Home Distiller

Holy crap, SWMBO would murder me if I setup a mash barrel in the living room LOL


SCD - Thanks for all the detail in your thread, I've run a couple of batches now and it works like a dream. Cheers!

Expat wrote:Holy crap, SWMBO would murder me if I setup a mash barrel in the living room LOL

+1. Especially when it came time to squeeze!

Expat wrote: SCD - Thanks for all the detail in your thread, I've run a couple of batches now and it works like a dream. Cheers!

My pleasure friend. Thanks. Glad I can help people where I can. Happy holidays!

I am trying a yeast bomb for the first time on a all corn mash. I used 28 gallons of water. Should I stick with the normal 1 gallon bomb or upscale it?

TIA

I say 1 gallon is fine. Ive done bombs before, but now I still just sprinkle dry yeast when I pitch. Not the best for the yeast, but ehh. It works anyway .

The more I learn about this hobby, the harder it gets for me to really screw it up.

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:I say 1 gallon is fine. Ive done bombs before, but now I still just sprinkle dry yeast when I pitch. Not the best for the yeast, but ehh. It works anyway .

The more I learn about this hobby, the harder it gets for me to really screw it up.

Thanks, that what I was thinking. Got to wait for the temp to drop another 10 degrees then I am going to rehydrate and pitch.

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:I say 1 gallon is fine. Ive done bombs before, but now I still just sprinkle dry yeast when I pitch. Not the best for the yeast, but ehh. It works anyway .

The more I learn about this hobby, the harder it gets for me to really screw it up.

Only the best "swimmers" get to the good spot . Overpitch and let the devil take the hindmost .

Truckinbutch wrote:

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:I say 1 gallon is fine. Ive done bombs before, but now I still just sprinkle dry yeast when I pitch. Not the best for the yeast, but ehh. It works anyway .

The more I learn about this hobby, the harder it gets for me to really screw it up.

Only the best "swimmers" get to the good spot . Overpitch and let the devil take the hindmost .

That's what I did on my current HBB - sprinkled 4 pouches of US 05 on top of the 50 gal ferment. It's bubbling away and might be finished tomorrow, - 5 day ferment.

OVZ

It's all I do anymore when distilling, a jar of Red Star or Fleishman's is only $3.50 at the grocery store and easier than me making a starter and messing with it for 24-48hrs and then cleaning up afterwards. Now I open a jar, pitch the whole thing(an over pitch for certain) and I'm done.

Beerswimmer wrote:It's all I do anymore when distilling, a jar of Red Star or Fleishman's is only $3.50 at the grocery store and easier than me making a starter and messing with it for 24-48hrs and then cleaning up afterwards. Now I open a jar, pitch the whole thing(an over pitch for certain) and I'm done.

+1. I just did that last night, jar of Red Star, on 36 gallons of Shady’s Sugar Shine.

I just started my next bourbon mash. Around 35 gallons. I picked up a bakers yeast package from Costco. I just measure out a full cup, and sprinkle it on top and let 'er buck. Hasn't failed me yet. But then, this is only my second large mash.

You guys need to train your wife better right now I have four 30 gallons of ag and six 7 gallon glass carboys of blueberries fermenting in the living room in the corner next to that is an double door oak cabinet on the top shelf is supplies and pumps and small equipment we use. Right side is my still,racking canes, hoses and such left side is all shelves bottom has my aging barrels next two are Mason jars of different things next four are finished bottles in waiting. This is always locked next to that is a 200 bottle wine rack. If anyone asks I make wine with the ag I say that I'm trying to make beer. In the garage are my 55 gl drums that I use for large batches two of them have chillers mounted in them. In the attic are all my extra carboys,drums and bottles. In my bedroom I have my loading bench gun safe and deep sea fishing rods on one wall she gets the rest of the house. Only complaints I get is the house smells like bread sometimes. Happy stillin.

Just used this method on three 20gl runs of cornmeal and it worked great for me I used a little cold water to mix up my corn meal without lumps then poured 10gls of hot water on top while still mixing the corn. I drill my holes for my airlock dead center of the lid so that I can run the shaft of my mixer though the hole attach it to my drill then one I lock the lid down no mess power stiring for as long as you like. I stir for ten minutes then every ten minutes for the first hour. As it cooled I added my enzymes by the time it was cool enough I had total starch conversation. Then I added the rest of the water put it on an O2 stone at 7l hour for the first five hours I use four stainless steel fender washers to hold my stone on the bottom so it mixes everything real well then I pitched one and a half cups of distillers yeast and two packs of of 1118 starting brix reading was 28 and she is bubbling away 24 hour later.

