Home Distiller

I have some old grain where the fat in the grain has went rancid. Some as flour, some as rice, some as oats.

So I have 3 ways of converting the starch into sugar.

1) Fungus (sake brewing)
2) Malt it for a long time in the stove (not a problem, the stove can old 145deg F)
3) some form of industrial enzyme

Which path should I take?

Fun-gi wrote:I have some old grain where the fat in the grain has went rancid. Some as flour, some as rice, some as oats.

So I have 3 ways of converting the starch into sugar.

1) Fungus (sake brewing)

a lot of folks report that the fungus gives distillate a metalic flavor.

Fun-gi wrote:2) Malt it for a long time in the stove (not a problem, the stove can old 145deg F)

Do you mean mash it? Malting isn't something you do on a stove at 145degrees F. Its something you do in a peirced rotating drum with an atomizer and a sprinkler timer... or a jar with a screen on the top or with a concrete floor a hose and a rake.... followed by some time in a drying oven of some kind. Mashing is the thing you do where you put malted grain or malted grain and unmalted grain in water and hold it at around 150 degrees F for a while.
If that's what you meant, was your intention to use commercial malted grain from the brewshop to convert the rancid grain in the mash or to try to malt some of the rancid grain by sprouting and drying it? I'm thinking that the stuff is probably no longer viable for germination... so you'll probably want to hit the brewshop.

Fun-gi wrote:3) some form of industrial enzyme

Industrial enzyme works... bur you'll still need to mash it on the stove just like with malt unless you are using the SMOP approach where you cook the grain into a thick porrage and put a slurry of yeast and enzyme on top of it which will liquify the seething mass of porrage as it converts and ferments its way down through the glop.

The SMOP method is one of the very best ways to preserve the flavor of your grain in the distillate... probably a very very bad choice with rancid grain.

Any way you do this you need to be aware that rancid oil is going to come through and taint your output to some degree... you may be able to correct for this by taking deep cuts and doing multiple distillations and possibly charcoal filtering or even freeze filtering... but one thing is certian, you aren't going to be making delicious sippin' whiskey from rancid grain.

Fun-gi wrote:Which path should I take?

If I were you?
I'd throw it all out.

Fourway wrote: a lot of folks report that the fungus gives distillate a metalic flavor.

My goal is to use it as fuel and distill with a reflux rig to 170+ proof - so I don't care about 'flavor'. Hell, I'm entertaining using cattail roots as a starch source.

Any good pointers on the fungus? I did find this:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Foodpia/1751/koji.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Mashing

Mashing. I happen to know a local brewpub, and plan on re-start beer making now that I have 20+ 5 gallon kegs.

I'd throw it all out.

Where's the fun in throwing it all away? For my 1st runs I've used some old kegged Pabst and Miller product, some wine that had molding corks and lead wrappers, and eventually I'll run some of my 1st attempts at homebrewed wine, mead (if it sucks like I think it will), and the carrot wine.

I can use the product to strip varnish, run engines, or as fuel for a chaffing dish. Plus, its a good 'cleaner' for the 1st run of the 4 inch copper reflux rig.

and eventually I'll run some of my 1st attempts at homebrewed wine, mead (if it sucks like I think it will), and the carrot wine.


Did it smell like cat piss when you bottled it and how long did you age your mead? I've heard at very least a year is best. What was the carrot wine like? Reason I ask is I also have both sitting in carboys.
I know its not distilling but strike while its hot.

level Joe wrote:and eventually I'll run some of my 1st attempts at homebrewed wine, mead (if it sucks like I think it will), and the carrot wine.


Did it smell like cat piss when you bottled it and how long did you age your mead? I've heard at very least a year is best. What was the carrot wine like? Reason I ask is I also have both sitting in carboys.
I know its not distilling but strike while its hot.

Mead isn't too bad distilled. I ran some that sat in a carboy for about a year. It had a pretty good flavor. some of the sweetness carried over and tasted kinda fruity.

we're gone from topic here some but I've been playing with honey brandy and honey/milk brandy for a while now and I only ferment it for 6 days or so. people like the taste and love the idea of it... it has a big distinctive honey nose on it .