uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

[Tuckerroach]

Tuckerroach,

Corn can keep on fermenting in this recipe. Just give it another day or two to be sure? If you have any SG reading at around 1,00, you'll be fine and you can run it.

Odin.

I am right around. 1.008 Maybe I'll give it another few days.

[yankeeclear]

Well I started my first UJSSM last tuesday. I used a new fermenter and the lid did not seal right. So, it did not bubble through the air lock. I have checked the mash every 2-3 days and it was always bubbling. Today is day 7 and it is still bubbling just a little. Do you think it is ok to start my stripping run or should I wait until the mash is done bubbling?

Did you take a hydrometer reading before adding the yeast? If so, I would rely on hydrometer readings (~1.000 or lower) to dictate when the mash is finished. If not, you have to use your best judgement based on taste, smell and activity of yeast. I don't think anyone can tell you that 7 is the magic number of days as each ferment is different. Factors that contribute are amount of sugar, quality of the water, ph of water, amount of backset (if sour mash) temperature, amount/quality of yeast, etc.

[Tuckerroach]

Well I started my first UJSSM last tuesday. I used a new fermenter and the lid did not seal right. So, it did not bubble through the air lock. I have checked the mash every 2-3 days and it was always bubbling. Today is day 7 and it is still bubbling just a little. Do you think it is ok to start my stripping run or should I wait until the mash is done bubbling?

Did you take a hydrometer reading before adding the yeast? If so, I would rely on hydrometer readings (~1.000 or lower) to dictate when the mash is finished. If not, you have to use your best judgement based on taste, smell and activity of yeast. I don't think anyone can tell you that 7 is the magic number of days as each ferment is different. Factors that contribute are amount of sugar, quality of the water, ph of water, amount of backset (if sour mash) temperature, amount/quality of yeast, etc.

I didn't take a before reading. I am going to give it a few more days and check it again. I'm still learning. Thanks for the input.

[DGK]

You need more yeast.

any idea how much more?

[Fastill]

You need more yeast.

any idea how much more?

Just make a starter with what you have. Between a quart to a half gallon of your wash diluted to about 50-75% of your starting sg. aerated and started about a day or two before your main wash, using your yeast. When you fix up your main wash, just dump it in when it is ready for yeast. It'll take off fine.

[troublestylist]

Just got my first batch out of the barrel. After 5 weeks, it's moderately brown, quite woody, and got all thumbs up from friends. I suspect after a few months in glass it'll taste much better.

I have Round #2 in the barrel now. After 8 weeks (or whenever it seems ready), I'll mix it with the first batch to blend the new and less new wood flavors.

Not much to complain about.

[HellsWintr]

I seem to be having trouble getting that good corn flavor into the UJSSM. Do you pretty much need a cooked mash for that? Dont get me wrong, this stuff is great, especially when aged. I was thinking of throwing some corn into the boiler when distilling and see what happens, probabbly a burn, mabye not though, i'm using a stock pot that i got from a restaurant. I do blend tails and a little heads back into the mix. I do a stripping run, then do a spirit run when i saved up enough low wines. anyway, if anyone has a good suggestion to get more of that corn flavor in there, let me know. Sorry i'm all over the place, kinda sloshed right now lol

[Odin]

HellsWintr,

Flaked corn may give more taste than cracked. Cooking always helps. Upping the backset % from 25% to 40% also helps. More backset is possible, but you need to correct for PH probably. Wait a few gens. Gen 2 is better than gen 1. At gen 4 or 5 you should get full flavour. But there are more with your problem. Titus a fishus, me. I think the sort of corn is most important. In Europe we do not have all that choice people in America have.

Hope this helps.
Odin.

[Schoobah]

Hey all got a quickie for ya

Has anyone ever ran tomato paste in there washes for multiple gens?

I realize that it is not necessary to use tomato paste in ujsm being that its primary purpose is a yeast nutrient and that it is provided in this recipe by corn/grain. I may be trying something different and may need additional yeasty foods.

My biggest concern is that the organic materials in tomato paste may breed bacteria after multiple ferments if anyone has tried this with this recipe boiled backset and all? Let me know.

Scuba

[bentstick]

@ hellswintr, I have been adding 4lbs of frozen sweetcorn to every other batch or so of ferment, seems to be building up more of a corn flavor hope this helps some how, but you will notice after a few generations it does get a better taste to it any how.

