StillSmart

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-30T07:38:02+00:00

I've tried the no chill method just once. The best containers I could find were too light to take the boiling wort and got bent out of shape from the heat.

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:38 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-30T00:50:11+00:00

Hi all

I've done a fair bit of all grain beer using the Aussie BIAB brew in a bag method and reckon it would lend itself well to grain mashing for a spirit wash. It gives you a way into all grain with minimum investment, is dead simple and really does work.

Another Oz invention, although I've not done it myself is the no chill method for wort cooling. This would appear more suited to spirit washes than beer for which it was developed, its only valid criticism is the retention of Dimethyl Sulphides or DMS, but this boils at 37C and is hardly an issue considering its going in a still.

Statistics: Posted by Ian3266 — Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:50 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-13T08:13:58+00:00

BTW, an old hand told me, when starting off with an all-grain mash using flaked maize or any other pre-cooked grain, you should begin with 1kg dry grain to 1 gallon (5 litres) of water at 90oC.

This is because, in flaked grains, the starch has already been cooked and rolled to release the starches and all you need to do is reconstitute the starch with near boiling water. For normal grain mash the water temp would be much lower to start so as not to kill the enzymes in the grain.

However, I found by hard experience, that if you're using flaked maize in particular, you should up that ratio to 1kg to 7 litres of water. The resulting Wort is likely to be more manageable as it is less likely to set completely solid before you can add the enzymes.

Once the Mash has gelatinised and cooled to around 67oC you should add a further 3 litres of water per Kg of dry weight grain, also at 67oC, to thin the mash. This will ensure all the grain starch is dissolved and suspended in the mash ready for the enzymes to convert to fermentable sugars.

Then when you add the malted grains the enzymes will have an easy job to do

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Sat Apr 13, 2013 8:13 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-12T18:41:53+00:00

Watch out for the flaked maize, that stuff turns to quick set concrete in seconds once it gets into hot water and whatever you do don't keep it on the heat after you add the maize to the water

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-12T08:52:04+00:00

Have got my order
6kg Flaked Maize
3kg Flaked Wheat
1.5kg Amber Malt Extract
1.5kg Wheat Malt Extract
2.5kg Pale Rye Malt
Tub of Amalyse

Let the fun begin

Statistics: Posted by Distillingchris — Fri Apr 12, 2013 8:52 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-12T07:34:17+00:00

i know and it might go wrong but i might go right haha, well going to start with potatoes as that seem the easiest, i have flaked wheat and flaked maize, so all i do is boil i think to genelatise.

Statistics: Posted by Distillingchris — Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:34 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-12T04:27:22+00:00

I agree with Aidan. I will just caution that wheat and corn is not the same as malted wheat and malted corn. The latter have enzymes (well, some) to convert starch into sugars. Corn traditionally is the fuel (starch) to drive the engine (malted barley). Wheat is for flavouring. It is a deep and complex subject. Experimenting and observing is a good way to learn. Don't forget to take notes.

Chuck

Statistics: Posted by chill — Fri Apr 12, 2013 4:27 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T22:52:52+00:00

I always say the best way to learn is to do and looks like you're raring to get going.

Sometimes you just got to get things out of your system. Don't forget to post your experiences as nothing teaches us like experience...especially our own experience

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:52 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T20:15:52+00:00

I also have wheat and corn to use, have found a few recipes that look straight forward and quite easy to do, both along the same lines as what I planned to do.

Statistics: Posted by Distillingchris — Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:15 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T19:56:46+00:00

I think the use of potatoes for vodka was due to lack of alternatives.

Statistics: Posted by chill — Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:56 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T18:50:55+00:00

I won' t do a big long post on this but don't bother with potatoes, especially if you have malted barley on hand.

Potatoes are a hard and messy slog...a bit like Corn

Aidanmac

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:50 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T14:15:24+00:00

I am trying to find a recipe but not had much look, all add sugar and looking to do it properly rather rely on the sugar for the alcohol, it would still be safe if I did my method surely ?

Statistics: Posted by Distillingchris — Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:15 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T12:14:28+00:00

Hi Chas

My advise is. Copy exactly a tried and tested methoed and recipe.
You will learn how to, and also get something safe and tasty to drink.

Statistics: Posted by Normski — Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:14 pm

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T10:06:42+00:00

thanks for the information, i appreciate it and appreciate you know what your doing but quick question, this is what i was planning.

Freeze potatoes to help soften when defrosted,
Cut up and peel.
Put in boiler and slowly increase temperature while occasionaly stirring to boling point
check with iodine starch is present
let cool and move into fermenting bucket
maybe add malted barley ? to convert starch into sugar
check again with iodine that starch is now not present
use hydrometer
pitch yeast
ferment out
strip and then spirit cut

I presume i dont want to filter through carbon and if this is correct how much malted barley would i need to use to convert.

Statistics: Posted by Distillingchris — Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:06 am

Re: All Grain Mashing

2013-04-11T08:58:59+00:00

Ok if thats your intention I would use the boiler purely as a boiler and for a few quid make myself a mashtun and manafold (filter), for this you need some copper pipe 90 degree pushfit conectors some T pieces a tank connector and a tap in order to make something like this which is a simple manifold but you can add more pipework to increase the effectiveness if you wish with a couple more T pieces and bits of pipe so you cover a bigger area with your manifold.

You then cut slots about a third of the way through the pipe

Drill a hole through the coolbox and using the tank connector feed the pipe out of the box to the tap, the tank conector was the only soldered part of my original tun with all the other joints unsoldered for ease of assembly in the tun and cleaning, the manifold is used with all the slots facing down and your ready to go.

You pre heat your water in the boiler to about 72 degrees and put it in the mash tun followed by the grain (it is ALLWAYS water first as if you put the grain in first you risk bunging up the slots in the pipe) mix well and adjust the temp of the mash if required leave it for 90mins before SLOWLY draining it out, you then add more water from the boiler to the grain wait around 20 mins and drain again, pour all the liquid into your boiler and boil.

THe above method is called batch sparging and I hope i have made it easy to understand, it is an easy project to build the mash tun and for me moving away from the shop bought boiler masher was the best thing I ever did with my brewhouse efficiency increasing by about 40%.

Any question mate PM me with your phone number and I will have a chat to explain things better,or look at http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk this site contains a wealth of information

Statistics: Posted by scubadiver — Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:58 am