Rye Whiskey Run

[TNT1294]

Hello,

I recently just whipped up a rye whiskey mash and it all went great, except for the distillation. The still ran great but all of the spirits that I collected have a brown tint to them. I am not sure what the deal is, does anyone know? The distillate does not smell, or taste burnt at all so I am not sure what to do here. I am thinking that I will just make the first run the stripping run, something i dont normally do when i am making whiskey, and then dilute all of my distillate down to around 20% ABV and then run it throught the still a second time to try and clean it up. Any suggestions or tips would be great! Thanks!

[MitchyBourbon]

Did it eventually run clear or was it tinted brown all the way through? Maybe your still puked if you ran it too fast or if you put too much wash/mash in your boiler. Re-running it should do the trick.

[dakotasnake]

what is your set-up.is it new? pix would be nice. what recipe did you use? a little more info may be helpfull. did you do a cleaning run?

[TNT1294]

Hey guys thanks for the reply!

Did it eventually run clear or was it tinted brown all the way through? Maybe your still puked if you ran it too fast or if you put too much wash/mash in your boiler. Re-running it should do the trick.

-It got semi-clear at times, but for the most part all of my spirits that I collected had a brown tint to them. And I was thinking it was puking a little bit but there was only about 4.5 gallons in a 7.5 gallon keg so I did not think that the mash would foam that much. The mash also took about 2.5 hours to get up to heat so I didn't think that I was running it too fast.

what is your set-up.is it new? pix would be nice. what recipe did you use? a little more info may be helpfull. did you do a cleaning run?

-My set up is a 1.5 inch wide copper column about 2.5 feet tall. At the top there is a "T" that has a port for a thermometer on top and coming out at a 90 degree angle to the side is 1/2" tubing going to the jacketed 2 foot condenser.I attach the column to the top of a 7.5 gallon keg. I did a diluted vinegar cleaning run, a water cleaning run, and then a cheap corn whiskey mash cleaning run when I first started to use this column. The recipe I used was 6 lbs rye malt, 1 pound cornmeal, 2 pounds 6-row barley, and 4 lbs corn sugar.

Thanks again guys, hopefully this batch can be saved!

[Grappa-Gringo]

I did a corn rye mix a while ago (actually last month) and it was dark in colour when I distilled it. Like all other distilled
liquids, it vaporized and comes out like a clear liquid. Mine came out very clear and very tasty. Why yours turned out like it did,
is weird.. unless it puked on you.....

[Odin]

Puking most likely. No problem. You wont have that problem when you distill a second time.

Odin.

[rad14701]

Just to cover all the bases here, is your pot column filled with any structured packing...??? If so, I'd be checking it for possible deterioration... With such a relatively low volume boiler charge I'm having a hard time believing you could get puking throughout almost the entire run...

[Cu29]

My last couple rye batches foamed like mad. It is the goopiest stuff ever. I got some mash conditioner myself...hopefully that will cure me,

[iDrinkWash]

Rye has a ton of protein in it. It makes for a large, thick, lasting head in beer. I can only imagine the crazy foam that must develop when you start simmering it. There is a product, called "Fermcap" that you can get at several online Homebrew shops. It is a neutral, food grade emusifier, that I use in my boil, and in my fermenter. It is an anti foam agent. You might want to try that in your next rye run. I am 100% sure you will not get any puking if you use that. Good for any high protein grain - corn, rye, wheat.


IDrinkWash

[woodshed]

Can you say more about your process? How did you prepare your mash for the ferment?

[Larue61]

Rye has a ton of protein in it. It makes for a large, thick, lasting head in beer. I can only imagine the crazy foam that must develop when you start simmering it. There is a product, called "Fermcap" that you can get at several online Homebrew shops. It is a neutral, food grade emusifier, that I use in my boil, and in my fermenter. It is an anti foam agent. You might want to try that in your next rye run. I am 100% sure you will not get any puking if you use that. Good for any high protein grain - corn, rye, wheat.

Fermcap is simethicone ( as in anti gas pills) only use in amount as directed. It cuts the foam when you boil. Also usefull when making your mash. About 1 to 1.5 drops per gallon
IDrinkWash