What'd ya'll make today?

[Skipper1953]

I started a 100 lb Honey Bear mash this afternoon. It should be cool enough to pitch the yeast sometime tomorrow morning. Once I get this run through the still, I'll have just short of 10 gallons of Honey Bear on wood.

[Celis]

Yesterday I started my first rum wash, looking forward to running this!

[Hilltop]

50 gallons all grain Corn using high temp enzymes with ground oats added at ferment. Then I filtered 12 quarts of my corn, wheat malt and oats off charred oak, that sure is a palate pleasing smooth drop. Will malt more wheat soon.

[Copper_clad]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

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[dieselduo]

I made a Belgian dubbel.Hope it is as good as the last.

[Hilltop]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Malted Barley or regular? In my experience backset seems to stop many infections as it lowers the ph. Citric acid if you have no backset. If your liquid tastes sweet you have sugar left in the mash.

170? Corn needs to be heated to 190 to get it to gel. I don't think you thought this one out to well. If the barleys not malted and u are not using enzymes then in my view it was wasted. If a simple grain flavored sugarhead was what you were going for then only the water to invert sugar needed be boiled.

Vomit smell is bad and a sure sign of a bacteria I won't name as I can't remember how it's spelled,
" Somebody help me out here". It's in your fermenter multiplying like rabbits on Viagra and will only get worse.

I would start out with more study on this. First my corn gets heated and held thirty minutes or not at all to 190 degrees. My barley is malted and tossed in at 150 to convert my gelled corn.

Have you tried high temp enzymes?

Here's how I do a grain sugarhead and a hybrid all grain sugar.

On a sugarhead I boil 60% ish water, invert 100 pounds sugar and add it to my grain along with 3 cups oyster shell and 4 gallons of backset and then i add the rest of my water on high spray to add oxygen to the mash. Many mashes stall because the mash is not oxyginated, Many including me have learned this missed step is often the cause of a stalled mash the hardway, Not adding a ph buffer like oyster shell or marble is the second most often diagnosed reason for a stalled grain mash. Citric acid can be used if you have no necter of the gods " Backset" then a yeast bomb of 1 cup of distillers yeast. Backset serves two purposes for me, first it lowers my ph which usually wards off the vomit bacteria along with many others.Second I always use Lacto infected backset as it adds much needed flavor to a sugarhead. Backset is like Gold down in Dixie so I horde, and hide the stuff like Gold. The more generations you run the better the backset and I always use low wine backset not spirit run backset.

All grain sugar hybrid.

I bring 100 pounds of grain to 190 degrees and hold it for thirty minutes along with 25 pounds sugar with appropriate high temp enzyme and in my still that grain is usually corn, wheat and a dash of oats. Cool to 150 and add gluco enzyme or sometimes if I have it, Wheat malt or both. Your ratios and quantity will be different but shoot for 2 pounds grain per gallon of finished mash. Don't add all water up front, but use roughly 65 percent of your needed water to convert your grain then add the rest of your water on high spray or by lifting then dumping the mash with a bucket many times to add oxygen, If you have one an aquarium air pump could be used and many here do indeed use them. In Summertime, Oxygen depletes quicker so I give mine a daily stir as well and on day 4 another cup of oystershell. I quit measuring long ago. Once cooled to 85 pitch distillers yeast , 4 gallons backset and 3 cups oyster shells.

This hybrid method doesn't seem to put any sugar bite into my wash and ups my yield by adding some sugar. My grain bill is usually 70% corn 20% Wheat. 10% oats. I like this drop.

On a straight corn mash I use no sugar period but add a spoonful of glycerin to each finished and filtered quart. For my money I want wheat and some oats in my wash but for straight corn I prefer no sugar and the glycerin.

[Copper_clad]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Malted Barley or regular? In my experience backset seems to stop many infections as it lowers the ph. Citric acid if you have no backset. If your liquid tastes sweet you have sugar left in the mash.

170? Corn needs to be heated to 190 to get it to gel. I don't think you thought this one out to well. If the barleys not malted and u are not using enzymes then in my view it was wasted. If a simple grain flavored sugarhead was what you were going for then only the water to invert sugar needed be boiled.

Vomit smell is bad and a sure sign of a bacteria I won't name as I can't remember how it's spelled,
" Somebody help me out here". It's in your fermenter multiplying like rabbits on Viagra and will only get worse.

I would start out with more study on this. First my corn gets heated and held thirty minutes or not at all to 190 degrees. My barley is malted and tossed in at 150 to convert my gelled corn.

Have you tried high temp enzymes?

Here's how I do a grain sugarhead and a hybrid all grain sugar.

On a sugarhead I boil my water, invert 100 pounds sugar and add it to my grain along with 3 cups oyster shell and 4 gallons of backset.Citric acid can be used if you have no necter of the gods " Backset" then a yeast bomb of 1 cup of distillers yeast. Backset serves two purposes for me, first it lowers my ph which usually wards off the vomit bacteria along with many others.Second I always use Lacto infected backset as it adds much needed flavor to a sugarhead. Backset is like Gold down in Dixie so I horde, and hide the stuff like Gold. The more generations you run the better the backset and I always use low wine backset not spirit run backset.

All grain sugar hybrid.

I bring 100 pounds of grain to 190 degrees and hold it for thirty minutes along with 25 pounds sugar with appropriate high temp enzyme and in my still that grain is usually corn, wheat and a dash of oats. Cool to 150 and add gluco enzyme or sometimes if I have it, Wheat malt or both. Your ratios and quantity will be different but shoot for 2 pounds grain per gallon of finished mash. Don't add all water up front, but use roughly 65 percent of your needed water. I quit measuring long ago. Once cooled to 85 pitch distillers yeast , 4 gallons backset and 3 cups oyster shells.

This hybrid method doesn't seem to put any sugar bite into my wash and ups my yield by adding some sugar. My grain bill is usually 70% corn 20% Wheat. 10% oats. I like this drop.

On a straight corn mash I use no sugar period but add a spoonful of glycerin to each finished and filtered quart. For my money I want wheat and some oats in my wash but for straight corn I prefer no sugar and the glycerin.

So would you run it or start over.

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[Copper_clad]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Malted Barley or regular? In my experience backset seems to stop many infections as it lowers the ph. Citric acid if you have no backset. If your liquid tastes sweet you have sugar left in the mash.

170? Corn needs to be heated to 190 to get it to gel. I don't think you thought this one out to well. If the barleys not malted and u are not using enzymes then in my view it was wasted. If a simple grain flavored sugarhead was what you were going for then only the water to invert sugar needed be boiled.

Vomit smell is bad and a sure sign of a bacteria I won't name as I can't remember how it's spelled,
" Somebody help me out here". It's in your fermenter multiplying like rabbits on Viagra and will only get worse.

I would start out with more study on this. First my corn gets heated and held thirty minutes or not at all to 190 degrees. My barley is malted and tossed in at 150 to convert my gelled corn.

Have you tried high temp enzymes?

Here's how I do a grain sugarhead and a hybrid all grain sugar.

On a sugarhead I boil my water, invert 100 pounds sugar and add it to my grain along with 3 cups oyster shell and 4 gallons of backset.Citric acid can be used if you have no necter of the gods " Backset" then a yeast bomb of 1 cup of distillers yeast. Backset serves two purposes for me, first it lowers my ph which usually wards off the vomit bacteria along with many others.Second I always use Lacto infected backset as it adds much needed flavor to a sugarhead. Backset is like Gold down in Dixie so I horde, and hide the stuff like Gold. The more generations you run the better the backset and I always use low wine backset not spirit run backset.

All grain sugar hybrid.

