home brew beer kits for distilling => simple whiskey

[Grimturtle]

Hi, i've considering trying to make whiskey for my first time, and after reading about the UJSM (uncle jesse simple sour mash) method it seems there is one big issue for me: I don't want to make 2 initial batches before I actually start getting drinkable whiskey.

So I have been thinking about making up a home brew beer, from a kit that you can buy in supermarkets (in australia anyway), and just distilling it to get a kind of sour mash.

My main questions for anyone who has tried or thought of this before are:
Will this be drinkable?
If so, then will it even taste better that the first run (no backset) of a UJSM fermentation/distillation?

Cheers!

P.S. I've been trying to find old threads about this, but since the stupid search function on this forum thinks "distilling" and "beer" are too common to bother with, even when they are both required, and even in a phrase, I can't search for anything close to what I want. Might be something for the site moderator to think about...

[Aidas]

For a first try at whiskey, you can't go wrong with UJSM. The first (sweet) run is not only completely drinkable, but very good, though, yes, it does get even better in subsequent generations.

If you want to jump ahead and do a soured mash from the get-go, try Pint O'Shine's soured corn UJSM. I've done it, and it is really really nice. Definitely a different flavor profile from traditional UJSM. One caveat -- my second generation of soured corn UJSM is taking a huge amount of time to ferment again. But the first run was fiiiiiiiiiiine.

Here's the link: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =11&t=5533

As to using a beerkit -- if you can make sure that there are no hops in the process, it should work just fine. If the hops are already in the mix, you'll get some funky tasting Bierschnapps -- definitely an acquired taste...


Aidas

[ol' rummie]

I've drank a few ujsm after only first run, and it's very good. I have also ran off a flopped batch of homebrew beer, and didn't like it at all, ended up rerunning it through my reflux, and it still wasn't as good as the single run UJSM.

[Dnderhead]

You defiantly want to leave out the hops other than that I see no problem ( moast of the grain mash is just beer)

[Oaty]

A beer kit will give you something similiar to a raw scotch. Until it's aged, I don't think it's anything you'd want to drink. UJSM is something I think you'll like more. Or go for a sugar wash and a neutral. As the others have already said make sure your kit is un-hopped.

[goinbroke2]

Crap! I was going to ask the same thing. My dad got out of beer making (cancer, survived and doc said no alcohol) so I have 5 beer kits. A couple I noticed said they had hops, not sure about the rest. Hopped malt is just bad eh? Nothing you can do? I could actually drink it as beer I suppose...but I want whisky!

[Dnderhead]

oaty don't you mean Irish ? scotch should have "smokey flavor" and again NO hops

[Grimturtle]

Crap! I was going to ask the same thing. My dad got out of beer making (cancer, survived and doc said no alcohol) so I have 5 beer kits. A couple I noticed said they had hops, not sure about the rest. Hopped malt is just bad eh? Nothing you can do? I could actually drink it as beer I suppose...but I want whisky!

So I take it you can't remove the hops from a beer kit? Is it mixed in with the yeast or something? I've only ever used one once and I can't remember what they contain. I'm only still curious because beer kits are cheap as chips, even cheaper than buying brown sugar (what i've been using for my rum) for about the same amount of alcohol!

Coolskis, I think it's time for my first UJSM attempt then, as long as I can get the right corn somewhere

[Dnderhead]

I Never bout one my self but what I herd was all you git is a can of malt or two and yeast and the hops is in the malt ,some kits mite be different don't know Mite say on package? You could just buy malt in the can

[punkin]

I'm only still curious because beer kits are cheap as chips, even cheaper than buying brown sugar (what i've been using for my rum) for about the same amount of alcohol!

You still have to add sugar to the beer kit (if you're talking about a can of beer concentrate)




edit; added the quote for dunders benefit.

[Dnderhead]

yes punkin we were talking about malt extract mite better buy just the extract instead of the kit for beer .then you can buy with out hops
most kits have hops in the malt it would not be good for making a mash

[Oaty]

Actually, I was thinking about a stout kit. Stout beer is similiar to scotch. I've brewed them many times when I first started brewing. I always bought the ones that were not hopped because the others were over-hopped for my taste. I like the strong smokey malt flavour , but find the 'balance of hops' to be too strong.

Any un-hopped kit would give a nice whiskey flavour, bearing in mind that full malts require oaking. I've tried it mashing my oun malt, but found that the raw whiskey is un-drinkable. I knew that

From what I've read, it should be palatable in a few months under oak. We shall see.

[goinbroke2]

Yeah it's malted hops.which brings the question, if hops is added to the malt, and you can get malt without hops, shouldn't it be hopped malt?

[Dnderhead]

I do not know about kits but im looking at a ctalog it has malt extract, hops flavored light ,amber, dark --unflavored- same. the kits do not say
only what type of beer it is they mite say on box?