uncle jesse's simple sour mash method

[Barney Fife]

How does one immigrate to NZ? Y'all speak our language and eat pulled pork BBQ with vinegar based sauce, right?

[kiwistiller]

How does one immigrate to NZ? Y'all speak our language and eat pulled pork BBQ with vinegar based sauce, right?

just turn up I think, its not very hard to get citizenship. yeah you speak our language. unfortunately, our idea of a bbq is slightly different, but i'm sure you'd manage.

[HookLine]

Barney, something Kiwi ain't telling you is that you have to eat a whole live weta on national television, before they give you citizenship there.

[violentblue]

just turn up I think, its not very hard to get citizenship. yeah you speak our language. unfortunately, our idea of a bbq is slightly different, but i'm sure you'd manage.

Barney, something Kiwi ain't telling you is that you have to eat a whole live weta on national television, before they give you citizenship there.

I think its pretty clear he alluded to that.

[Tater]

Lets get this post back on topic .

[blanikdog]

A mate was hunting around my shed looking for stuff to make a smoker and he found a half gallon flagon of UJSM that I made in May '07. Age make a big difference and supports the idea of five gallon washes and 'hiding' some. You just can't do this with two gallon capacity small commercial stills, air stills, etc which won't allow for proper cuts.

Age and volume is the secret.

blanik

[olddog]

My wife likes Southern Comfort, so with my latest UJSSM run I macerated a couple of pineapple rings, a banana and some spices in 4 lts, I am not usually keen on Southern Comfort, but you have got to keep them happy, well suprisingly its starting to taste quite good. I will leave it to macerate for another week and then see if has improved any more.

[UnclePaul]

After having a pretty good run from the first batch of UJSSM, I loaded up my fermenters for a second batch following the directions. It seems to be finishing up fermenting alot faster than the first mix did. Is this to be expected? If I continue this on to five or six fermentings, with each of the fermentings be just as fast?
The first mix took about a week to finally settle down and clear to the point I could run it. This second batch is about to give up in just four days.

[Dnderhead]

yes you have more yeast and nutrients, after a few ferments you should check the PH as it will drop.

[Rooster351]

I have my first batch of UJSM about ready to run. Probably by tomorrow night. My question is about running it in a reflux still.
I noticed Uncle Jesse does but is it run without scrubbers or refluxing or what? I'm just wondering what happens to the flavor if it is run at 80% like he says. I have only run sugar washes as of yet and most of mine were 90%+.
80% seems like it would be close to neutral by my thinking but I have never run any.
I guess I would like to know how he runs it in his still basically and how his still is set up.
Thanks for all the help in the past from everyone BTW.

[Dnderhead]

yes removing the packing will make a reflux still ,more like a pot still.
80% is the "crossover" point that you start losing most all flavors.

[Rooster351]

Thanks for that info.
As this will be my first time at not running for maximum purity how would you recommend shooting for the cuts?
I have a spirit hydrometer and built a Parrot so I could learn this. I can slow cooling water or slow the distillate offtake. I am assuming heat input would be constant to a point (I have propane heat and a beer keg with a 2.5" column, offset head with 30ft of 3/8 copper coil for condenser)
I am really excited to run this and would like to not ruin it right off the bat.

[kiwistiller]

have a look at this:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=11640
Its a compilation of various bits and peices on potstill cuts and blending. make sure you do that small jars thing, then you can puzzle it out at your leisure
Make sure your column is insulated when running as a pot still, the height of the column will generate a fair bit of reflux itself I'd imagine if you let it condense on the walls.

[Rooster351]

Thanks! looks like a lot of good info in one spot. I haven't seen that until now. There is so much info on this site it is hard to digest all of it but I'm learning slowly. We'll see after my first run tomorrow or Fri. Now I just have to source some oak or small barrels. It's probably time to start taking real notes and keeping them.

Thanks again

[Ayay]

There is a difference in flavour and character even when stilled to 95% with conservative cuts. I like UJSSM stilled to 95%, diluted to 60% for a little oak, then to 45% for drinkin. Wife and others like the DWWG stilled at 95% and diluted to 40% as a vodka. They say UJ has a 'taste'...I say DWWG has a 'taste'...we all taste different

Most of all a UJSSM brew requires the least amount of work for me

[Rooster351]

Well I ran my first sweet run of UJSSM through my de-tuned reflux still. I took out about 75% of my scrubbers for the first run.
It ran quite differently than trying to run a neutral. My results were disappointing to me. I separated what I thought were the heads and when temps ran real steady I kept what I thought were the hearts. Then tails... I know the first run should be thrown into the next batch but when cut in half (by volume) the middle run tastes like cardboard.
I have yet to age anything so I would like to get input from anyone with similar results or input from the pro's.
Would I be better off trying to run through a true pot still and learn from there?
Obviously making a neutral is the easiest for me with this set up but I've already become bored doing that and would like to move on to the real deal.
Give me some flavor Damnitt!

[Rooster351]

Forgot to say... Middle run was coming out at about 80%...

[Beerswimmer]

I know the first run should be thrown into the next batch but when cut in half (by volume) the middle run tastes like cardboard.
I have yet to age anything so I would like to get input from anyone with similar results or input from the pro's.

Give me some flavor Damnitt!

My first run when un-oaked tasted more like the stalk, or cob of the corn. After I oaked it, it tasted more like a bourbon should. Now when you use the wash in the next gen, it'll smell like real bourbon in the fermenter and taste the way you think it should. Remember, it's a process!

