Home Distiller

Thanks for the reply guys, I figured the oak was the key. Along with a little time and patience that is.

I'm trying to make a sweet feed whiskey but not sure what kind of feed to get. Any help there are 10 different types at my local coop.

Lukemanley89 wrote:I'm trying to make a sweet feed whiskey but not sure what kind of feed to get. Any help there are 10 different types at my local coop.

Hi Luke, you want to all grain, no pellets, COB. Corn, oaks and barley, there is molassas mixed in also. Also call sweetfeed mix.
SD

So I need to ask for a cob mix with molasses

If you ask for just cob or sweet feed both come with molasses, just make sure you get all grain, no pellets.
SD

Lukemanley89 wrote:I'm trying to make a sweet feed whiskey but not sure what kind of feed to get. Any help there are 10 different types at my local coop.

Luke,
If you've got a Tractor Supply close by go in and ask for their "Producers Pride All Grain" feed. Its a COB with molasses. My 50# bag was 13.99. Best thing to me is it doesn't have all the added nutrients and such as some sweet feed blends do.. Just my .02 worth

Martin

Thanks for all the help. Kinda new at this me and my dad are having a lot of fun with it. Also for aging is a oak barrel the best way to go? I've also seen oak chips what do y'all think.

Barrel if you can get a good one, but most on here use oak chunks that are toasted and charred by them. At least that's what I do. Hard to hide and transfer a barrel depending on size, quart to gallon glass is much easier.

Martian I bought the producers pride sweet feed in the purple bag it looks like there are pleats in it did I get the wrong stuff

Luke I use toasted oak chips, so far I love it. Just got to play around with the amount you add - do it to your liking!

Lukemanley89 wrote:I'm trying to make a sweet feed whiskey but not sure what kind of feed to get. Any help there are 10 different types at my local coop.

got mine at the Purina Feed elevator locally, they mix it there themselves. Oats, Cracked Corn, Wet Molasses. Makes great flavor and extremely smooth. I did my first batch this past weekend and mixes well as apple pie as well.

Hi Everyone,

I want to give my feedback and story on my first two runs of this great recipe.

We just completed our pot still about three weeks ago and after a vinegar run and wine cleaning I ran my first batch of sweetfeed. I used the Producers Pride all grain from Tractor Supply.. no pellets. I put four inches of that, about six gallons of boiling distilled water and 7lbs of sugar in my bucket. Stirred the hell out of until it got around 95f (about two hours) and pitched 1 1/2 packets of 1118. I had ordered the combo pack of test cylinder, hydro and alcoholmeter from Brewhaus but they were on back order so I did not get an SG on the first wash.

The wash took off real nice.. bubbling once every two seconds on day one.. once every three seconds on day two until about the fifth day it was down to about once every fifteen seconds. I took an SG reading at that point and it was at 1.000. Day six was also at 1.000 so I racked it off and let it clear for a day. I know you'd like to get into the .9xx range but I wanted to run this stuff and get onto the second gen since it only gets better from what I read.

We charged the still and fired it up...about four gallons of wash.. maybe alittle less. I ran it real slow and collected seven 200ml jars then shut it down..discarding 150ml fores at the start. Below is how they measured and tasted after airing for 48 hours..

Jar1 60% = Strong alcohol smell. Strong alcohol taste and burning
Jar2 51% = Strong alcohol smell. Alittle sweet smell after blending. very little burning.
Jar3 50% = Sweet strong smell. little burning.
Jar4 49% = Sweet strong smell. pretty smooth..little to no burning.
Jar5 45% = Sweet strong smell. Smooth boxy taste.
Jar6 40% = Less alcohol smell. Smooth and alittle boxy. Strange after taste.
Jar7 35% = Sweet strong smell. Smooth but more boxy taste. Same strange after taste.

All of them tasted a bit off to me and it was not what I was expecting. With that being said I have only had "shine" once in my life and I believe it was a brandi. That brandi was really good so I'm going to let experience and taste drive how "shine" should taste moving forward. I ended up mixing jars 2,3 and 4 into a pint jar and threw in seven medium plus toasted cubes. After a week it tastes alot better and it's only getting better.

