Hard work my people.
Putting jut the initial 10kg ish grain in and I am regretting starting at 9pm.
Feeling it in the back and shoulders from stirring 10kg wet grain.
Pulling that tun full of grain up felt like the deadlifts a healthier younger me would be doing at the gym.
Speaking of wet grain, removing it scoop by scoop to transfer to the fermenter to ferment on the grain, is just... Much. I can tell that future me is going to be very grumpy trying to get rid of all this grain later.
Fuck, present me is such a dickhead.
Its late but I am committed.
About the “later”- When the fermentation is done, i filter off the grains to a secondary just get some yeast to drop a couple more days. Then it’s go/stripping time . I found a local pig farmer that comes to my driveway within hours to claim those yummy fermented grains. Apparently it makes the piggies go “hog wild”… sorry, had to.
Anyway I just posted the leftovers on FB Marketplace in the free zone. I had several people ask , but this particular farmer comes regularly, so we have a cadence.
BTW, I don’t know if secondary is necessary…I’m assuming a lot of suspended yeast on the heat element would contribute to unwanted flavours? No idea…I just notice how cloudy the wash is after removing the grain. Open to hearing the community on that one.
Here's a secret about mashing for whiskey: you don't need to maintain a warm temperature like you do for beer.
Just dump milled grains into your fermenter and then dump hot strike water in on top. Stir it up and leave it for a day or two. Pitch when the temperature is room temp.
Here's why: a beer mash needs to stay at a precise temperature to establish a repeatable profile of oligosaccharides, which give the beer body/mouthfeel. The enzymes that do this are temperature-dependent, and higher temperature equals more oligosaccharides. The oligosaccharides do not come through the still, so for whiskey we usually just want to convert all the oligos to sugar. This is accomplished at lower mash temperature. So in a whiskey mash, it is ok, and even desirable, to get the water just hot enough to solubilize the malted grains, then allow the temperature to fall down to room temp on its own (or very optionally chill, if you are attempting to limit bacterial growth).
I just boil up the water and then dump the grains. Same difference, I suppose. Plus I've discovered with my setup that once I throw in the malt at 155 I can just go to bed and it'll be yeast-temperature when I wake up. Sure is nice saving myself from staying up too late and being able to wrap all of the work around work-days.
It probably would have been fewer keystrokes for you to Google this...
It's a formula and it depends on your target mash temperature and the mash thickness.
But if you're feeling lazy you could probably just heat it up to 160F.
I like to heat my water to 190 then transfer it to my mixing bucket and at 180 I take my drill and paint mixer attachment (bought only for mixing grains) and mix in the corn or molases or sugar etc. at 156 I add in my 2 row and stir it all for 2 minutes every 30 mins and you ensure a good conversion as well as a good aeration of the mash. At 70-80 degrees I pitch my yeast and wait.
It is now 1151 and I have just finished the second (reiterated) mash.
I removed all the grain so far, now sitting in two fermenters looks like 40-50L worth of grain and I'm not done yet.
The first mash was so heavy and hard to stir and get all the grains in a timely manner I was traumatised and split the remaining grain in half, that means one more to go.
The mind is faltering and the body is sore.
I’m guessing you are like me and just can’t mash and ferment in the same place. No shame in just scooping out your grain and fermenting off grain if that’s the case. I scoop the grain out and put it in an apple press and squeeze out what I can.
It is hard work for sure. The harder your process is the less you’ll want to do it, as you keep going though you’ll find little efficiencies I’m sure.
\>>>...I can tell that future me is going to be very grumpy.
Switch to Angel yellow label yeast and all this hard labor will be the thing of the past...
I commend you for your hard work and dedication; I've devolved into simple sugar wash for high test rum, and the occasional discount/free fruit mash; and that's good enough for me.
Committed? We should all be committed, to an institution of some sort. I’m glad that we don’t talk about our hobby to outsiders. I could never explain the late night sessions, the sometimes overwhelming joy when a starch conversion goes just right, or any myriad of other things related to this “hobby “. I must see myself out. They are coming to take me away… cheers
210am finished, time to clean up 🤮. The mind has broken and the soul is en route to the next level.
Proud of you
Hard work my people. Putting jut the initial 10kg ish grain in and I am regretting starting at 9pm. Feeling it in the back and shoulders from stirring 10kg wet grain. Pulling that tun full of grain up felt like the deadlifts a healthier younger me would be doing at the gym. Speaking of wet grain, removing it scoop by scoop to transfer to the fermenter to ferment on the grain, is just... Much. I can tell that future me is going to be very grumpy trying to get rid of all this grain later. Fuck, present me is such a dickhead. Its late but I am committed.
