StillSmart

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

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

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

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.

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