For the second gen I replaced the floating grain with new, used a gallon of hot backset to convert 7lbs of sugar, let it cool to about 95f and started the second ferment. My SG reading was at 1.070 when I airlocked it and it took off like gang busters. On day five it was down to .990.. day six the same so I racked it off to clear. I got busy after I racked it so it sat for about three days and I ran it last night. This run was much better..taste was and adv wise. I've got them airing (only 24 hours this time) but after the fores.. jars one, two and three were around 62%, jars four, five and six were about 60%, jars seven and eight were about 55% with jars nine and ten about 50%. I was collecting in 200ml jars again and could have gone longer but it was 3am and called it quits.

After taking little tastes during collection last night I can't wait to do my final mixing and get this on oak. The second run seems to produce a smoother product and is much better on the taste buds.. atleast thats what my mouth tells me. I started the third gen with an SG of 1.080 and replaced the spent grain with cracked corn.. it's bubbling away this morning. I also started a UJSM last night as well but I'll post about that in the correct forum as it progresses.

If I pissed anyone off because of the length of the post I apologize. I don't have many people to talk to this about freely so the experts that I'm learning all this from get to read it.

Thanks to everyone on the site...I'm hooked

120proof

120proof wrote:Hi Everyone,

We charged the still and fired it up...about four gallons of wash.. maybe a little less. I ran it real slow and collected seven 200ml jars then shut it down..discarding 150ml fores at the start. Below is how they measured and tasted after airing for 48 hours..

Jar1 60% = Strong alcohol smell. Strong alcohol taste and burning
Jar2 51% = Strong alcohol smell. Alittle sweet smell after blending. very little burning.
Jar3 50% = Sweet strong smell. little burning.
Jar4 49% = Sweet strong smell. pretty smooth..little to no burning.
Jar5 45% = Sweet strong smell. Smooth boxy taste.
Jar6 40% = Less alcohol smell. Smooth and alittle boxy. Strange after taste.
Jar7 35% = Sweet strong smell. Smooth but more boxy taste. Same strange after taste.

All of them tasted a bit off to me and it was not what I was expecting. With that being said I have only had "shine" once in my life and I believe it was a brandi. That brandi was really good so I'm going to let experience and taste drive how "shine" should taste moving forward. I ended up mixing jars 2,3 and 4 into a pint jar and threw in seven medium plus toasted cubes. After a week it tastes a lot better and it's only getting better.

120proof

Am I to understand that you ran this once through a pot still? I think you are going to want to run this through again, and get things a little more concentrated. Most people using this recipe would refer what you are doing as a "stripping run". From that, you combine with more stripping runs of 2nd, 3rd generations or wash and so on........and then run all your combined low wines as a "spirit run". You will get more into the 80% -60% ABV range. From there, you can proof down to 62.5%, (my favorite) and age on some oak chips or in small barrels.

Some people do save the very middle part of the best hearts from a stripping run to drink, but in my experience it still is not as good as the final spirit run hearts. just my $.02.

SmokinDave

smokindave wrote:Am I to understand that you ran this once through a pot still?

I did run these once through a pot still and thanks for the advise smokindave. I'll get to where I'm doing spirit runs but I'm not quite there yet. I'm to interested on drinking the stuff right now that it would be hard for me to save three or four stripping runs. I'll get there though it's just like a kid with a new toy right now.

Thanks.

120,
how could anyone possibly be pissed with a good writing like this?
I am waiting for my gen 2 to finish fermenting maybe this weekend.
i am using a 12 gallon pail and when i restarted the ferment with the
backset i used about 11 pounds of cane sugar and 4 pounds of Sucanat,
which is basically dried cane juice, powdery not crystalline, it is definitely
darker in color. as the gen 2 ferments i draw off a dram glass and taste it,
Man that is great tasting unto itself each day i can tell as it dries up
from the sugary side. soon that crown of oats will drop back in,
and it will be time again to make the run.
I appreciated reading your results with the Pot still, i ran mine through my 3" bokakob
but i have a pot still i will run sometime in the future when i am not soo urgent about
getting something for my sore muscles

did you do a stripping run first or just run it slow on the first run?
I like the flavor good enough but i think my reflux still stripped too much flavor away.
i am also handicapped cause i broke my hydrometer so i have ordered a new one
along with the the proofamabobber they sell online.i had fun trying to read the bubble beads
and observing how clean that stuff burns... heck i even used the fore-shots in my snow blower gas to dry the water particles out.

write on man,

regards

Rastus

Rastus wrote:did you do a stripping run first or just run it slow on the first run?

