Equating corn OG to Sugar question

[trthskr4]

OK, I got an OG of 1.055 out of 7 lbs. or so of corn and 2 lbs. of malted barley in a 5 gallon mash after draining and rinsing. If I use the SG calculator on the home page for a sugar wash it calculates the same volume and SG backwards to say that it would 5.75 lbs. of sugar to get that SG in a 5 gallon wash and it should make 8.1% alcohol. Is this any way accurate for the corn as it is for pure sugar? I'm sorry to ask but I am absolutely terrible with the math, I just can't get a handle on it. I'm trying to figure my mash efficiency on this one.

[Dnderhead]

not bad a little over 80% ( beer brewers consider 80% good)

[punkin]

trthskr4, can you report back to this thread how much either strip (quantity, plus sstart % and finnish %) or product if you single run it.
Can't get a handle on the math conversions either, can only understand what i can see and feel here. I will go back and read all this on the main site for the 10th time today, to see if something twigs

[trthskr4]

Punkin, yeah I'll let ya know what I get. I'm letting it cool now and gonna drop in some distiller's yeast for this one and try to get it to ferment pretty quick, hopefully 3-4 days, it's near 100* every day now so I'll try it.

[trthskr4]

not bad a little over 80% ( beer brewers consider 80% good)

REALLY?! Sweet, It wasn't all that difficult either just alot of babysitting. Thanks Dnder.

[Dnderhead]

cooking my akilies heal seen a pot (for cooking food) looked real interesting sort of double boiler/ steamer -whould not be to hard to make

[punkin]

Just checked my og of yesterdays cook.
I used 3kg crack corn to 20l water, cooked with enzyme then added 2kg triticale, but didn't cook it...
Ended up with a 25l wash with a og of 1037. Just using the sugar calculator off the main site says it's equivalent to 2.4 kg of sugar and a finnished al % of 5.6% abv.

Then using the calculator at http://powersbrewery.home.comcast.net/~ ... lator.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
and just checking the 3 kg of corn (6.6 pounds) it says i should have 1035 actual with a 1037 potential (just happens to work out at 1lb / gall.

So either adding the triticale at 80 C has not converted any of it or i have got some conversion on the triticale and some on the corn

Adding the triticale in (had to call it rye) brought my predicted sg up to 1058 which is where i want to get to.

I'm going out to do the whole thing again

[Usge]

I just finished a 5 gal/5lbs corn/1.6lbs malt. Strained through grain (but didn't sparge it) Iodine test showed no sign of starch. There was no sign of starch/white left in the grain. SG (measured above calibrated temp), was 1031. According to the beer calc from that site, it should be 1034. Adjust for temp, probably puts me right on it.

I'm not getting anywhere near 1050-60 with 1 lb grain per gallon. But, the flavor is good, the conversion seems to be fine, and the process for making it using no-stir method is pretty easy. According to what I've experienced so far, you'd have to run considerably more grain per gal of water to get the SG up into the 1050-1060 range (given process and conversion seems to otherwise be good). Raising the efficiency on the beer calc from 70 to 80% adds a point to or maybe 2 to the SG on the same amount of grain. I have no idea how Dnder got a 1055 using the same recipe (ratio of grain/water). On the original test of 3 gals water, 3 lbs corn, and 1 lb malt...the beer calc says around 1034. I used an extra 1 gals more water and got a 1027. I checked this result as well against the beer calc site using 4 gals of water/3 lbs maize/1 lb 2-row and it says 1027. Following the recipe exactly I get 1034 and it also matches what that beer calc predicts. I'd add, it's fairly good guess at the color too!

[punkin]

Well reading main site section for the tenth time was the charm

Found a link that i'd overlooked that led me to a whole section i hadn't read about mash efficiency since i first went through the site before i started stillin.

All the maths is layed out for me and i just gotta struggle through it...

http://homedistiller.org/grain/wash-grain/yield" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I think i'm right when i calculate my actual efficiency with 3kg (6.6lb) corn and 2kg (4.4lb) wheat to be 58%.
That's if i ended up with 25l (6.6gal) wash and it took a reading of 1037.

Is that how you'd calculate it dunder?

Not good, but i hope to improve on it today

[Dnderhead]

With German wheat it came out to 1.054 that's probably on the good side They just dont make calculators for us
or at least not that i found

[tracker0945]

Grains aint grains Sol.

Not all grains are created equal, there are many different qualities, 'feed grade' is usually the lowest.
Grain which is cracked, pinched (shrivelled), low in protein etc is usually rated as feed grade.

I would extrapolate from this that maybe the predicted sugar levels are not achievable.

Could this be what's happening?
JMHO

Cheers.

[Dnderhead]

yes your right most "feed grain is high in protein-- brewery grin is high in starch and there working on a corn that is high in starch and enzymes(for fuel)
( if I could only fiend a field of that)

[trthskr4]

I'd love to get my hands on a couple hundred pounds of sweet corn green out of the field to cut off the cob and freeze.

