What'd ya'll make today?

[MichiganCornhusker]

Built some racks for my new barrels

From the pics that looks like a lot of nice quartersawn oak used to make the table under the barrel!

[Oldvine Zin]

Built some racks for my new barrels

From the pics that looks like a lot of nice quartersawn oak used to make the table under the barrel!

[Down_Home52]

One more good evening of blueberry picking and I should have 13 pounds. Bushes have done well this year. Will get 5 gallons of wine started this weekend. The gallon of corn sugar wash I put on oak last Friday is coloring up nicely. Last gallon was 52% abv and took a while to color up. This went on the oak at 60%. Hopefully will have 6 gallons of peach wine to make some brandy this weekend. Down to 1.02 sg and still bubbling.

[Down_Home52]

Thinking out loud a little here but suggestions welcomed. I ran off 5 gallons of peach wine a couple of months back and it fermented out really well with the intent to bottle for the wife. FG is .997-.998 and I will have to add a little sugar for her taste. It has had campden added and fermentation is stopped and it is bulked stored. I ran another batch with intent on making a brandy. I over did the initial sugar addition and went through many trials and tribulations with stuck fermentation but it finally has fermented down to around 1.025. Very sweet and even though I am not a sweet wine drinker it has a great flavor. Now, still wanting to do a peach brandy. Should I cook off the first batch as is, mix enough of the sweet to suit my wife with first batch and cook off what I don't bottle from both batches or cook off first batch and bottle all the sweet? I have about 6 gallons of the sweet as part of the process of getting it un-stuck was diluting it a little with water. That is a lot to bottle. Oh, the 5 gallons of plum wine I started last weekend is already down to .998 an still bubbling. That fruit really likes yeast!!!

[still_stirrin]

Down_Home, here's what I'd do:

Find the right balance of "dry" and "sweet" peach wine that you (your wife, actually) likes by blending portions without any added sugar.

Then, make/blend enough of that to bottle what you want to bottle, bottle it (momma's happy...daddy's happy), and pour the rest, sweet and dry, together to run through your potstill.

Don't over fill the boiler when you do the run so it doesn't puke, as it will want to due to the high sugar load still in the wash.

Now, everybody's happy, right?
ss

[Down_Home52]

Down_Home, here's what I'd do:

Find the right balance of "dry" and "sweet" peach wine that you (your wife, actually) likes by blending portions without any added sugar.

Then, make/blend enough of that to bottle what you want to bottle, bottle it (momma's happy...daddy's happy), and pour the rest, sweet and dry, together to run through your potstill.

Don't over fill the boiler when you do the run so it doesn't puke, as it will want to due to the high sugar load still in the wash.

Now, everybody's happy, right?
ss

My thoughts exactly. I think the campden added to the first run should be fully dissipated and not cause any problems.

[Swedish Pride]

put a jacket on my keg.
Really makes a diff in heat retention, just pissing out the likker now on a strip run, my poor liebig is just about keeping up

[dieselduo]

just finished running a corn and smoked malt.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I made a still. A little one.
I was cleaning out some closets and ran across some left over copper sheet. It was actually left over from years ago, had nothing to do with stillin'. Really.

Wasn't much copper, but I was able to make up a 1 gallon boiler with a 1/2 gallon thumper.
I still need to make up some connector plumbing, and come up with a PC, but the tricky stuff is done.

I'm on my way to a new adventure to see if I can make a bottle of whiskey with this rig that is as good as the hooch made in my big boy still.

[jedneck]

I made a still. A little one.
I was cleaning out some closets and ran across some left over copper sheet. It was actually left over from years ago, had nothing to do with stillin'. Really.

Wasn't much copper, but I was able to make up a 1 gallon boiler with a 1/2 gallon thumper.
I still need to make up some connector plumbing, and come up with a PC, but the tricky stuff is done.

I'm on my way to a new adventure to see if I can make a bottle of whiskey with this rig that is as good as the hooch made in my big boy still.

