Deathwish Wheat germ recipe

[Usge]

I used organic wheat germ from a health food store, citric acid from brewhaus, and WD whiskey yeast pitched dry. I had a good brewpot (8 gallons) so that worked fine. I fermented on the grain and let it go for about a week. It fermented all the way out (finishing at .0997) and settled nicely, but the residual grain particles are very light/floaty, so you have to be careful when racking it off (or, as noted perhaps a grain bag would help)

I did a tight 5th middle cut (80% to 75%) on the low-wines and the end result was 160 proof, sweet, and very smooth with just a hint of a light grain flavor. Very nice Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed all the various stages of the run were smoother, and not as objectionable even deep into tails than the corn recipes I've been running. So, I'm guessing, one could use a lot more liberal cuts using this recipe and still come out ok??

Update: I watered some of the above down to 130 (65%) and put it on oak cubes (medium heavy toast from "MoreBeer"). After 3 days, I added just a touch more water (probably down to 125%). Its very smooth and nice tasting already. Very nice. Thanks for this recipe Tater. Everyone who has tried it really liked it a lot.

[big_daddy_d]

I just got done degassing mine and puting it back in a carboy to settle can i top of my carboy with distilled water to make 6 gallons

[punkin]

I just got done degassing mine and puting it back in a carboy to settle can i top of my carboy with distilled water to make 6 gallons

What for?

You're only gunna try to get the water out of it, why would you want to add more to it before you start?





UnlessYouWantToDrinkItLikeItIsPunkin

[big_daddy_d]

Makes sence lol My still want be here until tuesday it should be settled out good by then.

[msrorysdad]

I haven't been here in a while, however I've been using the basic Wheat germ recipe, with the bulk organic (cheaper) and trying added items. Corn flakes and grape nuts as suggested (good), barley (bulk organic) toasted in the oven (good), I've done rum with it (different). As for an easy and inexpensive bill, that can be easily adapted, this one rocks

[grunger]

I'm new to distilling and am learning from a guy that has been at it for a long time. I happened on to this recipe by accident and it wasn't until after the fact that I realised that I had made a 'real' recipe. My original intention was to get a sugar wash going using sugar, water, and bakers yeast. My friend had said that I'll need to add some nutrients to feed the yeast, so I look in the cupboard and grabbed a lb of wheat germ and boiled it for an hour. Boiled 5kg sugar in a different pot and poured it all into my fermenter topping up with water to 5 gallons. Once it cooled I added the yeast and it took off like crazy that first night. Lucky I used a large enough fermenter.
Just ran it a few days ago in the pot still and I am impressed. For my first batch I think it turned out ok. Not an exact copy of this recipe, but still a good very drinkable product after making my cuts.
In between starting the wash and running it I spent hours on the parent site and this forum. I am finding new information daily and look forward to improving my skills and getting to the point where I can make some top shelf stuff.
The home site and forum are great. I have been able to find answers to all of my questions so far.

Grunger

[DrTorque]

Just buttoned up my first attempt at this recipe.

I boiled 1 lb. of organic wheat germ for almost 2 hours. In a separate pot, I boiled 5 lb. of sugar with 1/2 tsp of citric acid twice (for a total of 10 lb. and 1 tsp). I dumped them into the fermenter along with the wheat germ and enough water to bring it to almost 6 gallons. The SG was around 1.08. I bubbled for an hour or so and then pitched a little less than 1/4 cup of distiller's yeast at 89 deg F. It's sitting in the kitchen where the ambient temp will drop from 66 to about 60 tonight. I figured I'd leave it there to continue cooling it a little faster and help compensate for any temperature rise if it were to really take off. In the morning, I'll put it in the temperature controlled bathroom which stays within a degree or two of 70 F.

Everything went well. Boiling the wheat germ took a little more attention than I anticipated.

This hobby sure requires a lot of paper towels.


edit: A few hours later (this morning) it was bubbling nicely. Not crazy machine-gun bubbling like the turbo yeast, and not one bubble every two seconds like the other yeasts I've done. This is exactly what I was looking for - something in between.

So - should I start preparing some oak to age this, or am I going to like it just fine straight from the still?

[Usge]

Just wondering if anybody has experimented with different grains? Like adding some corn or barley malt in with the WG?

