Slow AG ferment

[Badlands86]

Grain bill is 8.5 lb corn meal 2.75 barley 2,25 rye .5 wheat flake. Amylase. 7.5 gallon water to boil down to 5. Starch test suggested full conversion. 15 g distillers yeast. Starting gravity 1.065 bubbled like crazy the first 36 hrs or so and gradually slowed too around twice a minute. Looks like the cap has fallen but there is definitely still activity. 24 hr period from reading yesterday only dropped a half percent and now I'm only 1.022. Basically 5%. It's been six days and I know the 4 day rule is what some people follow on here but it did not seem ready. Firstly...leaving town so can I run it? Second.....possibilities for final gravity still being sort of high? Would another 10 g yeast help speed things along next time? Oh and ferment stays between 72 and 78 F.

[kaziel]

I think it's from "Making pure corn whiskey" author wrote there that after 4th day "dreaded ester" is created. If I were you I would check the PH of wash. In my opinion 5% is pretty good for a AG mash, taste it if you can't feel sweetness maybe it's done. SG readings on AG mash can be tricky due to other stuff (apart from sugar) is present in the wash.

[Badlands86]

Yea you are correct it's from making pure corn whiskey, I wanna say it's referenced on the parent site. Yea I've been tasting along the way and judging from that I think it's finished. Just never had anything slow down so much before the 1.00. I'm going to run it and see. And pick up ph strips for next run.

[planethax]

If its bubblin it ain't done

[bellybuster]

What was your mashing temp? Higher temps create more unfermentables

[Badlands86]

Corn between 180-190 for 1 &1/2 hr....barley rye wheat alpha amylase at 149 for an hour. I think some beta amylase might help with those unfermentables yea?

[Badlands86]

Went about as expected. Everything ran fine and no off flavors or anything. But those few % definitely make a difference in total product. Being that it was a test run I started with 6 gallon on the grain ferment. After grain was strained 4 gallons left. Still workin on a good method for this. Started at 55% abv collected down to 40. Only collected 55 oz. 16 oz heart cut in the middle is pretty damn good. Rest I'll use in the next run. Cheers.