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When you’re a novice at Whiskey making
Okay guys. Definitely a newbie question, but i can take the shame. i have never brewed beer or distilled any alcohol yet in my life, but going to do so now. i want to make a super ultra simple single malt whiskey. i just want to run through the steps experimenting to see how it is done. i want to make a small test batch, 5 liters end product at most. i either need someone to spell it out for me, or point me to a formula/recipe that will spell it out for me.
Not getting too hung up with efficiencies or anything, but just the process. Could someone please give me the ratio of 2 row barley weight to water and yeast that i will need to run this first batch ever. Come on now, when i become the next Glenlivet or Makers Mark, i’ll remember you fondly!
If that is not possible, please point me to a simple recipe to work off of. All the stuff I have read, is much more complex than i want for starters with a larger size than i can do.
Thanks.
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7 Replies
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http://homedistiller.org/grain/wash-grain/recipes
Actually some good information on this site, check it out, as well as their forums, as well as this one:
http://www.artisan-distiller.org/
IMHO, it would greatly benefit you to learn the basics of beer brewing as it is legal to do and (especially for malt) will get you some practice working with grains. All whiskey mashes are basically just an unhopped beer, working with rye or corn can be a different story though.
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yeah, working on getting the beer setup going, but just itching to try and do something. All this reading and ordering stuff is okay, but i just have to get some hands on to make me feel like it’s worth it!
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Get “How to Brew” by John Palmer. It will help you get a started brewing. Brew and ferment as much beer as you can. If you know how to mash and ferment you’ll be making spirits soon after. ISBN-13: 978-0-937381-88-5
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Read these books:
Brewchem 101
Alaskan Bootleggers Bible
Modern Moonshine Techniques
The Compleat Distiller
Do the work, read the material, do some experimenting (legally), then come back with really great questions and you’ll get really great answers.
Make a few batches of beer for your buddies and find a local(ish) whiskey distilling class and you’ll be ahead of just about everyone who starts looking at owning a small batch distillery.
Good luck to you, and keep in mind that you’ll have questions for the next 35 years of distilling, so make ’em good ones.
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Thank you for the advice. I have already read these books, and more. Just going to jump in.
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I guess to more accurately answer your question, even a ‘simple malt recipe’ is all about the ratios. Even if the books you’re reading are for larger batches (the books I’ve recommended are all very small – 5 gal or so batches), you can figure out the relative ratio of the recipe. For instance: All the home brew books will teach you about small batch ratios which can relatively easily (with modification and probably some enzymes) be scaled back up to large batches. You don’t have to get super technical, but you do have to understand the basics of the chemistry you’re dealing with – specific gravity start and end and what they mean, enzyme kill off temp, optimum enzyme temp, different malts and their activity and WHY you might need different enzymes and malts and different temperatures for optimum conversion of your batches. The yeast is also important. There are hundreds of different yeasts out there to choose from, and the only way you can know which one is right for you is to – you guessed it – experiment. That’s why you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who will just flip you a recipe. It isn’t intellectual property necessarily, it’s just because there are SO MANY different ways to do it. Good luck and have fun with it. Your buddies will drink your beer mistakes regardless of the outcome.
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just emailed some of my buddies and told them to wet their whistles. Thanks guys
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