Attempt at new wash.

[Corps012588]

Just put this on and wanted opinions guys.
4kg sugar
2.5kg mixed crushed corn/barley/oats (new chicken feed I found with no added oils)
2tbs allinsons yeast
1tbs youngs yeast nutrient to get started.
Water to about the 26ltr mark
Showed a potential of just under 10%
Got plenty of neutral stored so thought I'd give this a go.
It's going to be double run through my smartstill.
So how does this sound?
I was worried about adding too little/much grain.

[Corps012588]

Thinking of trying to keep it going (ujsm)
But going to be running it through my smartstill.
If when it's finished fermenting I rack off into another bucket then pour say a gallon of water over the corn and yeast, will it be ok for a couple of days till I've got the wash cleared
And run enough to get some backset?

[chill]

Should be OK under water. Maybe throw in a bit of sugar to give the yeast something to do.

[Corps012588]

Cheers chill.
I'm just worried about it spoiling before I've got backset.
Failing all that I'll just collect the backset then start a brand new wash so I'm ready when it finishes fermenting.
Fingers crossed.

[chill]

I've done the water and sugar thing before, it works. As long as yeast has something to eat, it will be happy. Just make sure the backset has cooled first or add cold after to the fermented first. Boiled yeast are not happy yeast! :-)

[Corps012588]

Thanks buddy.
Just tried a bit of the fermenting wash and crikey has it got some flavour!
I'm more used to plain sugar washes so can't wait for this.
Looking forward to trying the wash when it's officially a sour mash too.
I can imagine it will be completely different to now.
It's a sort of strong corn/nut/cereal kind of taste and not at all unpleasant.
Just need a guide of running it through the smartstill from someone who's done it now.
I've contacted rhinus but no reply yet. He must be busy.

[chill]

I just run it like a sugar wash. I think what you will find is that it has too much grain flavour for traditional whiskey/bourbon taste. Some people like that, I don't so much myself. Most of the flavour of those drinks comes from the charred barrels that is aged in. If you carbon filter it, it will take out too much taste. So what I have been doing lately is to wait until I have nearly exhausted the carbon filtering neutrals and then run the whiskey through the nearly exhausted carbon before aging it on wood. Another option that I have not tried is to re-distill it, similar to how a lot of Irish Whiskey is triple distilled. Then there is wood carbon (as opposed to stone or coconut) which is supposed to allow some flavour to remain. I tried that and, for me, it stripped all of the flavour.

Chuck

[Corps012588]

Thanks for the flavour description. At the minute it smells of corn but with almost a peanut under note. If that makes any sense.
I was thinking of just running it as usual but just wanted to make sure first so thank you again.
I'm gathering this is quite a slow wash to clear once it's been racked and degassed in the usual manner? Just going with how milky it is at the minute.

[Easydrinker]

My only attempted corn washes(sweetcorn,no finings added)looked like they would never clear,to the clear you may expect from a sugar wash,so I waited for as much solid to settle as I dare,and ran them,expecting major cleaning of the still after.It didn't happen,just dark brown pot ale left behind.
As of tomorrow evening I'm starting the strips of my long awaited heavily peated malt experiment.They are not clear either,but are low ABV beer(7%),and that's the way they do it in my favourite distilleries,I figure this may be where some of the flavinoids come from.
What do I know? Other than that if this stuff doesn't taste like Ambrosia,it will be the last all grain mash that I do!
The amount of effort involved in transforming 25Kg malt to a distillable wash,without an all singing and dancing bit of kit such as AT's is ridiculous.
Trying to say,and I am ready to be corrected;my old days of wine making taught me not to leave low ABV stuff hanging around longer than minimum,unless it was in sealed sterilised containers,soon as.
Robert.

[Corps012588]

Stupid question but I do still need to degas the wash once it's been racked off don't i?

[chill]

I've heard of people running washes that have not cleared or even fully stopped fermenting (Ian Smiley recommends this in his book on making corn whiskey to improve the flavour). If you want it to clear, degassing will speed things up.

[Corps012588]

Thanks buddy. Just don't fancy it puking all over the kitchen.
I'm having an outbuilding converted so I can use it solely for the hobby so it won't matter then.
I may be in the market for a larger still soon.
I'm thinking a t500 boiler and a pot head. That is of course if I like the taste of this
Ujssm.
I'm going to be aging it with JD chips. Is that ok?

[chill]

JD chips will work just fine. Actual charred American white oak is better.

[rhinus]

Hey Corps,

I'm here. Things have been a little hot and heavy at work lately. I do give it a good stir after I rack to help degas. As someone said earlier, it probably isn't going to clear like you are used to with the sugar washes but it will won't stay milky. I've run UJSM in all manners of clear and only had one puke. That was my lesson to always use conditioner/butter in my strip runs. I usually go with what I call as "mostly clear." Sugar wash fans probably won't think that it is very clear at all. It is definitely more clear than milky. I started using JD chips with good result. Mostly, I followed AM's post on here. I tried nuking and distressing for better, quicker results. I have found that putting it in my attic and leaving alone makes for the best results.

Now, I only use old JD barrels cut into 1x1x5 inch pieces. I char the remaining 5 sides and let it sit for as long as I can stand. My sweet feed mixes (corn, oats, barley with molasses) comes out more harsh than my straight corn. In my experience, it is best to let it age longer but when it is ready, it give a much more complex taste and mouthfeel than the corn alone.

Rhinus

[Corps012588]

That's fantastic. Thank you.
What I'm thinking is if I wait till it looks like it's starting to clear by itself I'll rack it off,
Put a gallon of water on my grain/yeast bed
Degas the hell out of the wash and run it as soon as I dare.
That way I can get some backset in the fermenter and start gen2
If all goes without hiccup I may start doing this wash in my 60ltr fermenter.
I like the sound of the staves.
I'm not yet brave enough to try toasting and charring my own oak yet so have only
Used the JD chips and nutral.
Thank god for this forum huh?!