Home Distiller

Hey Guy's, I have been lurking for a few months and have been learning a lot. Just recently got a still from the Col.
Now my question is this, I am making ( actually it is done, waiting for it to ferment out) a 15gal batch, Using 12lbs of corn and 15lbs of sugar. With the corn, half I had put into a stock pot of boiling water, until it started to thicken. I put in ice cubes until the temp was at 150 deg F then added six crushed tabs of beano. How long does it take to get the starches to convert? I kept the temp constant for an hour and did not notice any preceptable change in the viscosity of the mix. I did not do a starch test with iodine, so I am unsure if anything happened. The starting gravity is about 1050, any ideas in aprox % ABV will be in the mash when done fermenting?
Also wantd to say that this is a good place for info, and have learned a lot. Thanks for any information that you guys can come up with.


Furball

With the corn to total volume ratio you used(12lb corn to 15 gallons) it would may be difficult to feel much of a change in viscosity. I've done a few washes with 3kg(~6.3lb) per 5 gallons total volume and the change in viscosity is very noticible in the first ~3 minutes of stirring after the enzymes are added.

Hey furball, which still did you get from the Col.? Mine's in the making, it's the Gooseneck. Will be interested to hear how you like it. Bet it looks pretty nice just arrived, all that copper. We'll have to compare notes, mine should be done in a month or 2.

V.G I got the Georgia still, 10 gal capacity. He does really good work, I am pretty happy. I am hoping to make a run this weekend, I have 15 gal of corn/sugar fermenting away. I'm also in the process of making a recirc pump for the condenser, hopefully I can get everything machined and assembled to be ready for Sunday.
I will try to get some notes together, and give a report on how every thing goes.
Where in Virginia are you? I am in Maryland myself, not to far from the Va. border.
Furball

theholymackerel wrote:That last post was me.

I was signed in when I typed it. I don't know how it got posted as "guest".

I've had this same thing happen recently--some kind of timed logout? Doesn't give you time to read, sometimes.

furball wrote:I will try to get some notes together, and give a report on how every thing goes.
Where in Virginia are you? I am in Maryland myself, not to far from the Va. border.
Furball

Hey Furball, Georgia still is his best seller. We'll compare notes. I'm like 20th on his list. I'm down here in central Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mtns. Hope your run goes good on Sun.

Well, between the mash still vigorously fermenting, not having the recirc pump done and the honey list this week end, I was unable to get the run made.
THM, the way I prepaired the mash was to take about 8lbs of the cracked corn, placed it into boiling water and boiled it until it thickend up. I then threw in some ice until it was down to 150deg. I then added 6 crushed beano tabs and about 1 tsp of amylse enzymes from the brew shop.
I held this temp for about an hour. I had a bit more then 1/2 the volume of cool water waiting in the bucket when I added the hot corn mix. I then went back and disolved 15lbs of sugar in a gal of hot water and added that to the bucket. I added the remainder of corn to the bucket thinking the left over enzymes will work on the raw corn over time, and the remainder of the water. when everthing was at about 80 deg I added a load of yeast I save from the last time I brewed beer.
So that is the way I made up the mash. I am open to suggestions for improvement. Thx for the suggestions THM.

Furball

OKAY DOKAY, Finally got the time to my self and after working out a few kinks with the turkey burner I was able to get the batch run done on saturday!
Using the rig I bought from the colonel I put 10 gal. of wash in it and put the heat to her. I rigged a thermometer to keep track of the boiler temp as it was running as well as keeping track of the column temp. I am not sure as to what the percent the mash finished fermenting at but it fermented dry, took about 45 min to get the wash from 75 deg F to 150 deg, that is when I noticed vapor/fumes from the collecting tube. At a boiler temp of 170 deg it was starting to condense the vapor and I collected the first 50ml and discarded. Also at a boiler temp of 170 to 190 the column temp ran right up to 180 deg and held steady. I collected about 3qts when I notice that the temp began creeping up to 190. I collected another quart for a total of 1 gal of pretty clean distillate. Well it was getting a little late and the wife was yelling if I wanted dinner so I cranked the heat up a bit and got the column temp up to 200 deg and collected another quart. The next morning when I was checking my jars out the first 4 were crystal clear and the 5th was a bit cloudy after it had cooled down.
I began a new mash using the 9 gal of back set from the still, I like being different so while reusing the corn in the big bucket, I heated the backset up in a separate pan and added 5 lbs of oat meal, some beano for the conversion and 18 lbs of sugar. When it was down in temperature I added it back to the original mash to get it back up to the 15 gal level I started with.
Guy's, I want to say thanks for all the good info you all put out. It was fun and the product is real flavorful, I even got the thumbs up from an old time 'shiner when he sampled it!!

Furball
PS I will let you know how the second batch comes out with the backset being used. Quick question, how much backset is normally used??

Sounds like you did a good job, Furball! That last quart has a lot of fusel oils in it, nothing wrong with mixing a little back into the rest, if you want it a little stronger (flavor, I mean, not alcohol content).

Chemist your right, that last quart does have a lot of flavor to it. Even my wife liked the taste, I think she is eyeballing it and she isn't much of a drinker!
My friends dad who is an old 'shiner said that back in the day they would mix the whole run and instead of cutting it with water they would use the tail run, this way they had a full flavored product. I am thinking of doing the same.
I need to pick up a proof hydrometer to figure out what all I ended up with.

Furball