Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby vqstatesman » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:56 pm

Just wondering if this would be easier to do in a esky/cooler setup with a false bottom?

Surely a false bottom would be easier than straining through mesh bags?

Am I missing something?
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Velophile » Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:44 pm

It's the corn.

A false bottom / manifold / braid etc work fine for barley mash.

Apparently corn turns to glue like porridge and won't sparge. The idea of a mash tun full of glug puts me off making bourbon.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby woodduck » Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:48 pm

The glug's not the problem, thats the easy part it's getting the liquid out of the grain once it's fermented. A centrifuge or press would be the go.

A fulse bottom might work but you've gone to all that trouble you want all the juice out so you'll still need to press it or something.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby vqstatesman » Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:00 pm

I notice Brendan scoops out all the liquid and gain (once its all fermented) and strains it in a bag...
Is there any reason not to do the whole procedure in a bag? Wouldn't this save a little time and make it slightly easier?

Sorry if these are stupid questions. I really want to move away from BWKO and just trying to learn from everyone's AG experience.

Thanks in advance. And many thanks to Brendan for this great thread.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby bayshine » Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:52 pm

I wouldn't do it all in a bag as the corn sort of blocks the holes an she hard work squeezing it out :crying-blue:
Much easier to siphon the clear stuff of the top and strain and squeeze the rest out :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby vqstatesman » Mon May 09, 2016 9:30 pm

[quote="Brendan"]FERMENTATION
- Ferment should take about 3 ½ days. From Ian Smiley’s book, I have always tried to run it prior to the 96 hour mark (4 days), but I have heard of people leaving it up to 7 days, but no more...(This is for a distiller’s yeast. I have no idea how other yeasts will perform on this).


I'm using Safspirit American Whiskey yeast, although the violet ferment is over with after 4 or so days mine is still fizzing after 1.5 weeks +

Is there any harm is leaving it longer than 7 days?
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby vqstatesman » Tue May 31, 2016 8:12 pm

Anyone care to comment... Is there any harm is leaving it longer than 7 days?

I'm curious to the reasons or people's opinions.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby bayshine » Tue May 31, 2016 10:02 pm

I've left them for longer and was still alright but maybe had a small off flavour in the distillit,but still turned out fine after oaking :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Cols15 » Tue Apr 04, 2017 10:27 pm

I've done 5 gens of this recipe so far and I've found (by accident at first) that the longer i leave the mash in the esky the higher my SG.
The longest mash I've done was 24hrs, is there a problem with leaving it this long?
I haven't noticed any adverse effects.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby seehuusen » Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:53 am

Just a thought, with regards to the stuck mash, if you want to drain via a false bottom, and avoid fermenting with all the grain in the fermenter.
Perhaps adding rice hulls to the mash would solve the issue, it's what I use when making beers that use cereal mashing/wheat grain bills.
It doesn't add anything in terms of flavour or fermentables, but aids in the wort being able to be drained/ recirculated.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Brendan » Mon May 08, 2017 7:47 pm

vqstatesman wrote:I'm using Safspirit American Whiskey yeast, although the violet ferment is over with after 4 or so days mine is still fizzing after 1.5 weeks +

Is there any harm is leaving it longer than 7 days?


Hey VQ, I believe that if it is fizzing, you're OK. The types of yeasts that the pros use (and indeed I got the same with the Safspirit stuff), will usually be dead flat in 4 days, after which bacteria can start to take over and you lose your mash. I don't know why the Safspirit would be fizzing after 1.5 weeks, except if it's rather cold where you are, but I think that the fizzing gives you a little confidence to leave it a few extra days....could be wrong though :think: You'll know once you run it.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Brendan » Mon May 08, 2017 7:52 pm

Cols15 wrote:I've done 5 gens of this recipe so far and I've found (by accident at first) that the longer i leave the mash in the esky the higher my SG.
The longest mash I've done was 24hrs, is there a problem with leaving it this long?
I haven't noticed any adverse effects.


Hey Cols, I can only assume that if you haven't noticed any adverse effects, it must be alright. It's an art after all, so trust your sense and experience :handgestures-thumbupleft: If the esky can hold it above the temp where bacteria will kick in for long enough, it will be alright. Chuck a temp probe in at the end and see what you're working with.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby danwbrews » Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:16 pm

Thanks for the recipe Brendan, sounds great! I will be up to the challenge soon. Already have a Corona mill from my beginner days of beer making. What is the enzyme makeup of your packet? I've seen some from a company in Kentucky that sound promising, but would like to try the one or one like yours. Not afraid to age anything. I brewed a beer that was fermented for over 18 months. As for now I'm still just learning, making beer great, distilling only helped...ie sampled a lot while watching. I am building a 40l still so this sounds like something I could do.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Lowie » Fri May 29, 2020 11:39 am

