BeverageCommander
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Deanas,
What yeast did you use?1.000 usually means that fermentation is finished- but some yeast will keep going below 1.000.
Do you know what your starting gravity reading was?
I’d probably let it go for another day or so- take another reading and if it does not go below 1.000 I’d then put on the lid and let the yeast settle to the bottom.
I started with this one- worked well for years
Definitely crush the barley or rye- that is needed.
You can buy it crushed from any home-brew supply store- or you can buy a barley crusherI use my tap water- but I have really good water. I would not worry about PH until you have a few batches under your belt- Not something you need to stress about- if your tap water is good to drink it is good to brew with.
this is my recipe:
http://beveragecommander.com/blogs/beverage-commander-blog/14191647-corn-whiskey-moonshine-mash-recipeIt is a tweaked version of the claw-hammer recipe- just to get a little higher starting gravity (more alcohol)
“I was going to go with the recipe on claw hammer but some of it didn’t make sense like that said “use 2 small bags of yeast to 5 gal of water” how much is in a bag?”
They are using bread yeast- two packs is usually good (you would probably be good with one, but when I use breadyeast I always pitch two packs)
In my recipe I used whiskey yeast- http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/distillers-yeast-whiskey/4,12684.html it is a bit more expensive but it has fermented down below 1.000 every time I’ve used it.I have used my recipe with the 10 gallon clawhammer still and it comes out great. Just crank the heat until it starts producing- then dial back the heat until you have almost a stream (5-9 drips a second)
Hope that helps,
The rye will add a nice flavor- I’ve used malted rye instead of the malted barley and it came out great.
use two packs of the bread yeast for 5 gallons, I’ve had great results with that method.What kind of yeast are you planning on using?
Cracked corn won’t give you the sugar conversion that flaked maize will- Flaked maize has already been partially processed so you can mash with it and pull the sugars out easily-
If you are going to use cracked corn you will need to add sugar and won’t really need to use the malted barley as no conversion (converting starches to sugar) is going to take place.If you only have cracked corn I would just use the cracked corn and sugar. If you want to do an all grain corn recipe use the flaked maize.
Hope that helps,
It normally takes me between 8-10 hours to do a full 10 gallon run if I am doing a spirit run. If I am doing a stripping run obviously it is a lot quicker. I am not sure how long it takes per qt, but I run pretty slow around 7-10 drips a second (I keep it right before a stream). I also run my tails down to about 10% so if you don’t run your tails that low it will be quicker. Not sure if that really answers your question though.
Heads I use for cleaner- or i’ll re-run them.
A bit of heads or tails will add flavor and complexity to the final spirit. Maybe do a bit of each jar? That is where the art and fun come into play- figure out what you like better and mix those jars together.
I keep me hearts separate from both the heads and tails.
I save the tails for the next batch- i just toss them into the still with the next wash.It is best to take a starting gravity and an ending gravity of the wash. This is a simple test which will tell you how much alcohol is in your starting mash. The starting alcohol content of the wash will determine how much alcohol you can concentrate in the still.
http://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/12044309-how-to-use-a-hydrometer
the first jar or two is most likely heads (it will be sharp and will not taste great)
there should be a few middle jars is mostly hearts (it will taste the best)
the last jars will be tails (mostly water and fusel alcohols)taste each jar and find the middle ones that taste the best.
don’t drink the first stuff (foreshots) dump those and everything else is safe (might not all taste great)
Hope that helps
what kind of still are you using? is your column packed?
Keep cranking the heat until you start producing. (Don’t worry about the temp)
Once it starts producing turn the heat down until you are getting 5-9 drips a second.Worry about flow not temp!