[Odin]

Schoolbah,

There is so much nutricial value in the backset you use in this recipe. Cooked, souped fellow yeasties. All there to be consumed by your yeastbed. Why need more nutrients?

Odin.

[Schoobah]

I have produced several successful generations of this mash and just recently had three separate fermentations under airlock smell like sulfur with no common link. I realise it is much more likely that they became infected rather than a nutritional deficiency however I have read on the forum that adding tomato paste helps with nitrogen problems. which intern helps with the sulfur smell.

[blind drunk]

Happened to me recently on a sugar head with spent grains. I though I had the nutrients covered because the wash was sitting on the spent grain of two mashes. First I added a small can of tomato paste and then another one. Stirred them in good. Smell dissipated pretty quickly.

[likkerfirst]

Ok, I just ran my first sour mash of this yestarday, For starters I used 25lbs cracked corn poured boiling water on it stirred it in good then added 25lbs of sugar and the rest of the water bringing it up to 15 gallons of water. My potential abv showed 8%. I am running this through a thumper wich I will post a pic on this topic. On both runs I ran so I had a steady drip/broken stream the whole way well both runs came out HOT!!! The one I did yestarday I collected 24 jars from 175proof down to 80proof, even jar number 12 diluted to 80 proof has a burn to it in the mouth and on the throat. It tastes more like chemical than likker. The only thing I can think of is when I run in my garage its usually about 40 to 45 degrees in there and I dont have insulation on the columns? Therefore I have to run my boiler too hot to run the thumper? I am a newbie at this and a little confused, any suggestions? Could city water be doing it??

Thanks,
likkerfirst

P.S. Georgia Shine actually taste better than the stuff I just made

Heres a pic of the set up

[bentstick]

I had issues at first, it sounds like cuts to me, but also 25 lbs of corn for a 15 gal wash sure sounds like alot of corn,I bought 50 lbs of cracked corn when I started in Feb. last year and still have just under half of it left and i do 12 gal ferments at a time, I do add 4lbs of frozen sweet corn every other batch, and it seems to me 25 lbs of sugar and 15 gals of water ya should be getting higher abv, check calcs to figure it. Someone who knows more than I will chime in and let ya know good and bad, dont take it personal, just teachin!

[bentstick]

Sugar to water you state should be at least 11.5 pot. Alcohol, not taking the 25lbs of corn, to me it should be higher, how big is your fermentor?

[likkerfirst]

I have a 25 gallon fermentor, I just took the recipe for 5 gallons and multiplied it by three for 15 gallons, wich would come to 21lbs of corn, so I threw in the extra 4 pounds. I thought I should be at 10-12% but i used the hydrometer and thats what it told me lol.

[bentstick]

Ok next ? Is this the first ferment of UJ? And did ya save about 3-5 gals of what was left in boiler for your next batch? ( to start the sour process) Like i said I think cuts to begin with, and my UJ I try to keep around 8-9 abv.As far as temp goes my basement does not get any warmer than 50f when it is cold and things have not run any different for me.( but then I dont run a thump)maybe I cant help because I dont run a thumper?

[likkerfirst]

Yes I did, the run I did yestarday was the second run, both runs were mean though. I use an aquarium heater in my fermenter to keep it around 75-80 degrees. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the first was so I dumped it all out tonight and started over with the same ingredients and got 8% agian.

[Titus-a-fishus]

Still working on how to get taste out of this recipe.

Last week put 40 ltrs of filtered water aside and left it until Saturday.
Started a ferment and for the first time have a cap/crust on the top of it.
So it is different to all the previous ferments I've done over the past.... 12months.

Hope it makes the difference..... not holding my breathe though
We'll see in a few days time.

TAF

[HellsWintr]

yeah titus. I get NO corn taste at all. i'm gunna dump some cooked corn in there just to see if that helps. I've even ran this thing to 19 generations. not sure what's going on.

[Odin]

I think the solution is in the sorta corn you use. I live in Europe and find that most corn is for animals. It has close to no taste. I think in America they often use sweet or indian maize/corn. I added a bit of cooked sweet corn and got over more taste.

Odin.

[Titus-a-fishus]

yeah titus. I get NO corn taste at all. i'm gunna dump some cooked corn in there just to see if that helps. I've even ran this thing to 19 generations. not sure what's going on.

Have been down the sweet corn, different corn, baked/roasted sweet corn road and it lead me to nowhere...

I think the solution is in the sorta corn you use. I live in Europe and find that most corn is for animals. It has close to no taste. I think in America they often use sweet or indian maize/corn. I added a bit of cooked sweet corn and got over more taste.

