Home Distiller

Well after reading this thread last weekend put down 5kg's of barely to malt and when I check them on Friday they were ready to dry so I setup a 6mm plate on my green can burner and put some scrap 25mm plate to make the walls. Then about a inch thick of wet malt was palced and constantly moved around using 2 scrapers on the hot plate. Where it didn't dry them completely it did take 2 cans to get all the malt done. Then put the malt in my hotbox and it di a good job drying the malt but not fully as I ended up with 6kg's of milled grain. Yesterday I went into the HBS to get some enzymes but they were out of stock so just grabbed a kilo of Joe White malt.

Now using the calc from the first post 8 kg's needed 20 litres of water and I had 7kg's, I had intended to mill up a kilo of unmalted barley but I had packed up the corona mill so bugger it 7kg's it was.

I setup my 50 litre keg mash tun and used my green can burner as the heat source where it took just over an hour to get 20 litres to 77C. Then I put all the grain in where the temp dropped back to 68C just as the calc predicted. So wrapped a sleeping blanket around and when the temp dopped to 64C I put the burner back on get back to 68C. After 3 hours the iodine test showed no more starch and with 20 litres had 1064SG. I did try a sparge with 4 litres of 73C water but that dropped the SG to 1048. Now I thought trying to squeeze 23 litres out of 7kg's of grain was going to fun I did a sugar bump with 4kg's to get it up to 40 litres. The starting gravity was 1053 and I used a packet of US-05 yeast where I used some wash to make a yeast starter.

So this is my successful venture into AG and once the first spirit run is done where I use the 4 plates on my bubbler, I'll put some backset in the fermenter and do a sugar bump to get the most of these grains.

Cheers Bryan

Another successful jimbo run malt is the set it and forget it of shining as long as you have a process

Made the original recipe using some Red Wheat from the HBS. Turned out fantastic, in my opinion (as a newbie). Already modifying my second batch with 85% Red Wheat and 15% Cherry Smoked a Malt. It’s in the fermenter now and hoping to run next weekend. If this one comes out we’ll I’m gonna scale it up and put it on some oak.

Contemplating filling a 5 gallon barrel here. Entertain a scotch lovin' newbie.
At 1.4 to 1.5 gallons per 40# of 60%, I'd need 142# of malted barley? Call it 3 bags.
About 7 stripping runs of 10G each, and 2 or 3 Spirit runs?
Does that sound right or am I off somewhere?

Whatever the math do it this recipe is the bees knees

I'm seriously thinking about another 60 pound run of this

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:24 pm Whatever the math do it this recipe is the bees knees

I'm going to, but first I'm going to cut my teeth on some SF runs to learn my still, and an efficient mash fermentation process that fits my schedule.
The local distillery is selling their once used 5 gallon Bourbon barrels for 50 bucks. Im picking up two tomorrow. One is gonna get 5 gallons of Malbec and be cellared at the local winery, the other is gonna be set aside for this.

I did this as my first all grain. Simple enough. I used 10 lbs 6 row malted barley. I am still exploring flavors so I decided to keep it simple
To see what it tastes like.
The mashing process was straight forward but I do not have any proper sparging setup so I did the first mash in 3 gallons for 90 min then did a second rinse with two more. My mashing technique needs Improvment for sure but I did end up with about 4.5 gallons at 1.05 or so. Lower than I wanted but it’s what I got so I went with it. The fermentation went well with the us-05 ale yeast. Took about a week.
Distilling- first run was cloudy. I had a lot of puking/ foaming apparently so ran it down to %10, put it back in the boiler and ran it again. Second run was clear. Yield was low. Only got about 1000 ml of good likker. But it is certainly good. (Though off the still was unimpressive)
It’s only aged about a month but I’ve been fast forwarding it by nuking it just to experiment
hoping to see it’s potential faster and see if I want to make more.
I see now how the flavors change with time in alibeit not as much as a proper aging but I am inspired to make an AG that can sit a few years and properly mature. I can appreciate why scotch costs what it cost and has to age as long as it does after doing this. Quite a learning experience.
I like this recipe and I’ll Be making it again.

I'm thinking of getting a Nottingham yeast and 50 pound of 2 row

My first AG was barley. It went well and if I would have let it age it would have been better. I wanted to try this recipe because it is less cleanup. Heat water. Put it in the fermenter. Add crush grain. Stir stir stir. Add water to get 1.060. Pitch yeast. This is the easiest and cleanest mash I have done yet. Nothing like putting my BOP away clean without a scrub. After my wheat ferment I really enjoy squeezing fermented grains instead of sticky mash grains. It’s getting easier and easier.

Now the airlock looks like it’s gonna blow. I have 12 gal in the fermenter and used 20lb barley malt and 1lb peated barley malt. The peat was a bonus. I plan on doing this 5 times to get a good volume for a spirit run then age for a year. I hope to be still doing this in a year and report back.

Jimbo is genius. Thanks

What adjustments would you make if you (I) wanted to ferment off the grain?

