Page 37 - Craft of Whiskey Distilling

24 | CrAFt oF WHIskEy DIstIllInG
the crushed malt into the hot water. Visually it can appear that you have broken up all of the starch balls with a mash paddle, but in truth there will still be small clumps that encap- sulate the starch which reduces extraction efficiency. A grist hydrator is easy to purchase or build and is worth the effort and expense.
The formulation of the grist is based upon targeting an ABV of 8%. The example uses a 8 barrel brewing system which will yield 250 gallons of lautered wash. The extract yield was calculated at a 75% mash efficiency which is the average for professionally built and operated combi-tuns. It is possible that before maximizing your mashing practices that the efficiency may be lower and therefore you may not collect 8 bbl. of wash at 1.074 SG (17.87 Plato, 18.7 Brix). If that is the case, you can use more malt to make up for the difference. ALWAYS ReMeMBeR: It is the starting gravity of the wash that determines when to stop filling a fermenter, not the total volume. The experience and empirical data gained through subsequent batches will allow you to maximize the yield at the proper gravity.
So, let’s get mashing!
pREpARE THE HOT LIquOR
• The grist to water ratio for this example is 1.3 quarts of water to 1 pound of grist. (1.23 l water to .45 kg.grist). I have chosen this ratio to ensure that both the malt and the hot liquor can fit in the combi-tun. Since beer brewing equipment is made with the knowl- edge that the mash will be sparged, this ratio is close to the maximum of what a combi- tun can accommodate. A thicker mash would serve as a buffer for enzymatic activity and therefore limit starch to sugar conversion which in the case of producing a distiller’s mash would be counterproductive.
In making washes for distilling we are more concerned with a maximum amount of yield per pound of grist since we are not targeting the contribution of un-fermentable com- ponents that are important for flavor and body in the wort as is the case in brewing beer. If you are fortunate enough to be able to use a thinner ratio you will still have to keep in mind that you will need to make sure that you still will use enough water to sparge the mash properly otherwise you will leave extract behind.
• If your water chemistry requires it, filter through carbon media and/or treatment equipment recommended, installed and maintained by a professional water treatment company.
• Adjust the pH of the water to 6.
• Set the temperature controller to heat the water to dough in temperature. This tem- perature needs to be set so that once your mash is doughed in you will be at the proper temperature for conversion as combi-tuns are rarely directly heated. To determine the proper temperature you need to take into account heat losses through piping and pumps as well as determine how much temperature is lost due to the starting temperature of the malt comprising the grist. These losses will vary from plant to plant. In this example I have used 12 deg. F which is the loss I experience at my facility.