water content of mash at time of pouring into fermenter

[prtrc]

OK, I'm confused. I made my first mash and I am concerned that the water content is way off. I followed the recipe from The Home Distillers handbook exactly and am about to pitch my yeast - but the mash has no water content what so ever. It is like a paste. Is that correct? What should the water content be of the mash when first poured into the fermenter?

[Dnderhead]

need more information but most use 1 1/2 -2 lb per gallon of water.but it makes a difference on the grain your using.

[prtrc]

need more information but most use 1 1/2 -2 lb per gallon of water.but it makes a difference on the grain your using.

I am using corn, 2 lbs cracked corn to 1 gallon of water. I quadrupled everything to make a large batch for my 5 gallon still. So I used 4 gallons of water to 8 pounds of cracked corn. and followed instructions - low boil, stirred, added malt, cool to 75 degrees and now ready to pitch yeast. But it is like a past now - no water content at all. So my question is should I be adding water now? Should there be water a certain number of inches above the mash itself in the fermenter?

[Dnderhead]

a bit much on the corn,,but it should have worked .
what was the malt?
how much malt to grain?
added at what temperature?

[prtrc]

a bit much on the corn,,but it should have worked .
what was the malt?
how much malt to grain?
added at what temperature?

I malted my own corn. Recipe called for 1 cup malt per gallon water/2 pounds cracked corn - so for my batch it took 4 cups malt (4 gallons water, 8 pounds cracked corn, 2 pounds sugar, 4 cups dry malt. Yes, malt added at temp. Which was after low boil of water, sugar, and crack corn for 2 hours. At that time, when I added malt, it was looking too thick.

Can I add water now? As a general rule, should there be so many inches of water/liquid above the mash when first put into the fermenter?

If I was to start from scratch again I would say the 2 hours of low boil with cracked corn, sugar and water was too much. I question if it should be boiled at all at that point.

[Dnderhead]

first corn is rather lite in the DP witch means it will take more mated corn.
i use at least 50/50 .(and most times 100%)
next enzymes deactivate above 160f/71c,,preferably like 140f/60c.
so if you added the malt just after boiling with out cooling then you "killed" the enzymes. if you want to figure it out you need at least 30 DP/l per total lbs of grain.
corn has a DP of 100 at its best .

[prtrc]

first corn is rather lite in the DP witch means it will take more mated corn.
i use at least 50/50 .(and most times 100%)
next enzymes deactivate above 160f/71c,,preferably like 140f/60c.
so if you added the malt just after boiling with out cooling then you "killed" the enzymes. if you want to figure it out you need at least 30 DP/l per total lbs of grain.
corn has a DP of 100 at its best .

Thanks for taking the time and patience here with your responses. I am a clear novice and this has been helpful. I did let the mash cool to 145 degrees before I added the malt. So I am on the edge with enzymes. Reading your last response, I may want to use more malt in the future. I am not clear though how DP impacts water content of mash so I'm still confused about the water content - it clearly is not what it should be.

So let me ask it this way - assuming I have used the right % or cracked corn, malted corn, etc and did everything at the right temperatures - what should your mash texture be when pouring into the fermenter? Should it be soupy or pasty (highly technical terms I know ). I think I need to boil some more water, cool it down somewhat and add to my mash now. Once it cools down to 75 degrees I'll pitch my yeast. Just trying to understand better what the texture should be. Thx

[Dnderhead]

DP is how much enzymes in the malt,and how much is needed to convert the starch. if the enzymes do not convert the starch the mash will just stay thick.
so when you cook starch it gits thick (like cooking gravy),then when you add malt it will thin out if all is done correctly.

[prtrc]

DP is how much enzymes in the malt,and how much is needed to convert the starch. if the enzymes do not convert the starch the mash will just stay thick.
so when you cook starch it gits thick (like cooking gravy),then when you add malt it will thin out if all is done correctly.

THANK YOU! I can be think but I get it now. The issue is Malt then. Way too much corn, not enough malt. Last question - I promise. Malting my corn is a pain and slow. It has been hard for me to find sproutable corn in the quantities I need, and it is very expensive. Any suggestions on where I can find corn malt that is ready to go?

[Dnderhead]

corn malt in the states is a special order thing and is not available to the public.
(that I know of)

[DuckofDeath]

no enzyme breakdown.. definitely need some 2 or 6 row malt. Corn will gel up. You should also cook the cracked longer to make sure you get full extraction

[prtrc]

no enzyme breakdown.. definitely need some 2 or 6 row malt. Corn will gel up. You should also cook the cracked longer to make sure you get full extraction

What is 2 or 6 row malt?

[Dnderhead]

"What is 2 or 6 row malt?"
he speaking of barley malt that's used to make beer.
if you do use this you want 6 row "base malt"as it has more enzymes .
(180DP..)..two row has 140dp...stay away from malts that have little to no DP and only used for flavor.these will be "Cristal " roasted" etc.