uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

[SGB]

Hello, and thank you again for all your helpful information.

At this time I want to do my first All Heads run.

The alcohol from this is requested by a friend who wants full strength alcohol to be used for infused flavoured drinks that he makes. He normally makes these drinks from the cheapest vodka or everclear

I have about 6liters of 80% of heads that are all from spirit runs and have already had twice the amount of fores disguarded from their runs previously before . My questions are,
should I dilute it with enough water to 20% or less? And should I put baking soda in it? And do I make cuts same like normally? I'm using simple pot still ,so should I run it very slowly? .

I tried some searching but didn't really find an instruction answer for doing specifically an all heads run with UJSSM

Thank you again everyone! You'all are a great help!!

[MartinCash]

You're not going to get a clean neutral from a UJSSM heads base using a pot still. In fact I'd say you're likely to get a more flavorful product than plain UJSSM. If you're using a pot still and you want to get as clean and neutral as you can, you should start with as clean and neutral a base as you can make, for example Ted's Fast Fermenting Vodka or Shady's Sugar Shine.

If you want to make neutral from UJSSM feints, you really should use a reflux column.

[Saltbush Bill]

You're not going to get a clean neutral from a UJSSM heads base using a pot still.

100% agree, to clean that up you need a decent Reflux Still " not a pot still.

you should start with as clean and neutral a base as you can make, for example Ted's Fast Fermenting Vodka or Shady's Sugar Shine.

+1

[SGB]

OK thank you!

[Stillin-Hearts]

Lesson learned- I had to split my 2nd gen UJ run into two days. First day- two jars right on. Shut the rig down and let it sit until the next day’s finishing run. I won’t do that again. The 2nd run smelled and tasted like an old mildewed towel so I shut it down and threw out what was left of the wash. Luckily I had saved enough Gen 1 backset for a fermentation.

[NZChris]

Lesson learned- I had to split my 2nd gen UJ run into two days. First day- two jars right on. Shut the rig down and let it sit until the next day’s finishing run. I won’t do that again. The 2nd run smelled and tasted like an old mildewed towel so I shut it down and threw out what was left of the wash. Luckily I had saved enough Gen 1 backset for a fermentation.

Burnt?

[Stillin-Hearts]

You’re probably right. At first I was thinking some kind of bacteria got it there somehow (but what would they eat?lol). Corn bits probably settled overnight and I forgot to give it a could stir before I started (propane).

[NZChris]

That'll do it

[Stillin-Hearts]

I mixed the 3rd gen ferment tonight using the saved 1st gen backset. I noticed the same smell, but less intense. Later I ate a corn chip and bam, there is was- cooked corn. The cooked corn/wet dog flavor/smell is resonating in the tails of my runs. My heads to hearts seem good. All products at this point are feints. So keep going? Maybe I should not use the next backset on the next fermentation (just use the yeast/corn). The hearts are very nice.

[Crabmanstyle]

After a few successful Odin's cornflake whiskeys I'm going to give this a go - however, I have no corn, farm next door has tonnes of flaked barley that I can use away on. Hopefully works out well, I'll do a 50g mash

[silverbean]

Ok so I am still pretty new to stilling, I have make 6 mashes/washes in the past with some initial success but then getting worse I think mainly due to recipes issues. After reading lots on HD forum decided the UJSSM sounded great. Followed the recipie and method so last Wenesday the 1st sweet wash was ready and I siphoned off 21 litres and run 3 stripping runs in my little 8 litre pot still setting aside 100ml fores on each run I collected down untill it was coming out at 20%ABV with a total of 5.5 litres at 44%ABV. Yesterday I run the spirit run with 5.5L low wines with about 1.5 litre saved bacset to bring the ABV below 40%. I collected about 400ml foreshots very slowly then increased the power to a fast drip almost a broken stream and collected 16 more jars of about 200ml starting at 79%ABV until the last at 22%ABV.
My problem is the blending, in the past I had just done spirit runs (cause I didn't know better) I have had no trouble picking the transition between heads to hearts to tails but apart from jar 2 & 3 and 16 & 17 the rest all smell and tastes good.
I did leave the jars open with paper towel over them for 24 hours ( I lost 4 - 8 grams per jar).
What do you all think? I was expecting heads to jar 5 or 6 and tails comimg in around 11 or 12. I know its only the sweet run but I would like to get it right. I guess I have taken off about 700ml fores in total, could that be where the heads have gone?

[Tummydoc]

If you're diluting samples down to about 30% and they taste good, congrats. If you taste undiluted, your sense of taste is rapidly compromised and they'll all start tasting acceptable.

[silverbean]

I have glass dropper just putting 1 ml to 3ml water like I have in the past and it tastes good. I find it hard to believe there is hardly any heads.

