Beer malt for whiskey?

[KornLikker]

Howdy. I bought a bunch of brewing supplies form a gal and she threw in a bunch of dried malt extract for beer making. Would it be worth using it in place of malted barley grains (since it is barley extract) or would the enzymes not be enough to do the conversion? Would it give the whiskey a different taste and how much would I use for a 6 gallon batch.
Thanks!

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

There is no enzymes in there. What you have is basically sugar, derived from barley malt.

You can use it, though. The hard part has been done, and you got it, anyways. Should be tasty!

[HDNB]

hell yeah, i added some DME to a UJSSM a long ways back. it made some damn tasty booze. if it wasn't so expensive i'd use a lot more of it. I recall that bag being 12 bucks and it was a pound? maybe a kilo? i think pre-made booze would be cheaper!

[Pikey]

hell yeah, i added some DME to a UJSSM a long ways back. it made some damn tasty booze. if it wasn't so expensive i'd use a lot more of it. I recall that bag being 12 bucks and it was a pound? maybe a kilo? i think pre-made booze would be cheaper!

I regularly use LME Sugarhead to Make something very similar to unpeated Scotch (I don't like "Smoky") - and it comes out fine - just follow the instructions for making beer (NO HOPS) and then cook it ! - I'm sure you will be very pleased.

[bilgriss]

Be careful if you use a high percentage of malt extract, as it foams like crazy when it starts to boil. Slow and steady. The extract is from barley mashed at higher temperatures than we'd normally do for distillation, so it tends to not ferment quite as dry either. But many use it as an adjunct and it should provide great flavor either way.

[kiwi Bruce]

how much would I use for a 6 gallon batch.Thanks!

For a SG of 1.088 you'll need two pounds per gal...so 12 lb for 6 gal batch, this will get you close to 8.3 ABV

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

[Pikey]

how much would I use for a 6 gallon batch.Thanks!

For a SG of 1.088 you'll need two pounds per gal...so 12 lb for 6 gal batch, this will get you close to 8.3 ABV

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

Sorry KornLikker - I missed that question.

I would just make it into beer as per the beer instructions but adding enough sugar to give you a wash around 11% and run that. This is one of the "Discussions" we have here sometimes. Doing a sugarless wash with DME or LME - really gets quite expensive and really there is no need !

I think it also depends what still you are going to use and whether you intend to double distil - when you lose a good deal of flavour, or whether you want to do a "1.5" where all the feints from the previous run go back in and you take the hearts out of a single run, returning the "feints" (Heads and tails) into the next run. Then of course there's the further issue of how much heads and tails you should return to the hearts for flavour.

The world's your Lobster on this question mate.

[Fruit Squeezer]

I cant speak for extracts, but I save my sparged grains from beer and freeze them. Then add about 2 wet(frozen) lbs to a 5 gallon corn wash. Not for starches, but for flavor.

Few, if any, bourbon's are made from 100% corn. Its usually around 60/40 corn to grain. Makes a fine smelling wash. So far the white dog is nice and clean. Age on oak will tell.


The frozen grains also help cool the wash temp rapidly to amylase temp.

[badflash]

You don't need t boil it for whiskey, just for beer. Just get the water hot enough to dissolve it, cool and pitch your yeast.

[butterpants]

You don't need t boil it for whiskey, just for beer. Just get the water hot enough to dissolve it, cool and pitch your yeast.

But if you do happen to boil it, the timer on how soon you need to distill it before turning gross is extended greatly.

Not a big deal for most people but sometimes life gets in the way of your hooch plans.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

That's only if you care about getting an infection.

The only thing I wonder about is major puking. When you boil beer, there is a protein break that happens with the proteins in malt. I don't know how that translates post fermentation, but boiling it might help prevent the puke at distilling time.

[badflash]

I use Fermcap S and I never see a problem when boiling for beer. I haven't distilled, but I think it would work the same. 15 drops in a 5 gallon batch does the trick. As far as infection goes, if you are using all grain and have a 155F conversion temp, cool quickly and pitch, there isn't much chance of infection. Anything above 145F for 30 minutes pasteurizes, and it takes an hour to do the conversion.

[butterpants]

That's only if you care about getting an infection.

The only thing I wonder about is major puking. When you boil beer, there is a protein break that happens with the proteins in malt. I don't know how that translates post fermentation, but boiling it might help prevent the puke at distilling time.

I think people should care more... depending in product of course. I've done a few sugar washes that got contamination and produced a significant amount of diacetyl. Couldn't even get it out running off a column. Not everything tastes good buttery.

You're definitely onto something there with the hot break. You won't get 2 hot breaks.... only 1 so if foaming is an issue for ya amd you refuse to use an antifoam.... well that's a really good solution.

[badflash]

If you are using extract or dry malt, best to boil before fermenting, but for all grain, I've never seen a contamination issue if my equipment was clean. Fermcap S works like a champ for just about any foaming condition except Cake Icing. I always use it in my wort.

[KornLikker]

Thanks folks! I'll give it try. I have 2, 10 pound bags of different malt. Ill mess around with it and see what I get.

[badflash]

Dry malt is a mess to work with. Have your repertoire of curse words ready. You should also line up some new religions. Don't let your wife catch you.