Easy Large Batch Mashing

[Rain Distillate]

Inside HER sleeping bag at that lol. I used her heated blanket I JUST bought her to help on the colder days and it stunk it up and pissed her off lol. I hit it with a bunch of frebreeze, good as new.
It wasn't easy convincing her! Lol...I was using 6.5 gallon buckets, lined across the dinner table and wrapped up lol...now it's just one biiiig barrel in the corner instead of a bunch of small ones on the table.

Another reason I get away with it i think-
In a small community your neighbors around you, they're your everything! My old lady and I smoke ganja. My buddy grows ganja. I make likker, him and his old lady drink likker. Needless to say we have a good relationship lol.
I look forward to the day I can setup a permanent space for all this stuff. As I'm renting right now I can't really build me a shed to work out of so I'm stuck using the garage and living room as my work areas at the moment. What the future may hold....

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Ok, next installment. Ph balance.

So I was using oyster shells with the small buckets with no problem. But when I moved to large batch fermenting, I was having crashes, but still finding shells below the trub. It just seemed to me like there wasn't enough surface area to the carbonate, and it was all on the bottom under the trub. Thanks to this thread by Badmo, I realized switching to a slab of marble the length of the barrel could solve both those problems.

I decided to test it out on a rum ferment, 40 gallons. I didn't take ph measures, mostly becuase I dont trust the readings, anyways. But my rum went from 1.091 to 1.018 with no problems! Did the marble do anything? You bet!

Almost as soon as I put the slab in, you could see it dissolving (ferment had a 2 day had start). The before and after photos are below, and as you can see I used 25.4% of that slab in one wash! The pics show just how much carbonate was used, and the physical change of being used.

There was surface area the whole length of the ferment, and more of it. I'm going to try suspending shells down the road, but for now, marble is definitly the answer to my large batch ferments!

[MichiganCornhusker]

That is impressive, strong visual.

[Shine0n]

Sorry to jump in late on the party, I'll do more research myself but was wondering if you could use granite?
I have an abundance of it but not marble per say.

I'll take a look around, good stuff SCD!

[Pikey]

Sorry to jump in late on the party, I'll do more research myself but was wondering if you could use granite?
I have an abundance of it but not marble per say.

I'll take a look around, good stuff SCD!

No - no carbonate in granite. Limestone will do it if you can find some.

[raketemensch]

Man, it’s so cool to see the progress everyone has made during my absence. You folks are awesome.

My only real question is — do you have your keg/boiler up on a shelf above the barrel for draining directly into it?

[Boda Getta]

I have used this method every since I went electric, in fact just put one to bed tonight. I do 30 gal mashes using a Big Brute, I heat 20 gals of water to around 200F (usually do 12 gals first heating, dump it on the total 60 lbs grain, then stir with electric drill and paint stirrer, while I am stirring, I add the remaining 8 gals when the boiler is still hot. I use High Temperature Enzyme with the 20 gals of water and 60 gals grain and it thins the mash up great to allow easy stirring. I reserve the final 20 water for the next morning. I usually finish up around 10:00ish and get up 7:00ish and the temp is 180F ' ish. I used some of the 20 gal water to cool it down to 150 ish. then add my malt. Wait 1 - 1/2 - 2 hrs and do the iodine test (haven't had one fail to convert yet) When I'm sure its converted, I use most of the remaining water to bring it down yeast pitching temp and its off to the races.
Works great for me.

BG

[Boda Getta]

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[Boda Getta]

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[Shine0n]

Just got this 40 gallon pot from the flea market for 30$ and another hell fire burner just for mashing.

I'm getting a weldless drain to dump right in the fermenter.
This is set up on saw horses just to see if it were going to work and now I have to get some 4x4 to make the legs today.

Shine0n

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Well, just a quick update. I used the marble a second time, for some ag bourbon. It didn't use up as much as the rum, but still more than I expected for a mash. 2 lbs 1.5 oz. I put it in half way through the mashing phase (several hours in for my process).

Cooking up another batch today

[raketemensch]

Man, mashing seems to be a good way to go through a lot of marble.

How much weight was it originally, how many washes has it been through, and what does it weigh now?

[MichiganCornhusker]

It would sure be swell if you could pick up some pH strips next time yer at the homebrew shop to try to at least get a ballpark on what this might be doing for you ferment pH. As it is we just know that you are tearing up a piece of marble pretty good.

I know the strips aren't great, I use them for enzymes, but they do at least show ballpark, like between pH 3 and pH 4 is pretty dramatic.

[OtisT]

Great Thread! Thanks. Will be trying some things learned here.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

It would sure be swell if you could pick up some pH strips next time yer at the homebrew shop to try to at least get a ballpark on what this might be doing for you ferment pH. As it is we just know that you are tearing up a piece of marble pretty good.

I know I know. Gotta drag my ass outta bed and go down stairs to throw the malt in some corn that's been cooking over night. *yawn*

I'll see if I can't turn up my ph pen, hydrate it, calibrate it, and figure out some readings. I have some strips, but only for if the ph is good. I think it stops at 4. I'll dance around with those, too .

You'll gonna actually make me work while mashing today

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

My only real question is — do you have your keg/boiler up on a shelf above the barrel for draining directly into it?

Yup! That's the only reason. My work bench was perfect to drain right in the barrel.

Work smart, not hard

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Ok, just pitched the yeast. Here are some numbers. I don't claim to be able to reason or explain them, but this is what I got.

40 gallons of water, 75 lbs cracked corn, 27 lbs mixed malt, 2 lbs toasted oatmeal.

Cooked all day Saturday, mashed in Sunday mid morning (10am I think it was). Mixed in at 150ish, came to settle at 146.