[SGB]

I usually get 4 litres each spirit run, these I divide into 8 500 ml ( I use a beer mug to collect and beer bottles numbered 1-8)
After my initial fore shot removal, I fill all these bottles. They start at 80% and finish at 40%( everything after that down to 10%gets put into feints bottles for the next run)
Bottle 1-2 @80% go into my heads box
#3@75% I blend with #7 50% and 8,40%. That goes into the blend jug with chared toasted tropical oak
# 4,5,6 I soak in the same type of wood. 456 are the hearts of the run they range from 75% down to 65
That I usually dilute to 40-50% and just drink it with water and some time coke.
I don't drink #3,7,8 blend but my friends all love it so I give it to them and keep the hearts for myself
I can definitely tell the difference between the two blends with 4,5,6 being totally smooth with no heady taste whatsoever
I'll drink my blend during the week and by the time I finish it I'm starting another run. I've got it down to being able to do two stripping runs and a spirit run in one full 11-12 hrs day if I start at 7 am and do fast turn overs .
It's been fairly consistent every week, week after week. I have no idea what generation I'm at but soon I'm either going to have to get bigger buckets or dump more corn as its reached the half way mark .
I think silverbean, if you are just starting out with this UJSSM eventually, same as me, you'll be able to ascertain they differences in flavors with time.

[silverbean]

Thanks SGB I guess that is similar to what I ended up doing except all I keep goes into the 1 pot. I set aside way too much fores, 2 & 3 went into heads bottle and 15 - 17 into the tails, it won't be long before I have enough for a feints run. 4 to 14 totaled just on 2 liters and are now on wood, had a taste first and it is the best white I have made so far, now to be patient. Meanwhile Gen 2 is finished so I racked of 7 liters and stripped that then racked off another 14 liters and started Gen 3, its bubbling away now.
5 day turn around loving this recipe, thanks Uncle Jessie.

[SGB]

I have read many times that cuts and blending is basically open to interpretation of one's own personal taste.
I have found what works best for me in my time with working with this recipe.
I'm very happy with it.
Thank you so very much to all those who offered me their helpful advice and guidance. You'all have been a great help for me and now I can enjoy the fruits of the labor

[SGB]

What do you do when the corn starts dominating the buckets volume?
Buckets are getting full...
Even though generation after generation I've been scooping out corn and adding about the same amount my buckets are starting to accumulate quite a bit of solids. Now about halfway in the bucket. Looking at it the top half is yellow and the bottom half white. So should I just scoop half of it all out? Or will I loose too much of the yeast in the lower half?

[HomerD]

Try to scoop out most of the white corn, it’s used up. Replace some of it with new corn until you have the needed amount.

Homer

[NZChris]

If you scoop out a third of the trub and add a third of your original grain bill every time, the amount of trub should remain about the same. Trying to remove different coloured spent corn has never worked for me, so I just bail out a third of everything.

You can double or triple the size of the next generation by splitting the trub or using a bigger fermenter. If you want to fill a barrel quickly, having each generation producing enough low wines for a spirit run is very helpful.

[MartinCash]

I've also found, with the cheap cost of grain where I am, that it's worth it just for the flavour to scoop out 1/4 to 1/3 of the grain each generation.

[SGB]

Thanks a lot!! You all are a great help!!

[The Baker]

Try to scoop out most of the white corn, it’s used up. Replace some of it with new corn until you have the needed amount.

Homer

Feed the used up corn to the chooks?

Geoff

[Tlcopeland]

I feed mine to deer and they gobble it up.

[HomerD]

The birds and squirrels eat what I throw out. I think one little bird was drunk, he couldn’t fly for a while!

[theBEARD]

Brothers I need your help, please. I made the recipe on 27.07.2020 in the morning and placed my fermenter in my basement where temperature is 20.5C, on 28th there was no activity in bubbler, on 29th there was very little activity 1 bubble on every 45-50 seconds. Same day my PH meter has arrived, I have checked and PH was 3.31, I have stirred it well and I put a couple of egg shells in the mash (because that was the easiest and fastest PH buffer I could find, was preparing for vacation with family for that night), after 3-4 hours I was counting a bubble on every 8 seconds in air lock, that night before I left my home I have checked the fermenter again, there was bubble on every 3-4 seconds. Today when I came back from vacation I checked my UJSSM mash, no activity in airlock, it smells like vinegar, egg shells are softened and they look like Small plastic bags, PH is 3.37. What should I do with it? Dump it and start all over again or I can fix it somehow?

[MartinCash]

Did you follow the recipe to the letter, and how much yeast did you use? A couple of egg shells won't cut it. You should probably used calcium carbonate powder (chalk) at this stage. Be careful because it will foam.

[Tummydoc]

What's the specific gravity? Sounds like your ferment is complete. If it doesn't taste sweet, your sugars have been converted to alcohol. Dont throw it out, distill it!

[theBEARD]

Thank you MartinCash and Tummydoc. I will add chalk after I siphon the liquid tonight. Should I aim for 5.2 PH before still it?

[Corsaire]

What's the gravity reading now?

[Tummydoc]

If your ferment is finished you dont need to adjust pH. If the ferment is stalled because its too acidic, then you need to correct that. Thats why you need to know the current specific gravity. If its near 1.0, you're done and can run.