sweetfeed whisky

[BoomTown]

Ran a gen1 and a half last night, cut it today. Put a gallon on charred oak sticks @ 65%, and a half gallon was made into apple pie @ 55%

What is a 'gen 1 and a half' ?

[Redeye]

Just started a new bucket today and have 2 gen getting ready to be done here in the next couple of days.
5 gallon bucket
4 inch sweetfeed
5 pounds of sugar
starting gravity 78
2 packets of redstar yeast.
Cant wait to use my new parrot on this next run.

[briarhopper]

whats your yeast amount

[briarhopper]

whats gravity78

[Redeye]

whats your yeast amount

2 packets
78 is the starting gravity of my mash as read on a mash hydrometer meaning I should get about 10.4 %abv in my mash


And go to the new distillers lounge and start reading!!!!!

[Beerswimmer]

Ran a gen1 and a half last night, cut it today. Put a gallon on charred oak sticks @ 65%, and a half gallon was made into apple pie @ 55%

What is a 'gen 1 and a half' ?

I stripped gen 1, used the backset in gen 2. When gen 2 finished fermenting I filled my boiler with the gen 1 strip(75% of boiler) and a little bit of gen2(25%) for more flavor. So a generation and a bit of the next.....gen and a half.

[Redeye]

I am right now doing 2 sweetfeed mashes. 1st one I followed the recipe to the t. The second i boiled the feed for about an hour. Tonight when i get home i will check the SG than pitch my yeast. I will post the progress and if there is much difference in taste and yield. I don't think it will be too different but its fun finding out.

[Ridgerunnr]

When doing stripping runs then a spirit run on a pot still is there a loss of flavor at all vs just doing a one run set up?

[Mr.Brown]

Yes, you will lose some flavor while increasing abv with each run through your pot still.

[Stilly]

Ran a gen1 and a half last night, cut it today. Put a gallon on charred oak sticks @ 65%, and a half gallon was made into apple pie @ 55%

What is a 'gen 1 and a half' ?

For me a 1 and 1/2 run is the results of one wash being stripped ( low wines) add to the next finished fermenting wash and then slow run as a spirit run. The resulting output will be 1 run done once and one run done twice. The end product has a bit more flavor than double run and is a bit more refined tasting than single run. I particularly like this method for mixing and matching, All Bran with UJSSM, or DWWG, SF, etc.

I find SF aged for a year or more on oak is really good, cut with a bit of neutral it comes off like a mid shelf blended scotch. Let the neutral sit with some peated barley in it for a while before mixing with the SF and you get a mildly peated flavor in finished product. The trick to this I have found is for the peat flavor to come thru, the final drink needs to be diluted with a bit of water so that you are below 45% , maybe down to 30%.

cheers
stilly

[Ridgerunnr]

Thats what i thought id try. I can store next run in glass jug and start another SF bucket to run later.

[gobucks85]

Can I use just crack corn?

[Ghost]

Can I use just crack corn?

Sure you can - but if thats what you have or thats all you wanna do I would look at Uncle Jesses recipe - super simple and turns out some damn smooth product. Its just a couple of threads down.

[gobucks85]

Ok thanks

[marshrunner757]

So when reusing backset, is there anything special that has to be done? You just dissolve your sugar, let it cool and dump it on the previous grain bed? What about pH?

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[Durace11]

Thebackset is used to correct the PH of your water(most water comes in higher than optimal for yeast health. If your PH is dropping use less backset, if it's high use more backset. Or, use the same amount of backset and do PH correction.

