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Hi fellow distillers, is there a difference between flaked corn and cracked corn when making whiskey? My local brew store only sells flaked corn,30 bucks for 50lbs. Should I try a feed store for cracked corn? Thanks.

Both flaked corn and cracked corn come from field corn. Flaked has been heated (usually steam) to partially gelatinize it and allow it to be rolled, much like oats. Flaked corn still requires cooking to gelatinize, which, to a lot of distillers, doesn't justify the cost, unless its the only corn available. I'd look for a feed store.

Whitecap72 wrote:...My local brew store only sells flaked corn,30 bucks for 50lbs. Should I try a feed store for cracked corn?

A sack of feed (cracked) corn from your farm animal feed store cost between $8 & $10. With a sack of flaked maize (corn) at the home brew store costing between 75 cents to $1 per pound, it's easy to see the acquisition cost advantage of the farm store corn.

But, as noted, cracked corn will need to be gelatinized to release its starch whereas the flaked corn has already been gelatinized for you, so you can go straight to your saccharification rest.

Also, cracked corn will be more difficult to grind than malted barley. And if your corn is whole grain, it's going to require a heavy grinder to grind. The flaked maize is ready to mash...you simply dough it into the barley malt as you mash. And with 15 to 25 percent barley malt, you'll have the enzymes necessary to convert the corn's starches.

But, one disadvantage for the flaked corn will be clearing the mash, either after fermentation or before (when lautering). The flaked maize will make a pastey pudding in the mash tun. It can be lautered but you'll benefit from a larger grain bed of barley or possibly using rice hulls.

Good luck with which ever form of the grains you choose. Either will produce a great bourbon. And the extract potential for either form is about equal, provided your processes are under control.
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Thank you for the info. I haven't braved the whiskey making yet, just fruit sugar shine which has been turning out strong and flavorful.

Something to take into account is can you get the starch out of it with the equipment you have at your disposal.

Cracked corn is a third of the price but if you can't get it thoroughly cooked you won't be saving much money. Then there is the time involved in cooking it. I'm equipped to cook corn using a steam wand, if you don't set up a steam wand correctly you will kill yourself using it. Another really good option for cooking corn is to go get yourself some foster kids to stir the mash. If those options are not available flaked corn might be viable for you as your on a hobby level.

You could also use corn meal at about $15.00 for 50 pounds.
You still have to do your high temp mash to gelatinize it but high temp enzymes chew right through that.
The advantage is no need to grind and with enzymes you should increase brewhouse efficiency.
The disadvantage is if you are not distilling on the grain it is a pia to separate.
I have mashed this in the past in a Blickman 50 gal pot with false bottom and recirc pump but I did add rice hulls
I used to use a brewers fine mesh bag and a mop ringer (squeeze type) and it worked well but was time consuming and a little messy but it did work.

Good Luck

rubber duck wrote:Another really good option for cooking corn is to go get yourself some foster kids to stir the mash.

Classic!!! I'll look into that option and perhaps do some bourbons.

Don't know if anyone else has used it , but I use steam rolled corn from the local feed store. It is about $14 dollars per 50 pound bag locally. You must cook it and use a high temp enzyme with it but it does geletinize quite easily as the steam rolling process has already done a precook so to speak. It also strains a bit easier than ground corn, still a mess though.

corene1 wrote:Don't know if anyone else has used it , but I use steam rolled corn from the local feed store. It is about $14 dollars per 50 pound bag locally. You must cook it and use a high temp enzyme with it but it does geletinize quite easily as the steam rolling process has already done a precook so to speak. It also strains a bit easier than ground corn, still a mess though.

Corene, do you get this from Kruse?

Twisted Brick wrote:

corene1 wrote:Don't know if anyone else has used it , but I use steam rolled corn from the local feed store. It is about $14 dollars per 50 pound bag locally. You must cook it and use a high temp enzyme with it but it does geletinize quite easily as the steam rolling process has already done a precook so to speak. It also strains a bit easier than ground corn, still a mess though.

Corene, do you get this from Kruse?

Yes , Kruse has good corn as well as Nutrena.

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to correct the information. Flaked corn does not need to be cooked. It will mash at the same temperature as malt barely and is made to do so. I've successfully mashed at 156F without precooking the corn.

hawkwing wrote: ↑Sun Mar 06, 2022 10:31 am I know this is an old thread but I wanted to correct the information. Flaked corn does not need to be cooked. It will mash at the same temperature as malt barely and is made to do so. I've successfully mashed at 156F without precooking the corn.