I bring 100 pounds of grain to 190 degrees and hold it for thirty minutes along with 25 pounds sugar with appropriate high temp enzyme and in my still that grain is usually corn, wheat and a dash of oats. Cool to 150 and add gluco enzyme or sometimes if I have it, Wheat malt or both. Your ratios and quantity will be different but shoot for 2 pounds grain per gallon of finished mash. Don't add all water up front, but use roughly 65 percent of your needed water. I quit measuring long ago. Once cooled to 85 pitch distillers yeast , 4 gallons backset and 3 cups oyster shells.

This hybrid method doesn't seem to put any sugar bite into my wash and ups my yield by adding some sugar. My grain bill is usually 70% corn 20% Wheat. 10% oats. I like this drop.

On a straight corn mash I use no sugar period but add a spoonful of glycerin to each finished and filtered quart. For my money I want wheat and some oats in my wash but for straight corn I prefer no sugar and the glycerin.

So would you run it or start over.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

It was steam rolled barley.

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[Hilltop]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Malted Barley or regular? In my experience backset seems to stop many infections as it lowers the ph. Citric acid if you have no backset. If your liquid tastes sweet you have sugar left in the mash.

170? Corn needs to be heated to 190 to get it to gel. I don't think you thought this one out to well. If the barleys not malted and u are not using enzymes then in my view it was wasted. If a simple grain flavored sugarhead was what you were going for then only the water to invert sugar needed be boiled.

Vomit smell is bad and a sure sign of a bacteria I won't name as I can't remember how it's spelled,
" Somebody help me out here". It's in your fermenter multiplying like rabbits on Viagra and will only get worse.

I would start out with more study on this. First my corn gets heated and held thirty minutes or not at all to 190 degrees. My barley is malted and tossed in at 150 to convert my gelled corn.

Have you tried high temp enzymes?

Here's how I do a grain sugarhead and a hybrid all grain sugar.

On a sugarhead I boil my water, invert 100 pounds sugar and add it to my grain along with 3 cups oyster shell and 4 gallons of backset.Citric acid can be used if you have no necter of the gods " Backset" then a yeast bomb of 1 cup of distillers yeast. Backset serves two purposes for me, first it lowers my ph which usually wards off the vomit bacteria along with many others.Second I always use Lacto infected backset as it adds much needed flavor to a sugarhead. Backset is like Gold down in Dixie so I horde, and hide the stuff like Gold. The more generations you run the better the backset and I always use low wine backset not spirit run backset.

All grain sugar hybrid.

I bring 100 pounds of grain to 190 degrees and hold it for thirty minutes along with 25 pounds sugar with appropriate high temp enzyme and in my still that grain is usually corn, wheat and a dash of oats. Cool to 150 and add gluco enzyme or sometimes if I have it, Wheat malt or both. Your ratios and quantity will be different but shoot for 2 pounds grain per gallon of finished mash. Don't add all water up front, but use roughly 65 percent of your needed water. I quit measuring long ago. Once cooled to 85 pitch distillers yeast , 4 gallons backset and 3 cups oyster shells.

This hybrid method doesn't seem to put any sugar bite into my wash and ups my yield by adding some sugar. My grain bill is usually 70% corn 20% Wheat. 10% oats. I like this drop.

On a straight corn mash I use no sugar period but add a spoonful of glycerin to each finished and filtered quart. For my money I want wheat and some oats in my wash but for straight corn I prefer no sugar and the glycerin.

So would you run it or start over.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Vinegar or vomit makes horrible whisky so what are we shooting for here? Terrible tasting liquer or just some hooch to get drunk? I would have to smell it myself to be sure, but vomit is a pretty standard smell known worldwide and in the moonshine world it's bad news. It not only gets tossed here, it's tossed far enough away that it doesn't crawl back into my fermenter. Now let's discuss how it got in the fermenter in the first place. Number one is open air exposure and improper cleaning is a close second. I can tell you this for fact, If not properly removed with bleach or the professional distillery cleaner it will return in force. I would disinfect everything, and then disinfect again. I would toss it and call it a learning experience as I would venture to say 90% of the moonshiners here have learned this the hardway, and you can't filter out vomit. This often is referred to as the foot smell by some, once you smell the vomit or feet you won't ever forget it. So i ask you, are we sure it's vomit smell and if so why would one ask can it be used? Again are we shooting for quality or some horrible vomit tasting liquer? I like good smooth whisky so it would be a no brainer for me, but again im very familiar with this bacteria vomit feet smell. I can only guess the op knows what he's smelling.

By bringing my grain to 190 and holding, the center of the pot is boiling and by boiling you kill any bacteria on the grain. Make sure you store your grain properly in a sealed bag or container free of open air exposure and rodents which happily transport vomit bacteria.

Toss it, disinfect and remember that smell as it's a sure sign that something isn't kosher. Clean everything and clean it again. I use arm and hammer washing soda or bleach. The OPs procedure is flawed in my opinion and should be rethought, to me he's wasting gas, barley and time. Now more time must be spent cleaning. Backset most likely would have never allowed vomit to rear it's head. High ph is often the cause. Low PH inhibits a lot of the nasties and backset is not only the preferred ph Down, it's also the prefered flavor enhancer. I see no mention of it in the ops thread.

In short it's a high ph mash that invited vomit. Outdoors in the swamp I've seen this issue several times through the years. An increase in backset even on open ferment outdoor applications solved this issue but took many years to learn. On an open ferment outdoor barrel my backset is increased to 20% and I haven't seen vomit since.

In my view some much needed reading and mash procedure studying is needed by the OP, No disrespect intended but his procedure is flawed. Chalk it up as a learning experience and move forward. I have dumped many barrels of mash through the years. Last year I didn't listen I tried beat pulp shreds with molasses and learned the hard way. Stupid and not listening has been a lesson I've learned the hard way though the years. We must all learn. Many including me chose failed mashes by not listening. Now the OP knows what Vomit Bacteria smells like, he learned something and will recognise it in the future. I think it's a ph issue but this is something I can only guess at. He must figure it out for himself. Welcome to our world. Many more lessons are coming so live and learn and move forward. I wish you luck and keep moving forward.

[Copper_clad]

I believe that I have screwed up on a corn mash. I started with roughly 8lbs of steam rolled corn, brought up to 170 degrees then let cool off to 150 threw in roughly 2lbs of steam rolled barley stirred and let cool overnight. The next day I strained and squeezed out the corn and barley mix and got about 2 and a half gallons of liquid. Put in about 3 inches of grain on the bottom. Added 5 gallons of water with about 6pounds of sugar. The starting OG was 1.043. I let that sit overnight. The second day I added enough sugar water to raise the OG to 1.075. It had started to sour by the second day. Well 4 days into the ferment it smells like vomit. The liquid under the top layer of I don't know what to call it. Actually tastes kinda sour and sweet. Can I scoop off the crap on top and let it ride out the fermentation and run it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Malted Barley or regular? In my experience backset seems to stop many infections as it lowers the ph. Citric acid if you have no backset. If your liquid tastes sweet you have sugar left in the mash.

170? Corn needs to be heated to 190 to get it to gel. I don't think you thought this one out to well. If the barleys not malted and u are not using enzymes then in my view it was wasted. If a simple grain flavored sugarhead was what you were going for then only the water to invert sugar needed be boiled.

Vomit smell is bad and a sure sign of a bacteria I won't name as I can't remember how it's spelled,
" Somebody help me out here". It's in your fermenter multiplying like rabbits on Viagra and will only get worse.

I would start out with more study on this. First my corn gets heated and held thirty minutes or not at all to 190 degrees. My barley is malted and tossed in at 150 to convert my gelled corn.

Have you tried high temp enzymes?

Here's how I do a grain sugarhead and a hybrid all grain sugar.

On a sugarhead I boil my water, invert 100 pounds sugar and add it to my grain along with 3 cups oyster shell and 4 gallons of backset.Citric acid can be used if you have no necter of the gods " Backset" then a yeast bomb of 1 cup of distillers yeast. Backset serves two purposes for me, first it lowers my ph which usually wards off the vomit bacteria along with many others.Second I always use Lacto infected backset as it adds much needed flavor to a sugarhead. Backset is like Gold down in Dixie so I horde, and hide the stuff like Gold. The more generations you run the better the backset and I always use low wine backset not spirit run backset.

