NcHooch's Carolina Bourbon

[MR-E]

This recipe was posted by NcHooch over at H.D & is in the tried & proven section, I am posting it
here with NcHoochs permission.

Try this: I've done 7 runs of this recipe and it produces an excellent result . But first, a few words about Bourbon whiskey, 'cause ya cant just whip up any whiskey and call it bourbon.

* Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.
* Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
* Neither coloring nor flavoring may be added.
* Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
* Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
* Bourbon, like other whiskeys, may not be bottled at less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume.)
* Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.
* Straight Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.
* If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.
* Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.

In practice, almost all bourbons marketed today are made from more than two-thirds corn, have been aged at least four years, and do qualify as "straight bourbon"—with or without the "straight bourbon" label. The exceptions are inexpensive commodity brands of bourbon aged only three years and pre-mixed cocktails made with straight bourbon aged the minimum two years. However, a few small distilleries market bourbons aged for as little as three months. <- this might be you :wink:

this is my Carolina Bourbon ....and it's fine tastin'
5-6 gallon wash yield.

I Start with 7 pounds of cracked corn, n cook in 4 gallons of good water for at least an hour (i usually go 90 mins) at a low simmer. ...careful not to burn it.
*optional - you may add a half pound of 6-row malted barley while cooking the corn to loosen it up a bit ( this is called pre-mashing) as it gets very thick.
Then cool to exactly 150f.
Pour into a large cooler (helps conserve heat during the mashing session)
Add 3 pounds of 6-row malted barley ...The temp should drop to approx 145f
...stir well every 15 mins, while you mash for 2-3 hours. Keep covered.

* Note: Don't add malted barley to the corn if it exceeds 155f! the enzymes will be denatured in short order and and you won't get no conversion.the mashing process requires that you keep the mash at 145f +/- 5f for the entire duration of the mash session which is why you use the insulated cooler.

*optional - If you want, you can add a lil beano (we'll look the other way)for additional conversion...and let it continue to mash overnight.

At the end of the mash, cool to 80f and transfer to fermenter (grain and all).
Top up to 6-7 gallons total volume.
Aerate well and pitch yeast (Prestige WD or your favorite yeast).
Ferment for a week on grain.
After fermentation is complete, strain out grain, and transfer wash to boiler. No need to let the wash clear.

*Note: I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bag to separate the grain from the wash.

I distilled with my Bok (removed a lil packing so the spirits are 80% )....make appropriate cuts and dilute final spirits to 60% abv using good water.

I oaked at 60% with 2 pcs of my own new charred white oak sticks for 6 months in a glass jar (once again, we'll look the other way if you dont have a barrel). As long as you're using new charred white oak I think you can call it Bourbon.
Once your agin'/oaking is complete, dilute down to 45% and bottle.

This is what a recent bottle looks like after just 6 months on the oak. I love the color.

P1110100000.jpg

...and like I said, it's fine tastin .
a slightly earthy, woody smell with vanillas in it.
and a nice cherry /vanilla/oaky taste that does down really smooth

Cheers,
NChooch

I did a batch of this on the w/end & its bubbling away nicely at the moment & smells great :D
For 26ltrs I used the following:
3.2kg cracked corn
1.4kg malted barley ( Aussie ale )
75g Lowans finest yeast
This is my first all grain mash & by following the instructions it went well & my S.G was 1040.
I'll keep you all posted on how it turns out & if you like Bourbon give it a go

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

Can you get him to send you an envelope full of dirt?

That way you could sprinkle it around your brew room and legally call it bourbon :D

[MR-E]

Can you get him to send you an envelope full of dirt?

That way you could sprinkle it around your brew room and legally call it bourbon :D

:laughing-rolling: yeah, I told him I didn't like that rule :handgestures-thumbdown:

[R-sole]

How did you cook the corn? And how did you strain it?

[MR-E]

How did you cook the corn? And how did you strain it?

I'm fermenting the mash on the grains & will strain it before I put it in the boiler.
To cook the the corn I did the following:
Dumped the corn & 7ltrs of boiling water into a 25ltr esky & let it soak for 24hrs.
Then boiled 7ltrs of water in a 30ltr pot & added the contents from the esky & did a three stage cook.
Heated it up while stirring to 55.c, turned off the heat & let it sit for 30min
heated up while stirring to 74.c, turned off the heat & let it sit for 30min
Heated up while stirring to 94.c, added 200gr of malted barley to thin the mix up a bit & turned off the heat.
The last stage was a good work out as the mix was getting pretty thick.
I then transferred that into the esky & let it cool to 66.c & then added the malted barley & gave it a good stir
& the temp dropped to 63.c, closed up the esky & gave it a good stir every 15-20min for 2hrs.
Then I let it sit over night & when I checked it the mash was settled, there was a clear layer of liquid on top
& the mash was thin.
When I dumped that lot in the fermenter I topped it up to 26ltrs, gave it a good stir & let it settle & got an S.G of 1040
I don't know how much conversion I got, as I don't have anything to test for starch content.
In fact I don't have any gear for mashing grains, I just used what I had which was my old Stillspirits 3 in 1 boiler & a 25ltr esky,
I don't know if I did it right, just followed the instructions, its still bubbling away & smells great.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[R-sole]

1040 is not too bad.

You have two more challenges ahead of you.

First is to get the wash off the grains
Second is to cook it off without scorching on your element.

[MR-E]

1040 is not too bad.

You have two more challenges ahead of you.

First is to get the wash off the grains
Second is to cook it off without scorching on your element.

Yeah, I've been thinking about that, the fermenter is over half full with grain, any suggestions for the next batch.
I'm cooking with gas so hopefully scorching won't be an issue.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[R-sole]

If i had the 2 major problems solved with doing corn i wouldn't have given up on it.

