"Temp: 71 (Only room in the house the wife doesn't keep cold enough to hang meat-It's an ""age"" thing )

I closed the vents in that room to keep it near 71 - It's colder elsewhere in the house)

Day 3 - 7-9 times a minute - timed three times at 10am-2pm-6pm
Day 4 - 10-12
Day 5 - 12-13 (measured at 6am)

Thru the fermenter I can see it's formed a nice cap, and the wash isn't the same deep brown it was when it started, kinda lightened up some - like a coca...

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Any comments welcome - even if it's to tell me I'm being too anal "

If I was giving a SWAG ( sophisticated wild ass guess) I'd say the malt is breaking down the starches in the corn as it is going along and that, with the raised temp, is contributing in the crescendo of bubbling.

High Royse, if it's bubbling good and the escaping gas does'nt smell bad then you most likely have a working mash. The aroma should be of alcohol and mash, nothing else.
Haveing a good foam cap on top is usually a good sign that it's not contaminated.

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. I had to tool down to Austin for a few days for work..

Bushy - It smells good, like a grain mash, I can smell the barley and the odor of grain, and it doesn't smell bad at all, matter of fact, I rather like the smell.

Bubble rate on ther airlock on Day 8 is about the same as Day 5, but the odor is a bit more pronounced and sweeter than on Day 5. Day 5, ya only caught a whiff every now and agin, while today (Day 8), the aroma is more pronouned.


Gravelier - I'm so darn anal about cleanliness (Wife cannot believe it).. I also use a light bleach and Dawn dishsoap blend, then I rinse and air dry. A few minutes before I commence filling the fermenter with the simpered wort/grain base, the inside and lid bottom get a coat of star-san. And, my temps at fermeter fill are about 140-148f. I use either ozarka or other good quality water in a 5 gal carboy, and I do NOT break the seal on the carboy until I am ready to boil/simper. I keep the 5gal water container covered with the cap that also has been sprayed with star-san and replaced on the carboy top until I need the remainder to cool the wort to pitch temp.

I did not do a culture on this one, just a straight pitch at 89f. But had I, the culture container would have been sanitized the same, and I would have sourced it with good water to boot. But I DO like your idea about testing the yeast via a culture.

I do plan on taking some backset from this one and goin agin with another SF wash as soon as this one is done, If that smell is indicative this could be a really tasty one. My first and second Sugra washes worked ok, I guess, but it took a while for it to settle in the jars so it was a tasteful nuetral. Ran them too fast 'cause I was being too anal and trying to overcontrol the process. This one I will run very slow in Pot still mode and take the heads/high-low hearts/tail into the next SF wash. I've got my extra cooling cans ready now, and plenty of gallon jugs I have filled w/water and froze in my freezer.

Cheers, boys.. I gotta go get the weeds outa the garden now.. I swear they wait for me to leave and then sprout like mexicans crossing the border...

Since you're using an airlock (bubbler), I wouldn't do anything until it appears that the activity is stopped. Want I proposed is to ensure that it is finished working, fermenting. Then, making sure that all components are clean, thief a sample into your hydrometer tube. Write down the date and the reading in your log. I keep records of every batch and brew that I make. Next day, do it again. If it is the same, the batch is done working. I usually wait another day and make sure with another reading. I would not recommend stirring or putting the sample back.

Most of the time, I use my IPad when cruising the net and commenting on the forum. The IPad has a habit of making changes that I didn't necessarily think were appropriate. It's sometimes interesting to look back at a comment and say to myself, "How in the hell did that word get in there?". Sorry for the confusion folks.

Lead, follow, or just get the hell out of the way.

Been gone a few days on R&R at a festival.. now
day 13, we are down to 3 burps a minute...

Hey RC Red:

Thief your sample and take your read. I usually write it on a slip of paper and leave it on top of the fermenter. Wait a day or two, and do it again. If its the same, then I say it's done. I have a AG corn, wheat, barley wash dripping at present. I felt pretty good after 5 days and I had it down to 1.000. Couldn't run it right away, so I let it set for about another 6 days. Took a reading tonight and it was 0.998. Even better. See what I mean. Let the hydrometer tell you when it's done.

Happy stillin

G

Sounds really good. Hey send me a sample after you run it. My corn,wheat,barley 50/25/25 didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. Maybe just that I like the 70% corn better. The c w b mix is a lot lighter in taste. I'm sure it won't go to waste.

Hey RC Red

I would think that you are way past the fors and heads. The fors and heads come off the column first b/c they boil off first. More volitile and such. When you get to the hearts and especially the tails, the etoh is tied up with other stuff, meaning more flavor. So if you are continuing a run, you are going to be somewhere in the hearts or tails.

However, here is a thought, if there is some stuff that you want to re-distill, then this might be a point to do it. Then i would guess you may have some fors to throw out, or save as solvent, ant poison, etc, and some heads.

Just thinking and probably causing trouble. Good luck

G.