Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

G'day All,

My goal since before joining AD was to make a decent all grain whisky out of malted barley. Over the last few months I have probably put on 7 different ferments and have been refining the process as I have been experiencing and learning. I began using an old esky as a mash tun and some muslin for straining grain with remarkably reasonable results (could just be luck) but very low efficiency. Since my first attempt I believe I have come some way and am now using a mash tun cooler with false bottom with a rise in efficiency and ease in production.

I thought I would post a couple of pics to assist other noobs like me. I am sure the more experienced folks on here are far more advanced in terms of process and efficiency, but am pretty proud of the steps I have made and hope that this will go some way to assisting other learners like myself to picture the process.The process I use is very simple. My grain bill for the pictured mash is 100% Bairds heavily peated malt. I am using 11kg to 40l strike water. Then sparging with 6l. After the grain soaking up some water I end up with between 40-42l of wort at 1.063-1.068 SG (temp corrected). Also important to note all my equipment is washed and sanitized prior to use.

Mash process:
1. Heat water to 71c
2. Place cooler mash tun under boiler tap. Insert brew bag into mash tun. I use a brew bag as it makes removing spent grain easier.
3. Fill mash tun to 40l with strike water form boiler at 71c.
4. Pour in 11kg of grain. I add this in 2 lots and stir in well after each time ensuring that there are no clumps.
5. With my grain and mash tun setup the temp after adding grain is 64c. I screw the lid on and leave for 90mins, stirring every 30mins.
6. Heat remaining water in boiler to 75c.
7. After 90 mins I remove the lid from the mash tun and ensure the hose is fitted to the drain tap on the mash tun. Place my bucket under the hose and open the tap and allow the wort to drain. It is important to note that the hose is essential to draining the wort from the grain. The hose will cause a rapid draw down affect (vacuum) and essentially sucks the wort through the grain.
8. Before the wort is completely drained I pour the 6l of pre heated sparge water over the grain to allow this to rinse the remaining wort through the grain.
9. I do not have an immersion chiller so I pour the wort into the fermenter. I wrap them in wet towels and point a fan at them. Given that it is also winter I am usually able to pitch my rehydrated yeast before I go to bed on the same day of mashing.




I am now at a point where I am ready to experiment with different yeasts and am playing around with US-05, M-1 & belgian ale yeast.

Hope the pics help.
G.

Nice write up Georgio. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks Professor. A large part of the steps I have made towards my dream of making a nice sipping whisky are attributed to the information and advice I have got from this forum and the kind folk who give up there own time and experience for free!

My way of contributing back. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-+1:

I like the detail the you and bluc have been sharing! I have a similar set-up although not as proficient as you are in using it!
But then, it’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from what you do!

I was t aware that the hose creates a vacuum; good to know. I will implement that on my next mash!

Question I have (and haven’t really found a computer Pete answer - or I’m just a special kind of stoopid) - How do you calculate your sparge water?

I have been given some advice on how others do it, I just don’t seem to be able to replicat that successfully... I am wondering if there’s a hard’n’fast rule that is scale-enable? Being a beer brewer, you may have the answer I seek?

Last AG mash is did, I had it sitting over night and it gave me a SG if 1096, then I sparg d and it came down to 1081 which I was happy with. It was a ‘throwaway’ mash and worked out bloody good! My failure was keeping adequate notes... all dedictated mashes weren’t as successful!! :angry-banghead:

EziTasting wrote:How do you calculate your sparge water?

G'day Ezi,
I was using morbeer calc initially, to be honest my assumptions were off and results were inconsistent.
The sparge water amount for the above grain bill has been the result of trial and error. I have found grain type & mill size has played a significant role in for determining sparge water volume (given my skill level and equipment). In contrast to Bairds I have used a fair bit of golden promise, the supplier of this grain mills this for me slightly finer than they would the Bairds. What I find is I usually need an additional 1.5 liters of sparge water for the same 11kg of grain. I have been thinking this maybe due to an increased grain surface area.

Georgio wrote: then I sparg d and it came down to 1081 which I was happy with

WOW....what was your final wash abv?

It fermented out to 1014 and wouldn’t budge so I ran it.

My coach’s say it’s around 8-9%

I have had the same issue of not fermenting beyond 1.015 when using US-05. I have been getting down to 1.005 using M1 but it is a llittle pricey as I have to buy a 500g brick.

With the hose you'll need to be careful as if it draws out too quickly it can compact the grain bed and lead to a stuck sparge. It's a balancing act.
The fg can be a bit of a variable as mash temp can play a role in % of fermentable/unfermentable sugars created. Lower fg gives a higher yield but there's more flavour in a higher fg wash so a trade off... Again it's a balancing act :laughing-rolling:
With sparge volume I judge that by the gravity reading and stop when it gets down to 1.010 this varies depending on grind and efficiency of the mash.

There's no one correct way to make Ag as there's so many variables for me the fun is in making changes and then seeing the results. Well mainly in the results :obscene-drinkingchug:

Georgio wrote:I have had the same issue of not fermenting beyond 1.015 when using US-05. I have been getting down to 1.005 using M1 but it is a llittle pricey as I have to buy a 500g brick.

Nice work Georgio... :handgestures-thumbupleft:
My process so far is pretty similar to yours.
My last mash, which was actually my first ever i used US-05 and it fermented down to 1.007. I was pretty happy with that, i was expecting higher.
Anyway i got just under 8% Abv from the mash.
Keep up the experiments, but dont forget to post results.

Love the info coming in about the AG washes, as this is where im about to veer, plenty of rum in the cupboard.
Good input . :D

All grain is challenging but rewarding. I always have a fermenter of CFW on the go but find the flavor of AG to be more complex. :D

Georgio wrote:All grain is challenging but rewarding. I always have a fermenter of CFW on the go but find the flavor of AG to be more complex. :D

Tell me more about this "flavor" Georgio!

I'm going to be walking a very similar path to you soon my friend... would love to hear about what kind of spirit you have been pulling from the all grain mash.

TBone its a flavor I imagine is only fit for a god, yet i am able to enjoy its sweet nectar.......hahaha :teasing-tease:
I guess compared to sugar washes the grain flavors are more pronounced. I have been incorporating oats and corn into my AG and am treading a line between a bourbon and a grain irish whiskey.
I am no guru at AG but have punched out a few crackers the last couple years. Feel free to PM me and I may be able to assist if u require. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Georgio wrote:TBone its a flavor I imagine is only fit for a god, yet i am able to enjoy its sweet nectar.......hahaha :teasing-tease:
I guess compared to sugar washes the grain flavors are more pronounced. I have been incorporating oats and corn into my AG and am treading a line between a bourbon and a grain irish whiskey.
I am no guru at AG but have punched out a few crackers the last couple years. Feel free to PM me and I may be able to assist if u require. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I'm very encouraged. And I'll be in touch!

Hey G, can I give TB your number ?
Just checking, I already did :laughing-rolling:

:scared-eek: :laughing-rolling: :handgestures-thumbupleft:
No worries mate. All good :obscene-drinkingdrunk: