Packersfan1964

I was thinking about running the agitator, but then chose not too....I'll give it a try next time, it seems like it would potentially cut down the run time as well. Not sure what a beer well is.....

We are making corn whiskey – thanks to all of you who helped us get through our mashing and fermentation issues. I would seriously be screwed if it wasn’t for these forums helping us trouble shoot. By the way, it tastes great!!!!! We ran our 80% corn 20% barley wash @ 5% ABV through our column still with two plates. Run started great, we were able to run it @ 160 proof for most of the run – my question comes in as the run started tapering off from 160 proof and down. Do you typically run it at the same temp and just let the ABV decrease and try to keep the flow steady, or would you be willing to run slower and keep it at a higher ABV? My thought process was that as we will be diluting this to 40-50% ABV, we might as well keep running it down and make cuts as the flavor dictates, but I could also see slowing the run to keep a higher proof distillate. Also, I couldn’t find many column still operation conversations, so maybe this is a good place to have it?

Thanks! That helps - I never thought of factoring that in.

It was an absolute nightmare for us. Got through it though, albeit 3-4 months later opening then we had hoped. Good luck.

Would you mind expanding on that? How do the activity of enzymes during fermentation effect yield? Is there something else I should be looking at beside my SG reading? Thanks,

Indy - how long are you holding the initial heat up to get negative starch? Are you using an iodine test or something different?

Typical SG has been 1.04-1.05 Ferments have been super slow 7-8 days, but that's largely because we can't keep our temp up during the ferment

" No need to heat to 190 as flaked corn is fully gelatinized. " This is what I thought but then I was told otherwise. I'm going to do a 5 gallon test batch today and see if I can fully convert with the recipe above, but forget about going to 190 and stop at 165. Thanks

1. Pump 100 gallons of filtered water to bring the PH from 8.1 to 5.8 to 6.0 2. Add corn (150lbs) to cold water 3. Raise water & Corn to a boil ADD HITEMPASE AND HOLD 190-203 FOR 30 MINUTE 4. DROP TEMP TO 152 ADD AMYLO 300 AND REST (Stop Agitation) AS TEMP FALLS THROUGH 150 RANGE OVER 60 MINUTES 5. When temperature drops 149F mix in remaining grain and Gluco-Amylase a. Add Barley (30lbs) b. Gluco Amylase (1 TSP per 23L water) c. Stir for 5 minutes d. Slowly agitate for an hour to 90 minutes 6. Pump to fermentation tank and crash cool to 90F 7. Measure SG 8. Pitch Yeast Originally we were just going to raise the temp to 165 and add malted barley (after it dropped to 150F) but our consultant said it is better to raise to 190F and use barley flakes.

We were able to apply AND get our TTB without a still. Our internal guy at the TTB just had us put a placeholder on the application.

Having a PH of 7-8 is pretty normal - you will want to drop it depending on the mash you will be making 5-6 for whiskey. Iron is generally undesirable, but a carbon filter should be able to take that out. Calcium is desirable to a point because it can enhance your enzyme performance. Hope that helps - I couldn't read all of it.

Doing our first bourbon runs and bought flaked corn from BSG. It has definitely been a son-of-a-bitch to work with. Have you guys had more success using corn flour or cracked corn? We've been heating up to 190F and adding HiTempase, it's been working but a pretty low yield. Thanks as always!

We actually do readings for both to ensure accuracy. We adjusted PH down to 4.5 initially - we haven't taken one since adding sugar/corn. Probably just heat up the tank? It's not jacketed, but we can find a way...

Hey Gents We are making a sugar and corn mash (80% Sugar 20% Corn) and are having a hell of a time getting our batch to complete fermentation. We had a SG of 1.058 on Day 1 On Day 2 we had a SG of 1.066 (not sure how it went up? our only theory is we took a non-representative sample) Day 3 - down to 1.06 Day 4 - still at 1.06 Starting fermentation temp was 90F on day 1. It has dropped to 78F on Day 3 and is now at 80 on Day 4...... We are doing a 100 gallon open top fermentation tank, and it is still bubbling like crazy. What's really confusing me, is this same recipe kicks ass in a 5 gallon carboy - any ideas why a bigger fermentation would slow it down / stop it???? We used Red Star Distiller's Active Dry Yeast (DADY) 1 lb, and a small amount of yeast nutrient. We are at a loss - two batches in a row have gotten stuck.... Thanks!

thanks guys

Hypothetical Question: Let's say we have a barrel of whiskey we intend to let mature for 2 years, but we decide to take 1 gallon of the barrel for a special tour/tasting for customers to try. Is this allowed or does any spirit need to come out of an approved label?

Almost every presenter said to get slides at Slide Share, but I can't find them. Anyone know where to get slides? Thanks,

If we can get open in April that would be 7 months after signing our lease, 15 months after truly setting out to open a distillery....but we are a true 'micro-distillery'

Ok, so after having posted as DenverDistiller for a while, it turns out Mr. Leopold has the name Denver Distiller and people were getting confused why sometimes it appeared that DenverDistiller didn't know the difference between whiskey and chocolate milk, but Denver Distiller can tell you about the history of specific yeast strains in Belgian beers from 1847. So I changed my name - our distillery, Bouck Bros, will be open in Idaho Springs Colorado within a month. TTB, State, City, all approved, just waiting for our still and CO from the building dept.