Greetings from a new hobbyist

[Tekniquepd]

I wanted to start by saying thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your community. I am enamored with this process and have successfully mashed in my first 10 gallons 3 nights ago. It is burping away as we speak with a great sourdough beer smell.

Thanks to this site I learned that my assumptions of George at Barley and hops were accurate. I am glad I never bought anything from him. That said, I am not looking for more to buy and am skeptical to learn modern distillation methods like no thumper, or running a reflux still until I am 100% comfortable after many successful distillation attempts with an old school 3 pot still method.

I have the following because my budget is small.

Vevor 13.2 gallon 3 pot still
3 type saccharometer
ABV Hydrometer
PH Meter
Sparging bags
3 HDPE Buckets with 3 piece airlocks and airtight lids
digital temperature probe

first mash is:
10 gallons pure spring water
10 lbs organic cracked corn
10 lbs organic sugar(4 cups more added later to raise SG)
4 tsp high heat alpha amylase
half a lemons worth of juice
5 TBSP Red Star DADY

I brought 9 gallons of water to 104 F on my electric stovetop and ph'd down to 3.8 with lemon juice
added 10 lbs organic cracked corn and held temp for 20 minutes
Raised temp to 130 F and held for 30 minutes
Raised to 155 F and added Amylase
There was about a cup of some stems and brown stuff floating in the mash so I removed with a sieve
Held temp for 90 minutes
turned off heat and added sugar and let rest until 110 F
Divided into (3)5 gallon HDPE buckets with mesh bags and sparged with about a gallon of cool spring water altogether
I aerated by mixing the wash between the three buckets a few times and filled two about an inch from rim.
Temp was 100 F and SG was 1.075
I added about 2 cups of sugar to each bucket. Stirred and that brought SG to about 1.085 and the conversion made it about 1.089 in each bucket that with about 5 gallons of wash at 5.4 PH.
added and stirred in 2-1/2 tbsp red star DADY to each bucket
Put on airtight lids with new, 3 piece airlocks filled with vermouth.
one bucket burped almost immediately, and the other was burping an hour later
3 nights later and both are still bubbling and smelling like a bakery

I will be reading more on the cutting process, and filtering methods as I have my first run coming soon.

I will research a sacrificial run after typing this, as I do not want potential contaminants with this great beer I've made.

I want to make a great corn likker like the great Popcorn and flex my freedom muscles.

Then accomplish a George Washington Rye.
If I get some great high proof corn runs and learn my cuts, then set some aside in a charred oak barrel for some bourbon.
I hope to get into Brandy, Gin, and hopefully some great absinthe, but I think I will need a better still for that.

I wanted to share where I'm at and where I'm trying to go which is enjoying the science and magic that this brings to my life.

Please let me know if there are any topics I should start with in particular.

I welcome all your knowledge and experience and thank you for again for allowing me access to your wealth of credible information.

[MooseMan]

Welcome to the forum.

That's possibly the most detailed intro post I've ever read!

For recommended reading, go to the bottom of the page and start there.

Enjoy the forum.

Moose

[bilgriss]

Welcome to the forum; you are in the right place to learn.

Once you do the required reading, I recommend starting with recipes in the Tried and True section until you get a handle on the whole process. Lots of folks here are familiar with them and can help, and if you follow the instructions exactly, you are going to get something you are very proud of as well.