Home Distiller

So after getting such a good deal on the 6 row, I had to use it. I decided to make the biggest mash I have ever made.

I decided on a grain bill of 50 lbs of cracked corn and 25 lbs of 6 row.

I only have a 7 gallon stock pot, so I had to cook in multiple batches. I heated 10 quarts of water to 190 and then added 10 lbs corn. Repeated this 5 times for the corn. I added each batch to a large coffin cooler.

I then repeated the same process using 1 qt a lb for my malt, except only hearing my water to 150.

I then added 16 qts cool water to my corn to drop the temperature to 150. When temp was down I added my malt to it. I then left the mash in the cooler over night.

The next morning I woke up to the cooler still remaining at 146 degrees. I checked my conversion with iodine and everything looked good. No color change. I did not have time to add the rest of my water and pitch yeast before work so I left it in the cooler.

When I came home it was still at 138 degrees. I scooped everything into my fermenter. I added 20 gallons lukewarm water to drop to pitching temp.

I tested my SG...... 1.022....... What the hell!?!?!

I have no clue what happened. 43 gallons of water 75 lbs of grain.

I had expected 1.061, or a little less .

Any opinions?

2 pounds per gallon is what you should shoot for.
Do you know PH? 5.2 is the range you are looking for.
Take your water to boiling for the corn addition then try and keep it up there for a couple of hours.
Did you mill the grains? Pretty important for good conversion.
Shoot for 148f temp after adding 6 row. That means you should go in around 157. Look up strike temps.

Clarify no color change with iodine if you would.

I keep my corn temperature at or over 180 f for at least two hours. Shed right on target the grind is important and strike temperature also.

Cracked corn sucks. And you didnt gelatinize hot enough or maybe long enough. The SG you got doesnt surprise me with 1.75 lbs gallon total and cracked corn. You lose at least 50% of the efficiency with that large crack. 3lbs/gal total recipe with cracked gets me 1.065. With corn meal it takes only 2 lbs/gal to hit the same SG.

Looked at another way. Corn is 33 PPG (points per pound per gallon), Barley Malt 31 PPG. Your recipe should have given you 1.056 with 85% efficiency. But it only gave you 1.022. Since Im sure the barley gave you 31 based on what you said, that means the corn only gave you about 5 PPG Why? Because all the starches in the large chunks of corn was trapped, and even the exposed starch on the outside of the chunks didnt get gelatinized well. 190 water is too cool. I use 210 water and the corn hits about 185. I wrap that up tight and stir every 20 minutes for 3 full hours. Corn is a bitch. I also quit using cracked corn and use only corn meal now. MUCH better conversion.

I mill to 1/8 inch and smaller as my false bottom does not like meal.
Same numbers as Jimbo.

I have used the same cracked corn, and process numerous times and have not had much of a problem . I generally shoot for 2 lbs per gallon but added a little more to help mash the corn this time. The iodine remained reddish/brown when checked. If starched were trapped still inside the large cracked corn, would they still show up as present in my iodine test?

starch test will fail if the test sample is chunky. And if you strained off only the clear stuff, the starch test wont reflect the losses in all the chunky stuff not included in the test. Starch tests are pretty useless in that regard. A nice trick is to use High Temp enzymes during the corn gelatinization. A refractometer will then tell you instantly with a drop where youre at and if you need to keep 'steepin and stirrin'

High temp enzymes for sure if you cannot mill it.

I also have switched to corn meal and grind the rest of my grains almost to flour. A generous amount of rice hulls allow me to recirculate and hold temp. Add in some high temp and low temp enzymes you will end up with some crazy high efficiencys

Love them enzymes.

I also grind to flour and cook with steam. i boil with steam for 1.5 to 2 hours. i'm a lazy bastard and do other stuff while corn is cooking. then i will either wrap in blankets for the night or hit it with the chiller to get down to mash temp then rewrap for a while. i have hit almost 100% on one lucky mash. Cant speeak for enzymes yet, should be able to this weekend though.
Edited to add that I also strip on the grain with steam. So I can't speak for squeezing the mess.

Koval grinds to flour. Ferments stills then the slop goes down the city sewer.

I feed the slop to the pigs and chickens. Gotta get breakfast somewhere.

