Can a burnt mash be saved?

Production methods from starch to sugars.

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nzl.james
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Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by nzl.james »

Hi all,

I was cooking my first large scale mash and it smells burnt and has some black kernels swimming in the mash.

Is it worth continuing?

It is a 100 litre mash with 22kg corn. I added the corn to a boiling pot with the gas still burning and continued cooking with gas for about 1 hour. I have let it sit overnight. Its time to add the malt (65deg C) but I'm not sure if I should waste the malt trying to continue?
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Expat
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by Expat »

In my experience, scorch carries over into the product, so it may be better to cut your losses. YMMV
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seabass
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by seabass »

Expat wrote: Sun May 10, 2020 12:07 pm In my experience, scorch carries over into the product, so it may be better to cut your losses. YMMV
That's been my experience as well. I hoped I could remove it by redistilling, but I was mistaken. It was terrible.
cob
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by cob »

could be you could make some smokey holler hand sanitizer, and sacrificial run product. :think:
be water my friend
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HDNB
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by HDNB »

seabass wrote: Sun May 10, 2020 12:12 pm
Expat wrote: Sun May 10, 2020 12:07 pm In my experience, scorch carries over into the product, so it may be better to cut your losses. YMMV
That's been my experience as well. I hoped I could remove it by redistilling, but I was mistaken. It was terrible.
+1

yup we all try that.

once.
I finally quit drinking for good.

now i drink for evil.
nzl.james
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by nzl.james »

Haha thanks for the advice. Looks like a pretty clear consensus.

I have transferred the mash to a plastic drum, added 3kg of distillers malt and 2 packs of high temp alpha amylase (24grams total, that's the only enzyme I had) at a temp of 60deg C.

I want to continue the process for practise as I'm new to corn mashes. I was trying to add the minimum malt so not to waste it, but I still want it to convert and ferment.
rubber duck
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by rubber duck »

No. A burnt mash is pretty much a lost cause.
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. John Steinbeck
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NZChris
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Re: Can a burnt mash be saved?

Post by NZChris »

The advice around here is usually pretty good James. If you search the forum you will get a bunch of threads contributed to by distillers who have made the same mistake before you. I've done it myself. I used it for lighting fires and for a sacrificial run on a new still head.

I can imagine Her Indoors not being too happy if you kick twenty gallons of porridge over on her lawn though. :D
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