my first sorta whole grain mash

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
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spinna_au
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my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

Hi all, I just dived into my first sorta whole grain mash after seeing a post from and old mate in Adelaide on one of Jesse's videos on still it.
The suggestion after Jesse's "strawberry cake bourbon" vid was a "Kitchen cupboard mash" so I gave it a shot!

I used ground Rice, Polenta, fresh frozen corn and added 2 KG of Raw sugar and 1 kilo of Dextrose as a safety net
The only yeast I had on hand was Turbo Pure so in it went, the OG was 1085 and it started in a few hours working well.
6 days later its still going strong, have not checked the SG but it is souring nicely.
I know I have temp control issues as it gets up to 27deg C ( Mash temp) in the day time and drops under 15 at night but I am wondering as its my first real attempt at a mash rather that a sugar wash the is a thick cap on the mash about 2 inches thick and like a jelly, I had to move it aside to taste test the mash :o .
Is this normal for a grain mash? It looks like a thick head on a beer but not the light foamy consistency, I can see problems coming when I try to clear and rack it :roll:

any advice or comment will be appreciated
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still_stirrin
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by still_stirrin »

Google “krausen”.

It is the foamy head typically present at the beginning of a grain (wort) ferment. The head is oils and proteins being lifted by the CO2 as it rises. It can overtake the airlock and make a big mess. So, watch it and if it continues to grow, I suggest putting a blow-off tube in a pitcher of sanitary water and let the foam bubble into that.

But don’t panic, the krausen foam will subside as the ferment enters the latent fermentation phase.

Sugar washes won’t typically pitch up much foam. Usually, they just “sizzle” as the CO2 bubbles to the ullage.
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My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
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My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

Thanks still_stirrin, nice to know its all going as its supposed too
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Doesnt sound like a mash to me ......sounds more like a sugar head that used Dextrose instead of sugar.
What grains added were malted ?
spinna_au wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 5:53 pm "strawberry cake bourbon" vid was a "Kitchen cupboard mash" so I gave it a shot!
A lot of people here can give great advice on Recipes that are in the Tried and True section of the forum, but many wouldn't have a clue what the ones you mention above even consist of.
NormandieStill
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by NormandieStill »

Yeah. Looking at the ingredients list your safety net is the only thing providing any fermentables. The corn and polenta might provide some flavour... hopefully more flavour than the packet of turbo yeast! Let us know how it turns out, and while you're waiting for it to ferment take a look at the tried and true recipes here.
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spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

thanks NormandieStill I checked the Brix and it was around 10 before I added the sugar sio I think there were some sugars in there, probably from the sweetcorn, don't have many options our here, we are 5 hours from the major town of Alice Springs so we do what we can with whats on hand.
No doubt the sugars and Dex are adding a heap more fermentables and it tastes sweet before the sugars were added.

we can only see what happens
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

ok internet again today Yay

The mash seems to have stopped working, its very sour!, 9 days in. SG is 0990
will check it again tomorrow then clear and rack it
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

Nope, its still going very slowly sg now 0950 :o
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

OK, got internet again for a day but we are back up..
I cleared my wash, it pretty much finished with FG 0950
After getting rid of all the crud and krausen off the top (which the Poddys loved by the way) I ended up with 13 liters of clear wash.
ran a stripping run and got 3.6 Lt of 40% abv which I worked out was about 27% of the total 13lt
Interesting first drips off the still had a definite smell of bananas, and it had a green apple taste.
The low wines seem to have retained some of the banana character at the front with a cereal, like cornflakes ( minus the sugar) at the back.
Was thinking of running the low wines thru the reflux but now Im thinking I will wait till my pwm power controller arrives and run it thru the alembic really slow
NormandieStill
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by NormandieStill »

Cool. The green apple at the start is common. Acetate I think but I don't remember.

For future reference you can strip further than that if you're after flavour. 25-30% in the pot seems to be a common goal.
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still_stirrin
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by still_stirrin »

NormandieStill wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:49 am Cool. The green apple at the start is common. Acetate I think but I don't remember. <— “Acetaldehyde” actually. Very low boiling point too. Fruit flies smell this and come ready to drink.
Acetaldehyde is a common product from a rapid fermentation. For example, Budweiser beer, with its famous “born on date” marketing claims its beers are young and bottled to keep the freshness. But, the rapid fermentation produces the acetaldehyde, giving the beers a “green apple” aroma and taste. Try it.

Fortunately, the acetaldehyde is reduced into esters with maturity. So, its presence in your fermenter will reduce as you allow the beer to clear prior to racking it to the boiler. Usually, 3 to 5 days, possibly up to a week will be enough time for the “green apple” quality to diminish below your perception threshold.

And another thing, because of the very low boiling point, the acetaldehyde is the first “production aroma” you’ll smell in the distilling shed. In fact, I notice the smell often before the head of my still is hot, only just slightly warm to the touch, indicating its volatility. It is a reminder that you’re a distiller and you’re about ready to make liquor.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

finally able to get back to the computer :D
I have run the "Kitchen corn & Rice Mash and it turned out pretty good I think there is grains particularly the corn and a touch of nuttiness, got about 1.5 lt of hearts and about half a litre of tails with that typical "wet cardboard" thing going on!

The Heads were somewhat "fruity" with Apple and Banana which might go into the feints or might blend a little with some of the hearts :think:
all in all for my first time with grains it was ok, need to improve some techniques and get some better bits and pieces to make it easier.
anyway I have a liter on staves at the moment and will see how that turns out with some ageing and wood

I'm pretty happy :D :lol:

now to start getting, gin, beer and cider done so it ready for christmas :ebiggrin:
spinna_au
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Re: my first sorta whole grain mash

Post by spinna_au »

oh forgot to say ran a spirit run on the Alembic with the power controller nice and slow.....
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