so I used my chicken scratch instead of only corn. Its got corn, wheat, oats & milo. I tasted a bit around 50-55% and it has a good/weird sweet-grain'y taste.

[Tlcopeland]

Jog--let everyone know if you get the urge to start pecking and scratching the ground:)

[6 Row Joe]

Damn, my last batch was the best yet. I got some local corn on the ear to feed the squirrels. A friend got it for me from a farmer that raises it for a Ethanol plant. Huge ears , easy to shell and I ran some through my grinder. I skimmed the wasted corn from batch 3 and replaced it with some of this local stuff. Wow, what flavor. I used to use squirrel corn from the farm fleet store. Damn what a difference. I have a 5 liter barrel soaking now and want to put some on oak but I hope I have some left over to save as shine. At 120 p. it is smooth, silky, and nice corn flavor. FYI I did a strip and spirit run with my pot still. I suggest you all try some higher quality corn and make sure you strip/spirit. It's worth the extra effort!

[jog666]

Jog--let everyone know if you get the urge to start pecking and scratching the ground:)

I dont think my wife would like it very much. Probably a high risk of catching lead poisoning at that point.

Damn, my last batch was the best yet. I got some local corn on the ear to feed the squirrels. A friend got it for me from a farmer that raises it for a Ethanol plant. Huge ears , easy to shell and I ran some through my grinder. I skimmed the wasted corn from batch 3 and replaced it with some of this local stuff. Wow, what flavor. I used to use squirrel corn from the farm fleet store. Damn what a difference. I have a 5 liter barrel soaking now and want to put some on oak but I hope I have some left over to save as shine. At 120 p. it is smooth, silky, and nice corn flavor. FYI I did a strip and spirit run with my pot still. I suggest you all try some higher quality corn and make sure you strip/spirit. It's worth the extra effort!

I noticed a big difference in the quality of corn about the time I started this hobby. I started out with some "older" corn that had a bland taste compared to a fresher corn.

[6 Row Joe]

Jog--let everyone know if you get the urge to start pecking and scratching the ground:)

I dont think my wife would like it very much. Probably a high risk of catching lead poisoning at that point.

Damn, my last batch was the best yet. I got some local corn on the ear to feed the squirrels. A friend got it for me from a farmer that raises it for a Ethanol plant. Huge ears , easy to shell and I ran some through my grinder. I skimmed the wasted corn from batch 3 and replaced it with some of this local stuff. Wow, what flavor. I used to use squirrel corn from the farm fleet store. Damn what a difference. I have a 5 liter barrel soaking now and want to put some on oak but I hope I have some left over to save as shine. At 120 p. it is smooth, silky, and nice corn flavor. FYI I did a strip and spirit run with my pot still. I suggest you all try some higher quality corn and make sure you strip/spirit. It's worth the extra effort!

I noticed a big difference in the quality of corn about the time I started this hobby. I started out with some "older" corn that had a bland taste compared to a fresher corn.

I would like to try some different corn. Red, white or Indian corn wound be fun. Maybe Booners Casual Corn recipe so you could compare the difference between the strains/colors.

[Muddyroads]

First of all my hats off to uncle Jesse. I am a 3rd gen Stiller and this recipe is almost to the letter of my family recipe . We have been making it in the Appalachian mountains for hundreds of years . Personally I run it with a 30 gallon all copper pot with a dubler and it's a beautiful drink when done proper . This method is spot on to the the history makers of old . If you truly know your still you cant get a better drink... thank you uncle Jesse.

[Tlcopeland]

So Muddyroads, I have a stainless steel still pot with copper cap/vapor pipe and copper coil. I've thought about putting some copper pipe, a sheet of copper, or some copper mesh in the stainless pot while running it and using a copper water heater flexible hose from the pot to the coil to see if that replicated some of the benefit of a copper pot. I'd love to know if you think the copper pot makes a big difference in the result (i.e. taste of final product) and whether adding some copper to the pot as mentioned above would make a positive difference.

[NZChris]

How much effect copper in the boiler produces depends on how badly the wash needs it.