[tracker0945]

Terminology is always confusing.
Sorry Dnderhead.
There is a difference between feed grain strain i.e. grain type grown specifically for stock feed and feed grade which is grain not able to pass the quality test for the purpose for which it was grown and has been down-graded to be suitable for only feeding to livestock.
Such is the system in Australia.
Here I believe that if you go to a suburban feed store, you will most likely be offered the downgraded type.

Cheers.

[Dnderhead]

Im not arguing there's a difference , all I can do is make a estament on what i have at hand some grain will show the analysis on the bag , one bag i have
wants you to go on net and has code

[trthskr4]

Didn't think about the temp correction when my first SG reading was taken. Now at 85*F it reads right at 1.06, and I have to say I'm damn proud of myself. This is almost as good as doing your first run on a still you built yourself. This reading was after it's been working for 4 hours or so but I don't think it would have been much difference.

[punkin]

With German wheat it came out to 1.054 that's probably on the good side They just dont make calculators for us
or at least not that i found

Oh well, that's a bit better at 68%, so i need to improve up this time.

[trthskr4]

Can someone please help me with the next step in this efficiency calculation? I went off the page on the main site that Punkin posted previously.

All this may be bullshit but I don't know.
I figured my max PPG per the grains I used to be 57.45, I got an OG of 1.06 after temp lowered to 85*. What is the formula to use to get my actual ppg from the OG in 5 gallons of mash after straining and rinsing where I can figure my own efficiency? By my calculations the OG I got of 1060 isn't possible because that would be over 100% efficiency, am I correct on that part?

Edit: Alright I couldn't exactly remember from yesturday morning how much corn I used, I remembered the 2 lbs. of malt but couldn't remember 6.5 or 7 lbs. corn. Went back an looked at the paper I used yesturday and it was 7 lbs. corn not 6.5. So then my calculations would be a max ppg of 69.8 from the chart on the main site, with an actual OG of 1.060, so 60 divided by 69.8 would give me a correct efficiency, am I right on that?

[Dnderhead]

sg is off because of other stuff in the mash , clear the mash before taking reading and the calculator Iv bin using has efishency but its in lbs/gal
if it is 1.06 sg then you got 85%

[trthskr4]

It's down to 1.00 this morning and not doing much when I opened the fermenter. I'll wait till it warms up today and see if it starts up to hopefully finish below 1.00. Gonna run it today or Wednesday, think I'll strip and do another couple to put together on a spirit run. Will report yield and percentages when done Punkin.

[Dnderhead]

Hears what I Got off my bag of corn crude protein (min) 7% /crude fats (min) 2% / crude fiber (max)4% starch (min) 80%
also did some research found 3 main different types of corn , flint - very hard -- dent , hard with softer center---and a 3hd that is a special
for -starch/ flour is soft all the way threw. When ground will turn to powder much like other grain and it was high in starch (90%) they grade
grain by Weight per bu/ smell / and broken pieces-- foreign matter . if it has glass or other sharp matter it is rejected and used in processing

[trthskr4]

Finally got around to running this batch, it finished out below 1.00. Put 5 gallons of wash in the still, ran it pretty slow to see if I might get by with just single running it but no, got side tracked by getting sick in the middle of the run and just ran it all in a gallon jug after fores (100ml). Ended up with 3 quarts of low wines from 65% - 30%. Got another mash going now and will use some of the backset from this run with that one. So Punkin I don't remember how large a batch you are mashing but I did 7 lbs. corn and 2 lbs. malt barley and some Gluco amylase to get 3/4 gallon of low wines.

[Dnderhead]

taking a average (of 45 %?) it would take 2.5 kg or 5.5LB of sugar to make same amount ( I thank I did it right)

[trthskr4]

taking a average (of 45 %?) it would take 2.5 kg or 5.5LB of sugar to make same amount ( I thank I did it right)

So Dnder should I read that to say that I was pretty well close to target if grain renders @50% of what sugar does? 9 lbs. grain gave up the same amount of juice that 5.5 lbs. of sugar. That's a little better than 50% and I was gonna go to 20% but didn't feel too spiffy so shut er down early.

[punkin]

Metrisized (like my new word?) that equals about 4kg grain (i've been using five) and about 2.8 litres of product (last couplea success for me have been 2.2l).
So your still beating me by a long shot as i'm running down to 10%.

Gotta say, that i am happy with a couplea litres for the cost of the grain though, it is worthwhile to me for small batches and i will scale up at that conversion (if i can't improve ) to fill my small barrell.

The product is so unbelievably better straight from the worm and i haven't even begun to play with recipes, cuts or distillation procedures yet.

[Dnderhead]

It my cooking that is my hold up I git a good conversation --but it worth ever bit of effort its good stuff I'm getting its going to be MY privet stock!

[trthskr4]

It my cooking that is my hold up I git a good conversation --but it worth ever bit of effort its good stuff I'm getting its going to be MY privet stock!

Hehe, as UJ calls it "The King's own cask".

Yeah I tried some out of the worm yesturday on the strip and it was very good, lots of flavor very smooth at 60%, can't wait until I get a few gallons of strip done and do a spirit run.