Hi Guys,
I realise this is an old thread, and I've searched it from high to low trying to find exactly how much yeast Brendan actually used for this wash. FYI, I pitched 60gms of USW-6 last weekend in a starting gravity of 1060. Today it's sitting at 1040 after 5 days, so it's got a fair way to go. For those of you still around that have made this recipe how much yeast did you pitch? Cheers.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby RC Al » Sat May 30, 2020 12:35 pm

You will be fine with that amount, I wont say too much but you certainly could have used a bit less - that said if you take the time to make the starter up to a good qty before you pitch (lots of aeration, stir plates, have a search), you can get away with as little as you like.

If you need to find this sort of info again, google the yeast name with the words "pitch rate", in this case you will find that the manufacturer recommends 80g/100 litres
Last edited by RC Al on Sat May 30, 2020 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby MartinCash » Sat May 30, 2020 1:22 pm

Lowie wrote:Hi Guys,
I realise this is an old thread, and I've searched it from high to low trying to find exactly how much yeast Brendan actually used for this wash. FYI, I pitched 60gms of USW-6 last weekend in a starting gravity of 1060. Today it's sitting at 1040 after 5 days, so it's got a fair way to go. For those of you still around that have made this recipe how much yeast did you pitch? Cheers.


How did you pitch the yeast? For that amount of mash at that gravity, 60 g should be plenty. I'm assuming you followed the quantities in the original, since you don't say otherwise.

Did you rehydrate the yeast as per the manufacturer's protocol before pitching? The pitching temperature may have also played a role, as well as fermentation temperature. Pitching too hot might kill a lot of yeast, as might a sharp temperature shock from rehydration to pitching. Down my way it's pretty cold in the garage right now and I need additional heat for fermentation.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Lowie » Mon Jun 01, 2020 5:11 pm

The manufacturers recommended pitching rate is 30-50 g/hl which works out to 48 g/60L, so I'm not that far off. I re-hydrated as per recommendation: (Rehydrate the yeast in 10 times its volume of water or wort at 25°C – 35 °C (probably a lot more pre-boiled water than that), ② Leave to rest for 15 minutes (at least that amount of time), ③ Gently stir (didn't use my stiring plate just gave it a swirl every few minutes), ④ Pitch in the fermentor. Fermenting at 26C. So it's got me buggered. I chucked another re hydrated 30gms in Saturday to see if that makes a difference or not - still at 1040 today... I'm more interested in Brendans write up where he reckons it's a really vigorous ferment. :think:
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby bluess57 » Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:56 pm

Lowie wrote:The manufacturers recommended pitching rate is 30-50 g/hl which works out to 48 g/60L, so I'm not that far off. I re-hydrated as per recommendation: (Rehydrate the yeast in 10 times its volume of water or wort at 25°C – 35 °C (probably a lot more pre-boiled water than that), ② Leave to rest for 15 minutes (at least that amount of time), ③ Gently stir (didn't use my stiring plate just gave it a swirl every few minutes), ④ Pitch in the fermentor. Fermenting at 26C. So it's got me buggered. I chucked another re hydrated 30gms in Saturday to see if that makes a difference or not - still at 1040 today... I'm more interested in Brendans write up where he reckons it's a really vigorous ferment. :think:


umm... isn't g/hl -> grams/100l ?
You would seem to have plenty of yeast in there.
I'd suspect something else is giving you problems if its not fermenting out.
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby Sam. » Mon Jun 01, 2020 8:34 pm

bluess57 wrote:
Lowie wrote:The manufacturers recommended pitching rate is 30-50 g/hl which works out to 48 g/60L, so I'm not that far off. I re-hydrated as per recommendation: (Rehydrate the yeast in 10 times its volume of water or wort at 25°C – 35 °C (probably a lot more pre-boiled water than that), ② Leave to rest for 15 minutes (at least that amount of time), ③ Gently stir (didn't use my stiring plate just gave it a swirl every few minutes), ④ Pitch in the fermentor. Fermenting at 26C. So it's got me buggered. I chucked another re hydrated 30gms in Saturday to see if that makes a difference or not - still at 1040 today... I'm more interested in Brendans write up where he reckons it's a really vigorous ferment. :think:


umm... isn't g/hl -> grams/100l ?
You would seem to have plenty of yeast in there.
I'd suspect something else is giving you problems if its not fermenting out.


Correct a Hectalitre is 100 Litres :-B
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Re: Simple All-Grain Bourbon For Anyone

Postby gap » Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:48 pm

is your gravity being measured with a hydrometer , not a refractometer?
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