Wee Still.JPG

i luv it. and i bet you can do it

[MichiganCornhusker]

Finished up the little gin still, just need to clean it up. (btw, that thermometer is for my oven, not my boiler!)

Oh, and my shed smells like peat smoked barley in a big way.
Running my scotch spirit run.

[dieselduo]

macerating a neutral with lemon grass and pears. makes a tasty drop

[cranky]

Finished up the little gin still, just need to clean it up. (btw, that thermometer is for my oven, not my boiler!)

That's just cool MCH I need to get around to making my own little gin still but been too busy with so much other stuff.

[still_stirrin]

Gin with a doubler....now you're talkin'. I like it.

Great job, MCH.
ss

[DSM Loki]

That thing is so dang cute

[Canaanite]

Finished wiring/fabricating a new still controller. Overkill, but after the Harbor Freight Router Controllers burning up on me, I wanted overkill. 2x 10k Watt SCR's from Amazon and the rest from the Hardware store.

[Down_Home52]

I have about 5 gallons of 110-115 proof low wines collected from several stripping runs of SF wash. I am on 3rd gen of SF wash now. Question, I am ready for my spirit run and wondered should I dilute low wines with 3rd gen SF wash or spring water for the run? This is my big event since starting and am anxious to see what the outcome will be. Simple pot still, 15 gallon boiler, 3" column that I will pack with copper mesh and a liebig.

[Canaanite]

I have about 5 gallons of 110-115 proof low wines collected from several stripping runs of SF wash. I am on 3rd gen of SF wash now. Question, I am ready for my spirit run and wondered should I dilute low wines with 3rd gen SF wash or spring water for the run? This is my big event since starting and am anxious to see what the outcome will be. Simple pot still, 15 gallon boiler, 3" column that I will pack with copper mesh and a liebig.

I ran 4 stripping runs of Sweet Feed before I did a spirit run. I used backset to dilute down below 50% abv.

[Down_Home52]

Think I will use the 3rd gen wash to dilute but it will be interesting!!! I can't keep my hands off the spirit run of corn sugar wash i have had on oak. Dang it is good. Still a little sweet and a little hot but good. Working on a 5 gallon electric boiler with copper column to try some AG this winter. First winter I have looked forward to in years. I have some raw white oak I want to toast and char myself for the SF spirit run oaking.

[hardboil]

Today or last night,

Corn Whiskey

3.7KG Flaked Maize, 566G Whiskey malted barley, crushed. 19L Water.

I have added a false bottom to my still and because I built it off a SS mash tun I can double up and used it for both.

Water to 73' c test PH (add alpha) and balance add maize stir down to 67' c and barley. Allow to cool to 65'c and then lid (stirring from time to time)

sparge with 10L at 65'c, cool to 30'c and pitch (I used some SS classic turbo I had lying around)

SP was only 5, so I spiked with 2 KG of sugar to bring it up to 6, PH of wash ended up around 5.

Its is roaring away today holding at 35'c with no heat applied.

thanks S

[Down_Home52]

Running low wines from SF collection on a spirit run this morning. Diluted in the boiler to 30% abv with 3rd gen SF wash and spring water. Running unpacked column at 176F and it is running like a faucet at 80% abv. This is my first spirit run and the boiler had about 10 gallons in it. Temp hung for a while at 90-100F and then really built heat fast to 175F. Much quicker than regular wash. On third qt now and holding 78% abv. Wow.....what a tasty drop. Had to try a little in my coffee right out of the pipe!!!

RE-charging boiler after this run with 3rd gen SF wash and will use some back set to start 4th gen SF.

[masonsjax]

Another bourbon strip today. Should give me enough low wines to run. I'll do that tonight if possible too.

[Kegg_jam]

What'd I make today?

Nuttin, but that reminds me I have to go pull my bag out of the water.

Bag of barley that is...

Should be chittin about now.

