uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

[rolling]

I use 1/2 gallon Ball canning jars. I got 4" x 4" PTFE squares on amazon, I'm sure they're still out there, cheap, precut, perfect size. I just screw the lid ring on right over the PTFE, added benefit is I have no liquor vapors in contact with the metal ring. There is room between the jar and the ring for the PTFE. I put 4 pinholes in the PTFE and put it up. Since I don't have any barrels this is my SOP for all of my liquor, on wood or not. I was amazed at how my UJSSM improved after sitting this way for months.

[SGB]

My wash had these worms in it. Anybody know what or why?
Seems to me that they are meal worms from the corn. Usually I mix the corn in with hot backset and sugar but last time I didn't, just added the corn at the very end . I was surprised to see that they were all alive happy.
I guess the ABV didn't bug them at all....

[BourbonBoi]

Its your corn, you should go through it and find them and get rid of them. Worms and weevils can be found in corn. I store my corn in tubs, I get it from a local mill and who knows what goes on there. I lightly tape a silicate park to the lid to dry it all out.

[Saltbush Bill]

Might add some flavour ....Id strain them out n run it. If it doesn't taste good give it to free loaders that you don't want visiting again.

[NZChris]

You are what you eat and they've been eating corn. I ignore critters except to get that batch of ingredients done quickly before they contaminate something else.

[Mlj1469]

This was my first recipe I’ve done since I got back into the hobby. Works like a champ i have a batch that just finished that I added Agave nectar to it... I hope the flavor carries over through my column.

[Justinthunder]

Would it be beneficial to do a stripping and a spirit run for a ujssm? My wife likes a more neutral spirit but I have a pot still so I’d like to still do a little corn, mainly why I chose this recipe, I will also be using bread yeast. Is the back set okay to freeze? My wife doesn’t drink like I do so I may only need to do one or 2 20 gallon runs a year for her especially if a spirit run is needed. Also if I am freezing the backset I would probably be using 7# of new corn every time instead of keeping some and just filtering it out before every run.

[Bushman]

Everybody’s taste is different. We have a lot of threads on stripping run vs just spirit, the only one you have to please is you and your wife so best option is do at least one or two to compare the two methods and determine what is best for your family. There is no wrong choice here!

[Justinthunder]

Fair enough, I only ask because I always strip 20 gallons of my
Ag mash and then do a spirit run, I was just curious about this sugar “wash” I’m not too familiar with it.

[SGB]

Might add some flavour ....Id strain them out n run it. If it doesn't taste good give it to free loaders that you don't want visiting again.

The corn with worms costs extra here..
It tastes fine though no difference that I can tell . In fact I'm thinking about adding a worm in the bottle like Mescal

[Reaverman]

At the end of Nth generation run, I assume I can bag and freeze the corn/backset (including yeast) and then then use if for another time?

[MartinCash]

Possibly, but the ingredients are so cheap why don't you freeze backset instead? The yeast may not survive freezing.

[Reaverman]

Possibly, but the ingredients are so cheap why don't you freeze backset instead? The yeast may not survive freezing.

Yeah, fair enough. I will do that, cheers!

[DasBeast007]

Such a great wash recipe to learn from. I ran two 6-gallon fermenters which allowed me to run a batch each weekend (initially). Generations 1-3 for both fermenters were stripped to low wines and stored until I had enough collected for the spirit run (talk about a fun weekend). Gen 4 was started simultaneously in both fermenters in hopes of running them through my larger boiler...one day. That 4th gen is mighty slow to ferment out.

My favorite part is adding the backset which allows me to taste the sourness straight from the boiler, add sugar and taste again, then mix into the wash and try just one more sample. I swear a shot of sugar and backset seems like it would make a great mixer!

[Saltbush Bill]

If your 4th gen is slow add less backset to the next generation. Theres a good chance to much is what slowed it down.

[quidjibo]

Is there a way to boost the caramel/vanilla flavours after oaking? I have had 3rd gen UJSSM on SS oak chunks for a few weeks, there is a nice level of oak in the flavour and the colour has come along, but it is lacking the vanilla/caramel type notes I like in my bourbons.

I do have 4L (a gallon) aging which I will leave for 3+ months but looking to improve what I am drinking in the interim.

Can I add a small amount of caramel oil used for candy making or caramel syrup used for coffee?

(edit: I have been aging at 55% ABV)

[NZChris]

Did you toast and char the oak?

I use up to 12mm/l of vanilla bean in 62.5%

[quidjibo]

I used these..

[Dmcmullen]

Uncle Jesse just wanted to say thanks. so far is a great first recipe for a noob i followed it exactly as written every thing i have done so far has been a turbo wash i can't wait to run this stuff in a few days she's bubbling away.

[ThomasBrewer]

I've noticed a very similar flavor coming through on the stripping runs of Gen 7-9. It's a very persistent taste of the "smell of a sugarbowl", or reminiscent somewhat of the flavor of the milk leftover after adding sugar to bland breakfast cereal like Corn Flakes. Am I completely imagining this connection, or do other folks taste it too?

