I dont distill, i dont have any plans of it, but i came across your channel and i just enjoyed them so much. I keep watching. You do a very good job and keep me entertained. Thanks for your videos
George, without a doubt you are the king of fermentation and distilling. Recently I have also figured out more useful uses for my ever so versatile T500, but if you don’t distill this batch with a pot still there’s absolutely no reason why you would want to use a reflux except for the cost. I have tried it all now and I keep going back to “Dextrose &Turbo8” and in Australia here I have found that Alcotec 48 makes Some ReALlY good back-pain-killer Juice. Remember it’s summer here though, I’m sure you crossed the turtle in your navy days... Remember I asked you about PH a few months ago, I was right and you can almost “Taste” 990 on the floaty-stick before you drop that fSucker in, it’s ready when you taste it an go “Ohhhh fark” and I am a super advocate of Turbo Carbon. It is such a great visual indicator of when your ferment is ready. It literally clears itself....
I'm new to the hobby. I had a friend who used to make his own different spirits and I would go over and help occasionally and was interested. Except he would do 50 gallons at a time. When I started looking into it and found I could make a lot less I had to laugh at myself for not thinking it through. I can be a little (a lot!) dense at times for someone who is supposed be educated. Thank you for some great video's and information.
George of all of the home distilling videos you're the most in depth. Therefore, in my perspective at least, you are the best! P.S. the corn passing through the digestive tract is certainly in depth! Lol
Hey George, another great video. You should get (2) 1/4-20 x 3" bolts and (4) nuts. (About $3). Drill down through the rim of the strainer, 2 holes @ 180° apart. Insert nutted bolt and tighten 2nd nut underneath. Easy handles to lift the basket. Or, if you can get a piece of stainless welding rod, bend it into an ohm symbol Ω and poke through the mesh on each side just under the rim. ;-) Happy Holidays, cheers!
Just learned the grain bill for Jack Daniels is 80% corn 12% rye and 8% barley thought I would pass this on to any that would like to give it a try. They ferment on the grain to 10 to 12% ABV then distill it.
Hey George, quick question. Would you be able to use germinated barley (Malt) without actually drying it out completely? Or does it have to be totally dried before it will work? Would definitely save a bit of time
Enjoyed this video I'm purchasing a 25L coffee urn that has adjustable temperature in Celsius I see the possibilities using this in cooking grains for mashas it seems that by controlling the cooking in the urn you have less chance of burning it. Would like your input on thus Thank yoy for such excellent videos I am new to this hobby a friend bought me a 20 gallon copper still with thumper and worm. I'm 68 this year so decided I needed a new hobby lol Last week on the way to a Dr appointment a hour away I saw a brew shop sad thing was they was going out of business I stopped in they was having a big sale, I got 55 lbs peated malted barley 55 lbs malted barley 55 lbs malted rye These where from a company called Simpsons malt in the UK The brew shop sold all 3 bags to me for $236.00 I think I got a good deal
Im trying to make a "Scotch" whiskey for the first time here in Georgia. Even have the Scottish Peat that I made a nice tea with. At least as close to the color my 52 yo brain can remember from our vacations to Inverness. I have two questions for ya George. First, what malted barley gives the most amylase for convergence of sugars? Second, is there that much of a flavor variation between the different types of barley, at least enough to be super concerned with? Thanks for your time and any suggestions you may have. Please note I DID NOT say "can I" a single time! 🤣
Dog Biskies: 2lbs grain, 2 eggs, 1 cup Peanut butter, mix in flour to make it like a cookie batter, roll out in a cookie sheet (on parchment paper), and bake at 350*f for at least 1 hour. I normally use a pizza cutter to pre score the size bisques I want. I make them small...I have Mini Doxies.
good day to you George, been while since watched any of your vid's or commented/asking questions. see been while since ya made any vid's also, hope all is well. this got my attention for the big coffee urn/maker if that is what it's actually called? i was looking to get one (found a waring wcu 550 oz size, heats up to 200 after brewing holds temp 185 for serving) all metal and was wondering about putting a tap on the lid (copper tubing) to the condenser. it seems be very similar to the turbo 500 set up, can you advise the similarities? thanks.
