 Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/22/2012(UTC)
Posts: 201
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Hey guys been noticing most of you use corn or grains in your mash and not cornmeal. Also noticed how people say cornmeal is a mess and hard to strain so I am looking for a substitute. I am looking for something that will ferment in about a weeks time not a few weeks. I plan on making whisky so figuring corn is the way correct? What should I use exactly for the recipe or should I stick with the cornmeal? And thanks again for all the help I've learned so much already in the Past few days from you guys... Great community here.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Try useing cracked corn, usually found in a feed store. Other than that flaked corn is an improvment over corn meal but not as easy to work with as cracked corn.
Unless your doing a Turbo sugar wash just about all fermentations take 10 to 15 days. After the ferment is done you need to let it settle all the traub to the bottom. You could go ahead and run the wash right after the ferment is done but will most likely get off flavors from cooking the yeast left in suspension.
To speed up settleing you can use Sparkolloid, Thats what I use, and there is another settleing agent that is a 2 part process that I have'nt used. When I use Sparkolloid my wash settles out in 2 days.
Have Fun.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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Hey bushey why is cracked corn better or easier to use? I thought flaked stuff would make the starch more available to the enzymes. I never used either yet. Im still foolin with flaked and crushed malted barleys for whiskey.
I wont do sweet feed because i want to make real corn based shine not just some alcoholic hooch to drink.
After the summer, the corn will be available. But i have to empty my grain bins. The mash tun project is holding me up but should be done in 2 days.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Originally Posted by: scotty  Hey bushey why is cracked corn better or easier to use? I thought flaked stuff would make the starch more available to the enzymes. I never used either yet. Im still foolin with flaked and crushed malted barleys for whiskey.
I wont do sweet feed because i want to make real corn based shine not just some alcoholic hooch to drink.
After the summer, the corn will be available. But i have to empty my grain bins. The mash tun project is holding me up but should be done in 2 days. Hey Scotty, your right about the starch in flaked corn being more readily available than in cracked corn. The main difference besides that is the cracked corn usually has a lot of small pieces of corn and also some large pieces. It just makes it easier to work with, less traub in the bottom. The flaked corn is better for starch to sugar conversion but more traub, even with a grain bag or useing a tun. I only used flaked corn once ever since then I've used cracked. All of the malted grains I use are also cracked and not flaked. I buy them in whole grain form already malted and take them home and run them through the mill to crack. That way I can get them as coarse or fine as I want. I don't use sweet feed either. Have Fun.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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I used flaked barley for whiskey and it seems to swell back into the shape of the original grain. I do remember it soaked up so much of the liquid that i had to squeese it by hand to get my liquid. I hope i'm not in for a real pain when i get back to mashing. I have about 50 poundes of flaked barley in the bin. Oh well live and learn lol lol
I just want to add to this post that im considering cracked corn. I'm just thinking i have to steep it for a while to get at the starch. I'm not speaking from experience on this. Just speculating.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Scotty As far as soaking up the liquid goes thats where your mash tun is really going to come in handy. Just sparge and let it drain, no more squeezing by hand.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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Yes Bushey. The sparge setup will help.
I even purchased a small wine press thinking that i would have to press the grains every time. I never used it. Talk about bad moves. lol lol
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/4/2012(UTC)
Posts: 303
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Originally Posted by: scotty I even purchased a small wine press thinking that i would have to press the grains every time. Scotty, I would have loved that wine press on my last cracked corn run. I was reaching into the fermenter and grabbing anything solid and squeezing it with all my effort, trying to leave all the liquid I could in the fermenter.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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It still sittin there un used. It is a small 25 pounder that has a rod up the center for the wratcheting device. My sweetie and i went through a lot of hell to adapt a grain bag to it. We used a rubber washer and a few stainless bolts. It looks like it willl work. Still no use for it $350 just sitting there
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Scotty try useing it for juicing fruit for flavoring or mashing.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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I hate to get it dirty for anything lol lol
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