sweetfeed whisky

[Deezil]

how clear does this get when its ready to run? I racked it into a carboy, but its still pretty brown/cloudy after 24hrs

[Monty671]

Hey All, I have been doing the Sweet Feed recipe for almost two years. I like this recipe because is is simple with a good taste. I also do AG also, but with the extra work involved, when things get real busy I always come back to SF.

SF tends to be my winter brew because I can ferment indoors. Summertime is for Rum because it is warm enough to ferment outside. Wife will not let me ferment Rum in the house anymore...


If you have done SF for a while you can skip this comment. This is just how I run. Sorry for the length.

I have noticed several asking how other go thru the process, so I thought I would add my process.
Setup:
15 Gallon Pot with a 3 inch Still head. (ie Pot Still)
I use two fermenters, each 15 Gallon
26 Gallon “Bright Tank”

I double the recipe listed at the very beginning of this thread.
Made a couple of small changes for my convenience. I don’t like odd numbers. Makes my head hurt.

Sanitize the fermenter
Add in the Grain (20 lbs)
Bring 5 gallons of water to a boil
Dissolve sugar (20 lbs) in the water
Pour water over grain
Add cool water to bring volume up to finished level.
Stir to aerate. I use a paint stirrer on a drill.
Add Yeast

The ferment normal takes 4 to 6 days to complete (depending on temp control.
Then I let it sit for 2 to 4 days to let it settle.
I rack out to my bright tank for a second settle.

(Here is where I am a little different. Started because I got busy and could not run right away.
Now I do it most of the time. Seems to add something to flavor, or it could be in my mind. SF can do that to you.)

As I listed above I run 2 fermenters. I start a new one each week. I keep my bright tank full. At the beginning of the season before I do a run I get 3 ferments done and are in the bright tank before I start the still. Think of it as blending the mash over several runs. Now when ferment is done I load the still from the bright tank and add the finished ferment to the bright tank keeping it full.


I almost always double distill (XX) my SF

On the first (stripping) run I remove the first pint (fores) and save the rest. I keep I pint in the hearts for me. Run hard and fast, you are collecting product AND flavors.

The proof tends to start around 145. I collect down to around 40. Beyond that the wet dog is just too strong for me.

Before I go into the spirit run I need to say. This is what I observe on my system. My numbers can vary greatly from yours. You need to keep records and taste and smell to know what you get. Your mileage (whisky) will vary.

My spirit run comes off at about the size of pencil lead. On MY still if I go slower the taste quality drops, run to fast is no good either. Learn how YOU’RE still runs. Even is similar to others, each run a little different.

Once enough is collect I do my spirit run. And again I get rid of the first pint of fores.
Find that on this run I get 4 to 5 quarts of heads (by taste). Then I get about 5 to 6 quarts of hearts.
The heads and tails are saved for another run.

For those that like number. Start at around 180.Hearts start around 170 down to around 150.
By the time it hits 145 the tails are in strong.

Always collect in jars and cover with a coffee filter overnight. The next day I use a pipette to measure equal amount of product and water to smell and taste each jar. Drink the good. Save the bad for the next run.

To improve your final product you will one day want to start blending your hearts with some heads. Others have written up excellent articles so search for them. I have found it adds brightness to my drinks. But do not worry about blending until you have had plenty of runs under belt.


Hope I did not confuse anyone.
Enjoy the hobby

[S-Cackalacky]

For those that like number. Start at around 180.Hearts start around 170 down to around 150.
By the time it hits 145 the tails are in strong.

Nice write up, but are these numbers correct? They seem kind of high for a pot still.

[bellybuster]

must have a thumper, 180 proof would need 70% + low wines.

[Truckinbutch]

Not out of the question with what he is doing , S-Cack . High , yes ................

[Monty671]

S-C, Yes that's the numbers I get. The numbers always seemed a little high to me also, but they are pretty consistent.

I always dilute my low wines to around 35% with water.

It is possible that my Alcoholmeter is off. Have not done the annual calibration (HAHA)
Have not compared to a second one. Maybe I should get another one and compare.

Perhaps it is the influence of the lowcountry...