Good write up shineon

Thanks half baked. Good to see you poking around!

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Good to see you poking around!

+1 Hope you are well HB!
I'm planning to use this method on a big pile of corn this weekend.
SCD has become quite the innovator, make sure you check out his other threads.

All is great on the home front here I still poke around here some mostly wine no one is guarding the store. Thinking maybe mCH left the jet keys laying around. Y’all are still kickin our things I like. Red white blue And large scale mashing. I have not had any time to do anything g for a long time cause I work 6 days a week dawn till dark.

Great thread lots of great information thanks I've been using this method very successfully since trying it.

God bless Midwestern USA women.
I've got (2) 24 gallon fermenters with SF going in our living room. I'm stripping the first one tonight, second tomorrow, then adding backset warmed sugar and topping back off for Gen 2!

Running in the attached garage. she is a saint

I don't know if that is a reference to something in this thread or not but I agree about midwestern women, I've got one myself and couldn't be happier. I'll do my best to hold on to her but if I keep making vodka and brandy it's a start. I do keep putting whiskey in front of her though..

This is starting to sound like a Dear Abby thread let's get back on large batch mashing topic

I like your method and have a few questions. Do you use any back set in your method? You also said i believe that you get a lacto ferment from this, does the lacto help in your later conversions? Planning on using your method thanks for the post.

bilgriss wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2017 4:06 am RD - Respect.

I think we should take a poll on how many members' significant other would let them wrap up a 50 gallon ferment in their living room.

thats a good significant other right there

I don't normally use backset personally, but there is no particular reason why not. If I did, it would be 5 gallons (10%). I would simply load one of the boiler charges with the 5 gallons of backset and fill the rest of with water. Then proceed as normal. Id probably do the first charge like that. I think I did it like that once.

As far as lacto, it's mostly incidental. There is a higher chance with this process becuase of the timetable when cooling after mash in, but it's a welcome side effect. I get lacto from almost any all grain mash afterwards, becuase I tend to not stress over running it immediately after it's done. I don't think it helps conversion per say, maybe taste. I tend to let my whiskeys be what they will, and don't chase perfect consistency. Terrior and all. If it gets lacto, cool. Finishes above 1.00, fine. Comes out the still lower or higher, whatever. I enjoy a good whiskey while it's here, and when it's gone, I'll enjoy the next .

Hi very great method and post. I recently started making large batches and have built a similar herms system to circulate water for temp control (all inspired from here). Fantasic ideas, everything works like a charm.

Perhaps, this is a detail that is not very important but I'm still curious. How was your water after a fed days running. Does it develop algae or become murky because of the heat? Do you treat the water somehow to prevent this?

Mine gets pretty gross after a bit an my submersible pump becomes gooey and so does my aquarium element. I tried adding a bit of bleach to the water and while it does solve this problem, it created another. Chlorine or bleach react with the copper pipes and causes a green (coppery) color in the water as well as a precipitate likely copper chloride. Needless to say this isn't the brightest idea as I don't want my herms' copper tube to erode over time. I'd be interested in what people have done to prevent water algae. Not sure if it happens for coolant recirculation as well as I don't recirculate yet for condensers. And again, not a big issue either, just curious about how people deal with that (if they do), Thanks!

I use bleach in my water every 2 weeks. But I don't use a copper herm system anymore. I use a can in a barrel with just a pump and heater now. It is way more efficent.

Yeah, I saw this post too and considered it as well. The thing is my barrel is not the blue ones like you have but a black one which is more tall than wide. Finding a decent can that fits in is tough so I would change the barrel instead. I also wanted a wort chiller as honestly, these barrels keep temperatures quite well with these volumes. It's pretty long to cool without it so I figured I'd just do the herms and acheive both goals with the purchase of the copper and a pump (which I also plan to use as a recirculation for the condenser but haven't tried it yet).

But no big deal, even if the water get gross during the ferment, it is never in contact with the wort itself. Just need a clean up after. Thanks for the response.

There has toi be some algae chemical in the garden section that won't corrode your copper. I haven't looked, just speculating.

What is a can in a barrel. Is that beer brewer thing.

Nah AC. Take a 55 gallon blue barrel, filll it up about half way with water. Put heater and pump in there. Then put a 32 gallon brute in the barrel. Keeps temp perfect through the coldest winters.

Ah got ya, bain marie style and the pump is just for mixing the warm water.