Traditional Appalachian Sweet Mash Corn Whiskey Discussion

[MtnMoonshiner]

I've actually been out of the country for a while on business, before I left corn was up quite a bit. But it sounds like it's back down to it's old prices. I get my corn from a few places and people. I'd prefer not to say where on a public forum. I order my rye and barley from an online distributor. It seems it's better quality coming from this particular place, and I don't mind spending a little extra money. A lot of folks making liquor these days are only concerned with quantity and money. While I do want a high quantity, I won't sacrifice quality or flavor for it. I think of moonshining as an art.

I only malt corn and barley, because that's how I was shown. But, I've heard that if you malt rye incorrectly it can get a dangerous bacteria growing on it which is akin to LSD :puke-huge: . I don't fool with it. Moldy rye bread is suspected of causing several mass hysteria incidents in the old days like the Salem Which Trials and such :scared-eek: . The people in the middle ages called the effect St. Anthonys fire or something like that. It may be it can grow wheat and barley too, but I've never tripped out on my stuff :))

[Linny]

Just ran a small batch now.. . Very clean :clap: very little heads and tails through the bubbler

[Brendan]

Stupid ME :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: about to put this down ,,, only just realised i ordered the amounts for rye and barley back to front :laughing-rolling:

Lucky im doing a smaller batch , will have to get more rye LOL ... Hey Brendan ,,, i got heaps of barley :-D

I only just saw this :-D

You've done well in the time from putting it down to having it run :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Probably a few weeks time when my mash tun is setup, I'll head in to Mark's to get me some ale barley and a wee bit of peated distilling malt :D

[invisigoth]

But, I've heard that if you malt rye incorrectly it can get a dangerous bacteria growing on it which is akin to LSD :puke-huge:

yeh that'd be ergot, a fungus. fun stuff! 8-}

[emptyglass]

I put a batch down today.
Mtn Moonshiner, if you been making this stuff since you were a kid, you'd be a handy bloke to know in a fight, you must have muscles like Arnold. Stirrin this stuff is hard work.

After I put the corn in and stired it up, it went like thick, thick porrige. I re checked ammounts, found I was short on water. I added some more, but I think too much. When I put the malt on top, it did crack a little, but tended to sink more than crack. I think its ok, just didn't work like the recipie said. I waited till the malt that was still on top cracked a little, then on to the next bit.

Smells nice, I skipped the sugar, just so I can say its all grain 8-) (its getting on the colder months anyway) Made a starter and pitched it an hour ago, got a good strike I think, there is activity, so its looking good.

I'll report back in a week or two.

[emptyglass]

But, I've heard that if you malt rye incorrectly it can get a dangerous bacteria growing on it which is akin to LSD :puke-huge:

yeh that'd be ergot, a fungus. fun stuff! 8-}

Stolen from wikipedia;
Ergot or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps.[1] The most prominent member of this group is Claviceps purpurea. This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals who consume grains contaminated with its fruiting structure (called ergot sclerotium).[2][3] Claviceps includes about 50 known species, mostly in the tropical regions. Economically significant species include C. purpurea (parasitic on grasses and cereals), C. fusiformis (on pearl millet, buffel grass), C. paspali (on dallis grass), and C. africana[4] (on sorghum). C. purpurea most commonly affects outcrossing species such as rye (its most common host), as well as triticale, wheat and barley. It affects oats only rarely.

Ergotism is the name for sometimes severe pathological syndromes affecting humans or other animals that have ingested plant material containing ergot alkaloid, such as ergot-contaminated grains. The Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony (monks) specialized in treating ergotism victims[10] with balms containing tranquilizing and circulation-stimulating plant extracts.[when?] The common name for ergotism is "St. Anthony's Fire",[10] in reference to monks who cared for victims as well as symptoms, such as severe burning sensations in the limbs.[11] These are caused by effects of ergot alkaloids on the vascular system due to vasoconstriction, sometimes leading to gangrene and loss of limbs due to severely restricted blood circulation.

Full article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot

[bt1]

Sounds ok EG,

Yep your right stirring it for a few hours does tend to make you consider other highly repetitive arm movements in the day somewhat less "appealing".

bt "w"

[MtnMoonshiner]

I put a batch down today.
Mtn Moonshiner, if you been making this stuff since you were a kid, you'd be a handy bloke to know in a fight, you must have muscles like Arnold. Stirrin this stuff is hard work.

After I put the corn in and stired it up, it went like thick, thick porrige. I re checked ammounts, found I was short on water. I added some more, but I think too much. When I put the malt on top, it did crack a little, but tended to sink more than crack. I think its ok, just didn't work like the recipie said. I waited till the malt that was still on top cracked a little, then on to the next bit.