Sunday 2pm. 4 hours from mash in

Ph - 5.5
Sg - 1.062
Temp - 142
Iodine clean.

Monday 6am. 20 hours from mash in

Ph - 3.86
Temp - 130
Sg - did not take

Threw the marble in.

Monday 6pm. 32 hours from mash in.

Ph - 3.48
Temp - 120
Sg - 1.072

I also had a little lacto starting, probably hitched along with the marble. The mash was super sweet and a really great corn wheat flavor.

I got the calcium hydroxide out, and added about 750 ml of milk of lime, and a little of the sediment. Best I could tell I got it up to 3.8ph, and got the temp down to 96 and pitched.

Well see how it goes

Edit. I also realized that I broke my marble in half during the stirring. Now there is half on the bottom, and half suspended on the top.

Time to bring a bottle to the counter cutter

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Tuesday 6pm. 56 Hours from mashing (20 hours from pitch)

Ph - 3.25
Temp - 104
Sg - 1.051 1.04 after refracto conversion calc

Chugging Along

Edited because I woke up this morning and remembered that I did not account for the alcohol present in refracto. I looked it up, but it probably is ball park. I'll get a good hydro number when the massive bubble stop

[Hillbilly Popstar]

.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Wednesday 6pm. 80 Hours from mashing (44 hours from pitch)

Ph - 3.3
Temp - 100
Sg - 1.046 1.03 after refracto conversion calc

Thursday 6pm. 104 Hours from mashing (68 hours from pitch)

Ph - 3.35
Temp - 94
Sg - 1.043 1.025 after refracto conversion calc
Hydrometer - 1.029

So, the activity has cut back to about 50%. Still popping off good, but not the crazy boil. This allowed me to grab a hydro number, though the cap and bubbles probably contributed to a higher reading than reality. We'll see.

Interesting to see the rate that the marble is raising the pH. Since the initial drop, it is compensating and raising it by .5 each day. I have never really documented ph along the way like this, so it has been interesting. I had read a thread on here long ago stating that long mash times contribute to a sharp ph drop. Never worried much about it, just threw the buffers in. But I was glad I tested it before pitching, so I could raise it a little before letting the buffer do its thing.

Even though I'm still going through the documentation, one take away I have is to not only throw the buffer in at mash time, but if you have a long mash time, you may need to raise it a little before you rely on just the buffer. Or not, and just ride the boat as it is .

Just a little observation to be aware of.

[dukethebeagle120]

how much oyster shell would you use in a batch this size.
the equivalent to your 2 pounds you lost on your rum

[Shine0n]

if I'm not mistaken he's using a slab of marble not shells although if you can suspend the shells or hang them vertically it may do a better job than being solely on the bottom.
I'll drill a hole in them and use a ss wire to hold them from the lid to the bottom, but if you have access to a slab of marble then I'd definitely do that.

[dukethebeagle120]

i picked up 50 lbs of oyster shells today.
then i was thinking.
we have a pallet mill and the driver picked up some granite at a clients shop.
i snooped around the shop and found then.
2 pieces 2.5x5x40 inchs
weigh about 30 lbs apiece i would say.
how long will these last

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Yup to shineon.

Tonight at 6pm, the ph is at 3.44, temp 90, but the sg had not changed on any device. There's still a cap and co2 being created. Just in the slow down phase.

[raketemensch]

i picked up 50 lbs of oyster shells today.
then i was thinking.
we have a pallet mill and the driver picked up some granite at a clients shop.
i snooped around the shop and found then.
2 pieces 2.5x5x40 inchs
weigh about 30 lbs apiece i would say.
how long will these last

I believe you need marble, not granite.

[dukethebeagle120]

Ok, next installment. Ph balance.

So I was using oyster shells with the small buckets with no problem. But when I moved to large batch fermenting, I was having crashes, but still finding shells below the trub. It just seemed to me like there wasn't enough surface area to the carbonate, and it was all on the bottom under the trub. Thanks to this thread by Badmo, I realized switching to a slab of marble the length of the barrel could solve both those problems.

I decided to test it out on a rum ferment, 40 gallons. I didn't take ph measures, mostly becuase I dont trust the readings, anyways. But my rum went from 1.091 to 1.018 with no problems! Did the marble do anything? You bet!

Almost as soon as I put the slab in, you could see it dissolving (ferment had a 2 day had start). The before and after photos are below, and as you can see I used 25.4% of that slab in one wash! The pics show just how much carbonate was used, and the physical change of being used.

There was surface area the whole length of the ferment, and more of it. I'm going to try suspending shells down the road, but for now, marble is definitly the answer to my large batch ferments!

1497913636462451253483.jpg

img20170702_111754.jpg

u are right.would granite work

[zapata]

Those pH numbers seem pretty low to have any buffering going on at all. I'm surprised they aren't higher by how much marble you're eating up. You did calibrate the meter though so I guess they must be right. Interesting way to go about it. Now you just need to make rum stained marble counter tops a luxury product to sell as a side hustle!

[Shine0n]

Those pH numbers seem pretty low to have any buffering going on at all. I'm surprised they aren't higher by how much marble you're eating up. You did calibrate the meter though so I guess they must be right. Interesting way to go about it. Now you just need to make rum stained marble counter tops a luxury product to sell as a side hustle!

The rich folks would eat that up trying to one up the jones's

[Shine0n]

Duke, I asked the same question earlier and no was the answer.
it has to be calcium-based
I'm not sure what the base of granite is but it will not work.

[dukethebeagle120]

starting a batch of this now.
40 gallons of water
55 lbs of corn
cool down
20 lbs malt barley
7 lbs malt rye