horsefeed

[pothead]

Got no idea how it will turn out, but...I am trying a batch using horse feed and sugar.

The feed I am using is this one .... http://www.performancefeed.com/w_8712.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow (it was about $5.00 for 50lb)

I am using about 5" worth on the bottom of the bucket along with 5lb white sugar, and 2 lbs oatmeal. I used HOT tap water to top it to about 5 gallons, let it sit overnight, then added 21gr red star active dry bakers yeast. It took off within a bout an hour or so, and has been bublin strong since....it is on its 2nd day now. (and it smells good)

Does anyone know of any reason I shouldn't use this feed? Any feedback positive or negative would be great.

[DBM]

Horse feed is usually a mix of ground grain (corn, wheat,& rye) with a mineral package added during the mixing process.
Be sure to skim off the floating stuff every day, that will be ground corn cobs(fiber) and spent grain hulls.
You are making a very nice mash that is particularly well suited to the mash back method IE (after distilling add your liquid thats left and some more sugar back to your grain)
An easy way to seperate your mash from the grain is to take two five gallon buckets the bottom one with lid, set the other one on top of it and take a magic marker and mark the top bucket and the lid of the bottom bucket so the top bucket can be sat on top the same way every time. Then position the top bucket on and take the largest drillbit you have and drill a bunch of holes through the bottom of the bucket and the lid at the same time. Clean every thing up and when you get ready to seperate your mash from the grain just line your top bucket with a pillow case and pour your mash in. The strained liquid will drain into the bottom bucket, clean and ready to distille. Now is a good time to rinse out your fermenting bucket and put your damp grain back in it. Dont worry about it drying out it'll be alright for a day or two. When you finish distilling your mash, let it cool to room temp stur in another 5 lb sugar and pour it on your grain (no more yeast) she'll be bubling away in a coupla hours.
Each time you do this the whiskey will be better. After the second or third time add just a little more grain, not much. Using a five gal fermenter a double handfull off feed every coupla or runs is fine.
Plan on making one run a week, if for some reason you can't, don't worry about it, your mash will keep.
I you can get an oak barrel to keep your (extra whiskey in) do it. You will be making some fine whiskey after about your third run. Don't treat it as if your are trying to make jailhouse houch. That stuff about using chips and flavorings is just someones idea of how to make something similar to the real thing. Go for the real thing, you will not be dissapointed.

[pothead]

Thanks for the feedback.

[DBM]

when you get your bigger still you'll need a larger fermenter, plastic barrel will make a good one. Just increase your recepie by 3 and you'll be fine.

[pothead]

Actually, I increased the wash size from 5 gallons to 12 gallons right after I read your post. I have a few large fermenters. I'm gonna borrow my friends valved reflux unit and run it off without reflux or packing. I wish I would have started the wash earlier, cause I'd like to run it this weekend, but only time will tell.

Today it went from the loud "fizzzz" to the larger bubbles. It still burns the nose so it's still working off pretty nice.

[DBM]

Be patient with your mash, let it quit bubbling and rest for a day. If you have access to a reflux still, order some copper mesh to use for packing. Don't go for pot scrubbers, that's for people trying to make jail house houch. Remember nothing but copper and glass comes in contact with your vapor or distillate. Some people try to get by with a stainless pot, i even tried it one time, copper makes better whiskey.

[pothead]

So, you think I should use packing even if I am not going to use any reflux?

If I end up using some packing, I might just let it reach equilibrium for a little bit to separte the foreshots a bit better, then run the rest of it with no reflux.

[Rocky_Creek]

I use all the copper packing I can get in a columns on potstills. The copper cleans the vapors, any refux is a bonus. Don't use scowering pads, get the real deal.

[pothead]

I have copper mesh...I just wasn't sure I should use it when running whisky in a reflux still with a 48" column (in potstill mode with no reflux)

[TRANSPLANTED HILLBILLY]

After having done several runs with no packing in a pot still, then giving packing an honest try, I'd run the packing with no reflux. Whats the worst that could happen? To me, it doesn't strip "all" the flavor, it just really cleans up the flavor.
JMHO.

I know you'll have alot of column height, but Id guess its pretty narrow (1 1/4 to 1 1/2") and will not give alot of time to linger and strip flavor.

[Longhairedcountryboy]

DBM said,

Don't go for pot scrubbers, that's for people trying to make jail house houch

A little off subject here, but choreboys work great for packing. They unroll into a 12"x6" "sock" of woven copper. It looks exactly the same as the structured packing Ive seen on line. They are about a buck a piece, usually (I got mine on clearance for 40 cents each). I only needed to fill a foot tall column, but I did it for under $4.

