goodwrench3 wrote:I got a question. I am on the 4th generation of a SF wash.
The SG is below .998 but it is still bubbling a little bit. It has no sweet take, actually taste good and sour.
Would it be OK to go ahead and run this today? I am in a time crunch and do not want to let it sit another week, but i do not want to run prematurely.
What do you guys think?
I would rack it to a secondary vessel and allow it to settle for at least another day (or 2) before racking it into the boiler. What you may be seeing is the release of some of the suspended CO2 - I could be wrong.
S-C
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
haha, there you go, 3 responses, 3 answers.... run it, wait 2 days to settle, and wait another week,
My vote is squeeze it and run it if youre in a time bind. I run dirty washes all the time and they run fine. No impact to taste IMO, others may violently disagree, but thats expected in a forum, see paragraph 1 above.
Thanks for all the input. The last run i made had quite bubbling, but not settled completely. It was the best of the three i have made, and the highest proof as well, go figure.
I am inclined to run this one and see how it goes, it will be 10 days before i can get back to it. the dirt tracks in Florida are calling me.
GW
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It is better to be hated for tho you are than loved for who you are not. Johnny Van Zant
goodwrench3 wrote:Thanks for all the input. The last run i made had quite bubbling, but not settled completely. It was the best of the three i have made, and the highest proof as well, go figure.
I am inclined to run this one and see how it goes, it will be 10 days before i can get back to it. the dirt tracks in Florida are calling me.
Id run it!! I ran many that way and turned out just the same. Just think run it now and by the time you get back your next gen should be ready!
goodwrench3 wrote:I got a question. I am on the 4th generation of a SF wash.
The SG is below .998 but it is still bubbling a little bit. It has no sweet take, actually taste good and sour.
Would it be OK to go ahead and run this today? I am in a time crunch and do not want to let it sit another week, but i do not want to run prematurely.
What do you guys think?
Depends on what you want and how soon you want to drink it.
If your going to drink it white and young, then rack it and let it clear, then rack into the pot.
Make stripping and spirit runs with a narrow cut.
If your going to let it age on oak, then run the wash as soon as it's finished fermenting.
Then make a single run with narrow cuts or a strip/spirit run with wide cuts.
Or do something in between.
Well we run it tonight. It turned out great. Sweet taste great run. Next wash going and will be ready when I return from Florida with my eyes and ears full of dirt. East Bay raceway here we come.
GW
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It is better to be hated for tho you are than loved for who you are not. Johnny Van Zant
RNation0001 wrote:Im going to be making around a 40 - 50 gallon batch of this very soon. I decided to try the Prestige WD With Ag Yeast. Seems like somewhere in all this I remember KS saying he used 1 packet of it in his 30 gallon batchs? according to the website I bought the yeast from it says 1 packet per 25 liters? (comes in 23g packet)
Heres the link http://www.brewhaus.com/Prestige-Whisky ... -P846.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Someone care to help me out with how much I should use?
I used two packets with a 30 gal batch. Turned out great.
I'm doing a stripping run of my 2nd generation Sweetfeed wash.
I have two 5-gallon buckets for my ferments, and I get about 3-4 gallons of wash out of each bucket.
I also added 1 large mason jar of feints to the boiler from my Gen 1 stripping run.
So far I've collected over 2 liters of 61% or higher.
While this run is going on, I have the sugar diluted in a gallon of boiled water to begin Gen 3. I'll use a gallon of backset per bucket and strip Gen 3 next Saturday probably. After that, I'll do a spirit run. I'm toying with the idea of running it in reflux.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the fruits of my labor as I work. I'm having a "whiskey" and water made from my a Birdwatchers I ran through the boka, diluted, and put on Jack Daniels Barrel Smoking blocks. I'm very pleased with this drink.
I have finished my sacrificial run and now finished my 1st real run, I must say I am more than pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe is, I know I have a ways to go, so I will post what I did and maybe you can offer some suggestions
I have a clawhammer 5 gal pot still with a packed column, running on a Broilking 1500 w. hotplate
I ran the SW recipe exactly as directed.
Here is what I got. threw away the 1st 65ml.,
Pint1=114 proof
pint2=110 proof
pint3=100 proof
Pint 4=90 proof
Pint5=78 proof
I stopped at this point.
I think I made a big mistake, as it still smelled sweet and tasted good, but somehow in my head I thought I read don't collect below 40%. I should have collected
till it changed smell or got cloudy, am I correct on this and used this portion from this point on as feints?
