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How To Make Sour Mash
Sour Mash
Sour Mash is a process that uses material from an older batch of mash to start fermentation of a new batch of mash. The following procedure was gathered from an interview with Short Mountain Distillery and other online resources. Its a rough accounting of how a commercial distiller would make a simple no cook mash for a simple sour mash. However, Before we get into the details, let us give you a reminder: Distilling alcohol is illegal without a federal fuel alcohol or distilled spirit plant permit as well as relevant state permits. Our distillation equipment is designed for legal uses only and the information in this article is for educational purposes only. Please read our complete legal summary for more information on the legalities of distillation.
Sour Mash Recipe
The corn in this recipe is used for flavor while the sugar will provide most of the fuel for fermentation. This is a multi-step process and requires a dedicated schedule and requires a commercial distiller to make a mash almost weekly. This recipe will yield about 9% ABV and will have an original starting gravity around 1.060
- 5 gallons water
- 7 pounds cracked corn
- 7 pounds cane sugar
- 2 packets bread yeast
Making the Starter Mash
Add 7 pounds of cane sugar, 7 pounds of cracked corn, and 5 gallons of 75 degree water to a 6.5 gallon plastic bucket fermenter. Once the ingredients have been added to the fermenter add the yeast starter and an airlock and let it ferment. It will take between 7-10 days for fermentation to finish. See our articles on fermentation for more information on how to tell when fermentation is finished.
Distilling the 1st Wash- 2nd Fermentation
After the 1st fermentation is finished use an auto-siphon to transfer the liquid into the still. Don’t dump the bucket into the still- leave behind the yeast and grain - only transfer the liquid. Add 3-3/4 gallons of 75 degree water into the fermenter as this will keep the yeast alive and happy while distilling. Only add 3 ¾ gallons of water because the rest of the liquid will come from the still after the run is finished (backset). Leave the fermentation bucket off to the side and start the distilling. The first run is not a sour mash as it did not have any backset added to it. Always do a stripping run on the first sour mash wash. Run the still hot and fast with no packing material, collect everything that comes out of the still. Run the still down until 20 proof or 10% ABV. Save this stripping run as we will add it to the next wash we distill.
After the 3 ¾ gallons of water has been added to the fermentation bucket the old corn will float to the top. Remove half of the floating corn and add it to the compost or feed it to the chickens. Add another 3.5 pounds of cracked corn to the fermenter.
Once done distilling collect 1 ¼ gallons of the left over backset (wash that is left in the still after at the end of distillation). Add the hot backset and 7 pounds of sugar to a bucket (not the fermenter) and use an immersion chiller or an ice bath and cool it to 75 degrees. Once the backset and sugar mixture has been cooled, add it to the fermenter. Add another yeast starter, a new airlock, and let it ferment for another 7-10 days- or until fermentation is finished.
Distilling the 2nd wash - 3rd Fermentation
Once the 2nd fermentation is finished use an auto-siphon to transfer the liquid into a copper moonshine still. Don’t dump the bucket into the still- the yeast and grain need to be left behind - only transfer the liquid. Once the wash liquid has been added to the still add the stripping run from the first run into the still. After the wash has been transferred into the still- the fermentation bucket will have the spent corn and yeast left behind. Add 3-3/4 gallons of 75 degree water into the fermenter- this will keep the yeast happy while distilling. Distill the sour mash whiskey making sure to discard the foreshots. Make cuts like normal and collect the tails down to 10 proof or 20% ABV. Save the tails and add them to the next run. I personally don’t re-run my heads I have been using them as a cleaner and solvent.
After the 3 ¾ gallons of water has been added to the fermentation bucket the old corn will float to the top. Remove half of the floating corn and add it to the compost or feed it to the chickens. Add another 3.5 pounds of cracked corn to the fermenter.
Once done distilling collect 1 ¼ gallons of the left over backset (wash that is left in the still after at the end of distillation). Add the hot backset and 7 pounds of sugar to a bucket (not the fermenter) and use an immersion chiller or an ice bath and cool it to 75 degrees. Once the backset and sugar mixture has been cooled add it to the fermenter. Add another yeast starter, a new airlock, and let it ferment for another 7-10 days- or until fermentation is finished.
Distilling the 3rd wash- 4th Fermentation
Repeat the same process. This process can continue for as long as the distiller desires. Age the sour mash with un-charred oak chips.
