Single Malt Process

[Steve3730]

Looking to make a single malt just using malted barley and wanted to review my process and get some tips. I've always done flaked maze,rye or wheat and 6 row combos before.

So going to use 12lbs of propino which is comparable to 2row.
-mix 12lbs of malt & 5 gallons of water in a mash tun
-hold temp of 148 for 90 minutes
-separate and cool wort
-pitch saf05 yeast

few questions
sparge or no?
use any alph amylase enzymes to ferment out more sugars?

[bluefish_dist]

If you are going to sparge that amount of water will be ok. If you don't sparge you will need more. The grain will suck up some of that water. I would only go an hour on hold. Should convert in that amount of time and I have read longer holds make it more bitter.
I would throw a little nutrient in as well to finish better. Also check the ph and add some citric acid if it's above 5.4.

[aircarbonarc]

It's easy, even in doubt just YouTube some guy making beer. It's easy and quick making a single malt wash, 05 is nice but depending what you want in the end I found 04 gave some better flavors.

[Steve3730]

Will for sure. I just bought a PH meter and will adjusted as needed. I'm shooting for my mash to be 5.4?
Thanks

[Steve3730]

It's easy, even in doubt just YouTube some guy making beer. It's easy and quick making a single malt wash, 05 is nice but depending what you want in the end I found 04 gave some better flavors.

Thanks I make beer all the time. was just wondering if there was any real differences i should be looking for. Any value in doing a boil? even if just a 15 min one?

[bluefish_dist]

No boil needed. You really want it to ferment dry, so let the enzymes work during fermentation.

I like pitch ph to be 5.2-5.4. Seems to work well.

[Steve3730]

No boil needed. You really want it to ferment dry, so let the enzymes work during fermentation.

I like pitch ph to be 5.2-5.4. Seems to work well.

I've never used alpha amylase with corn and have gotten down around 1.000. is it more needed with all malted barley? or will I be good without it?

Thanks for the advice

[bluefish_dist]

I use it as it's cheap. Usually end up .995-.997. even if you don't add enzymes, let what is there keep working. It will be boiled at the end anyway.

[kiwi Bruce]

Hi Steve, Are you chasing a specific type of single malt or are you after a good "average" whisky spirit ? By "specific type" I mean :- like a....Speyside, Lowland, Island, Highland, Campbeltown and Islay...not talking about "Brands" but there are differences that (to a limited extent) differentiate between the areas and styles. Your AG bill, as it is right now, should give you a pretty normal Lowlander (If you know your scotch, think a mild Glenkinchie) Save your first spirit run and combine it with your second attempt. Most of the "single malt character" can be captured by using the stillage of your first low wines run. Use the stillage to adjust the pH in your next mash, and combine it in the next beer run and into the low wines of your next spirit run. Without this addition you'll end up with a "Bland" tasting spirit, that will lack character. With it, you'll be quite amazed at the outcome, again...a lowlander, but a sipping whisky...not a "mixer". Keep the Stillage for the next five or six single malts you make. The stillage will keep improving in flavor to this point, after this the profile will level out. Hope this helps...any questions, ask...Kiwi

[butterpants]

Will for sure. I just bought a PH meter and will adjusted as needed. I'm shooting for my mash to be 5.4?
Thanks

5.2 at room temperature is the gold standard for mash conversion. Don't forget that pH is variable with temp.

Basically I'm saying take a sample, chill it down to 68F then take your pH reading. It should be in the range of 5.2-5.6 for maximum kinetics on your enzymatic conversion.

ATC (automatic temperature control) comes into play for calibration and the different temperatures standard solutions could be at. Don't think that just because your stick says ATC you can sample pH at 140F.... plus your probe will suffer in the long run from this practice. Degraded life span.

[butterpants]

Hi Steve, Are you chasing a specific type of single malt or are you after a good "average" whisky spirit ? By "specific type" I mean :- like a....Speyside, Lowland, Island, Highland, Campbeltown and Islay...not talking about "Brands" but there are differences that (to a limited extent) differentiate between the areas and styles. Your AG bill, as it is right now, should give you a pretty normal Lowlander (If you know you scotch, think a mild Glenkinchie) Save your first spirit run and combine it with your second attempt. Most of the "single malt character" can be captured by using the stillage of your first low wines run. Use the stillage to adjust the pH in your next mash, and combine it in the next beer run and into the low wines of your next spirit run. Without this addition you'll end up with a "Bland" tasting spirit, that will lack character. With it, you'll be quite amazed at the outcome, again...a lowlander, but a sipping whisky...not a "mixer". Keep the Stillage for the next five or six single malts you make. The stillage will keep improving in flavor to this point, after this the profile will level out. Hope this helps...any questions, ask...Kiwi

I like this advice.

I'm not a Scotch guy so the diff mashbills corresponding to geographic areas is a novel, awesome piece of knowledge I'd like to have. Care to elaborate more or point us in the direction of that intel? Plz?

[Skipper1953]

I know this is "off topic" but what would be the point of having a pH meter with Automatic Temperature Compensation if you were going to waste your time cooling samples before testing?

[butterpants]

I know this is "off topic" but what would be the point of having a pH meter with Automatic Temperature Compensation if you were going to waste your time cooling samples before testing?

I already answered this.

It's for compensation during calibration.

Do what you will. It's your equipment.

[kiwi Bruce]

Care to elaborate more or point us in the direction of that intel? Plz?

