fermenting grain

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drinkin_myway
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fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

My first all grain attempt. This recipe makes 5 gal, and Im on the second 5 gal pot. Grain bill is 7 pounds cracked corn, 1.5 pounds rye (milled) and 1.5 pounds Malted barley.

5 gal of water to a boil. Turn off heat, add corn and rye. Stir each 5 min til it reaches 160F. Add malted grain, stir, etc...

I did one pot, it's in my fermenter, the second pot of mash is cooling. I aerated the mash and added yeast. Until now Ive used bakers yeast or DADY. This time Im using Still Spirits whiskey yeast, not turbo. I have the 1 kg bag. The small bags are 72gm and says they are appropriate for 5 gal. So I added 72gm, added my heater to 80*.

As of now I have no evidence that the yeast is doing anything. In all other ferments the yeast has taken off like a rocket. Its been over an hour and I see nothing in the fermenter.

I have not checked the pH which is something I should do. The mash is sticky on my hands, so Im pretty sure there is sugar in it.

So whats up?
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

Checked pH, was 6.6. Adjusted it does to 4.5. Took 8 oz of the wash, added some bakers yeast. Took off like I expected. Do I have a kilo of bad yeast?
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by AlZilla »

I'd let it ride for 12 hours or so and if it doesn't kick off, pitch the bakers yeast.

You could try a yeast starter with the Still Spirits in the meantime just to confirm it's good or bad.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by greggn »

drinkin_myway wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 12:23 pm The mash is sticky on my hands, so Im pretty sure there is sugar in it.

Did you taste it ? The stickiness could be the beta-glucans from the rye.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Deplorable »

Did you measure the SG? I doubt there is much in the way of available starch to convert from the short soak the corn got. Cracked corn needs a good while at high temps to gel and free up the starches for conversion.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

How long should the corn cook? Lots of gelling. Nearly as thick as oatmeal before I added the malted grain.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by MartinCash »

Cracked corn is not the best, you're better off milling it to the consistency of polenta. Corn also gelatinises at a fairly high temperature, it would pay to read some of the Tried&True recipes that use corn, such as Booner's Casual All-Corn.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

SG was 1.030. Not crazy high, but not zero.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Deplorable »

You have a good mash bill and it'll make a good drop, but you'll need a lot of it to make a gallon of booze.
At 2#/Gallon, you should have gotten 1.060 or better. I get 1.074 with 2.25 pounds of grain per gallon using corn meal. Grind that cracked corn into a fine meal. I gel the corn for about 2 hours holding the temps above 180. Then let the temp fall to 150 before adding the malts.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

Deplorable wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 6:35 pm You have a good mash bill and it'll make a good drop, but you'll need a lot of it to make a gallon of booze.
At 2#/Gallon, you should have gotten 1.060 or better. I get 1.074 with 2.25 pounds of grain per gallon using corn meal. Grind that cracked corn into a fine meal. I gel the corn for about 2 hours holding the temps above 180. Then let the temp fall to 150 before adding the malts.
Thank you for your advice sir.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Justinthunder »

Deplorable wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 6:35 pm You have a good mash bill and it'll make a good drop, but you'll need a lot of it to make a gallon of booze.
At 2#/Gallon, you should have gotten 1.060 or better. I get 1.074 with 2.25 pounds of grain per gallon using corn meal. Grind that cracked corn into a fine meal. I gel the corn for about 2 hours holding the temps above 180. Then let the temp fall to 150 before adding the malts.
I second this, your recipe sounds exactly like the one I use, I grind my cracked corn into almost flour, I then cook my corn at 180 for 45 mins, take off the heat and let cook until 150 before I add my malts
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

For those of you who grind corn small to mash. How do you handle it in your mash pot? Dump it in and strain it our, put it in a bag. Do you distill on grain? Any issues with burning? BTW the yeast is kicking butt this morning.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Justinthunder »

I cook everything in my pot and pour into my fermenter and ferment on the grain. After my mash is done I use a double mesh sieve and a cheese cloth bag to strain out all the grain into buckets, then I put in my pot and cook it up, a lot of people here strain into cheese cloth or paint bags and either suspend the bag over a bucket to drip drain or they squeeze it with a mop wringer.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

Any issue with burning? Gas or electric heat source?
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Tummydoc »

Ferment on the grain, put liquid in the boiler with electric element and slop in the thumper.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Deplorable »

Scorching during cooking or stilling?
I follow the SCD easy large batch mash protocol, so no scorching.
I ferment on grain, clear the wash, squeeze the grains, and let that cloudy liquid clear and rack off the trub. No scorching on either gas or electric.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by drinkin_myway »

I was concerned about scorching when mashing. I haven’t distilled on grain and can’t imagine why I ever would. My boiler has internal electric elements.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

drinkin_myway wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 6:41 pm I was concerned about scorching when mashing. I haven’t distilled on grain and can’t imagine why I ever would. My boiler has internal electric elements.
'Cause squeezing is a bitch, even if you got the best game at it.
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Re: fermenting grain

Post by Deplorable »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 3:12 pm
drinkin_myway wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 6:41 pm I was concerned about scorching when mashing. I haven’t distilled on grain and can’t imagine why I ever would. My boiler has internal electric elements.
'Cause squeezing is a bitch, even if you got the best game at it.
That ain't no lie. But it's the cheapest of the 3 options. Squeeze it, run it in a thumper, or distill on grain in a jacketed still.
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.
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