I do this recipe off grain laughter and squeeze

well, I got my first 23 gallons mashed this morning and pitched yeast. I cant believe how easy this went! Took about 20 minutes yesterday to mill 40 pounds of barley while stripping SF, and added it to my Brute.
Filled my boiler with 13 gallons of water last night after cleaning up. Couldn't sleep, so I got up and fired up the boiler about 3:30 and checked the temperature of my grain with my IR gun. Mashed in 13 gallons of 161° water and stirred with my mortar mixer. Checked the temp again and 148° on the money. Covered and wrapped, stirred every half hour and let it rest 2 hours total. Iodine verified conversion, and added 8 gallons of ice and water, and stirred until the ice melted. Dropped in a wort chiller and dropped it the rest of the way to 70° and pitched my US-05. No more sugar washes for me!

It's a fun mash to say the least I have just got a bag of 2row and plan to mash next weekend since I have 2 wineos spirit runs to get done I too will use us05. I have to do mine in small batches and combine into a bigger 25 gallon mash

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 1:40 pm 20200926_094343.jpg

My, what a big sack you have!

here is my ingredients
2 row pale, and Maris Otter, 50/50, US-05, and a once used 5 gallon bourbon barrel.

You got it going on buddy I'm just aging in glass jugs with old wine barrel.im thinking I'll jump in and do the on grain this time.just heat water stir wait add cool water yeast er up and go to bed

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:30 am You got it going on buddy I'm just aging in glass jugs with old wine barrel.im thinking I'll jump in and do the on grain this time.just heat water stir wait add cool water yeast er up and go to bed

I feel pretty fortunate to have access to such a good supply of these once used barrels.

I really want a good barrel but I have 3 kids and that comes first over the hobby you know

Getting wineos wash spirit run done so I can work on my big sack of barley

I get it. My kids are grown now, the hard work is done. I couldnt have afforded this hobby when the kids were growing up.
These barrels are quite the deal at $50 each compared to a new barrel and shipping costs. And the supply is just a mile or so away. I helped out TB and shipped him one since the distillery would rather keep them available for walk in customers. Shipping wasn't cheap, but I think it was still much cheaper than if he'd bought a brand new barrel on line and had it shipped.

I wish I could get one off ya man. I really want to see some of my white likker go into a barrel and come out in a year or two. I moved with the wife and kids on a sour note from her dads house and the bastard stole some of my stuff including a Maris otter 5 gallon barrel I worked hard to make it was a balcones and not cheap but what ever right... I'll find one somewhere for the right price

Deplorable wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:37 am well, I got my first 23 gallons mashed this morning and pitched yeast. I cant believe how easy this went! Took about 20 minutes yesterday to mill 40 pounds of barley while stripping SF, and added it to my Brute.
Filled my boiler with 13 gallons of water last night after cleaning up. Couldn't sleep, so I got up and fired up the boiler about 3:30 and checked the temperature of my grain with my IR gun. Mashed in 13 gallons of 161° water and stirred with my mortar mixer. Checked the temp again and 148° on the money. Covered and wrapped, stirred every half hour and let it rest 2 hours total. Iodine verified conversion, and added 8 gallons of ice and water, and stirred until the ice melted. Dropped in a wort chiller and dropped it the rest of the way to 70° and pitched my US-05. No more sugar washes for me!

How easy is it squeezing the fermented grains I've always went the hard way and got all sticky I'm running a 8 gallon boiler or have you done it yet

Not on an all grain, but on a sweet feed sugar wash its not horrible if you do it this way. I scooped 25 pounds of slop into a large BIAB, and put 35 pounds of weight on top and let gravity do the work. I will be buying a mop wringer.

I do the mop wringer thing before I ferment and dont like it guess I'm gonna do this in 25 gallons with my big sack you saw

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:52 am I do the mop wringer thing before I ferment and dont like it guess I'm gonna do this in 25 gallons with my big sack you saw

I always do my ferment on the grain and started with the mop wringer, but I am finding that now I don't bother with the squeeze part. I just put a bag of wet grains in the wringer and give it a quick push down with my hands. My batches are 84lbs of grain so lots of pushing but it goes pretty fast. Most everything comes out since the sugars are all gone and the barley grains are pretty coarse. Now, when I do a bourbon with corn meal forget about- that is a real pain in the wringer!

StuNY wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:28 am

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:52 am I do the mop wringer thing before I ferment and dont like it guess I'm gonna do this in 25 gallons with my big sack you saw

I always do my ferment on the grain and started with the mop wringer, but I am finding that now I don't bother with the squeeze part. I just put a bag of wet grains in the wringer and give it a quick push down with my hands. My batches are 84lbs of grain so lots of pushing but it goes pretty fast. Most everything comes out since the sugars are all gone and the barley grains are pretty coarse. Now, when I do a bourbon with corn meal forget about- that is a real pain in the wringer!

I asked this question in the mop wringer thread but didn't get an answer. Is a side press or a down press wringer the preferred wringer for this?

Deplorable wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:15 am I asked this question in the mop wringer thread but didn't get an answer. Is a side press or a down press wringer the preferred wringer for this?

Most people are using the standard side press rubbermaid mop wringer. That's what I have. Works fine but gets messy fast. Liquid squirts out a number of different directions when you squeeze. One of the reasons I am just giving it a push into the basket and not bothering with the handle to wring it.

Same problem I experience using my method above I guess. Before I push down on the top of the grain bag, I put a plastic bag over the basket and tuck the ends into the pot below.