Cornflakes whiskey

[BrooklynTech]

Nother Update:
Using the auto syphon I removed about 3 gallons of pretty clear "stuff" from the 5+ I had in the fermenter.
Using paint strainer bags I got about another gallon out of the 2+ gallons heavy w/solids.
Gonna let everything settle til Monday and then give the old pot still a chance to see what it can "cook" up.

Many thanks Odin for the recipe.

[casamayor]

Hello Odin,
I am ageing my cornflakes whiskey( 66%ABV) with an americain oak, after 24 hours it is very sweet as a caramel, it is closer than my rum than a whiskey,i wonder what happen?

[Adrilo]

hello everyone.

i thought i try this recipe for my first go at distilling, so far its not going too well. I followed the recipe and nothing much happened after 24 hours, so i started to read through the thread and just getting more confused. Someone with the same problem got asked if he added nutrtions..so i thought that was my mistake because i didnt. I thought when i read the recipe that the cornflakes are the nutrition for the yeast..guess not
Then someone added tomato puree so i added that only to read a bit later that that wasnt needed. Can anyone please explain to me what nutrition, if any i need? i tried the search funktion, i googled forever..but all the stuff that comes up is overwhelming me..phosphates..magnesium this or that...is there a product from a homebrew shop that contains all those things? Also the yeast..some say to sprinkle it in...some say to make a starter..i just sprinkled it in and stired softly

i made a 25l wash.
750gr Cornflakes
11.5 gr dry ale yeast
3kg sugar

starting sg was 1.060

i think im going chuck it out and try again tomorrow

thanks for any help

Adrian

[Odin]

Some lemon to lower PH will get it up and running. Save some backset from gen 1 to start gen 2.

Odin.

[rad14701]

@Adrilo

Regardless of nutrients the wash should have started fermenting if the yeast was viable... Did you proof the yeast and/or make a starter, or did you merely dry pitch...??? I haven't had a wash fail to start fermenting in years and that was due to bad yeast... In fact I've never even waited an hour for signs of fermentation to show and generally see signs in as little as 5 - 15 minutes... Nutrients are not the problem and I highly doubt that pH would be either... Yeast...

[Adrilo]

well it did very slightly start to bubble today..but very little, like few tiny bubbles that came to the surface. I forgot to mention that i also added juice from a lemon when i added the tomato paste.I just sprinkled the yeast on, once it had cooled down to 25c.
2 Hours ago i thought i try one more thing before giving up and added 20gr of dry active yeast to it...now it does constantly bubble..not in any way vigorously but hey something is going on and i have hope again. So you guys are saying that normally i would not need to add nutrition?
thanks alot!

[BrooklynTech]

well it did very slightly start to bubble today..but very little, like few tiny bubbles that came to the surface. I forgot to mention that i also added juice from a lemon when i added the tomato paste.I just sprinkled the yeast on, once it had cooled down to 25c.
2 Hours ago i thought i try one more thing before giving up and added 20gr of dry active yeast to it...now it does constantly bubble..not in any way vigorously but hey something is going on and i have hope again. So you guys are saying that normally i would not need to add nutrition?
thanks alot!

I did mine w/1 K of Corn Flakes
7 lbs sugar
3 packs of bakers yeast. I think it was like 21 mg

Was bubbling like crazy in 3 hours.

Added yeast at about 85* F

Gonna run tomorrow morn.

[BrooklynTech]

Odin, question:

When you used the rye bread, did you dry it and crumble it into power or just toss in a few slices of the bread? How many slices for your 25 liter batch?

Wonder what the addition of Pumpernickel would turn out.

[Brentwoodstill]

I run my cornflake wash through my new reflux still then watered it to 45% the next morning there all white bits on the bottem of the bottle. Had same with air still too

[pt49]

I stripped it slowly, making a small fores/heads cut. Collected down to 10 abv. Got me 6liters of 30 abv. Added some backset, then did the spirit run. Collected hearts at 63 abv. Diluted to 50%.am sipping it as we speak. Darn good!

Odin

OK, I have made a potstill head and a boka reflux colum for my still.