[Nightforce]

Put your ingredients into the fermenter in the order listed and close it. You should start to see fermentation of the sugar within 12 hours. It should take 3 or 4 days for the ebullition to end. Siphon your beer out of the fermenter with a racking cane and charge your still.

I started 2 UJSM first batches about 5 days ago but the temps in the garage are 50's at night and up to 70's during the day when I turn on the heater. The air locks aren't rattling much at all, and the mash tastes fairly bland to a touch sour but it's still looks like it's bubbling slightly. How to tell when it's ready to run? Specific gravity, or just when most of the activity seems to have subsided?

[Hawke]

Best is SG. Should be under 1.00
Most of my first runs are a bit slow, especially if the tmps are low.

[Nightforce]

S.G. was 1.005 which gave me a 10.35% wash to run. I went ahead and ran it anyway to test my pot still. Yield was low as expected. I'll wait out the second batch to under 1.

[Uncle Jesse]

S.G. was 1.005 which gave me a 10.35% wash to run. I went ahead and ran it anyway to test my pot still. Yield was low as expected. I'll wait out the second batch to under 1.

Fermentations get faster and more efficient after a run or two. You have more nutrients in the trub/dunder to help your fermentation, and the yeast really does seem to like the additional backset as well.

Someone asked about turbos - I wouldn't do it. Too easy to get off flavors. Too finicky about temperatures.

Do you really need that couple extra proof in your mash? Do you really want it? I have always felt that pushing the SG in a wash simply for the sake of getting more alcohol, is a waste of time and a sacrifice of beneficial flavors.

As I've always said, you can't rush a quality spirit. Patience pays off in this hobby.

[Nightforce]

I've got 2 packs of turbo that I doubt I ever use or if I do, it will be maybe 1/4 packet per wash. Good nutrients in the wash and a plain old bakers yeast seem to work great. I've got several sugar washes that are just sugar, water, a little DAP and yeast that are still slowly fermenting and it's been about 3 weeks. With this recipe, it's super easy to get 11-12% wash in 3 days. I've got to try pinto's rum wash just to see a wash ferment in 36 hours.

Uncle Jesse,

I found out that yes, ferments speed up with each generation of wash. First sweet wash took 5-6 days at the temps in my garage, one batch is on it's 2rd generation and it's ready to run after 4 days, another batch is on it's 3rd gen. and it's probably going to be ready in 3-4 days as well. Smell and flavor beat the turbos all to hell. Now to toast some oak and do some runs to get some cask strength stuff to oak and play the waiting game.

[Bull Rider]

I have two seven gallon fermenters that contain sweet UJSM and both are ready to run today. I also have a twenty five gallon fermenter that contains seven gallons of sweet UJSM that I started three days ago and that batch is not ready to run.

I'm going to siphon off the mash from the two seven gallon fermenters that are ready. Then I'd like to take the lees from those two fermenters and dump them into the big fermenter that's not done.

After running the strip run today on the sweet UJSM, I'm thinking I could add the backset from todays strip run back into the big fermenter. Add a little water, corn and sugar to balance, and let that continue to ferment.


Thanks for any help and/or advise on this...

[Uncle Jesse]

I'm going to siphon off the mash from the two seven gallon fermenters that are ready. Then I'd like to take the lees from those two fermenters and dump them into the big fermenter that's not done.

That should be just fine. And it will give your mash a big kick.

I'm After running the strip run today on the sweet UJSM, I'm thinking I could add the backset from todays strip run back into the big fermenter. Add a little water, corn and sugar to balance, and let that continue to ferment.


Thanks for any help and/or advise on this...

Never tried this but it's probably worth a shot. My only hesitation is that you've lost some time with this ferment as far as getting the backset to give you some lactic souring. The backset will help your ferment and flavor though, and it's worth a try. I still bet that it won't hit a really good flavor for a few generations though.

[Bull Rider]

Thanks Jesse, for the reply:

I ran about six and a half gallons of UJSM today. It was just a little over 10%.

The first 100 ml I tossed without measuring the ABV.
#2 was 600 ml at 63%
#3 was 1000 ml at 56%
#4 was 1000 ml at 48%
#5 was 1000 ml at 38%
#6 was 1000 ml at 20%
#7 was 500 ml at 15%

So I ran 5100 ml in an hour and fifteen minutes. Nice and easy it seemed.
Flame on burner was turned low. 15.5 gallon keg, 2"x24" column, and 40" leibeg. It was about 30 degrees out F.

I'm going to run all of the above (except foreshots) in a spirit run next week.

I've added three gallons of backset with seven pounds of sugar, plus five pounds of corn back into fermenter.

Thanks again for your help.

[HookLine]

Fermentations get faster and more efficient after a run or two. You have more nutrients in the trub/dunder to help your fermentation, and the yeast really does seem to like the additional backset as well.

I find the same with dunder for rum ferments. They seem to get faster with each generation.

[tater-shine]

Got a ? for someone with more mashing experience then me. I mixed up a barrel of UJSSM , put the sugar and corn in the botom, covered with boiling water and just let it cool overnight. Today its still at 115F. So my question is, did i get any sugar conversion out of the corn? If i did is that a problem? Can you have too much sugar in a wash? Thanks

[Dnderhead]

take a hydro. reading on mash? that will tell if you added to much sugar.
the corn in this recipe is mostly for flavor thoe a small amount will be converted by the yeast.
how long it takes to cool off depends on a bunch of things, but most don't use all hot water
enuff to "cook" the corn and desolve the sugar ,,then "top" with cold. (your just going to halve to wate for it to cool off)

[tater-shine]

Just did the hydro but I guess i'm unshure on how to use it. It sayd .31 or 3.1? does that sound rite?