[Candoublewide]

I just did a batch with weatgerm and rolled oats it smells fantastic when cooking. I came out very starchy.coupled with all the suger i thew, it should come out good. kepp stillin

[DrTorque]

It's been fermenting for 12 days now. I don't know what the SG is, I'll have to check that tonight - but it's bubbling at about the same rate as it did a week ago, a bubble every few seconds. This is the first time I followed a recipe exactly, and I must say - I'm nowhere near as quick as the 3-4 days of fermentation as originally stated. I used almost a 1/4 cup of brand new distiller's yeast, and I certainly expected this to finish in less than a week.

The only thing that I can think of is that my water has too much chlorine in it. I'm going to try distilled water next time or let my tap water sit in a bucket overnight...

[rad14701]

I'm right there with ya, DrTorque... I started a small (1 gallon) batch last Thursday and another on Friday, to test wheat germ and yeast amounts as well as sugar inversion and wheat germ conversion times, and both are still bubbling away... One (4 day old) batch has slowed to one bubble every two seconds and the other (3 days old) is down to one per second... So, while they are slowing down, they are still working...

The ambient temperature is holding at 78F with the carbouys wrapped in thin 1/8" insulative foam sheeting... I had intended to run them on an old water bed heating pad but never got around to fetching it out of off-site storage...

I'm sure that larger batches would generate more heat and thus finish faster, however... I have all Winter to wait but would much rather have these finish so I can start a 5 gallon batch based on the findings of my experimental batches...

My two batches were as follows...

Ingredients Per Gallon 2:1 Ratio - Batch #1

* 4 cups sugar
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 cup wheat germ
* 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
* 1/8 tsp epsom salt
* 2 packets bakers yeast

Ingredients Per Gallon 1:1 Ratio - Batch #2

* 4 cups sugar
* 4 cups water
* 1/4 cup wheat germ
* 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
* 1/2 tsp epsom salt
* 1 packet bakers yeast

Both batches were heated to a simmer for 30 minutes for inversion/conversion, topped to 1 gallon, and cooled to 85F before pitching yeast...

Part of the experiment is to see if the amount of wheat germ per gallon makes a difference... Both do have proportionately less than the original recipe specifies... Batch #1 has approximately an inch of wheat germ in the bottom of the jug, which looks like more than enough... Batch #2, with about 1/2 inch in the bottom, "appears" to have an ample amount and is performing at par with Batch #1 so far...

In my documentation I have been calling this Wheat Germ Sugar Wash (WGSW) rather than DWWG due to the variation in ingredient measurements... I'm looking forward to seeing how the two batches are performing tomorrow so I can better gauge overall performance...

Once experiments are completed I may create a new thread with my findings... I may also run a batch using the exact DWWG recipe to make sure things like my water aren't skewing my findings...

[DrTorque]

Two weeks now, SG = 1.002 and still bubbling a bubble every few seconds.

Almost done.

[blue pig]

Decided to try something besides ujsm/corn or rye and corn rye blends...


WOW! This is great! pretty much the recipe/taste Ive been looking for. The Mrs. loves it, but says I need to cut it down for her. And simple as well, might have to start learning more about cooked mashes....

Thanks for the info folks

[inspeedway]

first time at trying dwwg and have been fore warnned about the boil over from all the post on this
thread ----0H ----but holy chit------i knocked the head down a couple of times and decided to get
a cup of coffee and smoke a cig--- im telling u what --- when i got back in there -- there was chit
all over the stove(glass top elec)--- sides of the pot--geeeeezzzzzeeeee----ole lady gets mad if i
drop a few drops on the stove when i am getting ujsm sugar ready dammmmmm--i had about 3 to
4 inches of head space too!! well i scraped as much of the chit up as i could and put back into the
pot(hope theres still enough to work) that 16 oz of wheat germ turned into 200 oz i think----
i dont drink this early in the morning but i am going to the basement and get me a bottle of
ufsm out before the ole lady gets up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i'll let u know how this turns out!!!
i should have stayed with it and turned the heat down (like running the pot still)

[rad14701]

Sounds like you learned the hard way, inspeedway... Just as when running your still, you NEVER walk away from a boiling/simmering mash... It only takes a second for it to get out of hand, and even longer to get it back under control... If you need to walk away during the conversion you need to turn the heat WAY down to almost off - well below a simmer... No doubt, it's probably a lesson you won't forget...