Anyway, I drew off about a gallon and a half and added 7# sugar to the backset and after 90 deg added to the fermenter about 2 hrs it was bubbling away.
I proofed to 90 and pints 2,3,4 I am sipping on and it is absolutely the best. Pints 1 and 5 I mixed together and came up with 96 proof, It also tastes and smells great.
So I had no idea as to quantity I should be getting, my wash came out at a 9.6%ABV,
I ran the still at a fast drip and it took me 21 minutes to fill each pint.
any comments that will help me I would appreciate, I will shortly start to collect in smaller amounts so I can learn to do the cuts, but right now I can barely tell the difference between the different pints by smell and taste except for the 1st 1/2 or so of pint 1
I am also aging two of the pints with some jack Daniels wood chips, and airing for 24 hrs.
Some people collect down to 20%. It's usually cloudy and stanky, but it's still got ethanol in it and can be saved in a separate jar and added to the boiler on the next stripping run.
If your wash is 5gal @ 9.6% alcohol, you potentially have about 1800 ml of 100% ethanol.
You collected:
65ml x 60%ish (you didn't specify what % your fores were at) = 39ml ethanol
473 ml (1 pint) x 57% = 270 ml ethanol
473 x 55% = 260 ml
473 x 50% = 236 ml
473 x 45% = 213 ml
473 x 39% = 184 ml
Total alcohol collected = 1202 ml of ethanol
1800 ml x 38% (what's left in the boiler) = 684
1202 (what you collected) + 684 (what's left in the boiler) = roughly 1886 ml of methanol accounted for.
You can work a little longer and try to get some of that 38% ethanol out of the boiler but it likely won't be for drinking purposes.
Thank you, you confirmed what I thought, I will work it a little longer.
Also the amount in the fermenter was at the 6 gallon mark, but when you rack it off and get to the top of the grains and such, I doubt that I had about 4 gallons or so of actual wash to distill.
One last question. On my next run, when I save the feints and add it to the next stripping run what can I look for. a higher proof, or more product?
One thing I didn't mention. I am using what our local feed store calls a 4-way mix. Corn-oats-Barley and molasses that's it, no extras added.
My self I would add the feints to the next spirt run.
But yes if added to the stripping run it would increase yield and abv if the wash was at the same original abv and volume as the last. If you were looking for more souring from the wash add them to your stripping run. If not I add them to the spirt.
I figured I had about 4 gallons or so of wash, so that would give me somewhere around 38 % backset. did I figure wrong. Do you go by the amount you had in the fermenter, 6 gal.? So saying my next run I have about the same amount of wash, what is your recommendation.
In my previous post I meant to say spirit run, not stripping run, sorry. All the terminology etc is new to me and my learning curve right now is straight up and I am enjoying every minute , especially when my 1st run turned out so well.
Earlier in this thread as well as the Uncle Jesse Sour Mash recipe, it was mentioned that anything more than 25% backset risks throwing the Ph of the mash out of whack. That, in turn, will effect the yeast from properly doing its job. I don't have any scientific proof or personal experience, but I tend to trust the word of people who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.
Rctime wrote:Thank you, you confirmed what I thought, I will work it a little longer.
Also the amount in the fermenter was at the 6 gallon mark, but when you rack it off and get to the top of the grains and such, I doubt that I had about 4 gallons or so of actual wash to distill.
One last question. On my next run, when I save the feints and add it to the next stripping run what can I look for. a higher proof, or more product?
One thing I didn't mention. I am using what our local feed store calls a 4-way mix. Corn-oats-Barley and molasses that's it, no extras added.
I'm just starting to get my legs under me with this hobby, but I'm getting in the habit of collecting down to 20%. Anything that comes out cloudy goes in a separate jar and set aside to be put in the boiler for the next stripping run of that particular wash. I have separate jars of tails for Sweetfeed, Tequila, and All-Grain Corn-Rye whiskey sitting on top of the fermenting buckets so I don't forget to throw them in the boiler on the next strip.
Earlier in this thread as well as the Uncle Jesse Sour Mash recipe, it was mentioned that anything more than 25% backset risks throwing the Ph of the mash out of whack. That, in turn, will effect the yeast from properly doing its job. I don't have any scientific proof or personal experience, but I tend to trust the word of people who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.
In the original instructions it calls for using half your back set, so I need more I guess
scottie18360 wrote:I have a pot still, straining it what is the best way I tried pillow cases to felt and took forever what works or suggest
There shouldn't be a ton of straining to do when racking a sweet feed mash if you let in clear. I've been able to use my siphon effectively. However, I bought a mesh grain bag from a home brew shop the fits over my funnel. Now I pour the wash straight from the fermenting bucket through the mesh bag. It's faster, but also clouds the wash up some as you pour into the boiler.
