sweetfeed whisky

[Konrad Arflane]

There really isn't that much molasses in brown sugar...just enough to give it its color...less for the light brown, more for the dark brown variety.

You could achieve the same effect by just adding some additional molasses during the mix phase.

[S-Cackalacky]

I looked it up once (long time ago). Dark brown sugar is about 6.5% molasses and light brown is somewhere around half of that. Sometimes you can find a jar/bottle of store brand molasses for about twice the price of a 1lb bag of dark brown sugar. I would guess that for a 6lb COB mix about a pint of molasses would probably be enough for the flavor.

[gotq4u]

Thanks for the info.....that aint much molasses now is it.

[S-Cackalacky]

Doesn't really take much. It's just another flavor component. You could even go outside the box and use just plain COB with no molasses at all. You could even substitute other grains. Some folks are even starting to do AG versions and adding molasses to the wort.

[gotq4u]

I like the idea of adding some dif grains and playing with the flavor that way....I'm gonna get a base and go from there. I'll post up my experiments eventually

on edit: after reading the thread "malted vs unmalted" what do you guys think about 1lb of 6-row malted sub for the feed in the original recipe....I'm still sticking with the original recipe but then maybe move on to that. Just been reading and brain storming on what I would do after my first "successful" run

[midlife-u-turn]

I like the idea of adding some dif grains and playing with the flavor that way....I'm gonna get a base and go from there. I'll post up my experiments eventually

on edit: after reading the thread "malted vs unmalted" what do you guys think about 1lb of 6-row malted sub for the feed in the original recipe....I'm still sticking with the original recipe but then maybe move on to that. Just been reading and brain storming on what I would do after my first "successful" run

I was looking at this the other day. Here is a discussion that may help:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 34&t=54174

[Bigbob]

I think you should do the recipe as-is... Then change it if you need to for your taste. I find sweet feed to be very tasty as is.

[Konrad Arflane]

I like the idea of adding some dif grains and playing with the flavor that way....I'm gonna get a base and go from there. I'll post up my experiments eventually

on edit: after reading the thread "malted vs unmalted" what do you guys think about 1lb of 6-row malted sub for the feed in the original recipe....I'm still sticking with the original recipe but then maybe move on to that. Just been reading and brain storming on what I would do after my first "successful" run

If you're just talking about substitution of malted barley for part of the grain bill, and not mashing, it will certainly change the flavor profile somewhat, but why waste malted if you're not mashing?

The real purpose of malted grains is in the mashing process to release the sugars from the grain starches, replacing the sugar this recipe uses, which is a completely different animal altogether...

[S-Cackalacky]

I agree that an AG SF recipe would be a radical departure from the original recipe as it is written. It would be nice to see the AG version develop into its own T&T recipe. Maybe someone could post a formal version in "Recipe Development" and get the ball rolling.

[gotq4u]

Just finished two mashes the first 10lbs my og came out at 1.048 (corrected for temp)
the next 10 gallons came out at 1.063 go (temp corrected)

what funny is I used 12 lbs sugar on the first mash and 5 lbs on the second....what i did do dif which I won't do next time is.....first batch I only took the water up to 180 degrees and then added it to the mix...second batch I took it to hard boil like the Original Recipe calls for....I am guessing that the first batch did not stay in temp high enough for long enough (the 90 minutes) to bring my OG up....still should be fine and will be happy to run both....also champagne yeast was used on both....cheers

[1965 wite]

So im on about my 12th generation of SF. Im using 20% backset. Distillers yeast and 75 degree ferments. five gens ago i replaced all the yeast and grain bed but continued using backset from gen 7. Its been working off just fine in about 5-7 days. Temps have been warm around here 70-80F. I wasnt able to get to my stripping run last week and the wash had to sit for about a week after finishing. i stripped it then restarted gen 13 the same as always. came back the next morning and no action. wondering if the yeast was killed because of sitting. I also think acid is building up but ive never had one stall like this. it usually starts up then stalls about halfway through the ferment. im adding about 16oz oyster shells for ph adjustment with each ferment(16gal ferment). Didn't wanna dump it out so i pitched more yeast that morning and its working away now. What do you all think may have happened here? is it ok to add the yeast like i did or will this cause issues with flavor/quality/clearing?

[Youngn]

Started my first batch of sweetfeed today. Went out, picked up a bag, got back and started reading this thread.

...

Shit, I bought pellets!

(Back to the store... Said something about being paranoid about chemicals to the manager...)

Mixed up a good sized batch, will report back on how it turns out. Did a little more SF than sugar, mostly because I had less sugar than I thought I did. C'est la vie.

[S-Cackalacky]

So im on about my 12th generation of SF. Im using 20% backset. Distillers yeast and 75 degree ferments. five gens ago i replaced all the yeast and grain bed but continued using backset from gen 7. Its been working off just fine in about 5-7 days. Temps have been warm around here 70-80F. I wasnt able to get to my stripping run last week and the wash had to sit for about a week after finishing. i stripped it then restarted gen 13 the same as always. came back the next morning and no action. wondering if the yeast was killed because of sitting. I also think acid is building up but ive never had one stall like this. it usually starts up then stalls about halfway through the ferment. im adding about 16oz oyster shells for ph adjustment with each ferment(16gal ferment). Didn't wanna dump it out so i pitched more yeast that morning and its working away now. What do you all think may have happened here? is it ok to add the yeast like i did or will this cause issues with flavor/quality/clearing?