I grind and cook my corn with steam, the same as Jedneck.
Was using ba100 and ga100 but have switched to SEB enzymes.
Don't know what my mash efficiency is, I get what I get. Nice thing about steam injection, if you mess up,
You can reheat the mash and try again.
A finer grind on the corn definitely helps to gelatinize it, but you can forget using a lauter tun

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the input. Have been thinking about setting up a steam system. Now that I have moved on to bigger mashes I may just do that.

I use Opti Mash and Ultra Ferm enzymes. Pm if you want more info.

This thread could not have come at a better time. I just started grinding my cracked corn to basically flour and stopped to come on here a see if maybe it was too fine. Guess not. Also love them enzymes. Doing another corn and crimped oat mash.

Think it would be ok to dissolve 50 lbs sugar in 10 gals water and put that in, or I could just run it when it's done and take my gallon and walk away. Never had to save a ferment like this before, I'm heartbroken[PENSIVE FACE]

I'd run it as it is. Why screw all that good grain up with sugar?
While the yield may be a little low it could be a fine drop.
At the very least do another one with tighter protocol and add this to your still charge. Just make sure it is under 40 abv.
Keep your feints from this run and add those as well.

I am going to run it. I also think that I am going to get a small mill. As I said before, never had this problem, I am beginning to think that a faulty thermometer could have been part of the problem. Not sure my gelatinization was all that great. This sure had made me gun shy though! Feel like a brand newbie even though this is probably my 12th AG..haha. Maybe I should go back to flaked

Good decisions.
On a side note you could add sugar to the spent grains and make a sugar head.

FlintHill wrote:I am going to run it. I also think that I am going to get a small mill. As I said before, never had this problem, I am beginning to think that a faulty thermometer could have been part of the problem. Not sure my gelatinization was all that great. This sure had made me gun shy though! Feel like a brand newbie even though this is probably my 12th AG..haha. Maybe I should go back to flaked

Flint- I bought one of these: Took off the crank and drive it with a power drill; run corn through it three times to get a pretty fine grist; takes maybe 10 minutes to grind 12 lbs.

or I just use corn meal as has been suggested. But I must admit that, to me, the drink made from cracked corn tastes different than the drink made with corn meal. Not better, just different. For me, the tastes from specialty grains are easier to detect when corn meal is used in the bill. On the other hand, if looking for a "corny" taste, to me the cracked corn is better.

Bd

I had a 1/2" drill smoking trying to grind 50 lbs of cracked corn through one of those. Never again.

FlintHill wrote:So after getting such a good deal on the 6 row, I had to use it.
Any opinions?

No help on the low SG, but I'd like to know more about the deal for the 6-row barley. Who from, how much, and where can I get some reliably?

Boom

Here's how I grind cracked corn. Whole corn or wet grain is too much for it.
Posting with boom. Malt is easy to get but the shipping is expensive.

shadylane wrote:Here's how I grind cracked corn. Whole corn or wet grain is too much for it.
Posting with boom. Malt is easy to get but the shipping is expensive.

We've a new Malt barn in PA, but they've focused on fancy barley's for craft beer businesses. They're getting some six row with this year's harvest, but I'm not eager to buy bulk in one season, rather buy smaller amounts on regular monthly basis. You're quite right about the shipping costs, we need to break that nut...

Any one have any ideas?

Boom

Check out allgrainbrewing.biz
I recently found out them. I got the really good deal from a little brew shop that was closing their doors

http://www.morebeer.com/products/great- ... -malt.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

11.29 per 10 lb sack of 2 row, buy 6 bags and get free shipping. Thats $56 per 50 lbs delivered to your door. Not as good as the LHBS, but pretty good nonetheless, especially if you dont have a LHBS

Jimbo wrote:I had a 1/2" drill smoking trying to grind 50 lbs of cracked corn through one of those. Never again.

Know what you mean. I run the corn through it three times, tightening the adjusting collar between runs. If I try to go from whole corn to meal in none run, it'd burn out the drill.

Bd

shadylane wrote:Here's how I grind cracked corn. Whole corn or wet grain is too much for it.
Posting with boom. Malt is easy to get but the shipping is expensive.

That's mighty close to my set-up. I use an old pillow case to catch the grist.
Bd