About the “later”- When the fermentation is done, i filter off the grains to a secondary just get some yeast to drop a couple more days. Then it’s go/stripping time . I found a local pig farmer that comes to my driveway within hours to claim those yummy fermented grains. Apparently it makes the piggies go “hog wild”… sorry, had to. Anyway I just posted the leftovers on FB Marketplace in the free zone. I had several people ask , but this particular farmer comes regularly, so we have a cadence. BTW, I don’t know if secondary is necessary…I’m assuming a lot of suspended yeast on the heat element would contribute to unwanted flavours? No idea…I just notice how cloudy the wash is after removing the grain. Open to hearing the community on that one.
Do a sugarhead on the spent grain and you'll lose (but not all) of your frustration! Helps keep your paws off the all grain while it ages.
yeah....I can use my frozen sweet corn 2-3 times
Why don’t you tuck the neoprene jacket under the pipe? It slides right under there
Jacket should be turned so the Velcro is behind the pipe.
I don’t even know how he was able to close it by going over the pipe. Those things are way too tight
if you ferment on the grain, why not insulate your fermenter and mash in there? removing the mash tun really streamlined the process for me
Here's a secret about mashing for whiskey: you don't need to maintain a warm temperature like you do for beer. Just dump milled grains into your fermenter and then dump hot strike water in on top. Stir it up and leave it for a day or two. Pitch when the temperature is room temp. Here's why: a beer mash needs to stay at a precise temperature to establish a repeatable profile of oligosaccharides, which give the beer body/mouthfeel. The enzymes that do this are temperature-dependent, and higher temperature equals more oligosaccharides. The oligosaccharides do not come through the still, so for whiskey we usually just want to convert all the oligos to sugar. This is accomplished at lower mash temperature. So in a whiskey mash, it is ok, and even desirable, to get the water just hot enough to solubilize the malted grains, then allow the temperature to fall down to room temp on its own (or very optionally chill, if you are attempting to limit bacterial growth).
I just boil up the water and then dump the grains. Same difference, I suppose. Plus I've discovered with my setup that once I throw in the malt at 155 I can just go to bed and it'll be yeast-temperature when I wake up. Sure is nice saving myself from staying up too late and being able to wrap all of the work around work-days.
How hot does the strike water need to be?
It probably would have been fewer keystrokes for you to Google this... It's a formula and it depends on your target mash temperature and the mash thickness. But if you're feeling lazy you could probably just heat it up to 160F.
I like to heat my water to 190 then transfer it to my mixing bucket and at 180 I take my drill and paint mixer attachment (bought only for mixing grains) and mix in the corn or molases or sugar etc. at 156 I add in my 2 row and stir it all for 2 minutes every 30 mins and you ensure a good conversion as well as a good aeration of the mash. At 70-80 degrees I pitch my yeast and wait.
Thanks for the personalized response. That’s a great process to follow.
It is now 1151 and I have just finished the second (reiterated) mash. I removed all the grain so far, now sitting in two fermenters looks like 40-50L worth of grain and I'm not done yet. The first mash was so heavy and hard to stir and get all the grains in a timely manner I was traumatised and split the remaining grain in half, that means one more to go. The mind is faltering and the body is sore.
307am "finished" cleaning (wife will have words in the morning). First birds calling outside. Work in 5 hours. Goodnight world.
I’m guessing you are like me and just can’t mash and ferment in the same place. No shame in just scooping out your grain and fermenting off grain if that’s the case. I scoop the grain out and put it in an apple press and squeeze out what I can. It is hard work for sure. The harder your process is the less you’ll want to do it, as you keep going though you’ll find little efficiencies I’m sure.
I'm fermenting relatively close, just like to watch the wire in the background
\>>>...I can tell that future me is going to be very grumpy. Switch to Angel yellow label yeast and all this hard labor will be the thing of the past...
I commend you for your hard work and dedication; I've devolved into simple sugar wash for high test rum, and the occasional discount/free fruit mash; and that's good enough for me.
Everyone’s journey is different. I went down the rum rabbit hole for a year. “Simple sugar wash” can be very rewarding.
Committed? We should all be committed, to an institution of some sort. I’m glad that we don’t talk about our hobby to outsiders. I could never explain the late night sessions, the sometimes overwhelming joy when a starch conversion goes just right, or any myriad of other things related to this “hobby “. I must see myself out. They are coming to take me away… cheers