Is this corn usable from my local store?

[Moonshine31]

Hello everyone, been a while since I last posted but all my of homemade wine is gone now and I want to start making some moonshine!!!!!

I've been reading that feed corn is good but cracked corn is even better, so I'm wondering if anyone uses this brand or buys from this store? I live in canada and would like to try my first mash, I have everything ready but need a mash.

[still_stirrin]

Fancy. Yes, that corn should work fine for your mash. Be sure to grind it to a cornmeal consistency.

And remember you’ll have to do a gelatinization rest to get the starches ready for conversion. High temperature enzymes will help with the “corn pudding”, but it won’t do the saccharification conversion for you. You’ll need malted barley for that. And be sure to accommodate the correct temperatures and pH for the steps.

If you never mashed grains before, I would suggest starting with all malted barley and make a single malt whiskey. It’ll help you learn how to mash cereal grains before you get to the challenge of corn and rye (both can make you want to give up).

Good luck.
ss

[greggn]

I've been reading that feed corn is good but cracked corn is even better

If you buy corn from a feed store ... it's feed corn. That's regardless as to whether it's whole kernel or cracked.

Either way, you're still going to need to grind it finer than just cracked so be sure your grain mill is capable.

[shadylane]

I've been reading that feed corn is good but cracked corn is even better,

Buy the cranked corn and regrind it in a corona mill.

[Moonshine31]

Fancy. Yes, that corn should work fine for your mash. Be sure to grind it to a cornmeal consistency.

And remember you’ll have to do a gelatinization rest to get the starches ready for conversion. High temperature enzymes will help with the “corn pudding”, but it won’t do the saccharification conversion for you. You’ll need malted barley for that. And be sure to accommodate the correct temperatures and pH for the steps.

If you never mashed grains before, I would suggest starting with all malted barley and make a single malt whiskey. It’ll help you learn how to mash cereal grains before you get to the challenge of corn and rye (both can make you want to give up).

Good luck.
ss

I'll look info that and try and find single malt barely, I want something as easy as possible for my first batch.

[Moonshine31]

Should I buy this or go to a brewing place and buy from them?

[subbrew]

That barley is not malted so you would need to grind it, gelatinize the starches, and then add enzymes to convert the starches. If you don't want to do those steps then go to the brewing place and by malted barley.

[Moonshine31]

Thank you, I will look into malted barely recipes to do and see what I can find.

[elbono]

Here's one
viewtopic.php?t=48650
Lots of good recipes in the tried and true
viewforum.php?f=14

[Moonshine31]

Here's one
viewtopic.php?t=48650
Lots of good recipes in the tried and true
viewforum.php?f=14

Thank u, I'll be looking into this thread for a simple first mash.

I'm used to making grappa with the leftover producs of wine making. I'm excited to get into this world scotch and whiskey.

[Moonshine31]

Distilling:
After its done fermenting (1-2 weeks depending on temp)
Pull 5 gallons (19l) of the clear liquid off the top of each barrel, for a 10 gallon stripping run. (save and freeze the backset after distilling in ziplocks for next time
Squeeze 5 more gallons each from the goo in each barrel and let it sit and clear overnight, to run another 10 gallon wash the next day. I use large nylon grain bag for this.
Combine the 2 stripping runs and do a slower spirit run.
Make your cuts to taste and age on oak as long as you can keep your mitts off it.


This is a little confusing for me, what is a stripping run? Abd what does it mean to save the backseat? Also when he says run another 10 gallon wash the next day what is a wash lol? Theb combining the two stripping runs together for a spirit run.

When I made grappa I grabbed all my mash and cooked it to alcohol, I'm not really understanding these terms.

[Moonshine31]

Also I called my brew store today and he said they need to be milled, is that true? I'm buying malted barley. He mills it for free.

[subbrew]

Also I called my brew store today and he said they need to be milled, is that true? I'm buying malted barley. He mills it for free.

Yes it is true. Milling breaks the kernels so there starch is exposed so it can be broken down to sugar once the grain is hydrated in the hot water ( about 148F) and the enzymes are activate.

[sadie33]

sounds like you need to read a bit more. There is a whole new language to learn At first none of it makes sense, then slowly you start to get it and the language matters! (trust me)

You could start with a simple recipe like Uncle Jessies Simple Sour Mash (UJSSM). It is sooo easy and tasty. It is in the Tried and True. The more generations you do, the better it gets.

Check it out and keep reading

[Moonshine31]

I'm doing the malted barley first with a couple people, just getting confused with the wording used.

[elbono]

This a good place to find answers for questions like that one
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... %27s_Guide

[Moonshine31]

Soooo I've been doing some reading and to my understanding a spirit run is the first distillation of the mash and a wash is also a spirit run? If that's the case why does he call it two different ways?

I can't find any info on "saving the backseat" so I still don't know what that means.

How long do you run your spirit run? How low of alcholol do you guys go down to before stopping?

