sweetfeed whisky

[Stainless dude]

Sounds like your having a good run of it still, it's a great recipe...

[S-Cackalacky]

Just started my first SF recipe. I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of splitting it into two 5 gallon buckets. Just waiting for the bubbles to start. I hope to get 5 gallons of clear wash after all is said and done. my still is a 20qt stockpot boiler with a 12qt thumper. I'll be running 4 to 4.5 gallons in the boiler and the remainder in the thumper.

I'll be doing the cleaning runs on my new pot still this weekend and hope to have the SF ready to run the following weekend. I don't have a hydrometer yet so I'll be depending on taste and smell to know when the ferment is done.

Thanks for the recipe KS - really simple to put together.

S-C

[Truckinbutch]

I don't think you will be disapointed at all with this . Set up some more ferment and double first run back on second run . Product of the second run will make ya stand flat footed and slap yur granny

[S-Cackalacky]

I don't think you will be disapointed at all with this . Set up some more ferment and double first run back on second run . Product of the second run will make ya stand flat footed and slap yur granny

TB, I hear nothin' but good about this recipe. I pitched my yeast about 2:00pm today, got home from picking the old woman up from work around 5:30pm and could hear the airlock bubbles when I opened the basement door. The lids of my two ferment buckets were slightly bulged and my soda bottle airlocks were putting out steady, rapid streams of bubbles. This stuff is outrageous.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Truckinbutch]

Yep............,seed that to happen , goin west (spit). Awesome concoction and so glad you have made it to this point .

[Stainless dude]

Havin one right now, goood stuufff..

[MAD AL]

started stripping 30lt at 5 30 this morning should be done by and cleaned up by 9 30. alan

[jackfiasco]

I am wondering what ABV people usually get using the sweet feed recipe at the beginning of this thread (4" of feed, 7lbs sugar, 6 gallon wash) with bread yeast? I fermented a batch of sweet feed but forgot to measure before fermenting. I measured after fermenting and got 0.996. I then started a second batch and measured it's SG at 1.046. Assuming it was approximately the same SG as the first batch that means I got an ABV of 5.2%. Shouldn't it be closer to 9 or 10%?

[F6Hawk]

jack, you might wanna let Rad help you out...
http://homedistiller.org/calcs/rad14701" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Bushman]

Jack, you can raise the Abv by cutting down on the water you added. The original recipe says to fill to 6 gallons (not add 6 gallons). This would be the combination of everything in the recipe.

[ezlle71]

I started 2 6 gal buckets of this yesterday afternoon and they were rattlin' the airlocks in a couple hours!! I am very impressed by the vigorous ferment. I did throw a couple pint jars of malted 6 row barley when the sweetfeed was at 150 degrees. I don't know if it really converted anything but i figured it was worth a shot. Fun Fun!!
ez
ps. I used the producers pride 10% all grain at tractor supply.

[opihiman911]

I have a question about temperatures and doing a spirit run on SF.

In my first attempts at running neutrals and used a thermometer to gage my heat, reflux and what not. I was pretty successful and did a couple neutral runs that I was very pleased with.

I then switched to this sweetfeed recipe and during my first stripping run my thermometer died on me, so I went ahead and did 2 stripping runs hard and fast, added to my 3rd generation SF ferment and did a spirit run using ABV and smell as to where I make my cuts. After a quart of fores and 2 quarts of heads I collected just shy of 3 gallons of hearts from 78% ABV down to 45% ABV. Let it air out a couple days and it tastes amazing. I now got half being oaked and half white and can't wait for it to age a couple month.

Well I finally got a new digital thermometer, tested it with boiling water and it read 212.2, pretty accurate for me. I did another strip run, added it back to gen 5 to do a spirit run and decided to plug in my thermometer just so I could have some data point to work with. It all started out normal, collected fores and heads at around 176-178 degrees, then switched to hearts. To my surprise my temps kept going up and up and up. I collected hearts from 178, all the way up to 205 degrees, with my ABV reading going from 75% and ended at 50% ABV when the thermometer read 205 degrees. I switched over to smaller pints and collected all the way to 210 degrees. It wasn't till my third pint at 208 degrees did I start getting the wet dog/rubbery smell.

Are these temps right? What I pulled out as hearts smells and tasted good like the previous batch. I was collecting finished product at a steady pencil lead stream till the end when it would ebb and flow and seemed to flow more off the side of my worm. I kept the burner set at the same position I've done all my other runs.

And here I thought I was getting a hang of driving my still and getting good product. Is this thermometer just throwing a wrench in my brain? I'm just a little confused when people are talking about shutting down at a much lower temp, 190's I believe I read.

Thanks,
Opihi

[mystakilla]

I have yet to try this yet but plan to very soon, however, a few questions....

Has anyone ran this through a LM and liked the results and do the results get better after each generation or is it a waste of time?


Thank you

MK

[rad14701]

I have yet to try this yet but plan to very soon, however, a few questions....

Has anyone ran this through a LM and liked the results and do the results get better after each generation or is it a waste of time?


Thank you

MK

Running through a reflux column will strip virtually all of the flavor you work so hard to attain unless you de-tune it...

[mystakilla]

Thanks rad, i figured as much but thought i had read somewhere that a light flavor still comes through when using the sweet feed recipe through a reflux.

OH well maybe ill try detuning it and see what i get.