Hello george. I'm Alvaro from portugal. Congrats for your allways interesting videos. Is it possible for you to include a video in your beginners video collection for irish/jameson style/recipes whiskey. I've tried in the last year to find a video like this and they don't simply exist even in jesse's still it channel. Thanks and please accept my congratulations for your work. Regards
Álvaro Nunes That is a really good question! I recommend the Whiskey Profile kit from Still Spirits. I have made bottles of whiskey that crap on “Janieson” and would beat ANY $300 bottle in a competition. Took me about 6 months to get there but I could make any Scotsman/Irishman slur “Smoooooth” until they’re under the table. Seriously though, learn your own recipe and “Jamieson” will taste like shit to you. I guarantee you can make better whiskey yourself!
@@JesusisJesus tanks for the help. You are right, I have to do some more experiments with the recipes.I usualy triple distill it to smoth things out but it isn't close in flavour to jameson style. Regards
Been following you for a long time. I can't remember, do you adjust the Ph on you sparge water, or was Ph only important on the conversion during the steep?
Thanks for your great videos George. Got a couple questions for you. I used to brew a fair amount of beer, and have a number of pounds of 6 row barley. Yeah, I know it costs more to use but I have it and it's already paid for. Is there a conversion factor to determine how much less 6 row I need compared to 2 row to get the same effect?
Hey George. Thanks for all the video's. Fill my carboy fermenter too much. Yeast really bubbled, and I discovered when I got home that everything was still, and the trap was dry. Must have bubbled dry. Is my mash garbage? I put water in it, and it bubbles every once in awhile, but not like it was this morning. Thanks
No.. some people who make shine just put a lid over a bucket no airlock.. I don’t do that.. but co2 is heavier then air so the top of carboy should be co2.
Not sure what George does but I’ve used about 2 litres of water. You can pour the same 2 litres over the grain a few times. Like George says in the video you can never get all those sugars out so I’ve actually started tossing the left over grain in a bucket then adding just enough water to cover it, toss in a bit of yeast and let that ferment on the grain - can be added back to the main mash later or distill on its own. The spent grain is then spread on my lawn the birds love it!
Not sure what George does but I’ve used about 2 litres of water. You can pour the same 2 litres over the grain a few times. Like George says in the video you can never get all those sugars out so I’ve actually started tossing the left over grain in a bucket then adding just enough water to cover it, toss in a bit of yeast and let that ferment on the grain - can be added back to the main mash later or distill on its own. The spent grain is then spread on my lawn the birds love it!
Pretty sure I know the answer but to get clarity on the process. Cracked grains versus flaked grains; the 170°F 90 minute corn/rye cook doesn't need to be done on flaked products? After saturation, flaked grains can be taken straight to 155° portion of cook?
I read somewhere that when fermenting a sour beer, it’s best to have equipment dedicated to only sour stuff because it can contaminate and sour any normal beer brewed in that equipment. Is that true for a sour whisky mash as well?
depends on the fermentation equipment and how you clean and sanitize. If using glass or stainless steel, use PBW to clean and StarSan to sanitize, you will be fine to switch back and forth. Yes, I do this myself as I have a few buddies that like Goose and other sour beers.
Sour beers are fermented with brettanomyces, which is a wild yeast and can contaminate your more traditional beers if you don't clean and sanitize well enough. Completely different from a sour mash? I wouldn't worry about the sour mash contaminating anything. That's my understanding anyways.
jeremy knox if i remember right.... George talked about using a blender... just have be careful cause you want to crush it not turn it into dust. a few years back i did B&B popcorn mash. i used a coffee grinder. it took a year and a day to crush it but worked.
You can use a blender but what is your time worth to you? For ~$100 you can find a decent grain mill online and instead of spending hours milling in your kitchen you can do 15-20 lbs in 2-3 minutes. Just look for brewing mills, as you don't want flour. I bet George may have some recommended models for you.
Alpha Amylase is the thing to use for conversion, watch George’s videos on this topic though coz you need to boil up your mash before Yeasting it. I believe it can be cheaper but I just keep going back to Dextrose because it “Just Works” and add flavours later. Unless your Barley is FREE, go for it.
i used to grow some plants at home... and when trying to stabilise my PH i always wait 20-30 min before i check the ph, it change from minute 1 to min 30...