All grain sugar hybrid.

I bring 100 pounds of grain to 190 degrees and hold it for thirty minutes along with 25 pounds sugar with appropriate high temp enzyme and in my still that grain is usually corn, wheat and a dash of oats. Cool to 150 and add gluco enzyme or sometimes if I have it, Wheat malt or both. Your ratios and quantity will be different but shoot for 2 pounds grain per gallon of finished mash. Don't add all water up front, but use roughly 65 percent of your needed water. I quit measuring long ago. Once cooled to 85 pitch distillers yeast , 4 gallons backset and 3 cups oyster shells.

This hybrid method doesn't seem to put any sugar bite into my wash and ups my yield by adding some sugar. My grain bill is usually 70% corn 20% Wheat. 10% oats. I like this drop.

On a straight corn mash I use no sugar period but add a spoonful of glycerin to each finished and filtered quart. For my money I want wheat and some oats in my wash but for straight corn I prefer no sugar and the glycerin.

So would you run it or start over.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Vinegar or vomit makes horrible whisky so what are we shooting for here? Terrible tasting liquer or just some hooch to get drunk? I would have to smell it myself to be sure, but vomit is a pretty standard smell known worldwide and in the moonshine world it's bad news. It not only gets tossed here, it's tossed far enough away that it doesn't crawl back into my fermenter. Now let's discuss how it got in the fermenter in the first place. Number one is open air exposure and improper cleaning is a close second. I can tell you this for fact, If not properly removed with bleach or the professional distillery cleaner it will return in force. I would disinfect everything, and then disinfect again. I would toss it and call it a learning experience as I would venture to say 90% of the moonshiners here have learned this the hardway, and you can't filter out vomit. This often is referred to as the foot smell by some, once you smell the vomit or feet you won't ever forget it. So i ask you, are we sure it's vomit smell and if so why would one ask can it be used? Again are we shooting for quality or some horrible vomit tasting liquer? I like good smooth whisky so it would be a no brainer for me, but again im very familiar with this bacteria vomit feet smell. I can only guess the op knows what he's smelling.

By bringing my grain to 190 and holding, the center of the pot is boiling and by boiling you kill any bacteria on the grain. Make sure you store your grain properly in a sealed bag or container free of open air exposure and rodents which happily transport vomit bacteria.

Toss it, disinfect and remember that smell as it's a sure sign that something isn't kosher. Clean everything and clean it again. I use arm and hammer washing soda or bleach. The OPs procedure is flawed in my opinion and should be rethought, to me he's wasting gas, barley and time. Now more time must be spent cleaning. Backset most likely would have never allowed vomit to rear it's head. High ph is often the cause. Low PH inhibits a lot of the nasties and backset is not only the preferred ph Down, it's also the prefered flavor enhancer. I see no mention of it in the ops thread.

In short it's a high ph mash that invited vomit. Outdoors in the swamp I've seen this issue several times through the years. An increase in backset even on open ferment outdoor applications solved this issue but took many years to learn. On an open ferment outdoor barrel my backset is increased to 20% and I haven't seen vomit since.

In my view some much needed reading and mash procedure studying is needed by the OP, No disrespect intended but his procedure is flawed. Chalk it up as a learning experience and move forward. I have dumped many barrels of mash through the years. Last year I didn't listen I tried beat pulp shreds with molasses and learned the hard way. Stupid and not listening has been a lesson I've learned the hard way though the years. We must all learn. Many including me chose failed mashes by not listening. Now the OP knows what Vomit Bacteria smells like, he learned something and will recognise it in the future. I think it's a ph issue but this is something I can only guess at. He must figure it out for himself. Welcome to our world. Many more lessons are coming so live and learn and move forward. I wish you luck and keep moving forward.

Thank you for the info and help. I am as green as the grain is. I believe I will toss that barrel and Clorox the hell out of it and try again. This is the first time I've had this issue. So I thought something was funny and I should ask one of you guys with more experience. I'm to old to get drunk. I want to make a great quality product. Thanks again for the help.

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[Hilltop]

Copper

Do you save your backset and have some available for your next mash? Or if not, some Citric Acid? That particular bacteria that smells like vomit is pretty tough. In plastic barrels it can be a bitch to get out. Heat you some Boiling not hot but Boiling water add some bleach and scrub rinse then scrub rinse.

Anything that touched the bacteria like Hydrometers, Test tubes, Stir paddles, Siphon hoses must also get the same treatment and everything close to that fermenter needs a wipe down. If you have a drain valve on your fermenter then open it and clean it before doing the barrel and let the hot bleach water run through the valve and then your rinse water next.

I looked through some old notes and my guess lined up with my notes from a particularly hot summer in 2010 in a creek bottom with little wind. Almost every time I've had this nasty vomit raise up was during times that my backset stash got depleted. Without the backset to lower the ph in 2010 it soon raised it's ugly head and before I could blink some fruit flies jumped the bacteria from the infected barrel to 2 more barrels. We tossed and disinfected everything, but forgot the most obvious thing which was the large paddle I used to stir. We remashed everything and as I'm stirring the mash with the paddle I realized I made the rookie mistake of not disinfecting the stir paddle. But on this round we fished out a 5 gallon bucket of backset and added it to the barrels and even though I knew my paddle reintroduced the vomit the addition of the backset never allowed it to rise back up. So i learned that lower ph say 4.8 prevented this mess from rising back up.

A Lacto infection on plastic is damn near impossible to remove without some serious cleaning but leaves a desirable flavor in your mash. Left unchecked this stuff will spread like a wildfire and has been known to take over distillerys.

A man that is seeking to make good liquer after several years experience doesn't blink when making the easy choice to toss a bad batch. The only way we learn is to make mistakes and Lord knows I have made them but many I made could have been avoided by listening to our elders. Guess I'm a hardheaded fellow as I must learn myself it seems, but that is something I intend to stop doing in my older age, it's not fun scrubbing nor is pouring out infected mash that costs plenty of money and more importantly time to make.

Newbies never consider the storage of backset for use and often toss it. I add this stuff to my finished liquer, wipe my copper to a shine with it, use it for a ph Down and a mash flavor enhancer and recently I found out it works better than draino on clogged drains. Many due to storage issues buy brew shop Citric acid but for my money backset can't be beat.

Plastic is loathed by many here because it's alot harder to remove infections. You can't simply wipe out an infected barrel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and the word "thoroughly" is a lesson many will learn the hard way by not " thoroughly " cleaning it the first time they soon find out that thoroughly means what it says. I read one cats thread a long time ago who was on about his 5th attempt to remove the vomit, but by learning this lesson he now knows thoroughly means thoroughly not half ass. That lesson cost him plenty.

This ain't nothing but a step for a stepper Copper Clad, clean it, remash and once you sip your new good quality liquer you will soon realize you made the hard but only choice that goes toward your goal of making a fine drop. You will never forget the smell and that little bit of lost money will soon be forgotten.

Here's what you would have learned if you would have ran it. Your vomit mash would have produced an earthy foot smelling liquer that no amount of aging nor filtering nor oak will fix. If I may ask, what size and type of still are you running and what gallon capacity are your fermenters? I noticed no mention of a ph buffer like oyster shell. What type of liquer do you prefer to drink? Whisky, Rum, Gin etc?

If it's whisky get the high temp enzymes or wheat or barley malt. Fast clean ferments in the summer especially in outdoor buildings or hot creek bottoms is the desired approach due to warm weather bacteria.

You will soon notice that gelled properly cooked corn makes a far better drink than uncooked grains. Super sweet -sweet corn makes a better drop than feed corn due to double the amount of potential sugar.

