Jimbo's Single Malt AG Recipe

[dieselduo]

Sparging with hot water seems easier with less mess and cleanup to me

[Durhommer]

I think I'm going to just sparge it all 10 pounds on 4 gallon sparge with 2 until I reached liquid maximum of fermenter then if sg is off remove some fluid and squeeze grain before throwing it out and add that fluid. I done it my way once or twice before with good results

[Durhommer]

Ready for my next ag single malt run

[Deplorable]

Its the beginning of day 6 of my ferment. I took a peek inside, I have not touched this at all since pitching the yeast. What is growing on my grain cap here?

[StuNY]

You have yourself a lacto infection growing there! Not to worry, very common with whiskeys. Opinions range from "doesn't make a difference in final product" to "Gives final product a better taste" haha! Sometimes comes in on the grain even if you have sterilized all of your equipment. Probably happens to my whiskey fermentations 1 in 6 or 7 times.

[Deplorable]

[Durhommer]

Nice cap there deplorable

[Deplorable]

Thanks. I've been very careful with this leap as I want it to really be a fine whiskey. I took great care in cleaning everything prior to beginning. Fermenter, mortar mixer, everything that would come into contact with the mash got cleaned with Star-San. I have a pretty high degree of confidence that the infection came in with the grain. But Im new and dont know what I dont know.
If it did come in on the grain, this will likely carry over in the next two ferments from the same bags.
I suspect the ferment is almost finished. It's quiet, and the cap is pulling away from the sides. The temp has been dropping about 2° a day. Hopefully it will be ready to run this weekend.

[Durhommer]

It will be tomorrow punch the cap in the morning go to work come back check sg fg reading. It came on the grain if you have starsan nothing wrong with it I had it twice in my couple years malt mashing is uber easy just stay away from corn unless you have the testicular fortitude for it I like mashing my grains all separately stripping them separately then blending them in the spirit run

[Corsaire]

FWIW I've never punched down the cap on whisky ferments. I guess it's more a winemakers' thing.

[Deplorable]

FWIW I've never punched down the cap on whisky ferments. I guess it's more a winemakers' thing.

Yeah, I did a search and thats the consensus. It's slowly sinking on its own. The top of the cap is soggy now and about 90% covered by that pinkish-orange color. I'll let it do its thing. You can't rush good whiskey.

[Durhommer]

True I learn something new every day on here

[Durhommer]

And it begins...

[Durhommer]

FWIW I've never punched down the cap on whisky ferments. I guess it's more a winemakers' thing.

Yeah, I did a search and thats the consensus. It's slowly sinking on its own. The top of the cap is soggy now and about 90% covered by that pinkish-orange color. I'll let it do its thing. You can't rush good whiskey.

Hows your mash doing

[Durhommer]

Holding mash temperatures

[Deplorable]

FWIW I've never punched down the cap on whisky ferments. I guess it's more a winemakers' thing.

Yeah, I did a search and thats the consensus. It's slowly sinking on its own. The top of the cap is soggy now and about 90% covered by that pinkish-orange color. I'll let it do its thing. You can't rush good whiskey.

Hows your mash doing

The cap is almost fully submerged and the current gravity is 1.010 tem is 67.3°f and bubbling steady through the cap. Had a taste this morning, interesting flavors of what reminded me of mellon or gourd blossoms?

[jonnys_spirit]

I take the wine approach and punch down often for best extraction. What would the benefit be of not punching down?

Cheers,
-jonny

[Durhommer]

Nice how many packets of us05 you use that's what I'm gonna put on mine I'm doing this in a 55 gallon barrel and I have two 30s one for pc cooler and one for ferment this is my first time breaking in the 55 I'm doing it on grain too.do you leave your lid loose? Do you airlock? I dont want to cut this lid up if I dont have to

[Deplorable]

Nice how many packets of us05 you use that's what I'm gonna put on mine I'm doing this in a 55 gallon barrel and I have two 30s one for pc cooler and one for ferment this is my first time breaking in the 55 I'm doing it on grain too.do you leave your lid loose? Do you airlock? I dont want to cut this lid up if I dont have to

This is a 23 gallon mash. Following Jimbos to the letter. I used 4 packs of us05 for my mash. Figure on a packet for every 5-7 gallons.

[Deplorable]

No air lock just set the lid on. (Can't air-lock a Brute anyway) I actually had a sheet over the top rather than the lid for a while because the temp was getting towards the high end of the range due to some unexpected nice weather.

[Durhommer]

Ok well thanks I'm doing it right too exactly what jimbo wrote. Not looking forward to the grain squeeze but whatever. So if you're at 1010 you're almost done with it keep us informed on what happens with it

[Deplorable]

Hell, you got a mop wringer. I'll be hand squeezin.

[Durhommer]

Which reminds me my paint strainer bags are kinda old

[Deplorable]

You got a week to get more.

[Durhommer]

My wife works at the orange store I'll have her bring some home

[Deplorable]

Well that's convenient.

[Durhommer]

Sometimes it's ok. I'm just hoping that I'll get good results from this like I did when I strained the grain before fermenting

[Durhommer]

No air lock just set the lid on. (Can't air-lock a Brute anyway) I actually had a sheet over the top rather than the lid for a while because the temp was getting towards the high end of the range due to some unexpected nice weather.

Did you pitch your yeast wait and stir it in?

[Deplorable]

Hydrated it in about two quarts of wort, and poured it in.

[Durhommer]

I should have done it that way I just did what the package said