Br4iNl3sS11 ..you're right about letting the water stabilize before checking.. i use to do legal grow for a dispensary and that PH meter he's using isn't very good. needs PH up/down to calibrate it before every use.
I dont distill, i dont have any plans of it, but i came across your channel and i just enjoyed them so much. I keep watching. You do a very good job and keep me entertained. Thanks for your videos
George thank you for all the great videos about distilling from how to build it to final product great work!
Another home run George you keep knocking them out of the park and I'll keep watching them thank you for taking the time to help us all
So informative and well explained! I love this channel
George, without a doubt you are the king of fermentation and distilling.
Recently I have also figured out more useful uses for my ever so versatile T500, but if you don’t distill this batch with a pot still there’s absolutely no reason why you would want to use a reflux except for the cost.
I have tried it all now and I keep going back to “Dextrose &Turbo8” and in Australia here I have found that Alcotec 48 makes Some ReALlY good back-pain-killer Juice.
Remember it’s summer here though, I’m sure you crossed the turtle in your navy days...
Remember I asked you about PH a few months ago, I was right and you can almost “Taste” 990 on the floaty-stick before you drop that fSucker in, it’s ready when you taste it an go “Ohhhh fark” and I am a super advocate of Turbo Carbon. It is such a great visual indicator of when your ferment is ready. It literally clears itself....
I'm new to the hobby. I had a friend who used to make his own different spirits and I would go over and help occasionally and was interested. Except he would do 50 gallons at a time. When I started looking into it and found I could make a lot less I had to laugh at myself for not thinking it through. I can be a little (a lot!) dense at times for someone who is supposed be educated. Thank you for some great video's and information.
Very glad to see your videos
George of all of the home distilling videos you're the most in depth. Therefore, in my perspective at least, you are the best! P.S. the corn passing through the digestive tract is certainly in depth! Lol
Great video! Love the hobby.
U812GREEN it’s rewarding huh!? :D
Hey George, another great video.
You should get (2) 1/4-20 x 3" bolts and (4) nuts. (About $3).
Drill down through the rim of the strainer, 2 holes @ 180° apart.
Insert nutted bolt and tighten 2nd nut underneath. Easy handles to lift the basket.
Or, if you can get a piece of stainless welding rod, bend it into an ohm symbol Ω and poke through the mesh on each side just under the rim. ;-)
Happy Holidays, cheers!
Thank you George!!
Just learned the grain bill for Jack Daniels is 80% corn 12% rye and 8% barley thought I would pass this on to any that would like to give it a try. They ferment on the grain to 10 to 12% ABV then distill it.
But sour mash is a touch different process
@@robertjr1254 yes but the grain bill remains the same you just add some of the last batch in for a sour mash.
Have you ever used steam rolled barley?
@@chuckdontknowdoya6100 have you ever used steam rolled barley instead of malted barley?
Thanks george.
great video! as always! Our LHBS has 55lb of 2 row on sale for 39$CAD got to go pick up a bag ;)
Where were you when I was in high school and college. I have a feeling you could teach any subject.
The Corn you see "the next day" is called a "Tracer Round"! ;-)
Thank you!! 😎
George thanks bud
Hey George, quick question. Would you be able to use germinated barley (Malt) without actually drying it out completely? Or does it have to be totally dried before it will work? Would definitely save a bit of time
Enjoyed this video
I'm purchasing a 25L coffee urn that has adjustable temperature in Celsius
I see the possibilities using this in cooking grains for mashas it seems that by controlling the cooking in the urn you have less chance of burning it.
Would like your input on thus
Thank yoy for such excellent videos
I am new to this hobby a friend bought me a 20 gallon copper still with thumper and worm.
I'm 68 this year so decided I needed a new hobby lol
Last week on the way to a Dr appointment a hour away I saw a brew shop sad thing was they was going out of business I stopped in they was having a big sale, I got
55 lbs peated malted barley
55 lbs malted barley
55 lbs malted rye
These where from a company called Simpsons malt in the UK
The brew shop sold all 3 bags to me for $236.00 I think I got a good deal
Just learning
Could you use cornmeal?
