• Whiskey

  To Distill or Not to Distill Grain Slurry

  Posted by ebstauffer on October 2, 2015 at 11:57 am

  For those that are ferementing on the grain… do you pump the entire mash, settled grain-slurry and all, into the still for stripping or do you try to “decant” off the liquid and distill only that?

  I’ve heard mixed anecdotal evidence that each is preferable. The argument in terms of efficiency is that there is significant etoh that you can recover and the grain provides additional flavor. Then others say you want to keep the spent yeast cells far from any source of heat so as to not contribute off flavors.

  Historically we have pumped off the liquid and leave the grainbed in the fermenter — it’s far from perfect. I’m ready to change our SOP to specify rousing the mash and pumping out full contents of the fermenter into the still.

  Thoughts?

  nabtastic replied 9 years, 2 months ago 8 Members · 9 Replies
• 9 Replies

• 

  countyseat

  Member

  October 2, 2015 at 3:14 pm

  We do a grain in ferment and grain in first distillation. We mix it up prior to pumping over. We are still really new but we’ve tried racking off and distilling on grain and preferred the latter. For our recipes, we just get a more complex and better spirit. Never noticed off flavors.

• 

  bluestar

  Member

  October 2, 2015 at 6:08 pm

  Grain in.

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  hedgebird

  Member

  October 2, 2015 at 6:16 pm

  we pump it all into the still.

• 

  nepa still chillin

  Member

  October 2, 2015 at 8:40 pm

  Ditto.

  I would think for a cleaner spirit stay away from yeast. You are already fermenting on the grain mine as well distill on it

• 

  sudzie

  Member

  October 3, 2015 at 10:21 am

  Grain in fermentation & strip. Sit back and enjoy…..

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  ebstauffer

  Member

  October 3, 2015 at 6:04 pm

  Thanks guys. You’ve generally confirmed what I’ve thought. We’ll start pumping the entire mash into the still for stripping.

• 

  artisan still design

  Member

  October 5, 2015 at 9:10 am

  you should get more flavor, and definately more alcohol that way.

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  ebstauffer

  Member

  October 5, 2015 at 1:29 pm

  Yup. Thanks Steven!

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  nabtastic

  Member

  October 19, 2015 at 9:06 pm

  if your evacuation / drain and sewage can handle the grain, go grain-in. If it can’t, and you can afford it, go grain-in and separate the DDSG post distillation.

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