[DBM]

Yes use the copper mesh packing. Stay away from the grocery store stuff. The colum does not have to be packed full of the real stuff. loosley roll some (bout like rolling up a sock) and put 3 or 4 rolls in your colum, you can leave a space betwen them, want hurt a thing. Will definately make your whiskey taste better. Your whiskey will only have to be run one time. Save time & gas. Your whiskey after the first run will be better, and get better with each run up untill your third or forth then it stayes the same. Save the heads and tails to be rerun at this point.
By this time you will be more experienced at making the cuts and will be keeping some real good stuff and cutting out the off tasting heads and weak tails. Want be no trying to clean up jail house houch to make it drinkable. Age will take the new whiskey bite out and make it smooth. The secret to ageing whiskey is to make more than you can possibly drink. Store your extra in an oak barrel as soon as you can get one. Glass will work untill you can. good luck

[pothead]

Ran it yesterday. Not too bad.
Cheap wash, fermented quick, pretty good results. Can't wait to see how good it will be with backset.

[DBM]

It will just keep getting better, also you will be getting more experience making the cuts. When making the cut for the heads it's allright to be a little late just to make sure you are drinking the good stuff. Also if you keep tasteing (just stick your finger in the distillant coming out and get it wet with it and get a good taste) you will be able to tell when it's getting week and the flavor of the grain is starting to come over. That's where I quit. Good Luck

[pothead]

I always have collected more as foreshots than most people I know. (this isn't my first time distilling) And I have always been carefull with my cuts.

Running a potstill has become second nature to me since I started, but this was my first time running a valved relfux. I tried to keep a nice steady temp throughout the whole run and for the most part I did. It did spike up pretty high twice (for a few seconds each time) before I made the adjustments to bring the temp back down. That brought a little more tails into my spirit tan I wanted, and it did contaminate the whole batch a little bit. ( it is still good, but not as good as it woulda been).

[DBM]

yea that happenes to all of us, at one time or another. Just remember to always keep the temp to low and very carefully bring it up to opperating temp. DO NOT TRUST A THERMOMETER, when your temp first starts to rise, if it jumps, turn on the water & lower the heat to almost nothing. If it goes up fairly slow let it go to 150 & turn on the water, the temp will drop, then it will start up again. Try to lower the heat and hold 150 for a few minites, Then watching your outlet slowly raise the temp untill you get a drop. Stop there, and collect about a baby food jar of stuff, this is bad stuff, will kill fire ants. After collecting your bad stuff bring the heat up untill it drips half the time and runs in a little stream the other half, this is the heads. After running the heads you are into the good stuff. Around 200* you are into the tails, quit there. Good luck

[hornedrhodent]

, collect about a baby food jar of stuff, this is bad stuff, will kill fire ants.

I'm fairly confident that 95% ethanol would also kill fire ants - Sorry just being pedantic - it happens when I've been sampling my product .

[sploke]

I'm a bit confused....all the recipes i've been looking up for whiskey call for malting at least some of the grain to get enzymes available to break down the sugar in the grains. Are you just using the grain for flavor and the sugar for making the alcohol, or is there something I missed someplace and the feed is actually fermenting as well?

[Rocky_Creek]

SPLOKE.

You missed the way a hell of a lot of us on this site make whiskey.

http://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/Uncle_Jes ... he_Process" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[sploke]

Cool, got it. thanks.

[CAMEL_Joe]

hey, pothead

how did it turn out with backset?

I mixed the feed and water and the pelets liquified, looks like mush

did you use the pillow case method?

unlike UJ sour mash looks like it going to be messy was it worth it?
or should i just feed the local critters

by the way this site is the best took me a while to regester
but every thing is so easy didnt realy have any questions
I thought I had one a couple weeks ago but I finally found
it in the forums.

[pothead]

I didn't use pillow case. I let the solids settle to the bottom, then I syphoned off the liquid from the top when it was done fermenting, And tossed the solids away. I cooked it and it was good. I added 50% of the spent hot wash from the still back into the fermenter with 10 more pounds of sugar and 4 double handfulls of the feed...toped with cool water, let cool to 80*F and tossed in 1 packet of active dry bakers yeast. Second run was better than the first. Just about finished with the 3rd ferment now. (I am running 12 gallon batches). I'll let you know.

[CAMEL_Joe]

thanks for the fast response

I'll give it a go

[CAMEL_Joe]

sure am glad I tried it

first one was so so didn't drink it just tasted
but added it to the second run and its very tasty,
kinda taste like risky.

got about 35 lbs of feed left, them critters can have the spent feed

you goto love your local feed store so many flavors

thanks