I'll try to write this up and post it tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Steve3730]

Hi Steve, Are you chasing a specific type of single malt or are you after a good "average" whisky spirit ? By "specific type" I mean :- like a....Speyside, Lowland, Island, Highland, Campbeltown and Islay...not talking about "Brands" but there are differences that (to a limited extent) differentiate between the areas and styles. Your AG bill, as it is right now, should give you a pretty normal Lowlander (If you know your scotch, think a mild Glenkinchie) Save your first spirit run and combine it with your second attempt. Most of the "single malt character" can be captured by using the stillage of your first low wines run. Use the stillage to adjust the pH in your next mash, and combine it in the next beer run and into the low wines of your next spirit run. Without this addition you'll end up with a "Bland" tasting spirit, that will lack character. With it, you'll be quite amazed at the outcome, again...a lowlander, but a sipping whisky...not a "mixer". Keep the Stillage for the next five or six single malts you make. The stillage will keep improving in flavor to this point, after this the profile will level out. Hope this helps...any questions, ask...Kiwi

Really just want to try a different recipe. have been doing corn based with different % of wheat or rye for the last 2 years and wanted to try something new. So i should be expecting a scotch like flavor out of it? I'm doing this as a group project with my brew club we are actually fermenting a total of 90 gallons. I just always scale down to 5 gallon because its easier to talk about and work with. We'll make several stripping runs through my still and aim for about 12 gallons of low wines for a spirit run. Would you recommend adding anything else to the grain bill? Like i said not chasing anything specific just want to try a new process and make some good enjoyable spirits! Thanks

Oh an you mentioned using the stillage or backset in the next mash since we are fermenting so much and it won't be at once should I use the back set from the first 30 gallons to adjust the ph of the next 60 gallons?

[bluefish_dist]

If you are looking for more peat, I recently did one with 4% bairds heavily peated malt. Turned out amazing. I also have two going with larger % of peated malt using crisp and Simpson malts. For having a larger % of peated malt the peat flavor is not as strong.

[kiwi Bruce]

Setting up the mash and wash

So going to use 12lbs of propino which is comparable to 2row.
-mix 12lbs of malt & 5 gallons of water in a mash tun
-hold temp of 148 for 90 minutes
-separate and cool wort
-pitch saf05 yeast

few questions
sparge or no?
use any alph amylase enzymes to ferment out more sugars?

Here is a mash calculator
http://www.winemakersshop.com/dmelme-abv-calculator/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Your target SG is 1.086 which will give you an 8.1% ABV (@ 70% efficiency)
You'll need 16lb malt per 5 gal of wash, and you'll mash with 1.25 quarts of 150F water per 1 lb of Barley = 5gals
You'll have to sparge or your not going to get your total wash volume because you'll have possibly a gal locked in your grain. If you come up light use some malt extract to get to your target SG.
I'm going to recommend you boil the whole wash, I don't care what the "Pros" do. They have a "sight glass" half way up the neck of their beer stills to see how high the foam reaches, when they see it they can shut off the heat, we don't...and this bitch is going to foam...and there is a second reason, if you boil the wash you'll get to the protein "hot break" which will help control the foam in your beer still and you'll cool it again and get your cold break and remove the trub before fermenting. In the hobby I have found this very important for short maturation times. You'll be able to go quite deep into the end cuts and your not going to get that "pro wrestlers jockstrap" taste and smell in the middle tails. I believe that removing the trub at the hobby level helps improve our produce and speeds the maturation, I don't want to wait seven years plus to see how my single malt turned out.

[kiwi Bruce]

Peat smoke or not peat smoke...it's very subjective.

A lot of drinkers don't like the taste of peat smoke that peated barley can give a whisky, which is why the Lowland Single Malts are so popular. You don't have to use peated barley to get some of the flavor of smoke, if you use a little chocolate or black patent malt, (8 oz/ 10lb of barley) you'll get soft smokey flavor and non of the acrid peat taste that some people dislike.

Deepen the malt taste...

A little bit of crystal malt goes a long way in giving depth to a Hobby single malt, again (8 oz/10lb of barley) I think it gives a good balance to a whisky with a background smoke flavor, whether from peat or dark malt.

Sorry I've got to go...more tomorrow...like water, yeast and wood.

[butterpants]

Care to elaborate more or point us in the direction of that intel? Plz?

I'll try to write this up and post it tonight or tomorrow morning.

Thanks Kiwi

[kiwi Bruce]

Photo of a beer still with the foam half way up the sight glass...yes AG barley sure can foam.

[kiwi Bruce]

I'm not a Scotch guy so the diff mashbills corresponding to geographic areas is a novel, awesome piece of knowledge I'd like to have. Care to elaborate more or point us in the direction of that intel? Plz?

Butterpants...I'm starting a new post for this, don't want to highjack the tread.

[butterpants]

I'm not a Scotch guy so the diff mashbills corresponding to geographic areas is a novel, awesome piece of knowledge I'd like to have. Care to elaborate more or point us in the direction of that intel? Plz?

Butterpants...I'm starting a new post for this, don't want to highjack the tread.

Ok great. Can you toss a link?

[badflash]

I do 2.5 gallons for 1 hour, run it off, add another 2.5 gallons for an hour and run it off. When I run it off I pour if back in the top until it starts to run clear. The grain bed needs to pack a little before it runs clear.

[kiwi Bruce]

Single Malt Whisky Defined by Region

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=70436

[Johnnywhiskey]

Beta amylase is what you want to drop the FG to sub-1.00 numbers. Unfermentable dexterines are what keeps the FG above 1.00, not branched starch. I ran 2 batches head to head, without and with beta amylase added. The FG was 1.008 without, and sub-1.00 with. The beta amylase seriously boosts the yield--not consistant with the Scotch definition of sigle malt, but then I'm not Scotch.

Stay Thirsty, JW