Someone on the site recommended the big paint straining bags purchased from Menards. They're made to fit around the rim of a 5 gallon bucket. I just bought some but felt the mesh was too tight and it took forever for the liquid to strain through. (My mash is a thick porridge so that's probably why)
Tater wrote:Here is another one from parent site A "genuine" moonshine recipe, as still being used by Deb Brewer is ...
* 5 gallon bucket all grain horse feed (we use MannaPro Hi Grain sweet feed)
* one package of yeast (using bread yeast now--others will increase quality and ferment time)
* 5 pounds sugar
* water
Put enough feed to cover bottom of 5 gallon bucket a good 4 inches deep Add 5 pounds of sugar. Fill 1/2 full with warm water--warm enough to melt sugar but not so hot as to kill yeast. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Add yeast and mix some more finish filling with warm water--again not so hot to kill the yeast. Cover with lid--our lid has a little cap that screws on, leave it loose to breathe.
4-5 days later it's ready to run! This is an old-timer recipe and works quite well. Our liquor is always 170-190 proof. You can substitute corn meal for the grain (horse feed) but I don't recommend this for pot stills cuz you can't filter it well enough. The meal will settle and burn in the bottom of your still. The old-fashion way of making corn liquor--with real corn--just is not feasible time wise.
So on this one you leave the feed in there for the ferment? Then just rack out the liquid? (researching my first runs so I do it right), I will be using a pot still, and want to make a whiskey.
Deezil, I run a 5 gallon pot still and split the SF recipe between two 5 gallon ferment buckets. When the ferment is finished, I allow it to settle for another day or two. Then I rack the cleared liquid from both buckets into a 5 gallon water jug and allow it to settle for two more days. To rack I use a piece of clear half inch tubing zip tied to a wooden stick (about 3 feet long). I have the end of the tube positioned a few inches from the end of the stick to keep it up off the surface of the grain. I use a piece of stainless steel scrubbie in a ss funnel to catch the liquid going into the jug. The small piece of scrubbie is to catch any stray grains that may be sucked up into the tube.
After the wash settles in the jug for a couple of days, there's usually an inch or so of trub settled on the bottom. I use the same racking method (minus the funnel) to move the wash from the jug to the still boiler. What's left in the jug is poured back into the fermenter for the next generation.
Once you get a method worked out that works for you, it all becomes pretty routine. Like anything else, it just takes a little practice.
Good luck,
S-C
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
I've been reading and reading and reading... now ready to put some knowledge into practice. My 1st mash, a friend showed me (grits, sugar, water, yeast and yeast nutrient) the other day and its still fermenting. I'll be running a pot still with a thumper and worm. I also want to try the tried and true sweet feed whiskey recipe. I have the sugar, sweet feed with no pellets, and yeast (Red Star Pasteur Champagne) and ready to start. When I bought the yeast, the beer/wine supply owner said I "have to use yeast nutrient". I don't see this mentioned in the recipe. I asked her about brewers yeast, and she insisted I would have to add a yeast nutrient regardless. Please advise 1) what yeast is preferred for a well flavored decent proof and 2) do I need to use the yeast nutrient? Thanks in advance from NW FL...
bfalk9 wrote:I've been reading and reading and reading... now ready to put some knowledge into practice. My 1st mash, a friend showed me (grits, sugar, water, yeast and yeast nutrient) the other day and its still fermenting. I'll be running a pot still with a thumper and worm. I also want to try the tried and true sweet feed whiskey recipe. I have the sugar, sweet feed with no pellets, and yeast (Red Star Pasteur Champagne) and ready to start. When I bought the yeast, the beer/wine supply owner said I "have to use yeast nutrient". I don't see this mentioned in the recipe. I asked her about brewers yeast, and she insisted I would have to add a yeast nutrient regardless. Please advise 1) what yeast is preferred for a well flavored decent proof and 2) do I need to use the yeast nutrient? Thanks in advance from NW FL...
There is enough nutrient in the recipe (as is) to feed your yeast. After the first gen, there is additional nutrient in the form of dead yeast. The brewer's yeast from some place like a health food store is dead yeast. It is also a good nutrient, but not necessary for this recipe - especially if you plan to run multiple gens. Brew stores like to sell things - that's how they make money.
S-C
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
