Cracked Corn Sugar content?

Stangas · Post by **Stangas** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:02 pm

Hey guys... just want to know what the sugar content for cracked corn is?

I want to make a sour mash and want a total of 5kg of sugars, therefore am deciding on quantities of corn and sugar to make the alc @ 15%

I want a 20L wash total

I am lead to believe that 1kg of corn (starch) will equate to 1kg of sugar

MyDBear · Post by **MyDBear** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:35 pm

I realy dont think that you will get the same weight (amount) of sugar from the same weight (amount) of corn. Do you? see if what yer looking for is Here
You realy need to read the site or at least use the search feature

Swag · Post by **Swag** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:41 pm

Why reinvent the wheel. Have you looked at this recipe yet? http://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/Uncle_Jes ... ash_Method

You will make excellent whiskey following this formula. It will take a few runs to build up the flavor but it's easy to make. The whiskey just keeps getting better and better once the mash gets nice and "ripe".

MyDBear · Post by **MyDBear** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:04 pm

Sorry if I seem a little bit callus but us old farts get a little bit cantankerous some times just dont take it personal. It's just the way I am.

Post by **Grayson_Stewart** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:04 pm

If you want to calculate the amount of grain (cracked corn, flaked maze, rolled oats, barley, etc.) that it takes to equal a given amount of sugar you need to learn and undrstand that link MyDBear led you to.

I say learn and understand because there is a theoretical yield as if life was perfect, a probable yield based on what life is really like, and then a typical yield based on how well you know what you are doing in converting the grain.

Since the major answer to your question is based on you and your ability, nobody on here can give you an exact answer to your question. Just learn how to calculate PPG and then add a little extra to account for your learning curve.

Bujapat · Post by **Bujapat** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:51 pm

If you apply UJ's sour mash method, you don't convert the starch... So, no sugar will come from corn, only taste. Sugar will come from... added sugar.
But, if you brew the corn (and convert the starch), you'll get sugar from it.
A simply way to know the sugar amount to add is to use a hydrometer : read the SG after starch conversion, use iodine test to be sure, and let cool to 20°C before measurement. If not enough, add sugar to obtain an SG between 1060 and 1080 (165 to 220 g/l sugar). It depends of the yeast you use and alcohol level you want in the wash.

Stangas · Post by **Stangas** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:08 pm

cheers bujapat.. thats what i was after..

I was going to use Uncle Jesse method but decided i wanted to use the corn properly

And i am used to dealing with old farts.. to no damage here. And thanks for the links... i did use a search.. but didnt find what i was looking for, or didnt know how to ask.

That link is exactly what i was after... so theoretically i can get 80% compared to sugar from corn.

Rocky_Creek · Post by **Rocky_Creek** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:49 pm

I haven't done it so I can't say for sure, but I can't believe a hydrometer would be accurate in a corn mash with all the crap floating in the liquid.

Bujapat · Post by **Bujapat** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:44 am

Agree with you Rocky Creek, but I usally syphon 250 ml of clear wash in the top of brew pan and so the densimeter works.
I don't know if sugar rate is the same in the top as in the bottom, but it gives me some indication on how much sugar I should add to have a good yeald...

possum · Post by **possum** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:48 am

A hydrometer reading will work OK if :

The corn is cracked or flaked...not cornmeal.
The mash/wash is a first generation ...not made from backset.
You do some simple coffee filter filtration of your sample.

Go ahead and try to convert the starch, it isn't too hard, but it isn't easy either. If you run a backset process, suspended particles will make the S.G. reading almost impossible. I backset and re-sugar my whiskey, and calculate my yield with the added sugar, using sugars in the backset just as a bonus.