Im trying to make a "Scotch" whiskey for the first time here in Georgia. Even have the Scottish Peat that I made a nice tea with. At least as close to the color my 52 yo brain can remember from our vacations to Inverness. I have two questions for ya George. First, what malted barley gives the most amylase for convergence of sugars? Second, is there that much of a flavor variation between the different types of barley, at least enough to be super concerned with? Thanks for your time and any suggestions you may have. Please note I DID NOT say "can I" a single time! 🤣
Dog Biskies: 2lbs grain, 2 eggs, 1 cup Peanut butter, mix in flour to make it like a cookie batter, roll out in a cookie sheet (on parchment paper), and bake at 350*f for at least 1 hour. I normally use a pizza cutter to pre score the size bisques I want. I make them small...I have Mini Doxies.
I wish all my high school teachers were as good as George
when you put the pH meter into the hot liquid.. do you compensate.. It's different at room temp vs 150° or whatever the hi temp is
greetings George how about using flakked coconut for a mash?
Just a question George! The coffeeheater besides you in the clip. What's the use? Your tutoring is cristalclear
What is the make and model of that electric kettle?
Can you used steam rolled barley instead of malted barley?
good day to you George, been while since watched any of your vid's or commented/asking questions. see been while since ya made any vid's also, hope all is well. this got my attention for the big coffee urn/maker if that is what it's actually called? i was looking to get one (found a waring wcu 550 oz size, heats up to 200 after brewing holds temp 185 for serving) all metal and was wondering about putting a tap on the lid (copper tubing) to the condenser. it seems be very similar to the turbo 500 set up, can you advise the similarities? thanks.
Hello george. I'm Alvaro from portugal. Congrats for your allways interesting videos. Is it possible for you to include a video in your beginners video collection for irish/jameson style/recipes whiskey. I've tried in the last year to find a video like this and they don't simply exist even in jesse's still it channel. Thanks and please accept my congratulations for your work. Regards
Álvaro Nunes That is a really good question!
I recommend the Whiskey Profile kit from Still Spirits. I have made bottles of whiskey that crap on “Janieson” and would beat ANY $300 bottle in a competition.
Took me about 6 months to get there but I could make any Scotsman/Irishman slur “Smoooooth” until they’re under the table.
Seriously though, learn your own recipe and “Jamieson” will taste like shit to you.
I guarantee you can make better whiskey yourself!
That would not be a beginner video.
@@JesusisJesus tanks for the help. You are right, I have to do some more experiments with the recipes.I usualy triple distill it to smoth things out but it isn't close in flavour to jameson style. Regards
Been following you for a long time. I can't remember, do you adjust the Ph on you sparge water, or was Ph only important on the conversion during the steep?
It is most important during fermentation
Is it necessary to grind cracked corn?
What happened to Part 2 of #8 corn mash?
Thanks for your great videos George. Got a couple questions for you. I used to brew a fair amount of beer, and have a number of pounds of 6 row barley. Yeah, I know it costs more to use but I have it and it's already paid for. Is there a conversion factor to determine how much less 6 row I need compared to 2 row to get the same effect?
They are really equal for distilling. DP difference is 145 to 165.
Not much different in enzymatic action at that level.
Thanks George!
So who is the artist that does the version of Kentucky Bootlegger in your intro?
what does two row or six row grains mean? i'm not a distiller
Hey George I just got a still from Brewhawes do I need to do any cleaning run or prep before I use?
Dude, always. Do a vinegar boil.
What is the Relation water to Barley of your Recipe?
Hey George. Thanks for all the video's. Fill my carboy fermenter too much. Yeast really bubbled, and I discovered when I got home that everything was still, and the trap was dry. Must have bubbled dry. Is my mash garbage? I put water in it, and it bubbles every once in awhile, but not like it was this morning. Thanks
No.. some people who make shine just put a lid over a bucket no airlock.. I don’t do that.. but co2 is heavier then air so the top of carboy should be co2.
ph, why 5.2 for barley and 4.6 for corn?
Hey George what water do you sparge with and how much water do you use considering it will be added to the mash? Adam, Tasmania Aus.