[marshrunner757]

Thanks

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[shawn2974]

If you like a really smooth whisky you need to try this recipe I have run it several times. It is easy and so far I have never had a ferment stall. If you try it let me know what you think. I have some that has aged on oak for about 2 months and it is really smoothing out. I oak at 55% ABV.


this is for 6 gallon wash

4" of sweet feed in the bottom of the bucket
7 pounds of white sugar
5 packets of bakers yeast or 8 tablespoons

heat 2 gallon of water to good hard boil then pour the water in the sweet feed add your sugar and stir for about 15min. the let stand for 90min. fill to 6 gallons with cool water after waiting 90min., your temp should be around 90F sprinkle your yeast in and stir gently. cover with lid and add your airlock. Mine is normally bubling away in about 4-6 hours. will run pretty good for about 2 days then will slow to a very slow rate. leave it for 5 days or untill you see it trying to clear sometimes it is 6 days. after that set it a cool place for about 24hours then rack it off and distill it. I normally get about 4 qaurts of low wines. sometimes my quart in the middle taste good enough I keep it aside and drink it just as it is.

after I run this through a pot still I use about half of my backset while it is still hot I put 7 pounds of sugar in the hot backset and convert my sugar. Let that cool to about 90F pour this back into your fermentor on your grain and yeast that was left in your bucket. add enough water to make 6 gallons normally my yeast wake up and are bubling away in about 4-5hours.

It seems very easy to me. I have really had good success with it. you can normally get your sweet feed at any farm supply store 50lbs for 7 bucks. It will last a long time

Im new at this but i have made beer and wine for quite a while now. I got in this hobby because of my like for smooth whiskey and i love home brewing. Im having a hard time finding someone to help me along the way and get started. I have a reflux/pot still that i just finished. Its the slant plate style. My boiler is 13 gallons. I dont understand terms like backset, and things like that. How do i build a recipe for 13 gal batch .I just need some step by step instructions and ill be good to go.

[marshrunner757]

Backset is what's left in boiler after doing a run. As far as recipe? Use the original recipe and double it. This gives you 12 gallons.

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[DJV]

For those going to tractor supply for their sweet feed, I was wondering if someone would be as kind as to let me know which sweetfeed from Tractor Supply they are using. Last time I was there I bought only cracked corn but I saw they had only processed, pelletized sweet feed, not all grain. Myabe I wasnt looking good enough.


Thanks!

[DJV]

To Kentucky Shiner:

Hi---------- I made a batch of this "Sweetfeed Whiskey", and it didn't come out so good. It has an underlying hint of mold to it. I couldn't get the regular, so I bought the pelleted version. and I also didn't use bread yeast. I used distillers yeast. I cut it to 86 proof, and aged it for about a week with some toasted French Oak chips. I have been thinking about running it through my refracting still to get it pure again and just leave it as a vodka. The mess it left in the fermenter was a chore to clean up! I made 3 batches and used the backset for them all. Maybe it picked up those off flavors from that? Next time, I think I'll try some corn liquor.

Bob Z

You used that processed pelleted sweet feed? Does anyone else use this stuff? I have a bag that my Dad gave me but I was just going to toss it.

[marshrunner757]

I've used the pelleted crap. Turned out OK but one hell of a mess. Get "all grain".

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[Durace11]

I'm fairly sure somewhere in this hugh thread there is a picture and a description.

From memory it is something like this:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/producer-s ... b--5021132
If you look at the description of this one is says
Manufacturers Number: 45018
Brand: Producer's Pride®
Animal Type: Multi-Species
Life Stage: Adults & Mature Adults
Type: Grain
Package Size: 50 lb.

This is what you don't want:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/producer-s ... b--2525519
Manufacturers Number: 9771
Brand: Producer's Pride®
Animal Type: Multi-Species
Life Stage: Pre-Adult, Adult, Mature
Type: Pellet & Grain
Package Size: 50 lb.

[Theo]

My local Tractor supply has it labeled as C.O.B. w/ MOL. That is Corn, Oats & Barley with Molasses. The corn & barley is rolled, the oats are whole. $12/50#

[DJV]

Thanks for the answers!!!

[Old Hippie]

I dont understand terms like backset, and things like that. How do i build a recipe for 13 gal batch .I just need some step by step instructions and ill be good to go.

What they're talking about is also known as "sour mash." Sour mash recycles part of the brewing grains through several fermentations to make use of all the fermentable carbohydrates in the grain. Some of the old grain is removed and a portion of new grain is added each time the fermentation is renewed. This is different from "mashing" grain in which the carbohydrates are converted to fermentable sugars all at once. Because it's a process that relies on going through several cycles of ferment/separate/distil/remove spent grain/add new grain/adjust pH/ferment/lather rinse repeat sour mash might not be your best option if you're just looking for 13 gallons of stuff to run.

