First try on a rye recipe...its delicious

[NC_redcock]

Basically was gonna make a sugar wash for this run but decided to make it a rye recipe, started with 8lbs sugar, 4 gallons of water, 1/4 cup yeast, 2lbs of flaked rye, and 1lb of rye malt, cooked it off at 150F, blended flaked rye and sugar in about 2 gallons of water, topped off with cooler water to about 90F, pitched yeast and added malt. Let it ferment for 6 days, and ran it last night, yielded 3 quarts ranging from 135 proof down to 40 proof, re running the heads and tails tonight to pull a little more out, should yield a half gallon of good hooch, the malt covers the yeast nice and the smell of a molasses type of sweetness best describes the smell, tasted one of the heart jars at about 106 proof and it was really tasty, figured 'id share this one.

Being new I have to ask though, if its all rye, what is it? Corn for whiskey etc, how would I describe it to people without sounding like an idiot?

[midwest shinner]

Really you can't call it whiskey cause there is sugar in it. But whiskey can be made from loads of grains; corn, rye, barley, or wheat to name a few. And the result would be rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, etc, etc. But since you used sugar i would call it a faux rye whiskey.

[rad14701]

Straight rye whiskey sugarhead, or faux rye whiskey as midwest shinner stated... If you use single grain it's considered "straight"... The added sugar makes it "sugarhead" or "faux"...

[NC_redcock]

Thanks ya'll, appreciate the insight, if I wanted to make one without sugar, how would I best alter the recipe?

[pounsfos]

recipes fine... just don't add sugar
and err increase the amount of ingredient you use to compensate for the lack of sugar

[ga flatwoods]

NCR, Recipe ingrediants are ok but, low as suggested. Your mashing technique needs work though. You should read on doing an all grain before attempting one, too much to mention here. Biggest thing though is temps need adjustment for an all grain and startch conversion. At best what you have done proceedurely so far is a modified mash. You probably got some more flavor by the heating you did but not much else. That is fine though with what you were attempting to do. Obviously the results were good. An all grain is not so easy.
GA Flatwoods

[NC_redcock]

Update: I had only sampled the rye and not drank a bunch in one sitting, sat down with a friend and killed a jar and we noticed that our lips went numb...this ever happen to anybody before?

[Odin]

Rye can do that to you. So can heads. If I drink a jar, usually my brain goes numb.

Odin.

[bellybuster]

Update: I had only sampled the rye and not drank a bunch in one sitting, sat down with a friend and killed a jar and we noticed that our lips went numb...this ever happen to anybody before?

Cuts on the heads side?

[NC_redcock]

Maybe I'm being a little greedy, I typically throw out everything that comes out if the worm prior to 175F, then I've been switching out the pint jars every 6 ounces or so, I've been holding back the first one for cuts, should I be holding back more? I usually get about 2 quarts total.

[501outlaw]

I'm doing my first lactic sour rye now. Damn it smelt bad but soon as I added sugar and yeast it smells really sweet and earthy .