Not sure what George does but I’ve used about 2 litres of water. You can pour the same 2 litres over the grain a few times. Like George says in the video you can never get all those sugars out so I’ve actually started tossing the left over grain in a bucket then adding just enough water to cover it, toss in a bit of yeast and let that ferment on the grain - can be added back to the main mash later or distill on its own. The spent grain is then spread on my lawn the birds love it!
Not sure what George does but I’ve used about 2 litres of water. You can pour the same 2 litres over the grain a few times. Like George says in the video you can never get all those sugars out so I’ve actually started tossing the left over grain in a bucket then adding just enough water to cover it, toss in a bit of yeast and let that ferment on the grain - can be added back to the main mash later or distill on its own. The spent grain is then spread on my lawn the birds love it!
I wouldn't trust too much on those pH-meters, atleast if not stored properly, but if adding acid like that, probably doesn't matter so much :)
Pretty sure I know the answer but to get clarity on the process.
Cracked grains versus flaked grains; the 170°F 90 minute corn/rye cook doesn't need to be done on flaked products? After saturation, flaked grains can be taken straight to 155° portion of cook?
William Houston yeah, saturate first, alpha amylase @ temp and then ferment either ON or OFF the grain. 👍
@@JesusisJesus thank you for the process affirmation. Flaked sounds like the way I'll go.
Song?
Watching this incase they try prohibition again
I read somewhere that when fermenting a sour beer, it’s best to have equipment dedicated to only sour stuff because it can contaminate and sour any normal beer brewed in that equipment. Is that true for a sour whisky mash as well?
First I have ever heard this
depends on the fermentation equipment and how you clean and sanitize. If using glass or stainless steel, use PBW to clean and StarSan to sanitize, you will be fine to switch back and forth. Yes, I do this myself as I have a few buddies that like Goose and other sour beers.
Sour beers are fermented with brettanomyces, which is a wild yeast and can contaminate your more traditional beers if you don't clean and sanitize well enough. Completely different from a sour mash? I wouldn't worry about the sour mash contaminating anything. That's my understanding anyways.
you put 4lb in how much water? you mention for corn episode 1.5lb per gallon of water! is corn and barley are not the same?
Can I use a standard kitchen blender... to grind down my grains? Barley and corn?
you can, just use pulse and don't turn it into flower. Another way to crack barley is to use a rolling pin with the barley in a ziplock bag.
jeremy knox
if i remember right.... George talked about using a blender... just have be careful cause you want to crush it not turn it into dust.
a few years back i did B&B popcorn mash. i used a coffee grinder. it took a year and a day to crush it but worked.
You can use a blender but what is your time worth to you? For ~$100 you can find a decent grain mill online and instead of spending hours milling in your kitchen you can do 15-20 lbs in 2-3 minutes. Just look for brewing mills, as you don't want flour. I bet George may have some recommended models for you.
Barley crusher is a good model (~$100)
What make and model of the equipment on your desk?
grainfather not sure of the model
Can the grandfather be used as a distiller by placing the t500 columns on it?
yes
George what about Rolled Barley???
Rolled Barley is the same as Rolled Corn. Rolled = Need to add enzime or other malted grain for conversion.
Alpha Amylase is the thing to use for conversion, watch George’s videos on this topic though coz you need to boil up your mash before Yeasting it.
I believe it can be cheaper but I just keep going back to Dextrose because it “Just Works” and add flavours later. Unless your Barley is FREE, go for it.
i used to grow some plants at home... and when trying to stabilise my PH i always wait 20-30 min before i check the ph, it change from minute 1 to min 30...
Br4iNl3sS11
..you're right about letting the water stabilize before checking.. i use to do legal grow for a dispensary and that PH meter he's using isn't very good.
needs PH up/down to calibrate it before every use.
Was it 6-row Barley or 2-row? ;)
2 row
Your right you must wait at least 20 minutes or you will be chasing numbers up and down all night.
@@JesusisJesus h3h3
Corn can be used as another alternative for mushroom spawn
had the barley been malted
jusy wondering
Compost the grain when all the starch is out
Again did not show the rinsing process
im sorry ask to quick should video