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    • August 20, 2014 at 7:24 pm #2559
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I am just getting started, I have made a couple runs but I am losing some of it. I need to find out the best way to determine when my mash is ready to run with losing alcohol from it…thanks in advance..

    • August 20, 2014 at 7:36 pm #2560
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I was using a hydrometer to find the spefic gravity but it is not working on this batch…what am I doing wrong

    • August 20, 2014 at 7:53 pm #2561
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      Can you explain your current process?

      what is the recipe you are making?
      how did you make it?
      How are you using the hydrometer?

      Give us some more information and we can help you

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:11 pm #2562
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I started by putting my rye seed in first then my water then my sugar then my yeast and nutrient’ I took a gravity reading of 1.040 it is at 1.000 a day later and holding there….I usually run it when it gets to 1.000..but this time it is still bubbling a bunch and tastes very sweet…I want someway to know for sure it is ready to run

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:13 pm #2563
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I got a sample in a test tube to check with the hydrometer

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:18 pm #2564
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      Are you using malted rye? or flaked rye?
      How much are you using?
      How much water?
      How much sugar?

      You should take a gravity reading before you pitch the yeast- it should not hurt anything as you took it right after you pitched it, but it is best to take a reading before you pitch it.

      What yeast did you pitch? Some yeast will ferment below 1.000 – I’ve use whiskey yeast with added nutrients and it went below 1.000. It it is still bubbling let it continue to ferment- take another reading tomorrow, and one the day after that. If the gravity does not change 3 days in a row it is finished. Can you take a picture of the hydrometer in the test jar?

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:34 pm #2565
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I use 50pds of rye grain, 45gals of water 50pds of sugar 1/2 pound of distillers yeast

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:37 pm #2566
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      Is the rye grain malted or unmalted?

      what is your process? Do you just add all the ingredients to a 55 gallon drum and then add the water?

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:45 pm #2567
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      unmalted…yes then I stir it very well…it has worked for me before…but something goin wrong this time

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:48 pm #2568
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      The barley is not going to give you any sugar- just flavor.
      50 pounds of sugar and 45 gallons of water will yield around 1.044 or so.
      It sounds like your starting gravity is about right.

      I would just wait another day or two and take another reading. It is very possible with the amount of yeas that you pitched that it is already down to 1.000.

      were you expecting a higher starting gravity? I am not sure what the issue is?

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:56 pm #2569
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      well I thought it was ready to run, so I ran my first run and it only made 70 proof, it usually makes 100 proof or better

    • August 20, 2014 at 8:58 pm #2570
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      what would be the best recipe for me to use to get the best result…better then what I am using now

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:02 pm #2571
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      If you took a reading at the beginning and it was 1.040 and it fermented down to 1.000- you are looking at 5.16% ABV. This is a pretty low ABV which would explain the low starting proof. I like to start between 8-11% ABV to start- some like to go higher but I have found the best flavor comes though around 8-11%.

      I’d just up the sugar to around 80 pounds and add enough water to top it off- it should take around 40 or so with the rye.

      What kind of still and size are you running?

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:14 pm #2572
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I just built the still myself out of a stainless steel 15 gals pot,and a 2in column 18ins tall, with a 0 ft worm coming off of it…it works good when I have my mixture right

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:19 pm #2573
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      I also made it electric so I would not have to buy propane

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:21 pm #2574
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      Nice! I’m all about the electric!

      running one 5500 watt element?
      Have any pictures?

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:31 pm #2575
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      not sure how to load them

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:33 pm #2576
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      thanks a lot for the info and help

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:40 pm #2577
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      when I made it before I let it go to far and I lost a lot of my alcohol before I started running it that is my problem…I am trying to catch it right when it is done so I don’t lose it…using the hydrometer helped me the last time…but not helping this time

    • August 20, 2014 at 9:56 pm #2578
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      You won’t lose alcohol by letting it sit. I usually let my mash sit for a few days after fermentation is done- this lets the yeast settle towards the bottom. I then use an auto-siphon to transfer it into my still- leaving behind all the grain and yeast.

    • August 20, 2014 at 10:20 pm #2584
      Bigcreekboy76
      Participant

      ok thanks again

    • August 20, 2014 at 10:38 pm #2588
      Richard Coleman, Jr
      Keymaster

      Keep us posted on the next batch!

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