Disclaimer
The information, data and references, set forth above, are provided for informational purposes only are not intended to be relied upon by any person, or entity, as a legal or scientific basis for any act or decision whatsoever. Absolutely do not attempt to replicate this at home.
can anyone give me a all grain no yeast no sugar whisky recipe
for outdoor fermentation, what temperature range works?
Using this recipe except 8 lbs cracked corn and 2 pounds malted barley 10 lbs sugar got 13%abv reading.. Added amylase. Let grain sit on backset overnight. Filled to 6.5 gal. Added yeast nutrient. Added Red Star DADY. 14 hrs later had to remove air lock and put on a blow tube. Will start sor mash next run.
Thank you for recipe. Beats all the cooking to gain 2%.
Need help with a malted wheat and corn mash recipe
need 199+ gallon complete still to do sour mash wiskey
my wash smells really strong and alcoholly.my 1st mash wash was 25 gallons in fermenter 25 lbs sugar and 25 lbs cracked corn 12 table spoons dry yeast after 8 days I siphoned it to still, and yeilded 1/2 gallon at 100 proof then the tails started 80 proof down to 20 proof which only was 1/2 gallon again . a poor yield, to say the least. then i put 9 gallon of bach wash mash from the still into fermentor to cook the corn, whick we did not do the first time.stirred it around for every 15 or 20 mins the after 1.5 hrs we added 25lbs sugar and more water, 10 gallons cooled it to 80 degrees added 6 tablespoons yeast and there it is.smells sour alot of fruit flies now SG at 1.07 now 3 days later that is where it started out,when will it change?today i notice some bubbling from yeast .going to wait 8 or 9 days and run it, addind the hearts and tail to the still. hope it does not kill us to drink it LOL why do not mention cooking the cracked corn to change starch to sugar? in all other recipes it seems very inportant to cook at 185 degrees for 1.5 hrs ? what will the SG be when it goes back in the still for my 1st run of sour mash?
in making the sour mash, we get very little corn if any floating to the top. but the top inch or two of our corn in the fermenting bucket is a darker colour than the corn below it. should we remove the top 2 inches of corn even though it is not floating?
Can you use ground barley flour for your fermenter with the brewers yeast
The corn is for flavor only. all the sugar needed is already in the recipe. On the 5th run now and if your cuts are made for quality not quantity this is smooth and delicious. Couple of days on oak chips at 60 aBV. Cut it to 45 ABV AND SMOOTH WITH A KNOCK YOU DOWN PUNCH!
I Use almost the same recipe except I use 90 percent of the backset and a quart of molasses. completely change the corn on the 5th run. Something to watch out for after the 6th run the ph starts to drop if you dont use calcium carbonate to bring the ph back up it will kill the yeast.
I can say after the 6th run the sour mash starts tasting legendary. The flavor is mind blowing
I know from making beer that sometimes you need a blow off tube instead of an airlock so it don’t explode on you. And distillers yeast is more potent than beer or wine yeast so you don’t have to use as much. As far as boiling the corn first I would just mash it like making beer and use the amylase enzyme to help convert which in hand should give you a higher alcohol on first run.
How much is a complete fully functional 100 gallon still with gas burner cost?
I’m trying this recipe out. Just got done with my 1st still and starting my 2nd ferment. I’m using a super yeast. I tried this once before and the 2nd batch exploded all over my floor and I ended up pissed off and dumping it out. It was bad! Anyhow this time I’m only going to use 1/2 the pack and set it in the (washable) garage. 1st run I got a gallon and a pint of 160 proof and a quart of some funky tasting tails. I run a single thump with a vodka chiller. I don’t like the flavor of the tails added back to the next still run, I use it added to start the fire pit with lol. This first run will make some good apple pie. Tis the season!
Are you cooking your cracked corn or would it be advantageous to do that before adding to the fermentor??
Started my first batch for the sour mash. I added some Amylase Enzyme to the mash to try and convert the corn starches to sugar. Fermenting away as of right now! I’ll keep ya’ll posted on the progress!
im going by this recipe, My airlock went crazy on the second ferment, think Im going to add less yeast on the third. What do I expect as for proof on the 2nd run? Should the proof get higher with each run?
ON A 1 GAL. HOW YOU MIX THE LETFOVER
ON A 1 GAL. HOW YOU MIX THE LETFOVER