A simple uncle Jessie Sour Mash with some wheat and oats is the best simple grain flavored sugarhead but a man who likes a good drink will learn fast that the gelled cooked corn is much better and the addition of wheat mellows it. Uncle Jessies mash is pointed to newbies for good reason as all that backset keeps many nasties away and allows a new distiller to distill without many bacteria issues.

I prefer the hybrid all grain with 25lbs of sugar and I have been going down this road by choice now. Concentrating on perfecting one drop is often overlooked by new distillers who jump around trying new mashes and washes. Grain washes are easy to me but Sugar washes have given me many issues through the years.

Once you get ironed out and fluent with your procedures you can consistently make a good drop. Consistency and quality are good goals to strive for. Once you get corn down pat, try some high temp enzymes on rice with a touch of oats. You may never go back once you do. To make a consistent quality drop one must be set up properly and fluent with his mash or wash.

In the grain world of whisky one must have in my opinion a large boiling pot with basket, A bag to fit it, larger fermenters, as grain takes up space, ph tester, ph up and down adjustment, oyster shell or marble, backset, a hand winch to raise the basket, proper grain storage barrels, a grinder or blender, a malting table, a method of disposing of spent grains" I use chickens and my drunk chickens make some damn tasty eggs" a proper distillers yeast "I prefer red star dady" an activated charcoal filtration system which can be made simple and cheap, a temp gauge, a method of oxygenation either by using high spray from water hose or an aquarium air pump as pouring back and forth from buckets to add oxygen is not fun. A source of charred oak or wood barrels. I use artesian water that flows from the ground to make my whisky and your water quality is an often overlooked ingredient. Many home distillers use city water that is depleted of nutrients and tastes like shit. Good water makes good whisky, and bad water must be tweaked or avoided or your drop will show it. Good water is step one to making good whisky in my opinion. Test your waters ph and write it down. Water is often never considered by many but your water quality can help or hurt you. I detest distilled water as it is completely void of any taste. High sulfer well water also throws off taste. I'm sure I left things out but any newbie reading this, here's some golden advice, start with your states laws and learn them as in some states this is highly illegal but distilling water in that same states may be legal. Once you learn your States laws on owning a still and distilling water or liquer, then you can form an educated opinion as to just how much risk you can take, things like still sites and other issues need to be based upon the laws of your state. A fuel permit is sought by many who live in states that consider Distilling on the same level as murder. Then look at your water, then when you think your ready to go to the next step go back and check your water again.

Get a proper boiling pot and yes it can be alumimum with the basket, Set up a proper work area, Get a procedure down and stick to it, Look into barrels or larger fermenters as grain takes up fermenter space., Dig a hole for spent grain or get chickens or develop a method to dispose of spent grain. Golden spent corn can be seen from a long distance and the alcoholic smell of the grain soon alerts any sane man to what the grain was used for. You would be surprised at how many new HD members never consider grain disposal till after the fact. You will soon be up to your ears in spent grain and fruit flies so those who don't prepare will regret it.

A good 15 gallonish or bigger copper still is the best in my opinion. Most start at the still step and learn the hard way about the rest, not preparing is a hard learned lesson. Any trained monkey can drive a still, Whisky starts with the mash so again look into the water. Once you look at your States laws step one is working up a good clean water source free of contaminates. Then obtaining the things needed to mash the water and grain, setting up a proper work area free of prying eyes and nosey neighbors, Sourcing barrels to store grain and a source of grain, Figuring out how you will heat your still, and how to drive it at a slow steady stream. Figuring out the condenser that is best suited for your environment is another overlooked step. A large worm barrel wouldn't be best suited for an apartment for example and in this case for example a liebeg condenser is a better option..

For Rum or Gin ask Odin, SS or others as I have not a clue but do hope to learn to make Gin one day. I like whisky, but found out this year high temp enzymes and rice with a little oats is very tasty and may be my best ever. Don't advertise your business to feed and sugar suppliers in states where distilling is a felony and never sell. Don't ride around drinking and driving from a mason jar with white liquer as an untaxed liquer charge will be added to your stupid DUI.

If your new, listen please, and age the liquer before drinking and learn how to make conservative not liberal cuts. Unaged liquer is harsher so let it sit a month before making judgment of your drop. Always keep a fire extinguisher and one bag of flour nearby. If you don't have time to start distilling then dont.

If you have a wife especially a non drinking one, then she will soon start complaining about jars, smell, the fact that you now love your new shiney non bitching still more than you love her as you spend so much time with the still will be heard often. Using her towels and mops and rags to wipe out smelly barrels and pots will be noticed by her quickly. Best advice I can give here is if she's one of those types that bitches if she's breathing then upgrade to a younger better looking submissive one that just loves to distill and smiles when you start talking about mash and copper. If she's is upset about your hobby you will not be allowed any happiness with it. If she can crack hickory nuts with her thighs or butt cheeks while cooking dinner and raising your kids then a separate still area away from your home may be needed as hickory nut cracking thighs are hard to replace. If your wife is friends with all your drinking buddies then you are a rookie. Why? Your friends will soon do something stupid like crawl up the steps and pass out in the floor or drive a John Deere into a pond. Your buddies actions will not be blamed by his wife but the liquer you gave him will. The next day you will think that woman you married doubled and your old buddy who just threw you under the bus because hes a wussie can't seem to speak with any tone after she denutted him. LOL!

[Copper_clad]

Copper

Do you save your backset and have some available for your next mash? Or if not, some Citric Acid? That particular bacteria that smells like vomit is pretty tough. In plastic barrels it can be a bitch to get out. Heat you some Boiling not hot but Boiling water add some bleach and scrub rinse then scrub rinse.

Anything that touched the bacteria like Hydrometers, Test tubes, Stir paddles, Siphon hoses must also get the same treatment and everything close to that fermenter needs a wipe down. If you have a drain valve on your fermenter then open it and clean it before doing the barrel and let the hot bleach water run through the valve and then your rinse water next.

I looked through some old notes and my guess lined up with my notes from a particularly hot summer in 2010 in a creek bottom with little wind. Almost every time I've had this nasty vomit raise up was during times that my backset stash got depleted. Without the backset to lower the ph in 2010 it soon raised it's ugly head and before I could blink some fruit flies jumped the bacteria from the infected barrel to 2 more barrels. We tossed and disinfected everything, but forgot the most obvious thing which was the large paddle I used to stir. We remashed everything and as I'm stirring the mash with the paddle I realized I made the rookie mistake of not disinfecting the stir paddle. But on this round we fished out a 5 gallon bucket of backset and added it to the barrels and even though I knew my paddle reintroduced the vomit the addition of the backset never allowed it to rise back up. So i now know I learned that lower ph say 4.8 prevented this mess from rising back up.

A Lacto infection on plastic is Damn near impossible to remove without some serious cleaning but leaves a desirable flavor in your mash. Left unchecked this stuff will spread like a wildfire and has been known to take over distillerys.

A man that is seeking to make good liquer after several years experience doesn't blink when making the easy choice to toss a bad batch. The only way we learn is to make mistakes and Lord knows I have made them but many I made could have been avoided by listening to our elders. Guess I'm a hardheaded fellow as I must learn myself it seems, but that is something I intend to stop doing in my older age, it's not fun scrubbing nor is pouring out infected mash that costs plenty of money and more importantly time to make.

Newbies never consider the storage of backset for use and often toss it. I add this stuff to my finished liquer, wipe my copper to a shine with it, use it for a ph Down and mash flavor enhancer and recently I found out it works better than draino on clogged drains. Many due to storage issues buy brew shop Citric acid but for my money backset can't be beat.

Plastic is loathed by many here because it's alot harder to remove infections. You can't simply wipe out an infected barrel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and the word "thoroughly" is a lesson many will learn the hard way by not " thoroughly " cleaning it the first time soon find out that thoroughly means what it says. I read one cats thread a long time ago who was on about his 5th attempt to remove the vomit, but by learning this lesson he now knows thoroughly means thoroughly not half ass. That lesson cost him plenty.

