Recipe: 4 grain plus toasted malt

[Steep-n-Rocky]

Okay guys, need a second set of eyes and bigger set of experience to bounce this off of. The goal is a whiskey with corn sweetness, rye spice, and subdued oat "floral" notes with some something extra from a toasted malt. Here is the grain bill for a new whiskey:

6.5 lb. barley malt
6 lb. rolled rye
4.5 lb. oats
4.0 lb corn
1.0 lb. copper malt
1.0 lb. brown malt
1 2'x3' box of packing peanuts (corn starch)

The barley malt is home malted from 6 row feed barley so I am not planning on a full 150 Lintner. The toasted malt is also home toasted and I am not planning on any Lintner value from it. I use 10 gallon batches and the first batch will use 2.5 gallons backset or stillage from a previous all corn recipe. I would also use stepped rests for the mash prep. The yeast is Safale S-04. Any red flags or suggestions for improvement?

[Steep-n-Rocky]

In prepping for this recipe I am learning about dry roasting malt. Here is the malt pre and post roasting, 50 minutes at 400F.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'll be looking forward to how this works out, your toasted malt looks great.
How does it taste?

[still_stirrin]

Did you toast your 6-row? Isn't that where your enzymes are coming from for the mash? What's going to convert the starches in the mash?

I don't get it, you've got adjunct grains (corn, oats, rye, and crystal malts) and malted barley, but you've kilned the barly at a temperature which will denature their enzymes. I hope it doesn't take an eternity to convert when mashing.
ss

[aceswired]

All that work prepping the grain, and ... packing peanuts? I get what they're made of, but still.

[Steep-n-Rocky]

Hey Guys, good questions. The toasted malt is only to add flavor so in the recipe at the top it is the copper and brown malt. I am not counting on any conversion or Lintner value from either. The copper malt has a "grape-nuts" taste while the brown malt reminds me more of coffee. The packing peanuts are something I stumbled onto. They add nothing to flavor but a background indistinct sweetness. They do however up the output.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'm predicting great success with this, Steep, I'm very intrigued by your recipe.

[Steep-n-Rocky]

We shall see. I prepared the first batch today. I ground all ingredients twice except the rolled rye which I ground once. I usually do not grind this at all but wanted to see what happens. While starting the mash, the brown malt gave it a light rye toast smell which seemed to fade as the mash progressed. The barley malt seemed to be better than my conservative estimate (100 L) based on the deep wort visible on top of the batch during the later rests.

I am not fermenting on the grain. While letting the grain drain into the fermenter, I "washed the grain with 2.5 gallons of my hottest tap water as a pseudo-sparge. I added an extra gallon of cold water while pitching the yeast . That being said, I did pitch the yeast hotter than I usually do (90-100 F) to see if I can get some extra esters.

[shadylane]

Unless I'm mistaken, something that happens at this time of night.
The numbers looked good until you added the packing peanuts
2.3 pounds per gallon and a DP of 42

[Steep-n-Rocky]

Good question, I figure I need 30 L per pound for full conversion. With 23 lb that means I need to cover 690 L. With 6.5 lb 6-row barley malt, I was conservative and estimated 110 DP per pound which gave me 715 or full conversion. The unknowns here are that my malt estimate is likely low and the packing peanuts DP requirement is unknown. So far it looks like the malt was stronger than 110. Airlock is humming this AM.

[Steep-n-Rocky]

Ran a stripping run and this has promise. The roasted barley is very subtle so I am curious to see what the spirits run turns out like.

[Acolyte]

What ever happened with this? I am looking at doing my own spin of something like this but there are so many variables it has peaked my curiosity.