There are a number of very good discussions of the sour mash process here and elsewhere. Ian Smiley's "Making Pure Corn Whiskey" has an excellent chapter on it.

You might wanna take a look at this bourbon recipe: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 14&t=17750 as an alternative...

[smokindave]

Im new at this but i have made beer and wine for quite a while now. I got in this hobby because of my like for smooth whiskey and i love home brewing. Im having a hard time finding someone to help me along the way and get started. I have a reflux/pot still that i just finished. Its the slant plate style. My boiler is 13 gallons. I dont understand terms like backset, and things like that. How do i build a recipe for 13 gal batch .I just need some step by step instructions and ill be good to go.

I echo the advice of reading the Ian Smiley's book. It is not necessarily the be-all/end-all to making whiskey, but it puts all the info together in a logical order and gives you that step-by-step type thing. I recommend reading that book cover to cover, and then do as much reading on this forum as you can to answer your specific questions, and to get some different variations of doing things.

Sweetfeed is also a great starting recipe for sure......it is what I tried first, and it turned out very well. Multiple generations, re-using grain and adding backset, make it very simple and cost efficient to learn with. And it tastes good......who would have thought you could get good whisky from horsefeed.

[BoomTown]

Yep, and push comes to shove, Ian answers his own phone.

[DJV]

So after the fermentation on grain, how much of the initial 6 gallons is available to distill? Do the grains soak up a lot of water?

[Prairiepiss]

If you like a really smooth whisky you need to try this recipe I have run it several times. It is easy and so far I have never had a ferment stall. If you try it let me know what you think. I have some that has aged on oak for about 2 months and it is really smoothing out. I oak at 55% ABV.


this is for 6 gallon wash

4" of sweet feed in the bottom of the bucket
7 pounds of white sugar
5 packets of bakers yeast or 8 tablespoons

heat 2 gallon of water to good hard boil then pour the water in the sweet feed add your sugar and stir for about 15min. the let stand for 90min. fill to 6 gallons with cool water after waiting 90min., your temp should be around 90F sprinkle your yeast in and stir gently. cover with lid and add your airlock. Mine is normally bubling away in about 4-6 hours. will run pretty good for about 2 days then will slow to a very slow rate. leave it for 5 days or untill you see it trying to clear sometimes it is 6 days. after that set it a cool place for about 24hours then rack it off and distill it. I normally get about 4 qaurts of low wines. sometimes my quart in the middle taste good enough I keep it aside and drink it just as it is.

after I run this through a pot still I use about half of my backset while it is still hot I put 7 pounds of sugar in the hot backset and convert my sugar. Let that cool to about 90F pour this back into your fermentor on your grain and yeast that was left in your bucket. add enough water to make 6 gallons normally my yeast wake up and are bubling away in about 4-5hours.

It seems very easy to me. I have really had good success with it. you can normally get your sweet feed at any farm supply store 50lbs for 7 bucks. It will last a long time

Im new at this but i have made beer and wine for quite a while now. I got in this hobby because of my like for smooth whiskey and i love home brewing. Im having a hard time finding someone to help me along the way and get started. I have a reflux/pot still that i just finished. Its the slant plate style. My boiler is 13 gallons. I dont understand terms like backset, and things like that. How do i build a recipe for 13 gal batch .I just need some step by step instructions and ill be good to go.

Those are step by step instructions on making this wash. Definition of Terms like backset can be found in the glossary found in the must read new distiller reading lounge.

I would just double the recipe for a 12 gallon batch. You want run 13 gallons in a 13 gallon boiler anyway. You need headroom.

There is no need to go out and buy a book if you don't want to. All the info you need to know is here. And the best part about this place. You van ask questions. Can't ask a book questions. And books are a one sided opinion. We will answer questions. We would just like to see you at least try to search out the answer before asking it. More then likely the answer is here.