Anyone Else Mashing in this NYE?

[Deplorable]

I'm gonna get one last mashing session in to put the bung in 2022.
Whipping up another HBB mash to put in glass and top off my 5g barrel as I start taking stock from it later down the road.

[Stonecutter]

Adding to the stock I see
Unfortunately I’m not doing any mashing today. I only got 4 batches in this year. Pretty pathetic in the Whiskey department. Next year is going to be big for Whiskey. I’m pretty stoked to try an all corn and an HBB. Hopefully I’ll get some caramel malts and other funky stuff going as well.
Don’t work too hard

[Deplorable]

So far this season hasn't been super productive for me just yet. This is only my 3rd mash, but Ive got a several more months to keep working.
Ive got grains for 2 more mashes, and a plan with a brewing buddy to fill both my 30 gallon fermenters with single malt work for an off-grain fermentation. Those should give me enough to put up another 5 gallon single malt barrel.
I'll make another batch of 13% rye, (maybe two and buy a new Gibbs to fill with a good bourbon).

[Ben]

I haven't had great productivity either, 2 batches since October, one of them is still in fermenters.

[Deplorable]

I left the mash covered last night and it was still 110°f, so I figured I'd get some sleep and crash the temp this morning and pitch the yeast starter (US-05). Got up and went to find someone else had already got the party started. There was a thick cap and it was 90°f. So I dropped in the wort chiller and got it down to 70 and poured in my yeast. Well see what I get I guess.

[Deplorable]

I can't put my finger on the smell coming off the barrel. It wasn't baby puke, but it wasn't anything I've ever associated with a healthy ferment either. It didn't have a smell of CO2 above the cap either. Hopefully the yeast started will overcome what ever crashed the party last night.
I know the fermenter was as clean as usual, it got washed and a Star San rinse after the last use, and another Star San rinse right before I got started yesterday. I'm guessing whatever it is came in on the malts as that's the only thing that wasn't sanitized or subjected to Star San.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

That's why I stopped stressing about sanitization in distilling a long time ago. Clean whatever you want, but that malt is got the worse of it on it. Focus more on giving your yeast the best head start, as they fight infection better than us. Save the star sans for your beer.

[EricTheRed]

Didn't mash in nye or nyd as i was stripping corn-oatmeal wort.
Mash in of 100% corn meal starts tomorrow

[Deplorable]

That's why I stopped stressing about sanitization in distilling a long time ago. Clean whatever you want, but that malt is got the worse of it on it. Focus more on giving your yeast the best head start, as they fight infection better than us. Save the star sans for your beer.

I wouldn't say I stress over sanitation, but I do try to keep the stillhouse clean. What surprised me is the fact that I didn't do anything different than I did for the last 3 batches of HBB I made, and this one fired up on its own.
We'll see what happens. It's got a fat cap on it again as of last night, but the garage smells completely different than any of my previous ferments.
Oddly enough the sharp burn of CO2 isn't even as prevalent under the lid of the barrel. It is fizzing like crazy. Should be an interesting experience either way.

[Twisted Brick]

Your US-05 should take over and build strong enough to create C02 and clean up the smells. Might take a couple days though.

[Deplorable]

Your US-05 should take over and build strong enough to create C02 and clean up the smells. Might take a couple days though.

It is what it is. I'm distracting myself today smoking a pork shoulder.