[Down_Home52]

Going to town to fetch supplies for 4th gen SF wash. I have backset from yesterdays run still warm in the boiler to use for new batch. If I can get chores done I have 5 gallons of peach wine that I would like to try my first brandy run tonight. Also have enough blueberries from a bumper crop this year to start a 5 gallon batch of blueberry wine.

[masonsjax]

Did my bourbon spirit run this morning. Can't wait for this one to come of age.

[Down_Home52]

Did my bourbon spirit run this morning. Can't wait for this one to come of age.

What recipe?

Started 4th gen SF wash today.

[masonsjax]

What recipe?

Started 4th gen SF wash today.

The recipe is my own concoction. I use the roasted barley mainly to bring the pH closer to what the yeast like, and use phosphoric acid to get the reat of the way there. Using roasted grains adds a subtle touch of character that I like as well.

I made this three times to get enough low wines for a spirit run. Each batch I also did a partigyle style second runnings to get another 5 gallons of lower gravity wort to add to the collection. I fermented mostly on Conan and Pacman, and did a couple of the low gravity carboys with some ECY sour blends to add some complexity. Obviously the recipe software estimates for FG are conservative and given the high attenuation of Conan and bacteria/brett blends and the low mash temps, FG is likely a good bit lower than the estimates, although I don't usually bust out the hydrometer if fermentation was healthy and seems to complete as expected.


Batch size: 10.5 Gal
Est OG: 1.061
Est FG: 1.015
Est IBU: NA
Est color: 18 SRM
Est ABV: 5.9%

16.00 lbs Flaked Corn
3.25 lbs US 6-Row Malt
2.25 lbs Rye Malt
1.00 lbs Roasted Barley

Ferment with american ale yeast

Mash 122F for 30 mins.
Mash 148F for 90 mins.
Boil 15 mins.

Water Profile
Calcium: 50
Magnesium: 9
Sodium: 21
Sulfate: 75
Chloride: 68
Bicarbonate: -20

[MichiganCornhusker]

Can't wait for this one to come of age.

But you're gonna have to.
That's one of the toughest things for me in this hobby is the long lag between trying a new recipe idea and waiting so long to see how it plays out.
Last fall I did some experimenting with kilning grains in my oven and making various whiskeys with toasted and roasted wheat and corn. Still a ways away from seeing how they turn out.
I would like to hear your updates on this one, I would have been a little nervous about using that much roasted barley. I've used chocolate malts and special B malts, and I know a little goes a long way.
They do blend nicely over time though.

Oh, and I did my spirit runs with my blue corn malt whiskey last night. Very happy with how this one is turning out.
The blue corn makes a different tasting malt with a kind of funky sweet/sour character to it.
Part of it might be that I dried it just as it was starting to turn on me. It sprouted faster than my yellow corn and was mushier. I think one more day and I would have lost it.

[Down_Home52]

masonsjax that is way beyond my current level of accomplishment!! I will need to get the dictionary out just to understand your process. Aging/oaking process? I am working on a small electric set up for this winter to do my first AG so that is driving questions around processes and results.
Conan/Pacman?
Partigyle style second running?

Update.....Got the partigyle sparging. You must come from a beer making background. Me...just farm style fruit wines.To do the water profile are you having your supply tested by a lab first, then making your amendments? I need to do that as all my water is coming from a spring that evolves through limestone on my property.

[Beedles]

I ran out of supplies, so with the wife's permission I raided the pantry and mixed up a little mash with whatever I could find... my first go at not following a recipe exactly, but looked thru Rads recipes and UJSSM for ideas.

Here's what it ended up with

10L water
1KG whole rolled oats
300g milled oats
300g crushed weet-bix
1.6KG table sugar
1TBSP bakers yeast

Been in for a couple of days now. Bubbling away merrily, and smells really good. I am excited and a little apprehensive as to what the result will be. If it comes off it's bye-bye home brew store and bye-bye plain sugar washes!