Home Distiller

I don't know if this is the right place for this question but, here it is. Has anyone tried using homing instead of corn in a wash? I keep looking at this white stuff on my plate thinking the conversion on this stuff would be awesome. Has anyone tried it or know of a reason not to do it?

Not sure that it will convert. Hominy has been chemically treated to change it from regular corn to hominy. If you've ever had grits, it's ground hominy. There's also a canned version of whole hominy that's eaten as a side dish. I think it's lye or some such that's used to make it.

Maybe someone else can answer as to whether or not it can be converted in a mash.

S-C

I know it was soaked in lye in the old days I assume it still is. Just thinking that what the lye does is essentially start breaking the corn down and removes the husk from the kernel. It puffs up and becomes more digestible. Would this make it easier for yeast to work it's magic? I think I might have seen someone say they used white grits but don't remember who or where.

Not to "steal" the subject but wonder who the first person to eat a chunk of lime was, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_%28material%29


and why he/she would mix it with food.

I don't know about lime. Lye is sodium hydroxide. I've made it from rain water through hardwood ashes for soap making.

Hominy is starch. It'll convert if enzymes (or malt) are used in a mash. Usually it's a lot more expensive than regular feed corn, so it's probably not as popular as a feed stock.

Thank you Heartcut. I found a wholesale food place that has white for about 50 cents a pound. I cant find any other white corn. All the old shine recipes call for white corn. I would like to try to duplicate as close as possible for the nostalgia and tradition. It wouldn't be an ongoing thing just a " what it was like back in the day" thing.

Nixtamilization...
Changes the corn so that it's vitamins are acessible to be digested by humans...
Or Yeast.
If nixtamilization had not been invented,
early humans could not have developed corn as a staple crop.
You could starve to death with a belly full of corn.

Bottom line, yeast like it more than regular corn.
It's generally not as cheap though.

Thank you TDS,
I think, being new at this Ive got a case of " why couldn't this or that be fermented".

Lima Whiskey wrote:Thank you TDS,
I think, being new at this Ive got a case of " why couldn't this or that be fermented".

I'll tell you a secret...
Monascus Purpureas and Aspergillus Oryzae take to Nixtamilized Corn products like Moths to the Flame.
Sssshhhh!!!!

"but wonder who the first person to eat a chunk of lime was,"
it was probably done it by mistake,grinding corn/maze on a lime stone rock.
corn and stone dust all went into the pot.

Dnderhead wrote:"but wonder who the first person to eat a chunk of lime was,"
it was probably done it by mistake,grinding corn/maze on a lime stone rock.
corn and stone dust all went into the pot.

South American Indians carried small clay pots of powdered lime,
To chew with the leaves of the coca plant.

I'll tell you a secret...
Monascus Purpureas and Aspergillus Oryzae take to Nixtamilized Corn products like Moths to the Flame.
Sssshhhh!!!!
[/quote]

Would this imply that you've used AO and yeast to ferment a grain-whiskey as opposed to rice?? pray, do tell!

NAB

TDS wrote:Nixtamilization...
Changes the corn so that it's vitamins are acessible to be digested by humans...
Or Yeast.
If nixtamilization had not been invented,
early humans could not have developed corn as a staple crop.
You could starve to death with a belly full of corn.

Bottom line, yeast like it more than regular corn.
It's generally not as cheap though.

Wow, now I know why it sometimes looks the same coming out as it did going in.

nabtastic wrote:I'll tell you a secret...
Monascus Purpureas and Aspergillus Oryzae take to Nixtamilized Corn products like Moths to the Flame.
Sssshhhh!!!!

Would this imply that you've used AO and yeast to ferment a grain-whiskey as opposed to rice?? pray, do tell!

NAB[/quote]


I am working on it... many batches lying in the mulch pile behind the house...
Hopefully soon I will have something worth reporting.
Also, Aspergillus and Monascus are themselves yeasts.