Hard to say what might have happened. Are you aerating each new gen? Are you sure you cooled down the new backset/water before dumping it into the fermenter? I've let SF wash sit for more than a month and didn't have any problem with it starting up again with the existing yeast bed. If you're adding oyster shells in a consistent way, that should be keeping the PH in check. It's also possible that you just didn't have a good yeast colony from when you started over.

Sorry, that's probably not a whole lot of help.

[rad14701]

I highly doubt your bloodline would survive all that many generations living in your septic tank... Yeast do produce self degenerating toxins and they build up over time... Some members have been lucky enough to attain high numbered generations while others start over after a relatively low number of generations... It's a crap shoot, no pun intended...

[1965 wite]

I highly doubt your bloodline would survive all that many generations living in your septic tank... Yeast do produce self degenerating toxins and they build up over time... Some members have been lucky enough to attain high numbered generations while others start over after a relatively low number of generations... It's a crap shoot, no pun intended...

septic tank? is this just a term for sour mashes? I think from here on out i will stop around generation 5 or six. its not worth dealing with the stalled ferment. Im wondering if this wash is worth keeping or should i toss it? seems to smell like a normal ferment.

[rad14701]

I highly doubt your bloodline would survive all that many generations living in your septic tank... Yeast do produce self degenerating toxins and they build up over time... Some members have been lucky enough to attain high numbered generations while others start over after a relatively low number of generations... It's a crap shoot, no pun intended...

septic tank? is this just a term for sour mashes? I think from here on out i will stop around generation 5 or six. its not worth dealing with the stalled ferment. Im wondering if this wash is worth keeping or should i toss it? seems to smell like a normal ferment.

No, just comparing humans in a septic tank to yeast in multi-generation trub...

If I was doing multi-generation, which I'm not, I would start over after 5 - 8 generations just to be safe... I think we have one member here who has done 20+ generations but I'm not sure what maintenance he does to attain such a high number of generations...

[Bushman]

I don't think I have ever taken a generation past 7 and usually stop at 5 for the reason rad gave!

[Youngn]

30 gallons of it are still a bubblin' a bit, but the hyrdometer reads .998-ish. Ready for a run any time it's ready, but Pappy said if she's bubbling to keep my hands off. Thoughts?

[S-Cackalacky]

Could just be off-gassing from the CO2 suspended in the wash. Give it few good shakes and see if it calms down.

[Youngn]

I ran it, and it was damned good. Got a good bit more than expected, and even got a second generation going. Good day.

[Radman]

I've read a lot of this thread and got some Sweetfeed today but I don't think it'll be any good it's got Alfalfa in it??

[jmashspirits14]

It should be barley, corn, oats, and molasses. As long as its all natural and doesnt have pellets in it im sure it would be fine to drink unless theres something about the alfalfa I dont know that makes it unfit for human consumption. I also dont know what it would do to the flavor, it wouldnt be traditional rumskey thats for sure. If you have a local TSC get Producers Pride All Grain, if they dont have it like mine didnt just request a couple bags at a time and they should get it for you. Do NOT use the Producers Pride 12% Sweetfeed, it has pellets in it and they are in the same color bag so pay attention to what your getting. Good luck!

[Konrad Arflane]

I've read a lot of this thread and got some Sweetfeed today but I don't think it'll be any good it's got Alfalfa in it??

From what I recall reading in this thread, anything with alfalfa in it is going to make something hot, and bad tasting. I would use it as compost and as jmash suggested, do what it takes to get some producer's pride all grain.

Hell, I drove 100 miles (one way) just to get two bags of it.

[Radman]

Damn1 You're right thanks, I'll try again,
It was'nt expensive so no big deal I'm in the UK so things have different names here

[Konrad Arflane]

Damn1 You're right thanks, I'll try again,
It was'nt expensive so no big deal I'm in the UK so things have different names here

I seem to recall there was a post or two from someone in the UK who found the right stuff thereabouts, though at over 100+ pages, locating those posts may take some time.

Edited to add: I seem to recall the name he gave it was COB (as in, Corn, Oats, Barley)...might check some feed dealers for COB.

[jmashspirits14]

Ive never been to the U.K. so your S.O.L. on advice from me. Lol.

[Radman]

Damn1 You're right thanks, I'll try again,
It was'nt expensive so no big deal I'm in the UK so things have different names here

I seem to recall there was a post or two from someone in the UK who found the right stuff thereabouts, though at over 100+ pages, locating those posts may take some time.

Edited to add: I seem to recall the name he gave it was COB (as in, Corn, Oats, Barley)...might check some feed dealers for COB.

Thanks Konrad for the info. I know about all the pages read lots, but missed the bit about the Alfalfa,
I'm fermenting it any way to see what happens but I will look for the COB one
Thanks

[Radman]

Ive never been to the U.K. so your S.O.L. on advice from me. Lol.

Lol

[S-Cackalacky]

There's also a lot of information in this thread about making your own mix - not at all difficult. I'm pretty sure they probably raise livestock in the UK, so there should be some feed stores around somewhere. A lot of it you can even buy at the grocery store - corn flakes or corn mill, breakfast oats, pearl barley, molasses, brown sugar, etc.

[Radman]

There's also a lot of information in this thread about making your own mix - not at all difficult. I'm pretty sure they probably raise livestock in the UK, so there should be some feed stores around somewhere. A lot of it you can even buy at the grocery store - corn flakes or corn mill, breakfast oats, pearl barley, molasses, brown sugar, etc.

Thanks for the info S!