Going through my cellar this week, I put some samples from other distillers into my feints collection because they are not nice, they are taking up room and time isn't going to fix them. They were from fully SS boilers with copper in the vapor paths.

Have a read of this:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 0450.x/pdf

[Tlcopeland]

NZChris--thanks for the link. That's an interesting article. I have noticed some off aroma's in the distillate from my SS still. Since I've never used a totally copper system, I didn't have anything to compare to. I'm going to get some small sheets of copper or copper mesh if I can't find sheet copper and put it in my SS pot and I'm thinking about increasing the length of my worm to give more copper exposure to the vapor and see if it has any effect.

[Muddyroads]

I've personally never used anything but copper so I'm not sure how much it would help but I do agree with chris I'm sure it depends on how much cleaning it needs .

[rolling]

Well, I'm back to running some UJSSM... 20 gallon ferment going like crazy right now.

[DetroitDIY]

I've over-oaked a decent amount of UJSM (New, Char 3, 5 gal barrel aged for 18 months), and was thinking to cut some with new UJSM hearts. Anybody done this before? We're you happy with the results?

[Durhommer]

Just bottled a .5 gallon with a shot of sherry it was on French oak chips

[6 Row Joe]

I've over-oaked a decent amount of UJSM (New, Char 3, 5 gal barrel aged for 18 months), and was thinking to cut some with new UJSM hearts. Anybody done this before? We're you happy with the results?

Try a small amount. I have done it with too many chips in a jar for too long and it was pretty good. You could always strain it and run it again.

[NZChris]

I've deliberately massively over oaked UJSSM and used it as oak essence, but I've always left it on the wood. After a while the astringency from the tannins disappeared, but this was in glass, not in a small barrel.

Other distillers having had similar experiences to yours make me a bit wary of using new small barrels.

[6 Row Joe]

I have never left it on oak longer than a year. I can't stop sampling it once it starts to get good. 5 liters doesn't last long enough. LOL
Depending on which chart you look at, a year in a 5 liter oak barrel is equivalent to about 3 1/2 years in a full sized barrel.

[DetroitDIY]

I'll try the dilution this weekend, it's gotta make it better than what it is.

My prior UJSM was beautiful in lightly used 5 liter after a few months. This one here is a 5 gallon though. Problem I seem to have is once a spirit is ready in a barrel I'm reticent to take it out for lack of something to backfill it will. Don't often have too much spirit to drop in, and seems silly to age water in it for they hydration... but maybe the water helps to knock down the intense oak, and also gives me some nice proofing water for other spirits.

[Saltbush Bill]

It's not good to store kegs with water in them....it can start molds and other nasty's from what I have read.
Why don't you just top the barrel up with more UJ as you drink / use it. No need to ever completely empty it that way.

[Tlcopeland]

Saltbush-- the barrel maker I get my barrels from told me the same thing about not storing water in them so I take that as a reliable source.

[Saltbush Bill]

I have read that and also been told it by the cooper that I buy my barrels from.
It's high up the list of bad ways to treat a barrel.

[NZChris]

If you don't take any out until you've done a run to top it up, you'll never run out of aged likker and the barrel will stay in good condition.

[DetroitDIY]

Thanks guys. I've been carelessly forcing my spirits to undergo social isolation. I'm going to let them get out a bit more and enjoy some nice glassware, and do my best to raise their spirits, introducing them to fresh friends to mingle with.

Cheers!

[Windswept]

I just tried something neat with some UJSSM, I filled up a 2L barrel with some red vermouth and let it sit for about a month, then dumped it, rinsed it and filled it with UJSSM (generations 5 and 6). I'm pretty excited to see what it makes!

[rolling]

I've found that this recipe is best drunk white with tight cuts. I've aged a lot of it and as much as I've wished it's never had the complexity of bourbon. Enjoy it for what it is, fast, sweet, and easy. Great with lemon and tonic on ice.

[Saltbush Bill]

I've found that this recipe is best drunk white with tight cuts.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, personally I like mine oaked as do a lot of other people.

[rolling]

I agree, everyone should find out what they like best. Lots of ways to like everything.

[Windswept]

I agree, everyone should find out what they like best. Lots of ways to like everything.

Unless it involves a PID or a thermometer.