I know the spirit run is the final distillation where you do your cuts, I'm going to be reading a lot today about cuts and rough percentages I should look for for cuts.

Thanks for all the info.

[Moonshine31]

I will be reading a lot from that webpagw for sure, I need to clean my still abd it says there I need to do a 50/50 water vinegar run but after that make a simple cheap moonshine recipe and throw it all out? Is that how u guys clean ur still?

Also how long do these runs take in a keg still? I have a propane burner and was just wondering how long a spripping run and a spirit run should take?

[JustinNZ]

Yes.

The first run of your fermented whatever through the still is the stripping run.

Put a spirit hydrometer (does abv - alcohol by volume - probably in the 30%abv to 80% range) in the collection pot.

Keep stripping till your collection (called low wines) has an abv of less than 40% (80 proof). Many go lower.

Do three strips, rinse the still, and put them all back in for your spirit run. Do cuts from this. Drink!

[Moonshine31]

Strip 3 times, then slow it down and do a spirit run? That's a lot of distilling, it seems.

Any reason not to strip once collect everything and do a spirit run?

[Wildcats]

Strip 3 times, then slow it down and do a spirit run? That's a lot of distilling, it seems.

Any reason not to strip once collect everything and do a spirit run?

What he means by strip 3x and then spirit run... Is charge the boiler and strip once. Then charge it again and strip that. Then do it again. Take all the low wines (the stuff you stripped) and charge your boiler again for a spirit run.

[still_stirrin]

Strip 3 times, then slow it down and do a spirit run? That's a lot of distilling, it seems.

Any reason not to strip once collect everything and do a spirit run?

What he means by strip 3x and then spirit run... Is charge the boiler and strip once. Then charge it again and strip that. Then do it again. Take all the low wines (the stuff you stripped) and charge your boiler again for a spirit run.

For clarity, brew (ferment) enough mash/wash for 3 charges of the boiler.

Then, strip each charge (1/3 of the total fermented mash/wash) collecting the product off the spout each time. (I like to collect until the collection is around 25 to 30%ABV for full-flavored spirits and 30 to 40%ABV for neutral spirits. Note - this is NOT the %ABV “off the spout”, rather it is the average %ABV of the collection vessel).

Combine the strip run collections (now called “low wines”) and recharge the boiler with these. Then, distill again, collecting into 18 to 24 separate jars, so you can make the cuts after airing overnight. (see Kiwistiller’s Guide to Making Cuts) for instructions to make cuts. Note - for 3 boiler charges, you should get about 3/4 full, or slightly more, boiler charge for the spirit run. This assumes your mash/wash ferment has a “potential alcohol” content of 8 to 10%ABV.

As noted above, nomenclature matters. And sometimes for a new hobbyist, the “technical terms” are confusing and often misunderstood. But, as you read the forum, and you should do this extensively, you’ll learn the jargon and it will become like a new-found language.
ss

[Wildcats]

Strip 3 times, then slow it down and do a spirit run? That's a lot of distilling, it seems.

Any reason not to strip once collect everything and do a spirit run?

What he means by strip 3x and then spirit run... Is charge the boiler and strip once. Then charge it again and strip that. Then do it again. Take all the low wines (the stuff you stripped) and charge your boiler again for a spirit run.

For clarity, brew (ferment) enough mash/wash for 3 charges of the boiler.

Then, strip each charge (1/3 of the total fermented mash/wash) collecting the product off the spout each time. (I like to collect until the collection is around 25 to 30%ABV for full-flavored spirits and 30 to 40%ABV for neutral spirits. Note - this is NOT the %ABV “off the spout”, rather it is the average %ABV of the collection vessel).

Combine the strip run collections (now called “low wines”) and recharge the boiler with these. Then, distill again, collecting into 18 to 24 separate jars, so you can make the cuts after airing overnight. (see Kiwistiller’s Guide to Making Cuts) for instructions to make cuts. Note - for 3 boiler charges, you should get about 3/4 full, or slightly more, boiler charge for the spirit run. This assumes your mash/wash ferment has a “potential alcohol” content of 8 to 10%ABV.

As noted above, nomenclature matters. And sometimes for a new hobbyist, the “technical terms” are confusing and often misunderstood. But, as you read the forum, and you should do this extensively, you’ll learn the jargon and it will become like a new-found language.
ss

Thanks SS, you explained it way better than I could. Cheer's

[Saltbush Bill]

That's a lot of distilling, it seems.

This isn't a good hobby for people who are in a hurry or rush....or don't have much spare time.

Any reason not to strip once collect everything and do a spirit run?

Because you will end up with very little end product if you strip only one wash and then run it. That is unless you have a very large ferment .......and bigger than average boiler to strip it in.

[subbrew]

See if I can spoon out a bit of language and knowledge to get you on your way.