[superdaveva]

Thanks Monty great read I'm getting ready to run the s f. Cheers

[bigbone32]

Usually the grains are corn, oats, barley and molasses.. Wheat might be good though..

Sounds good thanks dude, I read the tractor supply bag and it had OTHER STUFF in it,hoping I get a cleaner mix from the mill

You musta looked at the wrong bag super da veva

[superdaveva]

I checked every bag in t s. They all had a list of things other than the grains. Will check here online

[Hound Dog]

so what is the latest feed that everyone is using? I have been using this with pretty good results I think but I have been away from this for a good while. I was wondering if anything better has surfaced.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/p ... _vc=-10005" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Superdaveva, this link by jbabb is the stuff you are looking for. It does not say "sweet feed" on the bag. The bag that says sweet feed 12% has pellets of alfalfa in it. This is an all grain mix with molassas. Yes it has other junk in it, pieces of corn cob, grain hulls, bits of other grain, some chemical preservative that keeps the stuff from getting moldy in the bag, hell probably a little manure!
Just ferment it and distill it. Its animal feed. It will be OK. The distilling process cleans it up. Read back a ways about the "evil weivil" batch someone made. The weivils made extra nutrients for the yeast. They fermented up just fine.

Its not the worst thing you ever ingested. You like salt? Watch the cranes unload it from the ships in Baltimore and move it with old loaders. Think about sea salt that evaporates sea water in shallow ponds while birds catch bugs and other things out of the ponds and crap in them as the water evaporates and dries up. We pay extra for that gourmet salt!

Hey, you in the mountains near the top of VA or down in the heartland?

[superdaveva]

Thanks hound dog, I'll pick that up. I'm close to the fastest half mile.

[Hound Dog]

Gotcha. I'm up here at the border of Yankee territory.

[1965 wite]

After doing some converted grain washes I was excited about the simplicity of this recipe and the cost. The smell of the mash was great and the bakers yeast worked very well. I had been feeling a little under the weather lately and I was a little turned off by the smell of the first run spirits (wasn't looking for lots of flavor). The smell of the backset really turned me off. I thought maybe I bought the wrong sweet feed or something. I didn't think i was gonna like it at all. I stuck it out and ran a spirit run. the spirits came out a lot cleaner and after making cuts I ended up with about a quart of 155proof. (This was two six gallon washes stripped together) I might have been able to get more drinkable product but I'm new to the hobby and have been trying to make conservative cuts. After letting it breathe 24 hours it really helped to smooth out the aromatics and taste. I had made apple pie with some of my corn stuff so I made some apple pie with the sweet feed in the exact same way. Took both to a picnic for a comparison. Everybody liked the sweet feed the most including me. Much less alcohol bite to it and goes down easier. I am already whipping up another batch right now but was short on feed so I added about six cups cracked corn to about three inches of sweet feed. We'll see how this goes. Next run I wanna age some for my brother who has a very sophisticated palate. I'll let you know how it goes.

[S-Cackalacky]

1965, I'm with you on the first run SF. But, I had 50lbs of the stuff and decided to stick it out - glad I did. I also didn't realize what a difference a little aging would make. Even a couple of months of aging and occassional aerating of white dog SF will make a significant change in smoothness and flavor.

[barefoot]

I just ran my first batch of sweet feed last week. I had a 5 gallon wash into a pot still tower on my keg. I threw out te first 250ml, then collected 2 750ml after. I was getting extremely tired and shut it down. Been a long week if being sick. The taste on the collection is ok, but the smell is really really sweet almost overpowering, almost foul? This smell was right from the start? I can't even sample it, I can take the smell. The keg did heat up faster than anticipated and puked out some wash right from the start. I know I'm new at this, so any help is greatly appreciated. I shut it down and restarted the entire process. The alcohol came out at 150 proof and 120 proof for the two jars.

I'm pretty sure something went wrong with the taste and smell, by reading all your posts on how great the sweet feed shine is. I used ec-1118 yeast and the 4" sf with about 7-8 pounds sugar. Sf mix is corn oats and molasses. The wash smelled great before I started. I will try another batch of sf once I get it figured out.