[inspeedway]

evidently i've lost to much wheat germ on the boil over!!!! its stuck -- i used 2 packs of hodgstons mills
yeast which i have never used before! southern boys say they make the best flour for home made biscuits so i thought i would try their yeast??? i got up at 3 last night and mixed in a tbs of fermax and sprinkled another pk of yeast on top 7 hrs now and nothing -so can i take a gallon or so back
out of the fermenter -put another 16 oz of wheat germ and boil it for 1 1/2 hrs and put it back in there???????????????? then pitch some more yeast?? i'll use ec-1118 or red star this time.
sg is around 074 right now i used 9 pds sugar thought 10 was alot for 6 gal - guess it aint though,
thank you for any help here!!!

[Mud]

You probably don't need any more wheat germ. Wineo's sugar wash just has some DAP and that works great. Between your wg and fermax you have enough nutrient. 1.074...Looks like it never started, so your yeast might be bad. Try the EC-1118. You're close to the limit on baker's yeast anyway.

BTW, reboiling won't hurt anything. I just think it won't help, either.

[inspeedway]

thank you mud for them answers !!! i did take 2 + gals out and put that other pd of sugar and 12 ozs
wheat germ in and boiled it for 1.45 hrs- i can see a few bubbles coming now-(20 hrs later) i just might be to impatient i am use to my wines and ujsm taking off in a couple of hrs- this is my 3rd time and
trying a sugar wash with no luck at all - first was all fermax second was the tomato thing now the dwwg
i used ec1118 this time - did a search on milky and fermax and alot was my post dduuuuhhhh!!!!
thanks again mud

[inspeedway]

quickest ferment i have ever had !! redid the dwwg last wednesday(1.078) left for the holidays -
come back today (sunday) and sg was o98- got a bitter taste to it and no sweetness so it is done
will rack it into a carboy in the morning --- might take a few racks to clear it -- or strain it -- sure
did ferment quick tho -- love this recipe -- thanks to you all--i did have enough yeast in it to choke
a horse tho - for 6 galloms!!!! thank you and i will let you know hoe it comes out in the pot still !!

[deathwish]

first of all I want to say thanks to tater for bringing this one over from artisan I am glad to see that is is working out for everyone I did not know about this site it is the easiest sugar wash I have found everyone enjoy

[punkin]

Welcome deathwish. Glad you found us.

[duds2u]

Welcome Deathwish.
Fancy that, you being internationally famous and not even knowing it.

[big worm]

all hail deathwish

[deathwish]

lol stop it guies thats enough praise well maybe a little more might not hurt go ahead no I am glad that this got out to everyone I love this recipe it is easy and i think it taste great this is one pintoshine taught me early on I made the mistake of leaving it on to cook to long the first night when it exploded I called pint the next morning and discused it with him he was amazed at the results so giving credit were credit is due this is part pintoshines doings as well he is the genius I just made a good mistake

[punkin]

Some of our best discoveries come from mistakes.


I now water all my spirit runs down with a little wash. I discovered what a nice difference this makes in flavour after accidently making a ujsm strip puke into my collection bottle.

[msrorysdad]

I've tinkered with this wash quite a bit. I've added grape nuts, corn flakes, toasted barley, some with beano, some without. I did grape nuts, corn flakes and toasted barley, with beano, and added it to the wg wash, the final product lasted about three days, all my friends wanted some. You guys rock, Pint, Unc, well, you all know who I shoot questions to, thanks for the time. Keep on stillin

[rad14701]

I just noticed that I've been using toasted wheat germ (Mother's) and was wondering what difference in performance this has compared to natural raw wheat germ...??? I can get natural raw wheat germ either in bulk or prepackaged (Bob's Red Mill)... What is everyone else using...??? I'm planning on buying some of the natural raw style tomorrow...

[new_moonshiner]

to my understanding toasted was what death wish was using ... seems i remember some got raw and tried toasting it on the oven .. not sure how that turned out... I always just used the toasted ...

[punkin]

I believe from memory that it's already discussed in the thread here, may have to take a leaf outa you're own book, so to speak, Rad.

[Ayay]

Here it's called 'stabilized' wheatgerm, that means it is lightly toasted to turn the oils that go rancid into oils that are rancid free. If you use the natural untoasted wheatgerm then I rekon it must be used within a week or kept refrigerated.

Either way this is the first and only recipe I've used and it is really good.