All Malted Barley Recipe for a beginner?

[Pamulli]

Is there an all malted barley recipe that is easy enough for a beginner to attempt? I have read that sugar washes are the easiest and where people should start and I'm going to do one first, but I really don't care for that type of drink and would rather cut my teeth on something I have a chance of actually liking. I pretty much exclusively drink Scotch and Bourbon and would like to be able to get as close to that as I can.

I saw a post by Hack that said "Use 2lb. barley to the gallon of water. Grind up your barley. Heat the water to 160F. Add the barley which should drop the the temp to somewhere between 150 to 155F. Keep the temp between 150 to 155 for thirty to forty-five minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow to cool to less than 90F, optionally strain out the grains, and add yeast."

Before I attempt it I wanted to find out if it is really that simple given that I have zero experience at the moment? Any helpful suggestions?

Thanks,

[Barney Fife]

That'll do it, though I heat the water to 170 before adding grains, as my work area is likely a lot cooler than Hack's. What you want is to steep the grain at 150-151 for a couple hours, to get the malt's enzymes working. So, basically, heat the water, toss in the malt, check the the temps are at or near 151, cover up the bucket with as many towels or sleeping bags as you can find to hold the heat, and walk away. The next, it'll be cooled enough for you to add yeast. That's it! If you want to ferment off the grain, there's a whole lot more to it, but plenty of us ferment on the grain and do well with it. For beer, you'd want to go off the grain for the clarity, but that doesn't matter here.

Or, you could buy malt extract, either dry or liquid(make sure the li8quid isn't hopped!) and just use that. Costs a few bucks more, but makes a great single malt, every time, and could not be simpler.

[Pamulli]

Sounds easy enough. Any recommendations on the yeast?

Thanks

[Dnderhead]

I use scotch ale yeast, worked good. you do know it wont be scotch untill you have aged on or in oak.

[Pamulli]

I was planning on aging it with oak.

Do you have a source for Scotch Ale Yeast? I can't seem to find it online when I do a search.

Thanks,

[Barney Fife]

Try looking for Scottish Ale Yeast. Any ale yeast will do, and any brew shop will have some.

You'll need oak, for sure, but it still won't come close to Scotch until you add peat, the amounts of which vary from maker to maker. Without peat, what you will end up with is a Irish malt, which isn't peated. And as a bonus, Irish is often blended with neutral, so you can add sugar to your wash to bring up its ABV, and still be true enough in flavor profile.

A big part of the Irish puzzle is that many age in used Sherry casks; adding a bit of cream sherry to your aging product goes a long way to making it taste authentic. About 1 tsp/1/2 gallon. I forget where I learned that trick, but damn, it works great for a Jameson style whisky, and was what I was missing.

[Pamulli]

I can throw in some peated malt as well...I just don't like it too peaty.
I had thought about getting an inexpensive bottle of sherry and soaking my oak in it before using it to age the single malt to simulate the sherry casks. I tend to like the ones that are double casked so maybe soaking in some bourbon too?

[Dnderhead]

I did with out the peat.it is in a tosted oak barrel with some charcoal, been there about 8 mounths, many say its scotch.

[Pamulli]

About how long does it take for the Scotch Ale yeast to finish?

Thanks,

[Dnderhead]

about 3 days, but I gave it a week.

[Pamulli]

Thanks again...now if I can just figure out the cuts I may end up with something drinkable.

[rubber duck]

About how long does it take for the Scotch Ale yeast to finish?

Thanks,

It depends on how much yeast you pitch, your fermentation temp, and your nutriant.

If you use a home brew smack pack, and make a yeast starter with a ferment temp of 70f to 90f 3 days would be about right.

I've done it in 36 hours 6% wash with irish ale yeast,( similar to scotish) but I realy had to goose it with vitamins.

All malt is realy easy to do even with no exp. in brewing. Just remember 150F give or take is where you want to convert at. A ice chest is a realy good way to hold the temp.

[Pamulli]

I posted this question in the novice section and didn't get a response so I thought I'd try adding it onto this thread.

I know this is super basic, but I'm sure there is a better way than what i tried. What is the best way to separate the solids and yeast from the liquid? I know that for most situations you rack it, but when I fermented mine with the grain in the fermenter it seems that it would just clog up when you try to rack it and you would end up leaving a lot behind? Is it best to strain it out and then let it sit for a few days before racking? I tried that and it got contaminated and smelled rather funky when I went to distill it. It was also very hard to strain since all that grain clogged my cheese cloth and it took forever.

Sorry for such a basic question, but I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere and I don't want to ruin anymore batches.

Thanks,

[Hawke]

I use a filter bag from the brewshop. Yes, it does plug up from the protiens and whatnot. Just have to shake and squeeze 'til you get most of the liquid out. If you have a spare fridge, the cold will help settle the wash.

[Pamulli]

I use a filter bag from the brewshop. Yes, it does plug up from the protiens and whatnot. Just have to shake and squeeze 'til you get most of the liquid out. If you have a spare fridge, the cold will help settle the wash.

So do you just put the barley in the filter bag and leave it in there for the whole fermentation?

Thanks

[Dnderhead]

some have used wine/fruit press, others salad "spinners" dont thank you gain that much?
I have my own way of doing off the gain so don't know.

[Pamulli]

I have my own way of doing off the gain so don't know.

Do you mind describing your method? I'm definitely looking for the best/easiest method.

Thanks,

[Dnderhead]

after converting the grain I sparg with lots of hot water, then use that water for making the next batch with, that way I do not loose the"sugers"
nor do you delute your mash/wash. I have never tryed it that way with on the grain ferments. mite work? it does add 2-3 % to the wash/mash.