[midwest shinner]

Its true a reflux still will make the likker more neutral, but some really like their likker that way. There was a guy around for a while who loved his light rum made from a VM. And Ian Smiley in his book outlines a method for making "pure whiskey" using a reflux still, Odin still uses this method and swears by it. So while a reflux still is generally used for neutral, you can still make other stuff on it, but flavor will always be lighter than with a pot still. I have personally had sweet feed run on a Boka and it still has some flavor, its mostly the molasses that comes through, the grain flavor was pretty much non existant from the Boka. But on a pot still it comes off like a rummy whiskey on the first batch, sour mashing without adding more molasses will yield a more and more whiskey like product. Whatever you do be safe, and good luck. Have fun

[WYTDAWG]

I run a reflux with sweetfeed...Only have about 4" of bird netting at beginning of my column. I run a little faster than usual(with column tuned)...My product comes off at about 85 ABV...and has plenty of flavor...just racked 7th generation and cookin # 8 as i type...Aside from the pH issues with the backset...just seems to be getting better. Have solved pH issues i think. The water store across street from my business sells pH'd water...all the way up to 9.5. So i'm trying to find the right pH for water so when all goes together, I am in the 5 range. Was hoping to test a theory. If i can get my column de-tuned so my product is under 80ABV, will the whole run be keeper bourbon without the cuts. I do pull off an additional 150-200mL after fores, as it is slightly headsy in beginning, but no tails to speek of...

[halo]

hi do you guys run this using a thumper? thanks Paul

Also do you use a air lock or just cover mash?

[gomez]

Howdy all,
I've been reviewing this site for quite some time now and am blown away by all the info everyone has contributed. Ran my first gen of this recipe using Producer's Pride all grain, brown sugar, and red star bread yeast in a homebuilt pot still. I ended up with about 2 full qts of 160 proof hearts that I diluted to about 120 and have resting on some toasted and lightly charred oak. In a week it has mellowed out soooo much that I can't keep my hands off of it. One thing: I noticed it has a slight after taste, kind of a grass/hay taste. Anyone else encounter anything like this? Could it be too much of the oak? I put in about 6 smoking chips per qt. I know that's probably too much but I was wanted to get it mellowed for the weekend so my buddies could try it. Thanks all

[Jimbo]

I know its really hard to do, but that needs to age on your oak chips for 3-4 months to really mellow, lose that off flavor you describe, and blow your socks off. I suggest making batches faster than you can drink them, and eventually youll have some old stuff and see what we're talking about regarding aging THats what I do, and its not easy cause I drink a fair amount of it LOL. Good luck and congrats on your run, sounds excellent!

[gomez]

I think that will be the only way I can get that to happen. Patience isn't my best attribute. Thanks for the advice. My 2nd gen is almost ready so I'll have that ran in a few days and I'll try to stash some of that as well.

[ezlle71]

halo, i ran my sweetfeed in 2 6 gal buckets with airlocks but i am sure you use a open fermenter with a cloth over it. I do all my ujssm in a open barrel with a cloth over it. I just wanted to try out the buckets i got. Just ran mine last nite. Pretty good stuff i am gonna age it on oak though. good luck
ez

[Stainless dude]

hi do you guys run this using a thumper? thanks Paul

Also do you use a air lock or just cover mash?

You sure could use a thumper... Most people use air locks..

[MGofPickens]

Woo, that was a long read. OK, I'm just graduating from Winoes wash. Had some stalls, but I think, now, I've (thanks to you guys) figured out why. So, I bought an aquarium heater. I have a 30 gallon fermenter and a 12. The heater will not work if I use the 30 gallon with a 10 gallon wash because it will be too shallow and I'd rather not do 20 gallons (so the wash will be deep enough for the heater). Using the 12 gallon fermenter with the sugar wash was fine. I have a 13 gallon boiler and generally have been doing 11 gallon washes so when I rack into the boiler I get 10 gallons and leave that last bit in the fermenter. Anyway, if I make this wash in my 12 gallon I'll have about 4" of head space. Will that be enough? With Winoes it was. Don't want a big mess. How do you guys hang/mount the aquarium heater? How do you oxygenate?

[frozenthunderbolt]

Anyway, if I make this wash in my 12 gallon I'll have about 4" of head space In your still?. Will that be enough? With Winoes it was. Don't want a big mess.

Answer; probably, particularly if you let it completely clear and don't take ANY solids over with the liquid

[MGofPickens]

No, 4" of head space in my fermenter. Sorry.

[Ben the Stiller]

I have been using rocks and marbles for packing and plan to upgrade to rashig rings and copper packing. Where do you recommend getting this stuff? Also, how do you pack the column with the two materials? Rashig rings at the bottom, copper at the top? What sort of proportions do you use?

thanks
ben the stiller

[ezlle71]

I would use one or the other. Copper scrubbers or raching rings but not both. I think pure copper scrubbers are easier to find local than rings. Chore boy brand is the easiest to find around here that are pure copper. I believe using 2 diff packing screws up the temp stuff in the column. Hopefully somebody that remembers will chime in. Good luck
Ez

[Catch 22]

Newbie here was wondering, I ran my first batch of SF did not take a beginning reading thought I was going to just stip it and use for the next run. Mix 4" SF/ 6lb Sugar/6gal water. I ran approx 4 gals of .097 finish wine in a potstill with a roll of copper loosly packed in the head.

Took off the first 3 fingers for foreshot:
1-3/4 pint was 128 to 120 ABV
2-3/4 pint was 120 to 110 ABV
3- 3/4 pint was 110 to 100 ABV (starting to taste good)
4-3/4 pint was 100 to 92 ABV (tasted real good)
5-3/4 pint was 92 to 80 ABV ( taste started to drop off)
6-3/4 pint was 80 to 70 ABV ( started taking on a nutty flavor)
7-3/4 pint colected for fients and shut her down.
I had about 2 gals of backset left to add back for my 2nd generation. The backset smelt bad. My question to the forum is this typical?

Thanks guys

[oilguy]

Just finished 2nd gen SF, I still do not see any color change in the SF, After first run , I changed out approx 25% and added new SF, even then there was no color change (grey stuff is spent) , Anyone else find this. Tastes great though I might add.