StillSmart

So, I just went straight to the next level on my airstill. Probably to soon, but I've always wanted to try this since I have some more experience brewing beer.

I made a whisky mash in a Braumeister using this recipe:

6kg peated malt
6kg pale malt
wlp099 super high gravity ale yeast
Step mashed at 64C, 71C and 77C
Reached an original gravity of 1.060
Left to ferment for 14 days at 20C.

But when I expected it to be done it had an FG of 1.010 and tastes... well not done.
(not infected) I gave it another week at about 23C, but it's the same. I'm not really sure what I expect it to taste like, since it's not like any beer I've made before.

So, should I give it a go and distill it? (It should have an ABV of about 6,5%)
OR should I try to add some sugar and other yeast to give it a kick.

My first thought would be to check pH. I've had issues with nose-diving pH - not that I've ventured into whisky washes yet - but was finding my ferments taking two to three weeks.

What's it sitting at right now?

Cheers

Hampk

OK, this is my twopence worth.
Malt whisky distillers aim for around 7 0r 8% low wines,in 3 or 5 days.
Using around 2% weight of yeast to the weight of barley in the mash.
That may seem a lot to beer brewers and wine makers.


I try to copy this, but do find my Ph nosediving after 24 hours.
I throw in Bicarbonate of Soda for the next couple of days, and am ready to distill by day 5.

My mashes for whiskey never lose more than .060, doesn't matter if they start high or low.

Law of diminishing returns or some such.

Robert.

Give it a good whisking and raise the temp a couple of degrees.

If you have it in a deep fermenter blow off the co2 before whisking. You need to get some oxygen in.


Half a bag of sugar would not hurt, but don't be tempted by too much too soon.

Three weeks is a long time in the mashing arm of the Scotch Whisky distilling world methinks, three days being a norm.
OK, so you don't care what the wash tastes like because you are going to distill it, but if I was you I would rack it and strip it.
Cutting my losses.
To my mind the longer it sits,the stranger it may taste.
Of course that is just IMHO.
Other opinions are available

Robert.

Thanks for all the advice!

I checked the Ph now. It was about 4.
FG is the same - 1.010.
Noticed now that it has got a slight smell of methane...

I will try to give it a good whisking, then I will add half a kilo of sugar and give it a few more days. After that I guess I will just give it a go...

claes wrote:I made a whisky mash in a braumeister using this recipe:

6kg peated malt
6kg pale malt

Claes...you must have the BM 50 Ltr...as I only get 6kg max in the 20 Ltr

Have you considered the calcium requirements for starch conversion? Is that an issue with your water?

Myles are you calling him a softy :-)

No. Anyone had mashing problems because of the calcium levels being too low?

Yes. I have the BM 50 liter

I don't think there is an issue with the water. Never been before at least.
I think maybe the yeast must have produced some unwanted esters.

On Sunday I'll try to distill whatever happens.
Will keep you posted.

Ok, so day 1 of distilling. The whisking and shaking of the barrel helped, along with some added sugar and change of temperature. The methane smell is all but gone and the taste is not that bad. The peated flavor comes out.

I left the 35 liters of ABV 6,6% on the balcony over night to cold crash it, and now I'm on my third stripping run. The two previous runs left me with 1,1 liters of 28-30% ABV. Should I have waited until 1,5l as most people do? The last drops I tasted was almost water...

I guess it will take me 3-4 days to complete the stripping run. I'm looking forward to the spirit run, but how should I best do the cuts? The results of the first stripping runs have a distinct peated aroma that I'm afraid to loose on the next run.

ps. this is a great hobby!

You can't go by the volume of what other people collect from other washes. That is not a useful number. ABV is a much better guide when stripping. I think Robert reported that most whisky makers go quite low in the strip run.

Makes sense. But to get the whisky flavor I shouldn't cut it too soon, even on the stripping run, right? I'm on my fifth run now. Each has left me with approx 1 liter of 30%ABV. I'm not very methodic, but I usually stop when I'm down to 10%ABV.

Update: I took a sample from my stripping run when it was around 40ABV. I tasted it now and it was pretty great! Similar in taste to a Laphroaig or thereabout. Simpler and unfinished of course, but a round and peated taste. I was really surprised.

So, now I started wondering – maybe I should just have done one run? I'm afraid I will loose too much taste on the spirit run. Now, I will have to do another run on the 5 liters I have this far anyway, so maybe I should do a spirit run on this first and compare that to the next stripping run of the remaining mash.

What do you guys think?