Bran washes at lower ABV

[reknaw]

Thinking about running a bran wash at say 90%

I am thinking it'ld have a VERY light wheat taste, has anyone tied it?

[torry73]

Hi Spud
I have done the albran recipe from HD a few times and it tastes nice like a soft smooth whisky. But the albran flakes have Whole wheat (51%), wheat bran (36%), sugar, barley malt extract, so you may want to add some barley or you could add 1-2 Weet-Bix with the bran you have as weet-bix has barley malt extract. You just have to keep good notes so you know what to do or not to do next time. Just put down a wash with 2 cups albran flakes(crushed) and 2 weet-bix(crushed) 4kgs sugar finished volume 25ltr and 4tbs yeast. The albran washes I have done before ferment really quick.

[reknaw]

Hi Tory,

Thanks for that, I have run a fair few bran washes but always at 95% for neutral, I'll give it a go at say 90% and see how much flavour it has, I'll throw in a few wheat bix in as well. Good call on the keeping notes, I have a memory like a goldfish......

[torry73]

90% would be to high I think to get much flavour. I run mine thru a small pot still similar to the ss pot still, but mine is copper and comes out at 65/70%, I keep only hearts, heads/tails go into the next neutrals run.

[maheel]

Just put down a wash with 2 cups albran flakes(crushed) and 2 weet-bix(crushed) 4kgs sugar finished volume 25ltr and 4tbs yeast. The albran washes I have done before ferment really quick.

is that all the ingredients or anything else ?

going o put down 3 washes tomorrow and might do a bran

what all bran is it? (brand / type etc)

thanks

[reknaw]

Yeah I only want a really light flavour, might go around 85% then, with the bran I have a 40 kg bag from the feed store, really cheap way to but it, works out 1\5 cost of the cheapest brand I can find in woolies ( I am a cheap bastard )

[torry73]

Hi maheel
Yes that is it real simple. Some people add citric acid or epsom salts like in the tomato paste wash. The albran is Kellogs, I use the flakes but you can use stick looking ones or homebrand ones. Just look for wheat and barley in the contents.

[bundy]

Hi torry73 is your pot still the same as the one i have? posted in pot still, my still if it is i would like any help you can give me on using it, bought 3years a go and used once. never been game to use it. i know I'm a DH but that's what happens when you get older.
thanks Bundy

[maheel]

so i bought plain "oat bran" as the wheat bran the coles had seemed to have a fair bit of salt...
hope to get it brewing later tonight :)
no great loss if it's no good

[torry73]

Hi bundy
The still I made is almost the same as yours except it is copper,as McStill(I think it was) said add some loosely packed copper to the column.You can get the instructions(pdf) from stillspirits.com in their downloads section, but they do say collect up to 92c,I wouldn't. If you are using a 25ltr boiler this will give you the option to collect in 150/200ml portions then you can smell and taste the difference. Recycle what you don't like.Have a look at the parrots beaks that McStill is making these are almost essensual when you use a pot still,so you can watch the alcohol % as it is coming out of the still.

[bundy]

thanks for your help, between macstill and you i think i now know what to do.i have a macstill built parrot so you have put me on the right track
thanks again
Bundy

[Kimbo]

Just put down a wash with 2 cups albran flakes(crushed) and 2 weet-bix(crushed) 4kgs sugar finished volume 25ltr and 4tbs yeast.
hi Torry,
what type of yeast do you use? is it just Bakers yeast? and do you need any yeast nutrient?

[MacStill]

Hey kimbo,

not sure what torry uses but I'm using Lowans dry bakers yeast with good reliable results, you'll find it in a red can at most of the larger supermarkets.

Cheers.

[Kimbo]

Hi Mate,
yep, i got some too...
do you need any nutrient with it?

[MacStill]

Hi Mate,
yep, i got some too...
do you need any nutrient with it?

For this type of wash the bran (cereal) is the nutrient source ;)

Cheers.

[torry73]

Yeah Lowan's yeast in the red container. Always works for me!

[maheel]

the oat bran i put on yesterday is fizzing along ok, the oats have sunk from the top today

i did a wheat bran today, i soaked the wheat bran in the sugar water prior to dumping in the barrel, they looked very wet and mixed in
now the oats seem to be very "floaty" and have formed a massive cap on the brew.

does that sound normal ? i think maybe the "fizzing" is lifting them to the top?

smells good

[reknaw]

Yep that's exactly how it looks, big bubbles break through every now and again :)

[maheel]

the two of these i out down are pretty much done now and i have been using a heat belt on them swapping back and forth.

wheat bran was very slow and is not quite done (@ +-1.000) i am going to warm it up a few days and see
oat bran is about 995 and tomorrow i am going to rack it off and put it in the fridge to clear up as it has a few floaters swirling around.

but i thought the bran woudl add some non-fermentable points on the hydro and it may not get down to 990 on both of them

going to strip them out next week on the pot head to see what sort of flavour they bring, going to run them seperate for tatse tests and if bad re-run it on the reflux

report back later once cooked

cheers

[maheel]

ran the oat bran yesterday through the pot head, seemed to come off very clean and without much smells (flavor).
letting it air then will have a good smell and sample latter today and decide if i should run it up the boka
smelt 1000% times better than my all grain attempt the day before :(

hope to get the wheat bran one done over the weekend for comparison