Thanks Rastus. I did both of my runs slow and low. I have a pint or two of feints from my first run but I was reading through a post and decided not to add them to the second batch.. they really have an off taste. The post below is a good read on feints and I did not want to destroy a good wash with ugly feints. I'll probably end up saving these for a spirit run like smokindave suggested...maybe.. just don't know yet.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=18823

On my second run just about every jar has something to offer taste wise. I've only done this once so I'll try to make the best cuts as possible and move on to the next batch.

Good luck with your second run. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

120proof

Stainless dude wrote:If you ask for just cob or sweet feed both come with molasses, just make sure you get all grain, no pellets.
SD

In our local stores, COB will get you just dry grains. If you ask for WET COB, you get sweet feed (with molasses).

I wouldn't want pellets, but some on here have made mashes with nothing BUT pellets, and have produced a drink that made them happy. Not me, though!

I ran my first spirit run of sweetfeed yesterday after stripping 3 batches. I have a Brewhaus PSIIHC and ran with just the pot still head and no copper mesh. The product that came out was no good. It tasted like tails right from the start of the run and got no better. Why would the cardboard taste be in there? I was running at a steady drip.

jeepkidd wrote:I ran my first spirit run of sweetfeed yesterday after stripping 3 batches. I have a Brewhaus PSIIHC and ran with just the pot still head and no copper mesh. The product that came out was no good. It tasted like tails right from the start of the run and got no better. Why would the cardboard taste be in there? I was running at a steady drip.

What was the quality and content of your stripping run output? ABV, taste, etc

If the hearts from your stripping runs were okay tasting, they should come through in your spirit run.

Is your still clean? I always flush mine really well with super hot water, after I finish all my runs. Could be you are getting some residual taste from past runs?

Just thinking of possible reasons..........let us know what you figure out.

SmokinDave

Backset?

i swear i read this entire thread, i have been focused on this recipe until i get my feet on solid ground. I cannot recall reading much more than you use your backset to make in effect a sour mash,
and, today i started reading uncle jesse's sour mash thread...

well i see he only uses a portion of the backset, like 25% to 50%

when i did my first batch, I used the entire amount of backset to melt the sugar and went back to the fermenter with no fresh water. although i did not drain the fermenter below the grain line thus not exposing the yeast or grain to open air.

I figure it will be safe for the first time but what are some of you guys using as a rule of ratio for backset?

anyone?

Thanks

Rastus

smokindave wrote: What was the quality and content of your stripping run output? ABV, taste, etc
If the hearts from your stripping runs were okay tasting, they should come through in your spirit run.
Is your still clean? I always flush mine really well with super hot water, after I finish all my runs. Could be you are getting some residual taste from past runs?
Just thinking of possible reasons..........let us know what you figure out.

SmokinDave

The stripping runs came out at 55-60% and I didn't get the cardboard taste until the end of the run, where I expect it. The hearts weren't bad, but there was not a good flavour that I wanted to sip on or even oak as it was, so it all went into the spirit run.
I clean the still with hot water as well, but thinking about it now, I did not flush the liebig. I would think that after pulling the first couple liters off the still any off flavours in the liebig would have been washed away though.

I'll give it a good wash and run it again.

Rastus wrote:I figure it will be safe for the first time but what are some of you guys using as a rule of ratio for backset?

I to have read pages and pages on the amount of backset to use. After all the reading I came to the conclusion that it's really personal preference and not an exact science. I should probably invest in a ph meter to check but my last two washes I "think" I've used about 1 1/2 gallons of backset for my five gallon ferments.

120proof.

25% is a good starting point. It will drop your PH but not to levels too low. So if you start up another batch of - say - 6 gallons ... use 4.5 gallons of water and 1.5 gallons of backset.

