Wheat or rye?

[Jolly John]

Reading bourbon mash bills on here, it would seem bourbon has 51% corn (legal minimum) or more, plus either wheat or rye and some malted barley. Am I correct in thinking that wheat will give a softer/lighter flavoured spirit, and rye a much gutsier taste? Which would you experienced guys go with?

[Odin]

Yes. And wheat gives a more biscuity taste, where rye is hotter, warmer, more complex.

Odin.

[Jolly John]

Cheers Odin, guess I'll have to try both......in time!

[Prairiepiss]

Different wheat will give you different flavors. White wheat is a soft biscuit flavors. While some reds will give a spicyer flavor like rye. Probably not as much as rye.

You could also leave out the barley and use malted wheat and or rye.

I'm not a fan of rye. Normally to spicy for me. But I do love me some wheat.

[Odin]

The contrairy here, Mr. P. Big rye fan!

Odin.

[RickRay]

I've been able to find some good red wheat, having trouble finding rye in 50 lb. bags cheap. Anyone have suggestions?

[zombie911]

http://www.hearneseed.com/store.php?pg3-cid37.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

These are all Seed Grade. (able to germinate). Ask for Larry H.

[Jimbo]

Reading bourbon mash bills on here, it would seem bourbon has 51% corn (legal minimum) or more, plus either wheat or rye and some malted barley. Am I correct in thinking that wheat will give a softer/lighter flavoured spirit, and rye a much gutsier taste? Which would you experienced guys go with?

Wheated bourbon is fruity, biscuity and sweeter.
Rye'd bourbon is floral, aromatic and spicy.

[MitchyBourbon]

I am fan of red wheat and rye, without barley.

[RickRay]

MitchyBourbon, do you malt your wheat, rye or corn? or sourmash?

[Teddysad]

Agree with the spicier flavour with rye.

However isn't this why different makers have their own grain bills and why the commercial producers are all not the same

It is all matter of balance

[midwest shinner]

Try em both in time. they both create different tasty flavors. They also can work well together if done right. it mostly depends on your taste, like anything else

[MitchyBourbon]

RickRay wrote:

MitchyBourbon, do you malt your wheat, rye or corn? or sourmash?

Nope, I have never tried to do any of my own malting. I don't have anything against it, it's just that it is too convenient to buy it at my local brew shop. They don't sell malted corn but that's OK with me cut I'm don't drink a lot of corn liquor.

I do, on occasion, sour mash. I usually save some from each run, if the run turned out well. I only use it if I need to adjust my ph down. I'm not nostalgic about sour mashing. I believe that it was used in the past as a way of keeping unwanted bacteria in check until fermentation took hold. This may still be the reason why commercial distillers do it today, that and it also makes good marketing material. I suppose this makes me a blasphemer.

[RickRay]

Nope, that's what makes this hobby fun, trying new ways and things!

[W.S.C.beachman]

Question about malting corn,
Those prices are expensive so would 1lb of corn be one pound malted? I mean if I do a batch with 30 lbs flaked corn would I replace that with 30lbs malted corn?
Sorry to get off subject,

[WizardOfAhhhs]

30 pound of corn is 30 pounds of corn.

[Prairiepiss]

If you malted one pound of corn. It would weigh more then a pound before drying. But after drying it should be a pound.

[Jolly John]

My new Boka is now ready to go, the pond pump will arrive in a day or two, and I can run the sacrificial sugar wash (already done the vinegar one).

For my first all grain mash, I'm going with 65% flaked maize, 20% torrified wheat and 15% malted barley (Maris Otter). I will do a few runs exactly the same, but will be adding feints after the first one. I can buy wheat malt from the same supplier, do you reckon that would be better than torrified wheat?

They also supply rye malt, maybe do a version with this instead of wheat, but that's for another day.

[RickRay]

Torrified, malted or flaked wheat all taste similar but different. I know that's not much help. Adding the malted wheat would allow the corn to be mashed/converted quicker, but I've mashed 75% raw grain with 25% 6 row barley and it converts, just takes longer, 90 minutes approx. In other words any of the above combos will work and which would be better is an individual taste issue.

[RickRay]

Using Maris Otter, I'd probably want to use malted wheat.

[Jolly John]

That's interesting, the difference in flavour between torrified wheat and wheat malt, could be quite different. I will try torrified first, from what I've read it should be smoother than malted, if its too smooth, I'll try malted wheat. I mash in a converted picnic cool box, so conversion time shouldn't be an issue, I'll do an iodine test on the first mash.