I have run 3 or 4 washes thru the boka but only one thru the postill. I average 75% alc from the boka reflux (slow drip) and 40 - 50% alc from the potstill (steady stream).

I've never made whisky amd want to try and get it right. My Cornflakes wash will finish bubbling in a few days.

My question is ... if I run it thru the reflux will it taste like vodka and if I run it thru the potstill will it taste like whisky? I'm after whisky.

Odin you said you "stripped" it 1st then did a spirit run... I imagine stripping is by potstill, but is a "spirit" run also done thru a potstill, or is it thru a reflux still?

[Odin]

Spirit and strip run both thru a potstill. That's how I would start if this is your first whiskey,

Odin.

[pt49]

Cheers mate, thankyou kindly

[casamayor]

In fact after 5 days of ageing my cornflakes whiskey is awesome, no wood taste, very sweet and spicy!
thank Odin

[YHB]

I started my first batch today.

When I was boiling up the cornflakes they became very gelatinous, which made me think - has anyone tried adding any enzymes to convert the starch?

[Odin]

Glad you like it Casamayor!

YHB, that's what I always do ... Not part of the easy recipe, but if the grain starches are there ... why not?

Odin.

[midwest shinner]

Hey Odin have you ever tried macerating some corn flakes in with the low wines from this recipe before the spirit run? It adds even more corn flavor to the final spirit and doesn't take much effort at all. I tried it when i made up a partial mash with corn and wasn't happy with the amount of corn flavor in the low wines. After macerating on corn flakes for 3-5 days and a spirit run it was much better. I just strain the flakes out with a mesh grain bag over a funnel when pouring into my boiler for the spirit run

[Odin]

Good thinking!

[stillin]

Congratulations on making the TnT with your recipe Odin! I got 5 gals of low wines I'm getting ready to run of CW. Gonna dilute below 40% with some backset. Only problem is I dumped some stale Cheerios I had in with the cornflakes and I saw in a previous post where you added oats in with your cornflakes and didn't care for it. With Cherrios being an oat cereal I'm hoping for the best. I'll post the results when done. Thanks

[BrooklynTech]

well it did very slightly start to bubble today..but very little, like few tiny bubbles that came to the surface. I forgot to mention that i also added juice from a lemon when i added the tomato paste.I just sprinkled the yeast on, once it had cooled down to 25c.
2 Hours ago i thought i try one more thing before giving up and added 20gr of dry active yeast to it...now it does constantly bubble..not in any way vigorously but hey something is going on and i have hope again. So you guys are saying that normally i would not need to add nutrition?
thanks alot!

I did mine w/1 K of Corn Flakes
7 lbs sugar
5 gal water
3 packs of bakers yeast. I think it was like 21 mg

Was bubbling like crazy in 3 hours.

Added yeast at about 85* F

Gonna run tomorrow morn.

UPDATE

Ferment finished at 1.000 w/a SG of 1.066 so ABV for the wash was about 8.5%

Wound up w/just about 3.6 gallons of wash
After dumping 150 ml of fores and
Saving 4 oz of heads (68%)
I collected 52 oz from 68% to 42%
Also have 5.5 oz of tails at 38%

They are airing now w/coffee filters and will go into a 1 gallon glass bottle w/maybe 2 oz of Jack Daniels Chips. for a few months.

[midwest shinner]

Hey stillin, I think oats go great with corn. I made an AG with those two and it is fantastic, so i think its just a matter of taste.

[YHB]

1 kilogram of Cornflakes
5 kilograms of Sugar
60 grams (1/2 tin) Allinsons Dried Active Yeast
Water to make 23 Litre.

No additional nutrients of any kind

Starting gravity 1.090
Finished Gravity 0.990
ABV = 12.9%

Due to the unusually hot weather we are having the wash was never below 30 deg c for the whole time.