[Shaker Assault]

I've noticed a very similar flavor coming through on the stripping runs of Gen 7-9. It's a very persistent taste of the "smell of a sugarbowl", or reminiscent somewhat of the flavor of the milk leftover after adding sugar to bland breakfast cereal like Corn Flakes. Am I completely imagining this connection, or do other folks taste it too?

I know virtually nothing but I have been told by two people (with far more experience than I) who have run this recipe say that beyond the 5th or possibly 6th generation the flavor profile starts to drop off, tasting faintly of spoiled milk. I was coming here to post the question if others had experienced that (I'm only on 4th gen now myself) and saw this post, so I'll just wait for answers to your question!

[Saltbush Bill]

Ive had the same batch running generation after generation for about 9 years....lost track of how many gens years ago.....ive no idea of what a sugar bowl smell is. I can say though ive never smelled anything that resembles any sort of milk, spoiled or otherwise.
As for flavour drop off, ive never experienced that either....as long as you replace a litte of the grain each time flavour gets better if anything.

[RC Al]

I run 2 UJ mashes, one sour mash, the other sweet, they both produce very different flavours and are both well beyond 6 gens - getting slack with putting them down again as I move into AG, both sitting sealed with the trub in them atm.

If anything the flavours are getting better - I dont change grain every batch either, more like every 4 - but i'm using a 200l drum with about 40l of trub/grain bed for a 160l or so wash.

A lacto infection is highly recommended and has happened to both. The sweet mash was done with a whiskey yeast and will throw a bubblegum flavour occasionally that I find quite nice - it dose disappear with ageing though.

How old the feed grade corn is can be a crap shoot and one bag I got smelled downright grassy/hay like - it got used for angel and that flavour came through, not a fan. Moral there is have a good sniff of your bag before buying, if it smells "off", find another source.

[pickednick]

I've noticed something different today.
Just after stripping 9th gen making 10th generation of wash yesterday, I gave trubs really good stirring and It started fermenting sooner than ever.
Generally it takes like 1-2 day to start ferment but it did really quick this time.

[IMALOSERSCUMBAG]

I noticed it when I got deep into the generations. I figured it was due to the amount of yeast that has multiplied vs died and maybe the nutrient availble?

[ng71xy]

G’day, my first post in quiet a while!!! A massive lurker haha

So a couple of days ago I started my second round of UJSSM after stopping my first round after 20ish generations.
To get to generation 4-5 a bit quicker what I’ve done is made the first generation super low OG, 1030ish, hoping for a super quick ferment, and it fermented out in 2 days!! Second gen is going now starting at 1040ish…has anyone else attempted it this way??
I’m just gonna chuck the low wines of gen 1-3 in with my saved up feints and run them through the reflux

[Tom Kat]

My first run of
UCSSM was really good, and I am excited to get to that 3rd and 4th generation some day.

[subbrew]

Tom - great looking deer.

Just starting this hobby myself, but I will give my nob experience. I did 5 stripping runs on 5 gens and then the spirit run. My still is under powered so even my stripping runs have separation of heads, hearts and tails. This means that on each run I was able to grab a few hundred ml of hearts from the stripping run. Based on that the first gen was good, but basic. The flavor was corn, and more of a fresh corn taste than future generations. Each future generation had more complexity, still the corn but not as fresh, had more flavors like you get when you suck the juice out of the cob after eating sweet corn. but put them all together and do the spirit run and it is a fine product. I am looking forward to see what it taste like after a year on oak. But I am also happy to sip white dog.

The only other advice I can give someone trying this is to limit backset. Reusing the corn or part of the corn is giving quite a bit of backset without adding much additional. I was putting about 20% in addition to any in the corn for gens 2 and 3 and I found my fermentations taking 3 weeks, and that was with chalk and oyster shell additions for ph control. Flavor was great, but it was slow.

[Magic]

Tom - great looking deer.

Just starting this hobby myself, but I will give my nob experience. I did 5 stripping runs on 5 gens and then the spirit run. My still is under powered so even my stripping runs have separation of heads, hearts and tails. This means that on each run I was able to grab a few hundred ml of hearts from the stripping run. Based on that the first gen was good, but basic. The flavor was corn, and more of a fresh corn taste than future generations. Each future generation had more complexity, still the corn but not as fresh, had more flavors like you get when you suck the juice out of the cob after eating sweet corn. but put them all together and do the spirit run and it is a fine product. I am looking forward to see what it taste like after a year on oak. But I am also happy to sip white dog.

The only other advice I can give someone trying this is to limit backset. Reusing the corn or part of the corn is giving quite a bit of backset without adding much additional. I was putting about 20% in addition to any in the corn for gens 2 and 3 and I found my fermentations taking 3 weeks, and that was with chalk and oyster shell additions for ph control. Flavor was great, but it was slow.

i was using at least 25 % backset went through gen 4 am
nd yes it was slow but the spirit after 4 was good got 3 quarts of hearts at 160 drinkinking 1 that i cut to 90 and vewed to get white oak to ag rest

[dunluce]

So I have just fermented my first batch of UJSSM. Not looking forward to the first few gens, but wanting to get to gen 3/4/5....etc.

I there any benefit to taking the first few stripping runs of the first gens, and then adding them back into the stripping runs of later gens instead of drinking them?