Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper
Being as my BW TPW is taking its sweet time I decided to start a trial batch of Sweetfeed. Started with SG of 1.060-6.5 on Saturday, down to 1.010 or so today. Still bubbling away. I rotated the bucket half a turn and it seems to have started bubbling even more. Hoping this turns out well.
I realize I wont get a whole lot out of this size but plan to strip out what i can and run later. As soon as the BW is done that will free up my 20Gal Fermenter and I will start a large batch and then treat it like UJSSM.
Going to use the down time to plan my electric conversion and upgrade to a larger keg . Really enjoying all this, even when Ive got nothing to run. My wife is going to kill me when i bring home another 20-30 gallon fermenter.. But i can see it happening already.
Thanks Guys! The sweet feed is 100% bitter, taste like a warm grainy beer. No sweetness at all yet it is still bubbling pretty good. I have a feeling ill be straining this off tomorrow! If not tonight to settle again for running tomorrow. Ill check the gravity on it in a bit.
Sitting at 0.998 or just at/under 1.00.. Should this be good to go? If my calc is correct I have roughly 8.14% abv.. Its still bubbling.. But wasnt sure if id get much diff out of letting it get closer to .990 (9.19%). SG of 1.060.
Will the 1%-2% increase in abv make a big difference on the end "product"? Most likely will strip it but since I have yet to taste anything ive made (vinegar and 2 cleaning white wine sac runs) i want to try and catch some hearts and see how it is.
I cleaned and put my Hydrom up before thinking of taking a pic with it in.. Ah well, here is the color on it:
Running her through as we speak. I let it settle then double filtered it once into a 3rd container then again when i charged the still. Left all the white/cloudy junk in the bottom of the secondaries.
Collected 11 jars, letting it all air out then will see if i cant blend something decent. I need a bigger boiler . I took some of the backset and poured it into a 3 gallon pot, removed some of the feed and replaced with new, disolved the sugar in the back set and added the new feed and cooler water until i got the gravity to 1.060 and poured back into the fermenter. Already starting to bubble. Interested to see how the next one tastes.
I just siphoned it out today actually. It was a lot clearer this go round (likely to me allowing it to settle 3 or 4 days longer) Im coming out with a lot less liquid than id hope for lol. like 2.5 gallons out of the 5... unless i dig deep im the grains and pull out a little more. The first run i kept some and its been on oak ever since. I keep catching different sweet smells and its shaping up. Granted i only kept 3/4 of a quart and threw in some JD barrel smoke chips (charred some a bit more). The rest i kept to rerun.
I finally freed up my 20 gallon fermenter. Being as im already liking the taste im going to start over and do a 15 gallon batch. Ill strip this 2 gallons and add it to the spirit run later on down the road. Should i add in the entire backset and contents from my 5 gallon bucket to my 15 gallon or would it be best to start from scratch?
Yea it's hard to keep the skinners off of it but trust me that let it be for 6 months and you'll fall in love again like a school kid.
This is just my opinion but jd chips make a bourbon taste like well....JD
That's why I buy med toast oak cubes or make domino's so I'm not tainted with shit I didn't care for anyway, this year I'm going to get the Applewood chunks and toast them and possibly char a few for some brandy.
Back on topic, your 2nd Gen was lighter because the molasses on the cob was used up on the first go round, I'll add 10% (or close) weight back to the fermenter. I don't weigh crap but from a gallon jug you get 12 lbs molasses so just guage it by eye and you'll be fine.
Now keep those skinners off it for a month and see the difference from now, then in 3 months but just a sample.
You need to get some stock made up so you don't run out. lol
Good luck
Shine0n wrote:Yea it's hard to keep the skinners off of it but trust me that let it be for 6 months and you'll fall in love again like a school kid.
This is just my opinion but jd chips make a bourbon taste like well....JD
That's why I buy med toast oak cubes or make domino's so I'm not tainted with shit I didn't care for anyway, this year I'm going to get the Applewood chunks and toast them and possibly char a few for some brandy.
Back on topic, your 2nd Gen was lighter because the molasses on the cob was used up on the first go round, I'll add 10% (or close) weight back to the fermenter. I don't weigh crap but from a gallon jug you get 12 lbs molasses so just guage it by eye and you'll be fine.
Now keep those skinners off it for a month and see the difference from now, then in 3 months but just a sample.
You need to get some stock made up so you don't run out. lol
Good luck
That makes sense! Thank You, I will look into some cubes. I was looking at a couple1-3l barrels. I used the Jd chips in what i seperated out of the first gen. Going to restart with a larger batch this weekend. Annnd i have out grown my 5 gal boiler. 15.5 here i come.
Ill let this one sit for a while (6months or so as u suggested). Ill let ya know how it turns out!
. Really enjoying all this, even when Ive got nothing to run. My wife is going to kill me when i bring home another 20-30 gallon fermenter.. But i can see it happening already.
. I took some of the backset and poured it into a 3 gallon pot, removed some of the feed and replaced with new, disolved the sugar in the back set and added the new feed and cooler water until i got the gravity to 1.060 and poured back into the fermenter. Already starting to bubble. Interested to see how the next one tastes.