There is a difference between food grade and feed grade grains. This includes the uneven process of flaking corn for animal digestibility. Corene clearly refers to her treatment of steam rolled corn from the feed store. Since many here purchase feed grade flaked corn, it helps to know this.

Increase steaming time. Zinn demonstrated that steaming for more than 30 minutes did not enhance either starch digestibility or the net energy value of flaked corn. However, because steam is often a function of maximum roller mill capacity at a given flake density and the size of the steam chest, many flakes are not exposed to 30 minutes of steam.

Flake quality can vary greatly due to alterations in the gap between the flaking rolls. Uneven feeding of kernels along the rolls can widen the roll gap, permitting more whole kernels to pass between the rolls.

Feed store flaked corn benefits from an elevated temperature and extended gel stage. YMMV.

I used flaked corn from a malt supplier. Who knew there were so many kinds. Thanks for the clarification.

Just my thoughts here. I have used 3 types of corn for my whiskies. Cracked corn at probably 4 to 5 pieces per kernel, steam rolled corn and flaked corn from the brewers shop. From what I have found the brewers flaked corn at about 2 dollars a pound now, is quite easy to use especially for a persons first few attempts with corn and for doing smaller learning type batches. My experience with it is that it still needs to be cooked but only at 165 to 170 degrees to release all of it's starches, and High temp enzymes really work well to keep it manageable. Then there is cracked corn, the choice for larger batches due to it's low cost per pound , but it does require a full cook and lots of stirring to break it down. That is why I use steam rolled flaked corn from the feed store. It is not as processed as the flaked corn from the brewing store but it cooks out much easier than solid cracked corn. The reason for steam rolled corn in cattle feed is that it digests easier than cracked corn and produces more weight gain per pound of corn fed. That too is why it cooks out a bit easier than cracked. As far as clearing corn for a run, it is tough to do with any or the types of corn out there. I wish I could say I have a fool proof method that doesn't involve a bunch of straining and squeezing but I don't. I put the clears in the boiler and the cloudy in the thumper and strip it out. Again this is just my way of doing it.

I used flaked corn from a brew store
it is advertised as fully gelatinized so mash with the barley

as for clearing.... I just let mine sit in my carboy in the basement for a few months and it has cleared to perfectly clear with 2" of sludge in settled in the bottom

I doubt squeezing can get more out of it than this

my next corn will be steamed from a feed store. I have 5 and 10gal insulated Igloo water coolers, so will be using the boiling water over the grain method, sacrifice some barley, then all in the pail fermenter. once done, I'll rack to a carboy to let clear.

if that works, next I'll try cracked corn.

fzbwfk9r wrote: ↑Mon Mar 07, 2022 10:20 am I used flaked corn from a brew store
it is advertised as fully gelatinized so mash with the barley

as for clearing.... I just let mine sit in my carboy in the basement for a few months and it has cleared to perfectly clear with 2" of sludge in settled in the bottom

I doubt squeezing can get more out of it than this

my next corn will be steamed from a feed store. I have 5 and 10gal insulated Igloo water coolers, so will be using the boiling water over the grain method, sacrifice some barley, then all in the pail fermenter. once done, I'll rack to a carboy to let clear.

if that works, next I'll try cracked corn.

How much corn did you use? I assume only a little bit to only get a few inches on the bottom?

I only had to heat mine to 156F to get full extraction. It was nice as I started with the malt in with the corn and it stayed liquid and never became porridge. Only downside is the price.

hawkwing wrote: ↑Mon Mar 07, 2022 10:34 am How much corn did you use? I assume only a little bit to only get a few inches on the bottom?

I only had to heat mine to 156F to get full extraction. It was nice as I started with the malt in with the corn and it stayed liquid and never became porridge. Only downside is the price.

my grain bill was 60% flaked corn

I mashed in at 147F, and bumped the heat to return to 147F.
wrapped it up for 90min
temp dropped to 142F
SG 1.078

your comment on my trub caused me to look back at my notes... AND...
I misspoke. I did use my BIAB and squeezed the all the grains.
so, my trub is just the yeast/flour/fines...

I had a big brain fart there. I may have been thinking of my sweetfeed ferment...

regardless, thanks for calling me out!