You just bought a new still. First thing you need to do is clean it. After a flush with the hose you need to do two cleaning runs.
First cleaning run is a 50/50 water vinegar mix. Put enough vinegar/water mix into the boiler to cover the heat source a couple of inches, element if electric or bottom of external heat source. RUN THIS OUTSIDE as the vapor is nasty. Heat until steam is exiting the product condenser for 10 minutes or so then put cooling water on the product condenser and run another 10 minutes. Let cool, empty and runs everything out.
Step two of cleaning is a sacrificial alcohol run. You can ferment something, usually just a sugar wash, or you can just buy a jug of cheap vodka. If using vodka dilute down to about 10% abv. For 80 proof vodka that would mean dumping the vodka bottle and then, using the same bottle, add 7 bottles of water. Run this alcohol mix just like you did the vinegar run. Once again outside. And if using an open flame I would not run it without cooling water. I didn't want high proof alcohol vapor around an open flame. But if outside and a nice breeze going you can decide.

Now you have a nice clean still.

Next step, pick a tried and true recipe. If it does not contain grain then you are doing a "wash". A wash is a mixture of some sort of sugar and water that you add yeast to and ferment. If you are using grain as the sugar source then you have a "mash". In both cases when the fermentation is complete you have distillers beer. But you will often hear people continue to refer to it as the wash or the mash rather than distillers beer.

Note: unless you are using steam, if you did a mash you need to strain off the distillers beer from the grains. You will scorch if you try to distill a mash with the grains still in using either direct gas or electric.

Since you have a pot still you will now want to distill a flavorful product. The following example is for a distillation using a 15.5 gal keg still. Ferment about 36 gallons. This can be one big ferment in a barrel or three smaller ferments done on after that other. Once fermentation is complete, charge your still with about 12 gallons of distillers beer. Distill this with high power to maintain a study stream of distillate coming out of the condenser. This distillate is called low wines. If you collecting it all in one vessel continue to run it until the abv of the collecting pot is about 30% or just a bit less. If you collect in smaller vessels you will start about 60% and then drop off. Keep collecting until the last collection is below 10%. You will end up with three to three and a half gallons of low wines if you distillers beer was about 8 to 9% going into the still. This entire run is called a "Stripping" run.
What is left in the still after the run is called backset. (unless you were running rum, then what is left in the still is called dunder) You can dump the backset or save some of it to add to a future fermentation of the same type. But in either case get the backset out of the still.

Repeat the stripping run two more times, putting fresh distillers beer into the still each time . When complete you will have about 10 gallons of low wines with an abv of 29% give a take a couple of %.

Now you are ready for the spirit run. Add the 10 or so gallons of low wines to the still. Run the still much slower, about 1/4 the power input used for the stripping run. After heat up, on my keg still I used about 950 watt of power once I start getting distillate. Adjust power to get a very thin pencil lead stream of distillate. Capture this distillate in small jars. I capture 300 ml per jar. Continue to run until the smell of the jar is gym socks that have been kept in wet cardboard for 2.45 months. The abv of that jar last jar will be down around 45 or 50%. The thread for making cuts has already been mentioned above. Read it twice.

[Moonshine31]

In the recipe I'm following it says it's for a keg still which I have and says only do 2 strip runs and then a final spirit run, if I can do 2 strip runs and not 3 should I do that instead?

I used to make wine so I have two very large ss tanks for fermenting wine both of which are 150l so I planned on using 1 of them for fermenting my grains.

[Moonshine31]

Thank u all for responding and thank you subbrew for the long write up I truly appreciate it.

I'm going to do my mash this Monday and get it fermenting in my basement for a week or two. I cannot wait to make myself a single malt whiskey, it's going to be epic.

Questions.... how long do I let it ferment? With wine I stopped it by adding sulfites when jt reached 1.0 sg. For my malted barely do I measure when to stop fermenting or do I just let it go until it's done bubbling?

Also to get water temps as high as I need them for the strike, I'm guessing I need to fill my keg with water and hest that up and pour that into my ss tanks for fermenting. I can't really think of another way to get that much water that hot for this big of a ferment.

I'm excited.

[Moonshine31]

I'm using a propane burner for now and next year will be upgrading to electric.

[Deplorable]

You have much to learn.
That's okay. We were all there.
Do not rush into making your first "scotch" style whiskey.
Understand what you are about to undertake before you get started. You still have too many questions to just jump in with an all grain ferment. Even a single malt is a little over your head right now based on what I've read in this thread.
For distilling, you always want to ferment as close to dry (1.000) as possible. (My ferments always finish at .999 or .998.)
This ensures you have converted all of the available sugar to alcohol and maximized your yield.
Keep reading the required reading at the bottom of every page, and learn the basics of mashing grains so you don't waste precious time, money, and grains.

[Wildcats]

In the recipe I'm following it says it's for a keg still which I have and says only do 2 strip runs and then a final spirit run, if I can do 2 strip runs and not 3 should I do that instead?

I used to make wine so I have two very large ss tanks for fermenting wine both of which are 150l so I planned on using 1 of them for fermenting my grains.

Did you read the post above?!