8 Days from start to finish with no trauma.

[pounsfos]

I will be doing this when my other wash finishes (only have one fermentor at the moment, but am building a warming cabinet as it is bloody cold down here)

I am lookign forward to it, got some wierd looks buying 6kgs of cornflakes at the supermarket:)

[mrdripman]

Newbie post here...this is my first wash for stilling. Have made wine for many years. I did do an intro in the new members area back 2-3 weeks ago.

Started a 5gal batch of the Cornflakes wash this past Friday nite. Dang, it was bubbling before I got the lid on the fermenter bucket after doing the stirring! Recipe was pretty much "stock"; however, I did add more of the water to the ground up cereal as it was quite thick with the 2 Qts of water. Pretty much gelatinized itself! Also used distillers yeast (4 tbl) as I had it and everything else was wine yeast. Probably could have used less, I think. I did activate it in warm water a bit before pitching it. Oh, I think the idea of adding some enzymes might be a good one. Am going to start another wash in a couple of days and will maybe do that.

Love the recipe, Odin. It is sooooo simple!

As of tonite, it is still just happily bubbling away thru the airlock. Due to my winemaking techniques for primary fermentation, I just could not stand NOT looking at it. So, I opened up the bucket to take a look and all was fine. Gave it a frothy stir and re-capped it. I tasted it too -- still sweet. It is back all happy and bubbling. Seems kinda strange to me to cap the fermenter and put an airlock on a "primary" fermentation. Don't do that with wine! Of course, here, it is the only fermentation. I am learning!

I am assuming that you guys do "press" the mush to get as much of the wash out for the still run and not waste the good stuff!

If things go ok with work, I plan to do a run next this next weekend. It will be my first. Am using a "Stillmaker" (I think) CM still that I built years ago but never got a chance to use. It does not have the "standard" method of reflux tubes though (tubes spread apart). Has just a single reflux loop at the "top" before the vapor takeoff. I've done all of the recommended mods to it as well by PrairiePiss and others. I am not interested so much in creating 90% ABV alcohol anyway! I want some taste! And yes, it is "cleaned". I've got all of the parts to build another head for say a LM/VM type, but that can wait.

If nothing else, I will learn a lot about what to do and what not to do! Wish me luck! Will save some backset too for another run!

Drip

[BrooklynTech]

Did my second mash today. Simple recipe as Odin supplied:

1 1/2 gallons water and added the two boxes Corn Flakes cooked at 160* for about an hour.
2 1/2 gallons water and added the 7 lbs sugar
1 gallon backset from first run

Funny this time my OG is 1.72 and the last time it was 1.66. Could the backset make a difference?

Sitting in 6.5 gallon bucket waiting for it to cool enough to add the yeast. Will use 2 packs bakers yeast as last time I used three and although it didn't blow the airlock it did begin to ferment in about 2 hours.

Will let is sit outside in like 85* shade til it's done.

Thanks again Odin you are my God. LOL

[halo]

first timer here and first time making cf recipe I made my own pot still do i need to rack this or am i best to just sprit run flakes and all?

[BentJar]

Wait till its done fermenting, rack it into another container, wait 2 days to settle the yeast and then run it.

Dont get in a hurry and mess it up. CF makes good spirit when done right. Yeast will ruin the flavor.

[halo]

so when the yeast has settled you rack and run. Thats where i went wrong with my sweetfeed Thanks for the help

[RBL]

so I am thinking about getting the corniest corn flavored white dog. I have run this cornflake recipe a few times, love it. I usually run something close to UJSSM. So what if I charge the boiler with 15 gallons UJSSM and the thumper with 5 gallons CFW? I have 20 gallons of gen 5 UJSSM working off right now. If I start 5 gallons of tonight they should be ready about the same time.

[midwest shinner]

That is a pretty cool idea RBL, I honestly have never thought about using a different wash in the thumper than I'm running in my boiler... Another good way to increase corn flavor is to macerate your 1st run low wines with cornflakes, let em sit and macerate for a week or even 2, then strain them out before your spirit run. It really does help increase corn flavor. Or hell if you want you could mush up some real corn and use that instead of cornflakes for the maceration.

[Jmcdaniel0]

Anyway to get this recipe in lbs and ounces and gallons for us non imperial folks