SG 1.060 Whiskey Mash

[rob brown]

I am attempting the "basic whiskey" mash as described below (from this site).

My SG is 1.060 just prior to pitching - just after chilling down to pitching temp.

My question: 1.050 is touted as the target SG. What does the 1.060 mean to me, my mash and my hopes.

Jack recommends (highly) ..
Bring about five gallons of water to a good boil, then add 12 pounds of (unhopped!!!) pale malt syrup and dissolve it, then boil it for a good 15 minutes, then cool (I use a wort chiller, it takes me 20 minutes to get this much water down to a pitching temp)- pitch with either 60 grams of dry bread yeast, or any ale or lager yeast that (This is important) has a reputation for producing low to no amounts of esters (these are nasty in whiskey). after about 3 to 4 days distill it and make the cut according to the corn whiskey book. I put mine in a bottle with some toasted American oak chips, diluted down to 50%abv - The best malt whiskey I have had in a long time! YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS !!! (yeah, I know, three exlamation points- the sign of a true madman-trust me anyway). The next experiment is to steep 50 to 100 grams of peated malt (grains) in the 5 gals of water (at 155F for 45minutes) before bringing to a boil and adding the malt syrup- You guessed it- SCOTCH!!! and IRISH WHISKY from a store bought still (a eurostill) and maybe an hour or two of stove work- no mashing temps, no worrying about water hardness or Ph or iron content- simple, easy- you gotta love it.

Update ! ... Just tried out something new- if you add 3 tablets (dissolved in a little water) of Beano- (it's found in the pharmacy- it's an enzyme that breaks down long chain starches into short chain sugars to help with gas problems) to the malt whisky mash recipe - it'll increase alcohol yields a little (like 2-3%) as well as make the stuff less likely to foam in the still- also, if you have a twin element still, let it heat up on the lower setting to slow down the heat up time and prevent foaming even more ( I even add a half teaspoon of mineral oil to break up the foaming - it's a lot of work to keep malt syrup mashes from foaming in a still) A variable power setting would also be helpfull.

[Jimbo]

1.06 is fine. Thats about 7% if you get that to ferment down to 1.005.

[rob brown]

Thank you for the reply.

Does this higher SG leave me any room to add a bit of oxygenate water? OR would adding any oxy-water increase my overall volume? In other words, is the higher SG telling me I have excess sugars that could be better used with some more water-space?

Sorry if these a stupid questions...but I am a pure novice.

Pitched last night 3/5/13. The bubble-trap is pissing out C02 hard enough to fill a truck tire.

[Jimbo]

Dont add anything. Thats perfect as is. Dont open it or poke around or stir it or anything. Just let the yeast do its thing undisturbed for a week minimum. Longer if its cool where its fermenting.

1.06 is not a high SG, its actually right in the optimum target zone for an All grain. Or all malt, as in your case, which is still considered an all grain. 9+% ABV's would be too high. IMO.

[rob brown]

Cool! Thanks.

The all "malted barley grain" goes in today...no can of goo. Been roll-crushing all morning.

I'm trying to learn my way to building washes and mashes from what I can get from the area farms, and nothing from distant businesses.

[Jimbo]

'local' ingredients hooch. Very cool

[rob brown]

The all, whole-grain malted barley hit the fermenter tonight. Strained through a screen and hit 1.050+. Chilled to 40c and pitched. Bubbling like a prom-girl.

Its rather exciting to see non-sugar-added mash doing its thing and smelling SO freekin good.

[rob brown]

Its STILL passin gas! About 1 cc every two seconds. Steady as can be. I can't wait to see what lay ahead for my bottles.

5 gallons (full)
Wrapped in a quilt with a heating-pad inside the quilt. About the only steady temp I can maintain is 45C.

Does an all-grain wash/mash need to be de-gassed prior to any settle?

[CuWhistle]

Take extra care when you distil it. Go easy on the heat. I discovered that this AG Barley mash is more prone to puking than anything I have run in the past. Watch it very closely at first drops, when it is about to start producing, and possibly knock your heat down a little till you know you are running well. Better to be a little slow than have what I had. A mess and some lost product, although it was only heads anyway.

You are in for a real treat. I stole a little sample out of my oaking jar, just for quality control inspection you know.

My main fermentation took 3 days, but on good advice I left it to sit and finish right out for another 5 or 6 days.

[frunobulax]

45c ? That's 113 F. that's too warm for yeast, but if it tastes ok run it. You want to keep yeast happy by fermenting at their optimum
temperatures to avoid off flavors.
No you don't need to de-gas it. Check the gravity over 3 days, and if the readings are stable, it's done.
If you want to help it clear, crash cool it. That is letting the temperature drop as low as you can for a few days. It makes the yeast settle to the bottom
and clears the beer. I have 11 gallons of a rum wash at 35 F (1.6 C) right now, that I will run Friday.

[bellybuster]

Christmas is coming
http://www.barleycrusher.com/ordering.php

[humbledore]

As long as we are dreaming, I'm dreaming big:
http://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/p ... _main.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[rob brown]

My thermometer tape was way-off. The immersion digital therm shows 32C. That tape was also on a Stainless steal fermenter. I think they were meant for plastic.

The waft of top-gas would have killed a cow. SG is reading 1.02 @ 60F

Gonna set her out in the garage where its 32F.

[rob brown]

Ran brilliantly! For the Winter, I work indoors on the electric top with 2.5 GALLON pot-still with 16-foot copper coil condenser. 4.0 gallons yielded:

2 pints @125proof
2 pints @100proof
2 pints @ 80 proof

They were phenomenally clear and tasted like heaven right off the condenser. A slight hint of the barley. Smooth as all get-out. Crystal clear.
I'll be doing many many more of these.

Is there any way or reason to re-use the barley? It emerged in some fine shape. It dropped its chaff and seemed pretty viable.

[Jkhippie]

It's quite common to reuse AG grains to make a sugarhead. If you siphoned the beer off of the grain/yeast bed, you can add sugar/water and go.

You could also use that grain in the kitchen. Bread comes to mind.

Either way, good stuff.

[MDH]

I have to admit I am rather curious about your use of "low ester" yeast, yet you are looking for Scotch. The yeasts distillers use are ridiculously fruity. Have you ever had a Kilchoman? Cardhu??

[rob brown]

No...I never have. I'm a complete whore for Bushmills oldest. I have a hard time with GlenLiv. I need a Scotch that will not try to bleed my brain. The home distillates are SO easy on me, I am compelled to find a good alternative.

[sunshine1101]

i am extremely new to this and am working on UJSSM. but ultimately would like to develop a good scotch mash. I like Glenlivet 18 and would like to work towards something like that.