OK boys here gos, this morning my batch had stopped working and was at a o.998 so i stilled her up and started cooking. I put 10 gallons in and threw away the first 200 ml, the first gallon dang near blew my socks off and the last after that was as smooth as summers breeze. i have another 5gal im going to run now, is there any suggestion ? This is the first time by myself without help and the first for my home made reflex.

Ratflinger thanks for the repley, the old man i use to make shine with is gone and we really didnt get off into the mash and fermentation. I wasent in on his recipe or the finnal mix or blend of the finnal product but many years of hanging out at his still. The other day when on my own i got down to the last drippings and didnt really know when to stop. i would run my finger under and get a taste and it was real, real, smooth and light, is there a cut off or just wait till it stops dripping ? I dont concider my self a newbe except to this forum, but i have so much to learn from yall. I have seen talk about newbes and i wish i had been born with all the imfo but thats why im here and thanks so much for what yall can give me. Thanks BP.

"1. Heeler i grind all the feed for my chickens and last night i grownd up 40 lbs of crack corn that had alot of meal and flour in it, is this a good thing to have the meal and flour in for mash ?

2. I flew some hunters back in the hills from Rockspring, Texas a while back and the guy there was making whisky out of Horse and Mule feed. SONNY JIM !!!!!!!!! Have you ever, that is some stout stuff.

3. What type of still do you use and what do you like to make ?"

"One more thing on that feed mash.... most horse feeds have molasses in the feed and that is whats gonna add alot of the flavor to your distillate.
Just corn - no real flavor in the end. Conversion will be very little.
Feed - it has corn,oats,molasses and probably wheat bran too. And if you add some acid like lemon juice you can make a pretty good wash. N E way lots of folks on this site can give you no cook recipes and they are probably already in the recipe threads. Try them and see what yo think."

"BP .. these days I'm mainly sticking to a wash they call Gerber. Which is really a sugar wash that uses Gerber baby food for the yeast nutrient. Its a nutrual wash that you can drink almost straight at 100 proof its so smooth. Very easy to find the ingredients and just as easy to make it work. I did'nt invent this recipe but for a easy wash you should givera try.
Gerber nutrual wash-----------
1 box of Gerber baby food (any of them work)
10 lbs of sugar
3 beanno tabs (dissolved )
a squirt of lemon juice or lime juice
1 tablespoon of distillers nutrients (or 2 crushed multi-vitamins)
1 tablespoon of epsom salt
2 envelopes of ec-1118 yeast
I bring to a boil - 2 gallons of water- add everything but the yeast and then turn your heat off. Add this boiling water to your fermenter that has your sugar in it (this will melt the sugar) stir well to melt and mix. Top off with cool water to fill your fermenter. Dont add your yeast until its cool -- might be in the morn if you dont have a wort cooler but thats ok. Be patient and WAIT till it cools, then add yeast and givera about 12 days to ferment and then 4 or 5 days to clear, rack to a still and cooker off."

Heeler im going to the store right now, thanks, BP

Heeler i went to the store the last time we talked and got my Gerber ingrediance for your wash and got her going the same day. They had 8 or 16 once boxes of Gerber, i got the 16, was that OK ? What does the beano and the epson do ? She is bubbling and going good.

Heeler shes still bubbling but not near as much. The other day i was woundering why i wasent getting a reading on my hydrometer, daaaaaaa, i was using the beer, wine one. Cant find my other so i gotta find one somewhere. What part of the country you from ?

BP, wondering how your Gerber wash came out??? Since we last blogged I have found the reason for the Epsom salt addition.... it helps reduce the formation of fusal oils in your wash, and I think that will allow you to push further into the tails before getting to the nasties. That should mean more volumn in the end. I just ran mine off so when it airs a bit I'll check and see if I can tell the difference. I'm hoping for the best of course so we'll see what happens.

"
Let me say -- I did not invent this Gerber recipe, I just passed it on. But she is a good one that I use quite often latley.
Can it be scaled up or down.....I'm sure it can, I only make 5 gallon washes but if your going up or down it should'nt be that hard to figure out."