Smells nice, I skipped the sugar, just so I can say its all grain 8-) (its getting on the colder months anyway) Made a starter and pitched it an hour ago, got a good strike I think, there is activity, so its looking good.

I'll report back in a week or two.

Eh...yeah, normally I have someone around to help stir when I get tired. It does thicken up a little hahaha! I also just use a long dowel rod to stir it with. I don't use a paddle like a lot of folks. It helps. The additional water shouldn't hurt it enough to tell, unless you put a fire hydrants worth lol. It doesn't crack very much, I should have said that. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But it's not astonishing either way.

Let me know what you think when you're done. I hope you enjoy the finished product!

[MtnMoonshiner]

Just ran a small batch now.. . Very clean :clap: very little heads and tails through the bubbler

Glad it turned out well for you!

[emptyglass]

Well I thought I'd have nothing to say for a week or two, but I'm convinced I got a good strike with the yeast. I had my doubts as to the viability of it, its sat in the freezer for a while now.
Theres nothing wrong with the yeast.

My shed looks like mac's shed has been known to look like on occasion. I had a river of malt running out under the sliding door.

It went off! Just on 12 hrs now. I lost, at a guess, 3 kg out of the fermenter. Most was in a pile at the bottom of the barrel, so I scooped up as much as I could without scraping the floor.

I did stir it up the american way, with a motor. I used a paint stirrer on a cordless drill for the most part, not sure if that helped things along or not.

[JayD]

I half laughed when I saw this but not a laugh that laughs at you but more look at that!!!! :o

[emptyglass]

Yeah, I laughed too Jay.

Then I started to clean it. Not laughing anymore. Fuckin sticky shit.

[JayD]

Yeah, I laughed too Jay.

Then I started to clean it. Not laughing anymore. Fuckin sticky shit.

yeah i hear ya...my times yet to come....

[MtnMoonshiner]

Yeah, I laughed too Jay.

Then I started to clean it. Not laughing anymore. Fuckin sticky shit.

Never had that problem, as I always make it out in the woods haha.


I'm glad it's workin well for you! Aside from the small spill that is

[emptyglass]

It was a cool night last night, I was a bit paranoid about loosing too much temp, so I shoved a bit of timber under the barrel and a couple of boards to lift it off the floor, and wraped it in an old curtain, and I think it stayed on the upper end of the temp scale longer than it would have if I'd done it in the woods.

Live and learn. Next time I wont worry so much about that.

[MtnMoonshiner]

Yeah, as you pointed out, the mash is pretty damn thick. It takes it a while to cool off. I think it ought to be fine though....I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's still working good, it'll be fine.

[Cane Toad]

I don't think it would be as sticky or stinky as Mac's molasses mishap :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

[emptyglass]

I dunno, it seemed to lose its stickness as it dried, not like mollasas would, but when its dry, think dried porridge on a brekky bowl, or shit to a blanket.

I had to scrape the dried up shit off with a knife :angry-banghead: .

Proly no better or worse Gummy, just different.

[emptyglass]

There are several ways from my school to tell whether or not it's ready to run through the still. Once the mash starts to ferment, it will form on top what we call a cap. That's the foamy, film that forms on top. Once the cap dissolves nearly all the way, it should be ready to run. However, you should taste a bit of the wash. It will taste similar to a corn flavored beer that you'd buy at a store, if it was something that was even sold. Taste it and you'll see what I mean. By the taste test, it should taste bitter and like it's got enough alcohol in it. This is normally something you have to be shown by someone else. But since you're in a completely different country, we'll have to do the best we can hahaha. Regardless, it should be ready to run in 4 to 6 days, depending on outside temperature and conditions

Ok, would you care to expand on this bit?
I had to move the drum and roll it on an angle. Also after my little froth over, it left a heap of malt thick on the side of the barrel, that I knocked back into the ferment (no corn just malt, corn must be the heavy part of the mash), there dosn't seem to be a crust or cap, I guess due to disturbance.
Regardless, I'm trying to tell if its ready to run. Activity has slowed right down, I've never made a wash so cold. I usually use an aquarium heater in fermenter, but I'm trying to do it verbatim. Since I'm in the bush (woods?) I hope its all good. I'm just trying to resist the temptation to give it a bit of warmth, just like my sugar heads.

Yeah, ok, the inter continental thing is a bit of a bug bear, but lets try...

[bt1]

Howdy,
EG my two washes so far have cleared very dramtically. On day 5 is had suspended solids from grains and a small cap then very quickly settled to a semi clear. Much more dramatic than the slow settling on a sugar/grain head wash.

bt1