[Pamulli]

after converting the grain I sparg with lots of hot water, then use that water for making the next batch with, that way I do not loose the"sugers"
nor do you delute your mash/wash. I have never tryed it that way with on the grain ferments. mite work? it does add 2-3 % to the wash/mash.

So are you actually using a Mash Lauter Tun for your process so that you are fermenting off the grain? Sorry I'm just trying to get a clear picture of the whole process. I see recipes, temp recommendations, types of ingredients etc on hear, but not too many step by step instructions for newbies for the fermentation process.

[Dnderhead]

I do much like they do beer but instid of adding sparg water to the beer, I use it to make the next batch with,
make the wort,,drain off wort,place that in fermenter, then add hot water to "old grain" then drain off water
and use that water to make another batch.

[Pamulli]

I started doing some research on how to make a Mash Lauter tun out of a cooler. It seems like that would make the process of using grains easier...except of course having to make something else.

Thanks again

[cornwhiskey]

I use a filter bag from the brewshop. Yes, it does plug up from the protiens and whatnot. Just have to shake and squeeze 'til you get most of the liquid out. If you have a spare fridge, the cold will help settle the wash.

So do you just put the barley in the filter bag and leave it in there for the whole fermentation?

Thanks

You can just filter it through the bag when you are done fermenting, you won't gain anything by fermenting in the bag. I just put a kettle next to the fermenter with the straining bag in the empty kettle and scoop all of the liquid and grains into and filter by squeezing it. You will need to empty the grains out of the straining bag a few times as it gets too full. One thing you can do to make it easier is to put a the lid on upside down on the empty kettle and keep you bag on that, this way you don't have to hold it as it can get a little heavy. Do this outside because when you squeeze the bag kind of hard it the wash will sometimes squirt out in fine streams from the sides and top. By doing this you will get a lot more wash out of your mash.

If you want you can still do a sour mash with this. Just throw your spent grains away. Do a new mash with new yeast except use 1.5 gallons of backset and 4.5 gallons of water, do your mash, once it has cooled pitch your yeast and 1 tablespoon of barley (this will add the lactobacillus delbrueckii). Wala, you have a sour mash.

[Pamulli]

Thanks for the info. I've been talking with Rubber Duck and have decided to convert a cooler to a mash lauter tun. It's cheap and easy and sounds a whole lot easier than trying to ferment on the grain. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-e ... ion-23008/

[still_in]

hey pamulli

my neighbour just made one of those coolers and it works great for his all grain beer. i tried to use it to strain liquid from an already fermented-on-the-grain corn likker but the grains were too gummy (unlike barley, i think) and clogged in up in short order. i haven't tried it for corn whiskey BEFORE fermentation....

[Pamulli]

Yea I would think that doing it before fermentation would make a big difference, which is what I intend to do. I know it also matters how finely everything is crushed. If it's too fine it can get stuck. I'll have to report back once I get it together and do another run.

[Dnderhead]

if your going to use a strainer in the bottom it is better to use slots rather than holes, they don't seem to plug as much.
and barley does not have as much problems as corn. with corn, i just add the about same amount of hot water that I'm going to
cook my next batch with,,stir,,let it settle,, then siphon off that water to cook the next batch with.

[cornwhiskey]

Thanks for the info. I've been talking with Rubber Duck and have decided to convert a cooler to a mash lauter tun. It's cheap and easy and sounds a whole lot easier than trying to ferment on the grain. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-e ... ion-23008/

I would suggest using a bazooka screen rather than a traditional false bottom. I mill my grain at 0.025" which is a really fine grind and I don't get any stuck mashes. Although I only mill this fine for homebrewing and not for liquor mashes.

[GrayGull]

I posted this question in the novice section and didn't get a response so I thought I'd try adding it onto this thread.

I know this is super basic, but I'm sure there is a better way than what i tried. What is the best way to separate the solids and yeast from the liquid? I know that for most situations you rack it, but when I fermented mine with the grain in the fermenter it seems that it would just clog up when you try to rack it and you would end up leaving a lot behind? Is it best to strain it out and then let it sit for a few days before racking? I tried that and it got contaminated and smelled rather funky when I went to distill it. It was also very hard to strain since all that grain clogged my cheese cloth and it took forever.

Sorry for such a basic question, but I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere and I don't want to ruin anymore batches.

Thanks,

I assume that you are stilling in 5 gal. (25 litre) batches as I do. (If not, ignore everything that follows).
I ferment (UJSSM on the grain,sugar wash, whatever) in a 10 gal. (35 litre) plastic keg with bakers yeast and yeast nutrient, hold at about 68F (20C) by immersing the fermenter in a water filled tank and an aquarium heater.
Fermentation is complete (TG=0.9 or TB=4, these are approximate and not always realised) usually in three days.
Then I transfer liquid, using a scoop/jug to a 10 gal. (35 litre) plastic settling tank, Much of the residual fermenting solids and solution (dunder, lees, ?) are left in the fermenter and may be used as nutrients for another mash, or discarded.
The settling tank, unlike the fermenter(s) has a spigot. When the 8 gal. (30 litre) of wash is transferred to the settling tank, 5 tsp. of bentonite (previously made into a slurry) is added and thoroughly stirred . This is left to settle for 2-3 days when the spigot is opened to transfer liqid to the boiler. The spigot, being above tank bottom means that all solids are retained.
My confidence in this procedure is that when a distillation iis completed, the backset residual in the boiler hass absolutely no solids/dunder/crap whatsoever.

Sorry for being long winded - and of course only for the small time hobbyist ...

[NcHooch]

I always ferment on the grain, When done fermenting, I transfer the wash to the boiler, which I line with a 5gal nylon paint strainer ...you can get these at most places that have paint spraying supplies. Lift the filter bag of grain out of the boiler after pouring the mash and squeeze as desired. Done.

NcHooch