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newbie intro

PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:36 pm
by PeeGee
Hi all,
I have experience in fruit wine-making, brewing, liqueur making and mead-making stretching back to 1971.
I have been distilling sugar washes for the last 6 years, and, have just in the last 12 months, been improving my knowledge by making AG whiskies.
The latest unit is a four inch 4 plate bubble still on a 50L keg, two 2.4Kw elements. I have done two runs so far and have learnt a lot but realize there is a vast amount I don't know.
The best way for me to learn is to do i.e. more washes and more runs to feel comfortable about what I am doing. I am thinking this may take 8 to 10 runs.
I thought it best to become totally familiar with my new equipment before I started to experiment. The recipe I am using is 7Kg of malted barley mashed with 21 L of water at 65.6 C for 90 minutes and sparged with around 9L of water at 75C. I am getting around 25L at varying SGs around 1.055.

I had thought of doubling this recipe so I could ferment and distill in one batch not two. Do the quantities double in this case. That is 14kg of malted barley, 42L of mash water and 18L of sparging??

PeeGee

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:55 pm
by woodduck
Welcome mate :greetings-waveyellow:

You've got some soild skills there by the sounds of it and are well and truly on your way. You'll get the hang of the bubbler, they look more complicated than they are. You'll be fine after a couple runs :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Can't help with the all grain question sorry mate, not in my skill set yet.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 4:07 pm
by bluc
The all grain stuff sounds about right. I do 14kg 3L per kg strike water so I start with 42L strike water from memory do 16L sparge. I was getting round 1.060. Check out my all grain thread here it may help. https://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10493 I only have a few mashs under my belt...

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 6:18 pm
by Professor Green
Welcome to AD PeeGee.

Sounds like you're off to a very good start.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:24 am
by PeeGee
Realized that I may need to double my mash runs. Does it matter that the mash tun is almost full when I do a mash?
It is around 56L, 15 Gallons capacity. Thinking it should be around 100L in capacity or at least 75L i.e. double in size.
PeeGee

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:04 pm
by PeeGee
I think this was OK for a mashing today.

7.5Kg of Pilsner malt.
MASH in with 22.5 L of water at 74C. Don't think this temp was correct! Volume may be a little out too.
Mash time was extended to 3 hours as mash temp was around 60C
Sparge with 9L at 75C

Ended with 25.5L at 1.060....

If I double these amounts will this give me 51L at 1.060?

PeeGee

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:21 am
by PeeGee
Have increased size of AG mashing.

Now 12.5 kg of Pilsner malt
mashing with 32L of water at 74C
Initial run off was 21.5L at 1.092SG
sparging with 25L at 75C
Final Volume at 46L
ISG 1.055+
IS this reasonable?
Having a problem with Puking. Deciding that will increase milling to reduce flourin mash.
Also watch and note when puking starts and reduce heat.
also less volume in boiler.
Always use anti-foam in boiler.
Will this stop puking???

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:53 pm
by The Stig
Welcome PeeGee, I get the feeling you and Georgio will get on well :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:42 am
by Georgio
Welcome PeeGee :greetings-waveyellow:
Your volumes seem to be in the ball park mate. I have been working on AG malt whiskey this year and have scaled up to smooth the whole process.
You are obviously on the right track. I have learned immensly from trial and error. So work at it and find what works for you.
Have a look at Bluc's AG thread, plenty of good info in there :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:47 am
by Georgio
PeeGee wrote:Always use anti-foam in boiler.
Will this stop puking???

Mate I find low and slow heat along with head room reduces puking. Doesnt completely solve the issue but I run a pot still so strip first then spirit run. So only get puking on the strip run then cleans up nicely on the spirit run.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:57 am
by toyoda
My A/G pukes pretty well.

I have lately let it keep on going till it fills the bottom plate then turn it off to settle for a while before turning it back on.

I think there is a protein break at some stage and it just stops altogether but it can take a while.