This ain't nothing but a step for a stepper, clean it, remash and once you sip your new good quality liquer you will soon realize you made the hard but only choice that goes toward your goal of making a fine drop. You will never forget the smell and that little bit of lost money will soon be forgotten.

Here's what you would have learned if you would have ran it. Your vomit mash would have produced an earthy foot smelling liquer that no amount of aging nor filtering nor oak will fix. If I may ask, what size and type of still are you running and what gallon capacity are your fermenters? I noticed no mention of a ph buffer like oyster shell. What type of liquer do you prefer to drink? Whisky, Rum, Gin etc?

If it's whisky get the high temp enzymes or wheat or barley malt. Fast clean ferments in summer especially in outdoor buildings or creek bottoms is the desired approach due to warm weather bacteria.
You will soon notice that gelled properly cooked corn makes a far better drink than uncooked grains. Super sweet sweet corn makes a better drop than feed corn due to double the amount of potential sugar.

A simple uncle Jessie Sour Mash with some wheat and oats is the best simple grain flavored sugarhead but a man who likes a good drink will learn fast that the gelled cooked corn is much better and the addition of wheat mellows it. Uncle Jessies mash is pointed to newbies for good reason as all that backset keeps many nasties away and allows a new distiller to distill without many bacteria issues.

I prefer the hybrid all grain with 25lbs of sugar and have been going down this road by choice now. Concentrating on perfecting one drop is often overlooked by new distillers who jump around trying new mashes and washes. Grain washes are easy to me but Sugar washes have given me many issues through the years.

Once you get ironed out and fluent with your procedures you can consistently make a good drop. Consistency and quality are good goals to strive for. Once you get corn down pat, try some high temp enzymes on rice with a touch of oats. You may never go back once you do. To make a consistent quality drop one must be set up properly and fluent with his mash or wash.

In the grain world of whisky one must have in my opinion a large boiling pot with basket, A bag to fit it, larger fermenters as grain takes up space, ph tester, ph up and down adjustment, oyster shell or marble, backset, a hand winch to raise the basket, proper grain storage barrels, a grinder or blender, a malting table, a method of disposing of spent grains" I use chickens and my drunk chickens make some damn tasty eggs" a proper distillers yeast I prefer red star dady, an activated charcoal filtration system which can be made simple and cheap, a temp gauge, a method of oxygenation either by using high spray from water hose or an aquarium air pump as pouring back and forth from buckets to add oxygen is not fun. A source of charred oak or wood barrels. I use artesian water that flows from the ground to make my whisky and your water quality is an often overlooked ingredient. Many home distillers use city water that is depleted of nutrients and tastes like shit. Good water makes good whisky, and bad water must be tweaked or your drop will show it. Good water is step one to making whisky in my opinion. Test your waters ph and write it down. Water is often never considered by many but your water quality can help or hurt you. I detest distilled water as it is completely void of any taste. High sulfer well water also throws off taste. I'm sure I left things out but any newbie reading this, here's some golden advice, start with your States laws and learn them as in some states this is highly illegal. Once you learn your States laws on owning a still and distilling liquer and then basing still sites and other issues on the laws of your state. A fuel permit is sought by many who live in states that consider Distilling on the same level as murder. Then look at your water, then when you think your ready to go to the next step go back and check your water again.

Get a proper boiling pot and yes it can be alumimum with the basket, Set up a proper work area, Get a procedure down and stick to it, Look into barrels or larger fermenters as grain takes up fermenter space., Dig a hole for spent grain or get chickens or develop a method to dispose of spent grain. Golden spent corn can be seen from a long distance and the alcoholic smell of the grain soon alerts any sane man to what the grain was used for. You would be surprised at how many new HD never consider grain disposal till after the fact. You will soon be up to your ears in spent grain and fruit flies so those who don't prepare will regret it.

A good 15 gallonish or bigger copper still is the best in my opinion. Most start at the still step and learn the hard way about the rest, not preparing is a hard learned lesson. Any trained monkey can drive a still, Whisky starts with the mash so again look into the laws. Once you look at your States laws step one is working up a good clean water source free of contaminates. Then obtaining the things needed to mash the water and grain, setting up a proper work area free of prying eyes and nosey neighbors, Sourcing barrels to store grain and a source of grain, Figuring out how you will heat your still, and how to drive it at a slow steady stream. Figuring out your condenser best suited for your environment is another overlooked step. A large worm barrel wouldn't be best suited for an apartment for example and in this case example a liebeg condenser is a better option..

For Rum or Gin ask Odin or others as I have not a clue but do hope to learn to make Gin one day. I like whisky, but found out this year high temp enzymes and rice with a little oats is very tasty and may be my best ever. Don't advertise your business to feed and sugar suppliers in states where distilling is a felony and never sell. Don't ride around drinking and driving from a mason jar with white liquer as an untaxed liquer charge will be added to your stupid DUI. If your new, listen and age the liquer before drinking and learn how to make conservative not liberal cuts. Unaged liquer is harsher so let it sit a month before making judgment of your drop. Always keep a fire extinguisher and one bag of flour nearby. If you don't have time to start distilling then dont. If you have a wife especially a non drinking one then she will soon start complaining about jars, smell, the fact that you now love your new shiney non bitching still more than you love her as you spend so much time with the still will be heard often. Using her towels and mops and rags to wipe out smelly barrels and pots will be noticed by her quickly. Best advice I can give here is if she's one of those types that bitches if she's breathing then upgrade to a younger better looking submissive one that just loves to distill and smiles when you start talking about mash and copper. If she's is upset about your hobby you will not be allowed any happiness with it. If she can crack hickory nuts with her thighs or butt cheeks while cooking dinner and raising your kids then a separate still area away from your home may be needed as hickory nut cracking thighs are hard to replace. If your wife is friends with all your drinking buddies then you are a rookie. Why? Your friends will soon do something stupid like crawl up the steps and pass out in the floor or drive a John Deere into a ponI'M d. Your buddies actions will not be blamed by his wife but the liquer you gave him will. The next day you will think that woman you married doubled and your old buddy who threw you under the bus can't seem to speak with any tone after she denutted him. LOL!

I was going to save the backset off this run. But due to the illness it has gotten and your advise I pitched that crap to the chickens and cows. I have the means and ability to dispose of all the leftovers by farm animals and wildlife. I plan on using amlayse this time when I start over after a vigorous cleaning. Thank you for the advise and help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[Hilltop]

Copper

Do you save your backset and have some available for your next mash? Or if not, some Citric Acid? That particular bacteria that smells like vomit is pretty tough. In plastic barrels it can be a bitch to get out. Heat you some Boiling not hot but Boiling water add some bleach and scrub rinse then scrub rinse.

Anything that touched the bacteria like Hydrometers, Test tubes, Stir paddles, Siphon hoses must also get the same treatment and everything close to that fermenter needs a wipe down. If you have a drain valve on your fermenter then open it and clean it before doing the barrel and let the hot bleach water run through the valve and then your rinse water next.

I looked through some old notes and my guess lined up with my notes from a particularly hot summer in 2010 in a creek bottom with little wind. Almost every time I've had this nasty vomit raise up was during times that my backset stash got depleted. Without the backset to lower the ph in 2010 it soon raised it's ugly head and before I could blink some fruit flies jumped the bacteria from the infected barrel to 2 more barrels. We tossed and disinfected everything, but forgot the most obvious thing which was the large paddle I used to stir. We remashed everything and as I'm stirring the mash with the paddle I realized I made the rookie mistake of not disinfecting the stir paddle. But on this round we fished out a 5 gallon bucket of backset and added it to the barrels and even though I knew my paddle reintroduced the vomit the addition of the backset never allowed it to rise back up. So i now know I learned that lower ph say 4.8 prevented this mess from rising back up.