Namely how to cook it to get the starches from it without burning, and then how to distill it on the grain or seperate it from the grain.

I built a 160l stainless steam injection unit to do it, and still found the problems insurmountable.

That's why i'm keen to see someone succeed

[MR-E]

O.k, I managed to strain approx 18ltrs of wash from the grains from a total volume of 26ltrs, I didn't take a F.G reading.
I ran it through the mongrel plated column & got 750mls @ 92% after making cuts.
I now have 1.1ltrs @ 63% on some toasted American Oak chips, I'll let you know how it tastes in a few months.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[crozdog]

Top experiment.

can't wait to hear the final result.

A couple of comments / questions

1. Buy some betadine liquid (liquid antiseptic) or Iodophor (no rinse sanitizer) to do an iodine test. it will tell you if conversion is complete (Take a sample - put on a white plate, add a couple of drops of beta dine or iodorfor - if it stays the same colour all good - if it turns black starch is still present).

2. Your OG seems good- I just entered the details into beer smith (using flaked corn not cracked) & got an estimated OG of 1.041 @ 75% efficiency - link 5Star says - not bad. I

3. what was your FG?

4. how did you distill it? strip then spirit or just 1 run?

5. why the step mash?

Regardless of the questions - you seem to have had a good result. top work - enjoy your product :razz:

[stilly_bugger]

If you want, you can add a lil beano (we'll look the other way) for additional conversion...

Can you get Beano or an equivalent in Aus? Sounds like it would help.

[MR-E]

Top experiment.

can't wait to hear the final result.

A couple of comments / questions

1. Buy some betadine liquid (liquid antiseptic) or Iodophor (no rinse sanitizer) to do an iodine test. it will tell you if conversion is complete (Take a sample - put on a white plate, add a couple of drops of beta dine or iodorfor - if it stays the same colour all good - if it turns black starch is still present).

2. Your OG seems good- I just entered the details into beer smith (using flaked corn not cracked) & got an estimated OG of 1.041 @ 75% efficiency - link 5Star says - not bad. I

3. what was your FG?

4. how did you distill it? strip then spirit or just 1 run?

5. why the step mash?

Regardless of the questions - you seem to have had a good result. top work - enjoy your product :razz:

Thanks croz, iodine is definitely on the shopping list.
I didn't take an F.G reading, but it fermented in 7 days & then I let it sit for a week before running it, I syphoned
of the cleared liquid off the top & strained the rest through a home made strainer.
I did a single run through the plated column. :D
I pre-soaked the cracked corn in boiling water overnight & then did the step mash to avoid burning the corn & maximise
extraction of the starch from the corn.
None of the above is my idea, I just read the whole thread & used what methods I thought would work best for me,
this is a recipe I had wanted to do for while & I am pleased with the results so far.

If you want, you can add a lil beano (we'll look the other way) for additional conversion...

Can you get Beano or an equivalent in Aus? Sounds like it would help.

Hey stilly, sounds like some type of antacid for heartburn or indigestion & contains amylase ( hope I spelt that right ) chemist
would be the best place to try for an equivalent in Aus.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[wynnum1]

Did similar after letting settle the top of fermenter cleared and siphoned off because only 1040 starting gravity there is not a lot of alcohol but what you get is good.
Instead of trying to get liquid out of grain left i added water and sugar and started again fermented with no problems .
at 1040 starting gravity you need larger ferments and a pot still or maybe add some sugar or dextrose .

[MR-E]

Did similar after letting settle the top of fermenter cleared and siphoned off because only 1040 starting gravity there is not a lot of alcohol but what you get is good.
Instead of trying to get liquid out of grain left i added water and sugar and started again fermented with no problems .
at 1040 starting gravity you need larger ferments and a pot still or maybe add some sugar or dextrose .

Hope you like the result, I'll be doing a double batch next time & I'm hoping to get better conversion, aiming for 1050 S.G.
If don't get an improvement on conversion I'll alter the amount of malted barley.
If it help's, Nchooch is getting better conversion using backset from the still for pre-soaking the corn, instead of water.
I'm going to keep at it using all grains & see how it goes, if I have to start adding sugar I'll go back to using McStills Bourbon Knock Off,
much easier than mashing & then adding sugar.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[wynnum1]

I think you need larger batches even 1050 small batches is not a lot .
What do they do with the grain after fermentation there is nutrient in the used grain that will ferment a sugar wash .
All grain seems to be Superior .

[MR-E]

I think you need larger batches even 1050 small batches is not a lot .
What do they do with the grain after fermentation there is nutrient in the used grain that will ferment a sugar wash .
All grain seems to be Superior .

G'day wynnum, I strained 18 ltrs from a total of 26 ltrs off the grains & gave the grains to my chooks.
I ran the 18 ltrs through the plated column with 6 plates & kept 750 mls @ 92% after making cuts, I ended
up with 1.1 ltrs @ 63% for aging on oak.
My next run will be through the plated column with 4 plates & I'm aiming to collect at approx 85-90%
to get a stronger flavor.
After two weeks on oak its better than any H.B.S cordial I've tried & it will get better with more time on oak.
For larger batches I will do a double batch in my 60 ltr fermenter, I don't think I could handle going bigger than that.
Also, I was reading some info on adding the backset from the still to the corn for the pre-soak & the acid from the
backset helps with breaking down the starch from the corn & getting better conversion for a higher S.G 1060-1070.
I'm still learning the ropes in the all grain game & will be sharing the results as I go.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[wynnum1]

Whole corn can be malted soak in water for 12 hours and then hang in a bag and dip in water twice a day until it sprouts.