[S-Cackalacky]

I just ran my first batch of sweet feed last week. I had a 5 gallon wash into a pot still tower on my keg. I threw out te first 250ml, then collected 2 750ml after. I was getting extremely tired and shut it down. Been a long week if being sick. The taste on the collection is ok, but the smell is really really sweet almost overpowering, almost foul? This smell was right from the start? I can't even sample it, I can take the smell. The keg did heat up faster than anticipated and puked out some wash right from the start. I know I'm new at this, so any help is greatly appreciated. I shut it down and restarted the entire process. The alcohol came out at 150 proof and 120 proof for the two jars.

I'm pretty sure something went wrong with the taste and smell, by reading all your posts on how great the sweet feed shine is. I used ec-1118 yeast and the 4" sf with about 7-8 pounds sugar. Sf mix is corn oats and molasses. The wash smelled great before I started. I will try another batch of sf once I get it figured out.

You said it was a five gallon charge in a keg. Is that a 15.5 gallon keg? If so, head space shouldn't be a problem. Did you do a final gravity on your wash - that is, was it finished? If you had any unfermented sugar in the wash, that could cause foaming and puking. Also, maybe too much heat. Try bringing it up to temp a little slower and back it off a bit as soon as it starts producing.

You can always rerun what you have, or add it to your next wash run.

[bellybuster]

I had a 5 gallon wash into a pot still tower on my keg. I threw out te first 250ml, then collected 2 750ml after.

No cuts = bad likker

[BoisBlancBoy]

Well...finally have some sweet feed whiskey I can sip on. I did three 11-13 gallon charges in my 15.5 gallon keg and stripped them. I ended up with 6 gallons of low wines at an approximate ABV of 45-50 %. I poured all the low wines into the keg an added another 6 gallons of water. Since I had the head space I figured I couldn't hurt to dilute further and possibly help wash the product more.

Once I had the still brought up to temp I controlled the take off rate to a fine stream to just faster than drips. I ended up with 41 pints of total distillate. The body smells wonderful and has a warm sensation in the mouth. It doesn't seem to have any bite and has some sweet flavor. I haven't done my cuts yet, which will be later today after they finish airing out.

The run started out at roughly 160 proof and dropped very slowly down to 140 proof when I got close to the tails then feel off very fast until I reached 80 proof and shut'er down. It was a very very long run, but I think it will be very worth it

Just from the initial tasting I think this recipe is going to be wonderful after sitting on oak for 6 months.

I'll post another update once I make my cuts.

[barefoot]

No cuts = bad likker.....I understand that. It wasn't about making cuts. The entire collection had a sweet funky smell to it. I don't believe it was the tailes, I didn't collect that much likker. I had to much heat to fast and foamed up. Just curious if that made the run smell funky or something else. The taste is not bad at all. I will start another fresh batch and go front here

[Hound Dog]

My personal experience with this recipe was that it was too strong on the first run and needed to be run a second time. Even the it needed a couple months to mellow. Then it was some good stuff.

[BoisBlancBoy]

Well...finally have some sweet feed whiskey I can sip on. I did three 11-13 gallon charges in my 15.5 gallon keg and stripped them. I ended up with 6 gallons of low wines at an approximate ABV of 45-50 %. I poured all the low wines into the keg an added another 6 gallons of water. Since I had the head space I figured I couldn't hurt to dilute further and possibly help wash the product more.

Once I had the still brought up to temp I controlled the take off rate to a fine stream to just faster than drips. I ended up with 41 pints of total distillate. The body smells wonderful and has a warm sensation in the mouth. It doesn't seem to have any bite and has some sweet flavor. I haven't done my cuts yet, which will be later today after they finish airing out.

The run started out at roughly 160 proof and dropped very slowly down to 140 proof when I got close to the tails then feel off very fast until I reached 80 proof and shut'er down. It was a very very long run, but I think it will be very worth it

Just from the initial tasting I think this recipe is going to be wonderful after sitting on oak for 6 months.

I'll post another update once I make my cuts.

Alright well here is what I noticed during making my cuts. Just smelling the product it was very hard to discern where the heads ended, but tasting it was much more noticeable. The tails were fairly easy to detect by smell. After making liberal cuts I didn't think this whiskey was smoother than UJ, but I think it will get better over time plus I'm going to put a 1/2 gal on oak. It does have a small sweet flavor and think it would make a good whiskey/coke drink. I ended up with about 2.5 gal of hearts at 141 proof.

[Stink_Pickle]

1965 wite
You wrote above that you may have gotten the wrong sweetfeed.
My first sweet feed run awhile back was with Producers Pride 12%. It was loaded with pellets, and I could not find any locally without pellets, even at places that mixed their own. So I mixed my own, and I will say, this way is not the cheapest starting out. I think I had about $65 in the materials. But in the big picture it was probably more economical. I purchased cracked corn, barley, rolled oats and mollasses. The grains could only be purchased in 50 lb where I am, this is what makes the start up cost so much. My first batch after the Producers Pride mess, was a little cheaper as I used Rahr 2 row malted barley that I had already. And I used oats from the grocery store. This is cheaper in the short run but not in the long run. It turned out pretty good, so I went ahead and bought 50 lb of barley and oats. One thing about using the feed store barley is that it is not malted, you get little conversion compared to malted. But if you plan to keep the batch going through multiple generations it is probably more consistent to use the unmalted, and just get some flavoring from the grains. One thing I found out is that there is not any particular way to mix sweetfeed other than it will contain molasses. Some old guys will mix it up as simple as 100% cracked corn and wet it with molasses. Probably the most popular ingredients for sweetfeed around here are corn, barley, oats, and wheat. With wheat being the least common. So I used what is probably the most popular for these parts of corn, barley and oats. My mix has been 3 parts cracked corn, 1 part barley, and 1 part oats, mixed together with enough molasses to dampen the grains. The molasses also came from the feed store in a gallon jug for $8.00. It is a very dark type alot like blackstrap. I take 6 lb cracked corn, 2 lb barley, 2 lb rolled oats. I run the cracked corn and barley through my Barley Crusher mill to crack the grains and get a little more conversion. I know the corn is already cracked, but I do it anyway. Then I put it in a 5 gal bucket along with the rolled oats and mix it up along with the molasses. Again, just enough molasses to moisten the grain mix. Then I will put enough of this into a 6 1/2 gal fermenting bucket to cover to 4 inches. The rest is sealed up with a lid so it is ready to add to future generations as the grains become spent. When I run out I will mix up another 10 lb. I will probably start changing the grain ratios next time, but this seems to have been a good place to start, at least for me.

[islandgreen1971]

Regarding the sweetfeed, From Tractor supply are yal running thru the grain mill or as is? I have a 15 gallon fermenter so Im goinh with 12 inches of feed in a 5 gallon. Bucket and 15 ponds of sugar with distillers yeast? I am a Newbie Have done months of reading and I come very somber with hat in hand to this forum! I will take good advice from a vreat place to learn from some very knowledgable people! Thx guys!

[Hound Dog]

I used it as is and just put 4" deep in my 20 gallon brute trashcan fermenter with about 16 or so gallons of water and sugar so i could rack off 15 gallons.

[Truckinbutch]

15 pounds of sweet feed > 60 lbs white sugar , 7lbs brown > 44 gal fermentor . Stick to tried and true recipies .

[Hound Dog]

15 pounds of sweet feed > 60 lbs white sugar , 7lbs brown > 44 gal fermentor . Stick to tried and true recipies .

Yea, that's why I just went with 4" deep of grain in my fermenter and enough white sugar to keep me a little under 10%. Cause that's all the recipe calls for on the first two posts. I guess a little extra molassas kick from the brown sugar would not be bad huh? What does your SG come out to with those measurements TB?

[slikster]

Ran my first batch of SF, actually my first batch ever of anything. Collected at 150 ml increments to learn about the cuts. In my little 2 gallon pot still I end up with about two pints drinkable and about a quart of heads and tails for the next run. I'm calling it oatmeal cookie because it tastes like oatmeal, You can definitely taste the grain. I used the standard recipe and EC1118 yeast. It started at about 1.08 and ended at 1.00 in 6 days. Does this sound about right?

[BoisBlancBoy]

Looks to me your right on track! Congrats

[35mastr]

How much head space In inches are you guys leaving in your ferment buckets for Sweetfeed?

[jbrew]

My sweetfeed mash has a 4 inch thick cake on the top after the first day. Should i remove this or stir it?