A Lacto infection on plastic is Damn near impossible to remove without some serious cleaning but leaves a desirable flavor in your mash. Left unchecked this stuff will spread like a wildfire and has been known to take over distillerys.

A man that is seeking to make good liquer after several years experience doesn't blink when making the easy choice to toss a bad batch. The only way we learn is to make mistakes and Lord knows I have made them but many I made could have been avoided by listening to our elders. Guess I'm a hardheaded fellow as I must learn myself it seems, but that is something I intend to stop doing in my older age, it's not fun scrubbing nor is pouring out infected mash that costs plenty of money and more importantly time to make.

Newbies never consider the storage of backset for use and often toss it. I add this stuff to my finished liquer, wipe my copper to a shine with it, use it for a ph Down and mash flavor enhancer and recently I found out it works better than draino on clogged drains. Many due to storage issues buy brew shop Citric acid but for my money backset can't be beat.

Plastic is loathed by many here because it's alot harder to remove infections. You can't simply wipe out an infected barrel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and the word "thoroughly" is a lesson many will learn the hard way by not " thoroughly " cleaning it the first time soon find out that thoroughly means what it says. I read one cats thread a long time ago who was on about his 5th attempt to remove the vomit, but by learning this lesson he now knows thoroughly means thoroughly not half ass. That lesson cost him plenty.

This ain't nothing but a step for a stepper, clean it, remash and once you sip your new good quality liquer you will soon realize you made the hard but only choice that goes toward your goal of making a fine drop. You will never forget the smell and that little bit of lost money will soon be forgotten.

Here's what you would have learned if you would have ran it. Your vomit mash would have produced an earthy foot smelling liquer that no amount of aging nor filtering nor oak will fix. If I may ask, what size and type of still are you running and what gallon capacity are your fermenters? I noticed no mention of a ph buffer like oyster shell. What type of liquer do you prefer to drink? Whisky, Rum, Gin etc?

If it's whisky get the high temp enzymes or wheat or barley malt. Fast clean ferments in summer especially in outdoor buildings or creek bottoms is the desired approach due to warm weather bacteria.
You will soon notice that gelled properly cooked corn makes a far better drink than uncooked grains. Super sweet sweet corn makes a better drop than feed corn due to double the amount of potential sugar.

A simple uncle Jessie Sour Mash with some wheat and oats is the best simple grain flavored sugarhead but a man who likes a good drink will learn fast that the gelled cooked corn is much better and the addition of wheat mellows it. Uncle Jessies mash is pointed to newbies for good reason as all that backset keeps many nasties away and allows a new distiller to distill without many bacteria issues.

I prefer the hybrid all grain with 25lbs of sugar and have been going down this road by choice now. Concentrating on perfecting one drop is often overlooked by new distillers who jump around trying new mashes and washes. Grain washes are easy to me but Sugar washes have given me many issues through the years.

Once you get ironed out and fluent with your procedures you can consistently make a good drop. Consistency and quality are good goals to strive for. Once you get corn down pat, try some high temp enzymes on rice with a touch of oats. You may never go back once you do. To make a consistent quality drop one must be set up properly and fluent with his mash or wash.

In the grain world of whisky one must have in my opinion a large boiling pot with basket, A bag to fit it, larger fermenters as grain takes up space, ph tester, ph up and down adjustment, oyster shell or marble, backset, a hand winch to raise the basket, proper grain storage barrels, a grinder or blender, a malting table, a method of disposing of spent grains" I use chickens and my drunk chickens make some damn tasty eggs" a proper distillers yeast I prefer red star dady, an activated charcoal filtration system which can be made simple and cheap, a temp gauge, a method of oxygenation either by using high spray from water hose or an aquarium air pump as pouring back and forth from buckets to add oxygen is not fun. A source of charred oak or wood barrels. I use artesian water that flows from the ground to make my whisky and your water quality is an often overlooked ingredient. Many home distillers use city water that is depleted of nutrients and tastes like shit. Good water makes good whisky, and bad water must be tweaked or your drop will show it. Good water is step one to making whisky in my opinion. Test your waters ph and write it down. Water is often never considered by many but your water quality can help or hurt you. I detest distilled water as it is completely void of any taste. High sulfer well water also throws off taste. I'm sure I left things out but any newbie reading this, here's some golden advice, start with your States laws and learn them as in some states this is highly illegal. Once you learn your States laws on owning a still and distilling liquer and then basing still sites and other issues on the laws of your state. A fuel permit is sought by many who live in states that consider Distilling on the same level as murder. Then look at your water, then when you think your ready to go to the next step go back and check your water again.

Get a proper boiling pot and yes it can be alumimum with the basket, Set up a proper work area, Get a procedure down and stick to it, Look into barrels or larger fermenters as grain takes up fermenter space., Dig a hole for spent grain or get chickens or develop a method to dispose of spent grain. Golden spent corn can be seen from a long distance and the alcoholic smell of the grain soon alerts any sane man to what the grain was used for. You would be surprised at how many new HD never consider grain disposal till after the fact. You will soon be up to your ears in spent grain and fruit flies so those who don't prepare will regret it.

A good 15 gallonish or bigger copper still is the best in my opinion. Most start at the still step and learn the hard way about the rest, not preparing is a hard learned lesson. Any trained monkey can drive a still, Whisky starts with the mash so again look into the laws. Once you look at your States laws step one is working up a good clean water source free of contaminates. Then obtaining the things needed to mash the water and grain, setting up a proper work area free of prying eyes and nosey neighbors, Sourcing barrels to store grain and a source of grain, Figuring out how you will heat your still, and how to drive it at a slow steady stream. Figuring out your condenser best suited for your environment is another overlooked step. A large worm barrel wouldn't be best suited for an apartment for example and in this case example a liebeg condenser is a better option..

For Rum or Gin ask Odin or others as I have not a clue but do hope to learn to make Gin one day. I like whisky, but found out this year high temp enzymes and rice with a little oats is very tasty and may be my best ever. Don't advertise your business to feed and sugar suppliers in states where distilling is a felony and never sell. Don't ride around drinking and driving from a mason jar with white liquer as an untaxed liquer charge will be added to your stupid DUI. If your new, listen and age the liquer before drinking and learn how to make conservative not liberal cuts. Unaged liquer is harsher so let it sit a month before making judgment of your drop. Always keep a fire extinguisher and one bag of flour nearby. If you don't have time to start distilling then dont. If you have a wife especially a non drinking one then she will soon start complaining about jars, smell, the fact that you now love your new shiney non bitching still more than you love her as you spend so much time with the still will be heard often. Using her towels and mops and rags to wipe out smelly barrels and pots will be noticed by her quickly. Best advice I can give here is if she's one of those types that bitches if she's breathing then upgrade to a younger better looking submissive one that just loves to distill and smiles when you start talking about mash and copper. If she's is upset about your hobby you will not be allowed any happiness with it. If she can crack hickory nuts with her thighs or butt cheeks while cooking dinner and raising your kids then a separate still area away from your home may be needed as hickory nut cracking thighs are hard to replace. If your wife is friends with all your drinking buddies then you are a rookie. Why? Your friends will soon do something stupid like crawl up the steps and pass out in the floor or drive a John Deere into a ponI'M d. Your buddies actions will not be blamed by his wife but the liquer you gave him will. The next day you will think that woman you married doubled and your old buddy who threw you under the bus can't seem to speak with any tone after she denutted him. LOL!

I was going to save the backset off this run. But due to the illness it has gotten and your advise I pitched that crap to the chickens and cows. I have the means and ability to dispose of all the leftovers by farm animals and wildlife. I plan on using amlayse this time when I start over after a vigorous cleaning. Thank you for the advise and help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Anytime brother, your welcome. Your already ahead of the game on disposing spent grains but I forewarn you a drunk bull is a mean drunk and Lord help ya if he drinks a whole jar as he may mistake you for a sexy cow. Drunk horses will wreck you and drunk goats will be found hanging upside down in fences the next morning with a hellacious hangover. Drunk turkeys will gobble all night long and drunk sheep will eat barb wire and shit it out. Let us know if your infection returns, and good luck

[Copper_clad]

Copper

Do you save your backset and have some available for your next mash? Or if not, some Citric Acid? That particular bacteria that smells like vomit is pretty tough. In plastic barrels it can be a bitch to get out. Heat you some Boiling not hot but Boiling water add some bleach and scrub rinse then scrub rinse.

