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What volume of proof alcohol do you get from 56 lbs of yellow corn?


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I know in real life I need to either use malted barley or add enzymes. Assume 100% conversion.

The next part of alcohol I'm pulling for this thread on the forum:

http://adiforums.com/index.php?showtopic=5579&hl=%2Blb+%2Bof+%2Bcorn+%2Bto+%2Bproof+%2Bgallon#entry31802

56 lbs of corn makes 2.91 gallons of 200 proof alcohol

56 lbs of corn makes 5.82 gallons of 100 proof alcohol

Due to lack of efficiency, cuts, life, etc I'm guestimating one can get 4 proof gallons per 56 lbs of yellow corn? Is this what you see in real life? Again, I'm assuming 100% conversion.

If this is super off, what sort of real world output are you guys seeing off of 56 lbs of yellow corn?

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You know how folks like to suggest that a startup distillery look at whatever initial costs they've cobbled together and then double it? I say, do the same thing with your yields. Figure on using double the grain you think you need for the yield you're hoping for. We run our bourbon (corn, wheat, oats, barley) though a double distillation on true potstills. Our cuts are tight and we don't reach full attenuation, but we definitely get less than that 5.82 proof gallons/56lbs that you're looking at. My math sucks, but I'm thinking we're closer to 2.5pg/56lbs.

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We get almost identical numbers to Lenny and sounds like we have a similar setup and process: tight cuts, double distillation on pot still, and non-optimal conversion on a 100% corn whiskey..with heirloom corn.

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We get 7.4 to 8.3 pg for 91# of corn, rye and malt. Striped on our pot still with thumper and no cuts. 4 day 50 gallon fermentations. Four strips to one spirit run and yield 29.6 to 32.3 pg depending on cuts.

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We use four (4) 1400 lb grain ferments (wheat, rye and malted barley), strip each and then one finishing run using the four stripping runs. So total grain is 5600 lbs, divided by 56 lbs/bushel = 100 bushels. Yield for last two finishing runs have been 347.3 PG and 346.5 PG, averaging 346.9 PG. Divided by 100 bushels = 3.47 PG/56 lbs. We are working hard to get full attenuation during our ferments.

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From looking at everyone but Sudzie's numbers, it looks like everyone is doing this without recycling either tails or heads? I am at about 2.6 or so pg without recycling tails or heads, but I am around 4 pg/bushel when I do. The yield I think would depend upon what type of barrel you intend on using and for how long it will age. You can make wider cuts if aging for a longer period of time because some of the low boilers will evaporate faster, but I think you are more talking in the 2-3 year range before it really starts to dissipate. I wish I could find some good literature on this, but I haven't really found anything great and not geared towards American whiskies. My understanding is that the large continuous distillers are leaving pretty much all low boilers in and letting time take care of it for them, but I don't have that at a very high confidence level.

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  • 3 months later...
On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 0:14 AM, jeffw said:

....................... barrel you intend on using and for how long it will age. You can make wider cuts if aging for a longer period of time because some of the low boilers will evaporate faster, but I think you are more talking in the 2-3 year range before it really starts to dissipate. I wish I could find some good literature on this, but I haven't really found anything great and not geared towards American whiskies. My understanding is that the large continuous distillers are leaving pretty much all low boilers in and letting time take care of it for them, but I don't have that at a very high confidence level.

I totally agree with jeffw.

With short term ageing I believe in taking a very big heads cut. Those "low boilers" take a long time to evaporate through the wood. That is a big part of the Angel's share.

2-3 years in in my opinion short term, but if it is left in new oak for too long it can end up over wooded (oak taint)

On a visit to a big, un-named, distillery in Indiana a couple of years ago I was told they did not take heads cuts. Was told their fermentation was well controlled and produced negligible methanol.

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