I am working on it... many batches lying in the mulch pile behind the house...
Hopefully soon I will have something worth reporting.
Also, Aspergillus and Monascus are themselves yeasts.[/quote]

I don't mean to split hairs as I am constantly learning, but I was under the impression that Aspergillus is a mold that secretes the alpha and beta amylase enzymes that allowed the Sacc. yeast to metabolize it. Or is Monascus what ferments the converted sugars into ethyl alcohol? Again, I'm looking for clarification because I've been very interested in using Koji to make an all grain whiskey. This is not an attempt to troll or to correct..

Thanks,
NAB

"Aspergillus is a mold that secretes the alpha and beta amylase enzymes that allowed the Sacc."
correct.both monascus and aspergillus are mold that brake down the starch (in place of malt),then yeast is added to ferment.

They are a mold,
And also a fungus,
and also a yeast.

I know, right?
It's so crazy!

Either of these organisms is fully capable,
All on its own
Of going starch
To sugar
To ethanol.


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

They are a mold,>>>>>>>>>YES
And also a fungus,>>>>>>>>YES
and also a yeast.>>>>>>>>> NO

the mold/fungus brakes down the starch then yeast is added..or some yeast mite be added at the same time.

http://www.sake-world.com/html/brewing-process.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Yeast, yes.

I has bottles of rice wine made soley with these organisms.


http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I know that certain fungi will metabolize ethanol and some will grow on it, but I've never heard of one producing ethanol. Every sake posting that I've read has referenced Koji which is an A.O mold with a yeast strain mixture. Although I'm quite certain you could use a wild yeast if you like.

that was mostly over my head, not going to lie. Where did it reference being a yeast or metabolizing sucrose/fructose into ethyl alcohol?

*found it, but I still don't get why koji is made with a yeast starter if A.O. will convert it for you?

Click on the article tab. The study on solid bed bioreactors referenced at the bottom is a dynamite article as well.

And monascus is a variety of went yeast.
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mon ... CCYQgQMwAA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I am fine with it if people believe differently than me


All yeasts are fungus, but not all fungus is yeast.

All yeasts are molds, but not all molds are yeasts.

The Kingdom is fungus
The phylum is molds.
Yeasts are a subset.

oh you're saying that the monascus is the yeast? I thought you were saying that A.O. metabolizes the sugars. Fungi is crazy man. Kind of surprising they are so underrepresented in the gardening world.. thanks for clearing the confusion

I am saying they are both yeasts.

I believe Dunderhead respectfully disagrees.

I can tell you for a fact, I have fermented rice
Using either organism alone
And produced awesome rice wine
At 16% abv.
I currently use them in tandem
Because it's faster
And tastes fruity!


http://www.agro.cmu.ac.th/research/WebA ... l_j010.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I looked into Sake...

Lots of work, on a tight schedule...
So not my style...

Cooked rice, Aspergillus, Monascus or both,
Close the bucket, come back in 21 days.
Drink it like that or run it!

Tastes Good!
Silt is a problem,
But not an insurmountable one.

TDS, if you're going to run the fermented rice through a still you wouldn't have to worry about the silt, correct? It would be akin to distilling on-the-grain and if you used low heat wouldn't have to worry as much about scorching the grain.

Do you get your Asp. O from homebrewsake.com? thats the only really reliable source I've found (though not tried yet). haven't even begun searching for monascus.


found this site too http://www.southrivermiso.com/store/p/1 ... -Koji.htmll if you're state-side

Chinese Yeast Balls,

2 dollars a bag in Chinatown.


Monascus - Red Yeast Rice...
about 5 bucks for a 2 lb bag.
Also in Chinatown.
I am a huge fan of Chinatown!

hmm, i think the closest chinatown is in DC - which is about a 12 hour ride. a couple military bases nearby though, so i'm sure there are some well stocked Asian markets..

I've been reading that you really do have to steam the rice because boiling will have to high of a surface water content for the mycelium to dig in; is this true for distilled sake as well?

I steamed the rice the first time, wrapped in a clean t shirt.
Tons of work, and didn't seem to make a big difference.

Sake? I dunno, I don't make that.

Sake is like whiskey, in order to call it that,
it has to be made a certain way.