Anything that touched the bacteria like Hydrometers, Test tubes, Stir paddles, Siphon hoses must also get the same treatment and everything close to that fermenter needs a wipe down. If you have a drain valve on your fermenter then open it and clean it before doing the barrel and let the hot bleach water run through the valve and then your rinse water next.

I looked through some old notes and my guess lined up with my notes from a particularly hot summer in 2010 in a creek bottom with little wind. Almost every time I've had this nasty vomit raise up was during times that my backset stash got depleted. Without the backset to lower the ph in 2010 it soon raised it's ugly head and before I could blink some fruit flies jumped the bacteria from the infected barrel to 2 more barrels. We tossed and disinfected everything, but forgot the most obvious thing which was the large paddle I used to stir. We remashed everything and as I'm stirring the mash with the paddle I realized I made the rookie mistake of not disinfecting the stir paddle. But on this round we fished out a 5 gallon bucket of backset and added it to the barrels and even though I knew my paddle reintroduced the vomit the addition of the backset never allowed it to rise back up. So i now know I learned that lower ph say 4.8 prevented this mess from rising back up.

A Lacto infection on plastic is Damn near impossible to remove without some serious cleaning but leaves a desirable flavor in your mash. Left unchecked this stuff will spread like a wildfire and has been known to take over distillerys.

A man that is seeking to make good liquer after several years experience doesn't blink when making the easy choice to toss a bad batch. The only way we learn is to make mistakes and Lord knows I have made them but many I made could have been avoided by listening to our elders. Guess I'm a hardheaded fellow as I must learn myself it seems, but that is something I intend to stop doing in my older age, it's not fun scrubbing nor is pouring out infected mash that costs plenty of money and more importantly time to make.

Newbies never consider the storage of backset for use and often toss it. I add this stuff to my finished liquer, wipe my copper to a shine with it, use it for a ph Down and mash flavor enhancer and recently I found out it works better than draino on clogged drains. Many due to storage issues buy brew shop Citric acid but for my money backset can't be beat.

Plastic is loathed by many here because it's alot harder to remove infections. You can't simply wipe out an infected barrel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and the word "thoroughly" is a lesson many will learn the hard way by not " thoroughly " cleaning it the first time soon find out that thoroughly means what it says. I read one cats thread a long time ago who was on about his 5th attempt to remove the vomit, but by learning this lesson he now knows thoroughly means thoroughly not half ass. That lesson cost him plenty.

This ain't nothing but a step for a stepper, clean it, remash and once you sip your new good quality liquer you will soon realize you made the hard but only choice that goes toward your goal of making a fine drop. You will never forget the smell and that little bit of lost money will soon be forgotten.

Here's what you would have learned if you would have ran it. Your vomit mash would have produced an earthy foot smelling liquer that no amount of aging nor filtering nor oak will fix. If I may ask, what size and type of still are you running and what gallon capacity are your fermenters? I noticed no mention of a ph buffer like oyster shell. What type of liquer do you prefer to drink? Whisky, Rum, Gin etc?

If it's whisky get the high temp enzymes or wheat or barley malt. Fast clean ferments in summer especially in outdoor buildings or creek bottoms is the desired approach due to warm weather bacteria.
You will soon notice that gelled properly cooked corn makes a far better drink than uncooked grains. Super sweet sweet corn makes a better drop than feed corn due to double the amount of potential sugar.

A simple uncle Jessie Sour Mash with some wheat and oats is the best simple grain flavored sugarhead but a man who likes a good drink will learn fast that the gelled cooked corn is much better and the addition of wheat mellows it. Uncle Jessies mash is pointed to newbies for good reason as all that backset keeps many nasties away and allows a new distiller to distill without many bacteria issues.

I prefer the hybrid all grain with 25lbs of sugar and have been going down this road by choice now. Concentrating on perfecting one drop is often overlooked by new distillers who jump around trying new mashes and washes. Grain washes are easy to me but Sugar washes have given me many issues through the years.

Once you get ironed out and fluent with your procedures you can consistently make a good drop. Consistency and quality are good goals to strive for. Once you get corn down pat, try some high temp enzymes on rice with a touch of oats. You may never go back once you do. To make a consistent quality drop one must be set up properly and fluent with his mash or wash.

In the grain world of whisky one must have in my opinion a large boiling pot with basket, A bag to fit it, larger fermenters as grain takes up space, ph tester, ph up and down adjustment, oyster shell or marble, backset, a hand winch to raise the basket, proper grain storage barrels, a grinder or blender, a malting table, a method of disposing of spent grains" I use chickens and my drunk chickens make some damn tasty eggs" a proper distillers yeast I prefer red star dady, an activated charcoal filtration system which can be made simple and cheap, a temp gauge, a method of oxygenation either by using high spray from water hose or an aquarium air pump as pouring back and forth from buckets to add oxygen is not fun. A source of charred oak or wood barrels. I use artesian water that flows from the ground to make my whisky and your water quality is an often overlooked ingredient. Many home distillers use city water that is depleted of nutrients and tastes like shit. Good water makes good whisky, and bad water must be tweaked or your drop will show it. Good water is step one to making whisky in my opinion. Test your waters ph and write it down. Water is often never considered by many but your water quality can help or hurt you. I detest distilled water as it is completely void of any taste. High sulfer well water also throws off taste. I'm sure I left things out but any newbie reading this, here's some golden advice, start with your States laws and learn them as in some states this is highly illegal. Once you learn your States laws on owning a still and distilling liquer and then basing still sites and other issues on the laws of your state. A fuel permit is sought by many who live in states that consider Distilling on the same level as murder. Then look at your water, then when you think your ready to go to the next step go back and check your water again.

Get a proper boiling pot and yes it can be alumimum with the basket, Set up a proper work area, Get a procedure down and stick to it, Look into barrels or larger fermenters as grain takes up fermenter space., Dig a hole for spent grain or get chickens or develop a method to dispose of spent grain. Golden spent corn can be seen from a long distance and the alcoholic smell of the grain soon alerts any sane man to what the grain was used for. You would be surprised at how many new HD never consider grain disposal till after the fact. You will soon be up to your ears in spent grain and fruit flies so those who don't prepare will regret it.

A good 15 gallonish or bigger copper still is the best in my opinion. Most start at the still step and learn the hard way about the rest, not preparing is a hard learned lesson. Any trained monkey can drive a still, Whisky starts with the mash so again look into the laws. Once you look at your States laws step one is working up a good clean water source free of contaminates. Then obtaining the things needed to mash the water and grain, setting up a proper work area free of prying eyes and nosey neighbors, Sourcing barrels to store grain and a source of grain, Figuring out how you will heat your still, and how to drive it at a slow steady stream. Figuring out your condenser best suited for your environment is another overlooked step. A large worm barrel wouldn't be best suited for an apartment for example and in this case example a liebeg condenser is a better option..