Odin.

Thanks for the replies Gentlemen,

so i have about 11 gallons in my fermenter, when i ran my batch i siphoned off approx 5 gallons, ran it just till the tails showed up in my reflux still,then i stopped. as everything was cooling off i added the sugars and about 2 gallons backwash in a kettle to melt the sugars. when they were melted completely, i poured that into a 5 gallon pail i topped off the 5 gallon pail with the remaining backwash and set outside to cool off, when it was cool enough, about 85f, i poured it all into the fermenter with the grain and wash.
as of now the gen. 2 wash is nearly done, it has a nice tangy flavor to it. I am guessing the extra backwash will advance the flavors, generationally, but after this i will just go to 1.5 - 2 gallons backwash and the remainder for water. and hope she lives long and prospers.
i found a guy on e-bay selling some Toasted and Charred White oak sticks so i bought them and, when they get here I will try oaking.
as an experiment the only wood i could find here was some smoking sawdust and they had apple, so i picked out the bigger chips i could find, and ran the mapp gas torch on them till they were nice and charred, threw them into a pint jar with a little of the first run i did that was diluted to about 100 proof, let it soak till i saw a nice color show up and taste became apparent, then strained through a couple of coffee filters.. sipped that over a couple of days and it was nice, not too smokey.

So I am also on my second generation offset feed mash, I mixed it up Sunday, three days ago. Started off the same as the last working like crazy, then slowly fell off. Barely any bubbles anymore. Is this normal for the generations to work faster than the first batch?

Rack,
what i know is the yeast are pumped up like Hans and Frans after the first batch and they hit it hard when you add in the new sugar, they go into a feeding frenzy... since i myself broke my hydrometer i have been relying on taste, is it sweet or not... the other thing i noticed is when my first one was done, the cap of oats dropped down, it cleared up and i knew it was done. if you have a hydrometer then that is the best way to be certain.

Good luck sounds like we walk the same path at this point in time.

Rastus

Rastus wrote:Rack,
what i know is the yeast are pumped up like Hans and Frans after the first batch and they hit it hard when you add in the new sugar, they go into a feeding frenzy... since i myself broke my hydrometer i have been relying on taste, is it sweet or not... the other thing i noticed is when my first one was done, the cap of oats dropped down, it cleared up and i knew it was done. if you have a hydrometer then that is the best way to be certain.

Good luck sounds like we walk the same path at this point in time.

Rastus

Yes we are I am not using a hydrometer for my mash. I too had the "cap" of feed at the top, and it has settled now but still bubbling a bit. We are planning on running on Sunday so hopefully it will cease bubbling by then. I used 50% of backset and 50% fresh water added sugar and also added some fresh feed, did that on accident but maybe it will turn out with more flavor.

I believe that there is a science to this, but I also believe some calculated experimenting is part of the journey to make something original and your own.

Good luck

G'Day. Iam new to this site so I have to start from the bottom of the class and at my age that can be a bit of a shock ( I am 81 years young) So first question what the hell is in this "sweetfeed horse tucker"? I like the idea but I am at a lose as to what is in it . Any help ? Waiting......for help to get started.
granpopmaggot

granpopmaggot wrote:G'Day. Iam new to this site so I have to start from the bottom of the class and at my age that can be a bit of a shock ( I am 81 years young) So first question what the hell is in this "sweetfeed horse tucker"? I like the idea but I am at a lose as to what is in it . Any help ? Waiting......for help to get started.
granpopmaggot

We could tell ya what sweetfeed is but I'm at a loss for horse tucker...

granpopmaggot wrote:G'Day. Iam new to this site so I have to start from the bottom of the class and at my age that can be a bit of a shock ( I am 81 years young) So first question what the hell is in this "sweetfeed horse tucker"? I like the idea but I am at a lose as to what is in it . Any help ? Waiting......for help to get started.
granpopmaggot

to get the full scoop i had to start at the beginning:

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 14&t=14586

start here, then when you read Sweet feed know that they are referring to the horse feed that consists solely of:
1. Corn
2. Oats
3. Barley
and Molasses.
some sweet feed contains Alfalfa and other things in it but you only want to get the COB with molasses.