Toyoda

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 1:07 pm
by PeeGee
toyoda
last run that is almost exactly what I did. It did fill the bottom plate turned off heat 2 by 2.2Kw, let it settle and then proceeded with only one element.
:text-thankyoublue:

PeeGee
toyoda wrote:My A/G pukes pretty well.

I have lately let it keep on going till it fills the bottom plate then turn it off to settle for a while before turning it back on.

I think there is a protein break at some stage and it just stops altogether but it can take a while.

Toyoda

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:05 pm
by PeeGee
Hi all,
Latest mash run was almost the same as the one below..

Initial runoff was 1.088 at 21L
Sparged with 20L at 75C
Final Volume was 42L at 1.066
Should have used 25L instead of 20L Sparging... Would have given same result....46L at 1.055+

Should I feel quite pleased with this?

PeeGee



PeeGee wrote:Have increased size of AG mashing.

Now 12.5 kg of Pilsner malt
mashing with 32L of water at 74C
Initial run off was 21.5L at 1.092SG
sparging with 25L at 75C
Final Volume at 46L
ISG 1.055+
IS this reasonable?
Having a problem with Puking. Deciding that will increase milling to reduce flourin mash.
Also watch and note when puking starts and reduce heat.
also less volume in boiler.
Always use anti-foam in boiler.
Will this stop puking???

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:16 pm
by bluc
Peegee thats about what I get I do 22kg 90l and get about that gravity..

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:25 pm
by dans.brew
Welcome PeeGee :greetings-waveyellow:

Sounds like your AG mashing is going pretty well so far.
Hows it tasting so far?
I find the flavour very nice straight off the still let alone after aging for a bit.
I'm currently working on malting enough barley to have a crack at another couple mashes... only i might add a bit of homemade specialty malt this time.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 1:03 pm
by PeeGee
dans.brew wrote:Welcome PeeGee :greetings-waveyellow:

Sounds like your AG mashing is going pretty well so far.
Hows it tasting so far?
I find the flavour very nice straight off the still let alone after aging for a bit.
I'm currently working on malting enough barley to have a crack at another couple mashes... only i might add a bit of homemade specialty malt this time.


Taste is good after allowing the spirit to breathe for a few weeks. The flavour though is dependent not only on the grain used(Joe White Malted Barley)
but the yeast used. I have been using the Still Spirits Whisky yeast but I understand that this is no longer available.
Any suggestions for a replacement.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 1:41 pm
by Georgio
PeeGee wrote: I have been using the Still Spirits Whisky yeast but I understand that this is no longer available.
Any suggestions for a replacement.


I have recently started using Safspirit M-1. I have been really happy with the results. I have been able to ferment dry down to 1.000. Ferments fairly vigorous so I tend to leave some head room. Works well with Single Malt type whisky.

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:22 am
by PeeGee
I have recently started using Safspirit M-1. I have been really happy with the results. I have been able to ferment dry down to 1.000. Ferments fairly vigorous so I tend to leave some head room. Works well with Single Malt type whisky.


I will try this yeast as it would be an alternative to the one I was using that is no longer on the market (SS Whisky Yeast).
Do many people use bakers yeast for AG whisky?

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:53 am
by dans.brew
PeeGee wrote:
I will try this yeast as it would be an alternative to the one I was using that is no longer on the market (SS Whisky Yeast).
Do many people use bakers yeast for AG whisky?


From what ive read most seem to steer clear of bakers yeast with AG. After all you are chasing something top notch and a yeast designed for the job should help that. I used US-05 for my last one which was actually my first crack at AG and it was what i could get at the time... so not much to compare with yet. So far very happy with the flavour. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: newbie intro

PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:48 pm
by PeeGee
Any recommendation s for yeast for Ag whisky washes?
So far SafSpirit M-1 and US 05.
Is there a list somewhere of yeasts used and their characteristics?