For Rum or Gin ask Odin or others as I have not a clue but do hope to learn to make Gin one day. I like whisky, but found out this year high temp enzymes and rice with a little oats is very tasty and may be my best ever. Don't advertise your business to feed and sugar suppliers in states where distilling is a felony and never sell. Don't ride around drinking and driving from a mason jar with white liquer as an untaxed liquer charge will be added to your stupid DUI. If your new, listen and age the liquer before drinking and learn how to make conservative not liberal cuts. Unaged liquer is harsher so let it sit a month before making judgment of your drop. Always keep a fire extinguisher and one bag of flour nearby. If you don't have time to start distilling then dont. If you have a wife especially a non drinking one then she will soon start complaining about jars, smell, the fact that you now love your new shiney non bitching still more than you love her as you spend so much time with the still will be heard often. Using her towels and mops and rags to wipe out smelly barrels and pots will be noticed by her quickly. Best advice I can give here is if she's one of those types that bitches if she's breathing then upgrade to a younger better looking submissive one that just loves to distill and smiles when you start talking about mash and copper. If she's is upset about your hobby you will not be allowed any happiness with it. If she can crack hickory nuts with her thighs or butt cheeks while cooking dinner and raising your kids then a separate still area away from your home may be needed as hickory nut cracking thighs are hard to replace. If your wife is friends with all your drinking buddies then you are a rookie. Why? Your friends will soon do something stupid like crawl up the steps and pass out in the floor or drive a John Deere into a ponI'M d. Your buddies actions will not be blamed by his wife but the liquer you gave him will. The next day you will think that woman you married doubled and your old buddy who threw you under the bus can't seem to speak with any tone after she denutted him. LOL!

I was going to save the backset off this run. But due to the illness it has gotten and your advise I pitched that crap to the chickens and cows. I have the means and ability to dispose of all the leftovers by farm animals and wildlife. I plan on using amlayse this time when I start over after a vigorous cleaning. Thank you for the advise and help.

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Anytime brother, your welcome. Your already ahead of the game on disposing spent grains but I forewarn you a drunk bull is a mean drunk and Lord help ya if he drinks a whole jar as he may mistake you for a sexy cow. Drunk horses will wreck you and drunk goats will be found hanging upside down in fences the next morning with a hellacious hangover. Drunk turkeys will gobble all night long and drunk sheep will eat barb wire and shit it out. Let us know if your infection returns, and good luck

Thanks again. I got some enzymes for the next batch. When it turns out good I will save some of that Dixie gold and use it again.

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[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

There is no need to continually re quote a huge novel. If you respond to a lengthy post, people know what you're talking to.

[Copper_clad]

I do apologize, you can blame the new guy. I just have found the reply button. Well I cleaned and sanitized and wiped everything down with Clorox. Started over and with any luck it will turn out better this time. Thanks for the help.

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[Copper_clad]

Good news. The new batch is now working away. No foul smells. Hopefully within a week I can run it off and put it over some wood chips to age. Thanks again Hilltop, for the valuable knowledge.

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[Hilltop]

Good deal glad everything worked out for you, I have a fresh ferment of all grain going and we were picking peas and I remember someone on here mentioning pea hull shine, so i threw a bucket worth of shells in for shits and giggles, so who knows my batch may be following your last one into the trash. My sweet corn is almost ready to pick and I can't wait to ferment some. My watermelons due to so much rain have been hit hard by the rot fungus, So those watermelon shine ideas are not happening this year.

Try those high temp liquid enzymes, They will save you money and since switching from the powdered version I'm having complete conversion success. When I switched from malt to powdered enzyme experiments, I had several failed conversions that had to be recooked. Seems I was overloading my pot. Those high temp enzymes are added from jump and the mash never gets thick. I just add a little malt now for flavor. You will learn many new things on HD. Almost any type of wash or mash you can dream up has most likely been tried by someone here. Check out the Liars bench thread as between that Marine and Truckinbutchs new salt gun for flies it's always a hoot!

[Copper_clad]

Well good news. I ran it last night got a gallon of nice tasting hooch. Gonna cut it down to 80 proof and age it over apple wood. Should be pretty good. The oatmeal and wheat have it a sweet smooth finish. I am saving 2 gallons of backset ro add to the next batch of corn.

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[Beerbrewer]

Copper
Plastic is loathed by many here because it's alot harder to remove infections. You can't simply wipe out an infected barrel. It must be thoroughly cleaned and the word "thoroughly" is a lesson many will learn the hard way by not " thoroughly " cleaning it the first time they soon find out that thoroughly means what it says. I read one cats thread a long time ago who was on about his 5th attempt to remove the vomit, but by learning this lesson he now knows thoroughly means thoroughly not half ass. That lesson cost him plenty.

Stick a shit load of bleach in it and then use sodium metabisulphate to neutralise it, you'll have a clean fermentation vessel to use straight away.

[The Baker]

Can't remember exactly why but bleach is a no-no around a distillery.
Certainly it can be harmful to stainless but there were other reasons.
Anyway because of that I don't use it.

Geoff

[OtisT]

Today I started a 35 gallon all wheat ferment destined to become vodka. I got so much stuff sitting in barrels that I can’t touch, I figured it was time for some instant gratification.

Otis

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Aye. I'm running my third and last stripper on an oat sugar head, to be vodka tomorrow. Destined a gallon in a keg, and some strawberry lemonade mix of some sort. Carb for 2 weeks, then summer loving:).

[MtRainier]

Getting ready for a batch of Birdwatcher's

[OtisT]

Today I did cuts and proofed down my batch of Wheat Vodka. I cut it up for various uses and ended up with:

2.5 liters of my “private reserve” vodka, made from the heart of hearts
3 liters of vodka
2.5 liters of neutral-enough vodka for making cordials and such

I am extremely happy with results of this all wheat vodka. It is much cleaner than my past sugar wash vodkas.

Otis

[Copper_clad]

Well today I brought roughly 8 or so pounds of corn and 3 or 4 pounds of barley to 190 degrees for about 30 or so minutes drank a few cold ones while waiting for it to gel. Let that cool off and added some amalayse to it. Squished all the stuff out. Need a better idea for that. Sounds like a drinking session to figure out. Anyway I put that back in the pot added some water and heated it up. Added 2 pounds of chocolate barley and 2 pounds of malted rye. Let that work together and now the OG is 1.09 with some sugar added. Added 2 gallons of Dixie gold to the mixture. Now just waiting on it to do its magic.

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[Kareltje]

Did the spirit run of my khorasan.
Step by step malted 2 kg of khorasan (Triticum turanicum), brewed it with 2 kg khorasanflour and added 3 kg of sugar.
All in all I got 7.5 l of 36 % low wine and I ran this today slowly with my spiral riser and spiral cooler. Got me 2.75 L of 80 %ABV of khorasanconcentrate.
Smells good, but of course still very fresh.

Also started a similar series of unicorn (Triticum monococcum).

[Hallorann]

Today I did cuts and proofed down my batch of Wheat Vodka. I cut it up for various uses and ended up with:
I am extremely happy with results of this all wheat vodka. It is much cleaner than my past sugar wash vodkas.
Otis

Hi, Otis, I'm curious, is your Wheat vodka all grain? Another question: do you think you'll be charcoal filtering any of those runs? Also, did you do any airing out or other resting of the output pre-cutting?

Thanks!

[OtisT]

Hi, Otis, I'm curious, is your Wheat vodka all grain? Another question: do you think you'll be charcoal filtering any of those runs? Also, did you do any airing out or other resting of the output pre-cutting?

Thanks!

Yes, it was an all grain made from just red wheat and yeast. 2.25 lb of wheat per gallon. I used a “rum yeast” that contained nutrients, because that is what I had, and I went from 10 74 to 10 04 is less than 48 hours. Only other ingredient was some clam shells.

I stripped it first then fractioned. I started collecting at 95.5% but my rate was too slow so I sped things up to an acceptable rate and landed on 94% ABV for the run.

No, I did not filter. I was happy with the results w/o any filtering at all, which was my goal. From my reading, a simple wheat ferment is about as neutral as it gets. In the future I want to try adding baking soda to my low wines ( per the thread “baking soda”) to get a cleaner result, but I needed to go from start of ferment to Bottling in one week because I had a trip coming, so not enough time to try the baking soda on this run.

Airing: Two full days plus a few hours.

Otis

[Hallorann]

many thanks for the info, Otis!!