Odin.

Glad to see it worked for you Odin...
But as you can see in previous posts on this thread it made no difference to my wash.
There is something fundametally different in the ingredients I am using that makes for a neutral with little to no corn flavour.
The first and only time I got any flavour it was with feed corn.

I've had sweet corn that was roasted and you could smell the flavours there.
It just didn't transfer to the wash.

So far I''ve concentrated on the corn as it seemed the most likely problem,
Then it was the pH
Now I am looking at the water.
As said I have never had a cap on my ferments before and this one has it......
Can only keep plugging away at the problem until I crack the code.

To be fair to some of the posters that felt I would get the corn flavour after oaking...
Waaaaaaaay in the background of some of my oaked UJ there is a tiny bit of corn flavour, but not enough to scream success.

I had success once
Will have it again.

Soon as I crack it you blokes will hear about here on this thread. Loud and proud

Just glad to hear there are others out there with the same problem... I was beginning to feel like it was just me or that my posts would be taken as a bad joke.

TAF.

[blind drunk]

T-a-f - Maybe you're an all grain candidate?

[Titus-a-fishus]

BD
I am seriously looking at it.
Mate of mine has brought down 12kg of whole corn
Just not sure on how to go about malting it.
Still reading and not yet game to take the leap.
Chickens.it scared of the untried

Will give it a go in a week ... or two... or

If the water is an issue it would be a shame to do the same to that much corn.
So will run this current ferment and see what the results are
Thanks for the post.

TAF

[blind drunk]

Why don't you try NcHooch' over in the tried and true? Everybody who tries it, likes it. It's on my bucket list, but with corn flour.

[likkerfirst]

Disregaurd the post about the likker being mean, I let it air for 36hrs and made my cuts....... This stuff is good!! Ive got it at about 90 proof and its pretty smooth with just a little bite. Do you think if I insulate I would get it smoother?? I gave some to my buddy, he liked it and he's a cocktail drinker. He mixed up a whiskey coke with it and loved it.

[Kiwikeg]

Hi TAF, your problem with the flavour worries me. Keeps me awake at work even. Anyway here is my 32cents worth..my first generation mash of UJSSM the corn flovour was way too strong on a single distillation, but i added it back and stored up low wines and now 4th gernaration its getting good to my tastes with just a hint of corn in the tails <50% ABV.
So have you tried saving the first generation of UJSSM low wines seperately to blend with later generations AFTER final distillation to add that elusive corn flavour to your spirit?

[Titus-a-fishus]

Why don't you try NcHooch' over in the tried and true? Everybody who tries it, likes it. It's on my bucket list, but with corn flour.

Hey BD
Getting malted barley seems to be a bit of a problem at the moment.....
Not sure where to source it.
Will give malting the corn a go first as I have it.
Thanks for the thought

Hi TAF, your problem with the flavour worries me. Keeps me awake at work even. Anyway here is my 32cents worth..my first generation mash of UJSSM the corn flovour was way too strong on a single distillation, but i added it back and stored up low wines and now 4th gernaration its getting good to my tastes with just a hint of corn in the tails <50% ABV.
So have you tried saving the first generation of UJSSM low wines seperately to blend with later generations AFTER final distillation to add that elusive corn flavour to your spirit?

Hey Kiwikeg
Mate not sure how I am going to get flavour from the first gen when there has never been any....
So adding it as low wines to following gens wouldn't make any difference.
Perhaps I'm miss reading your post.


So here's what happened with the latest trial.
Let 40ltrs of water sit for a week .... why? cause I was too lazy to mix up the ferment earlier.
On the day
Heated up about 10ltrs of water and dissolved 6kg of sugar in it.
Put 3kg of corn and 4kg of flaked barley in.....
Left it sit for a couple of hours to cool.
Throw in the rest of the water and add the yeast.
SG 1.050
Bubbling away happily within the hour.
So all is good
For the first time ever there is a cap/crust on the top.... things are looking up.
Three days later.... finished Less than 1.000
Looking even better.
Never had this recipe done in three days

So tonight.... run it slow to start with then fast to see what flavour comes out
Remember this is almost 50/50 corn, barley........ guess what flavour I got....



Barley


TAF



At least there is progress............ I guess...

[Odin]

Same with me, TAF!

Barley comes over big time. Not so (much) with corn. Cooked sweet corn will give a better result than cracked or flaked non-sweet corn for me.

Odin.