I just now had a question for George. Called him and he answered it. He's a man of his word.

I recently visited several bourbon distilleries and most mentioned sour mashing but none of them actually explained the various techniques for doing it. Thanks George.

Gees you never fail to teach something completely awesome in one of your episodes. Thank you.

I just can't say THANK YOU enough George ! Not sure I would have gotten into distilling without you Sir. I had the desire, and actually most of the knowledge, but I lacked a mentor to keep me from making BAD moonshine. Happy Distilling and Thanks Again !

Thanks George, another sweet tip, I'll try that ferment on the grain one, I find it easier to remove the alcohol wash from the grain... than to remove the liquid and then ferment it. Love your tips for beginners, it makes hitting the bulls eye (or there abouts)a lot easier.

Been loving getting back in to your videos, George :-) Very happy to hear the comparisons to sourdough as well, that's been a life-long passion for me. One bit of advice I'd offer to anyone doing sourdough, sour mash or any of the like is learn how to make what I like to call 'doomsday vaults' for your starter. Take my sourdough, I've got a frozen portion at home as well as the active one in the fridge, a frozen portion in Mum's freezer and I feed that when I'm down (I got my love of sourdough from her). Plus I've learned how to freeze-dry started at home and had nothing but success, I've been assured that the same method works just as well using barm or backset from sour mash as well.

Out of all the other videos out there on this subject, yours are the best.

You are the best George you Taught me how to distill years ago I remember when you had five subscribers look at you now 50,000

No matter how many other people distill on ytube you are my absolute first choice for good information. Im hoping you and yours are well. Thank you for your good work .

Hey, George. Lotsa folks out here are missing you & your videos. Hope you make it back soon.

Best science teacher online!

Damn genius this guy. Great teacher. Thank you Sir

Great info George!!! 👍👍👍

Hero! Glad I found your channel. It's interesting, entertaining and there is so much to learn. Sad it's been quiet for a while but at some point everything is said, I guess. Thank you for your service!

Thanks, George! Always putting out info for my thick skull to (try to) absorb. I’d be willing to argue there actually is a species more complicated and harder to understand that women... yeast!

I went to look up y'alls website today found out it had been closed😣😣glad to see we still got you bud😁❤😁🍻

I enjoyed ths video.. 👍

Great information, I like the spent grain method. It doesn't take long for them to start it's (lactic) fermentation but if it smells like catfish chum that's what it should only be used for.

Always love learning new stuff, I see you are trying some stuff from your meetup.

Found out you passed away. The good news is you are living on in your videos. Thanks for being a great teacher!! Wishing your family well

Another video filled with awesome information George I've been using my lees over and over I find I get a much better fermentation that way then starting fresh each time and now I know why thanks for taking the time to help us all do it better.

You sir are a gentleman, salutations from an Englishman.

Taking stillage/backset and putting that into the next ferment is also an industry standard for sour mash. That's second generation though. Since stillage/backset is typically low pH already, because the ferment it came from had been infected with lactobacillus. This also saves on water and helps keep flavour profiles similar between batches. They may use between 33% and 40% stillage when doing this. Another method is to mash as normal, then drop the temp to around 40C, and intentionally add lactobacillus starter to the mash, to cause the souring.

I heard the podcast with Jesse, Great content!

You are a legend!

i screwed up in the right direction...for once. i'm on my 3rd. gen sour mash. i knew about saving yeast and my used corn, from George's videos and using back set from Still It. (ujssm) i just put it all together. i love this hobby and it's not the kill, it's the hunt that makes this fun.... well somewhat the kill....lol

🙌🏻 mash time!!

Thanks George!

I would take the sour dough starter and 'dissolve' in water to get the yeast going in all the water. Then add all the other ingredients to the water then add 2/3 of the flour and mix. Then add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until the dough is mildly sticky. (you may not add all the flour called for, the dough presentation is what is important). I couldn't help myself, I've been baking for a month and I am an expert ;).

I was under the impression that barm was the yeast that floated to the top of an ale. Either way, that is why eastern and central Europe have more sourdough breads than western Europe. It is much harder to extract yeast for baking from lager than from ale.

Thanks. As usual very useful information. I have always wondered how these things were done before commercial yeasts were available. You mention long chain fatty acids. Do these become esters? They are too high boiling to distill over, unless a small amount gets carried over with the water / ethanol. I am starting to understand more and more that getting high purity alcohol is simple science and is the easy part. Getting something that tastes good that is the artistry.

PS, you're an amazing teacher George, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have bought a still and made some delicious bills!

very informative

Lactic Acid does not cause fermentation but is the product of the secondary fermentation carried out by various sp. of Lactobacillus bacteria.

For our sour mash we would take 25% of the backset and put it in the fermenter with the new batch instead of saving it and adding it directly to the still later. It lowers the PH and yeast love it. In fact we would take it from the still when the temp was still around 155F (after they were turned off and cooled a bit) and put it directly in the fermenter to keep the temp in there above the 143F to allow the amylase to have further time to convert before pitching DADY. Not sure if this could be a #4 type sour mash for George.

Love your videos. Helped me a lot and did my first run of shine yesterday.thanks. Please can you tell me the name and artist of the song in the beginning.

Hi George, Thank you for this video, really enjoyed this one. Please can you advise if method 3 (stillage leftovers) can be used on a sugar wash from gin? Note, both from the stripping run and the vapor infused gin run?? Good video and thank you for your support.

Thanks George, do you have to use the same grain bill?

Sour mash is good

I reuse all the corn...add sugar, 30% stillage and the rest local spring water...and bread yeast. ...I have never let it SIT to get sour in the sun etc..but I would like to try that

Right on, thanks for another great video George! So if I'm hearing you right, using all three methods would be basically a UJSSM, correct? It takes a portion of the grain, all the trub/barm and a volume of the backset. Or can a UJSSM be called a sour mash since it isn't all grain?

Ah, malolactic fermentation, NOW I get it!!!

So does a sour mash have to be fermented on the grains or can the grains be sparged rinsed and then turned into a sour mash

would there be a difference in taste if you used a sweet roasting ear corn verses a regular field corn?

4-7th run is the bomb

Where in the CFR 27 does it state that sour mash needs to be at least 25% of stillage? It is a ph adjustment to about 4.5 to 5 and is usually 2 parts (combination or method 1 and 3 you mention). Put some fermenting liquid from past batch into next and during cooking add some stillage to the water to cook. I sometimes also use method 2 to transfer yeast.

#4 (pulled from my brewers hat) you can just add in off the shelf souring bugs to the ferment, yogurt, bleu cheese, buttermilk, or a shot of lacto from you LHBS :) . Let the yeast start and take hold, after a day or 2 of active fermentation introduce the bugs.

How does column vs straight to condenser pot still equate. Would column still be like running 2 strips in a pot still or are they the same cause they your not running the cold water jacket? Jw if the column with packing strips more flavor than kettle to condenser pot still. I want cleaner flavors. Not vodka.

Thanx

Question. Can i mash in new grains on the left over mash right after the run? The left over liquid is still hot enough to steep the grain and then will cool down to the 155 degrees for the amylase enzyme to be added. Or does it have to sit for a few days in order to rerun it? Is it also ok to use more than the 25% of the left over after a run?

How long will the spent sour grains keep in the bucket before they're used for the next mash? Can they be kept longer than 3-4 days? And when are you adding them? During the mash or just before pitching your yeast?

Where do you store your barm between distillings? Refrigerate? Does it get better with age or have a shelf life?

I have a question for you George. If I decide to use the backset as a sour mash how long would you recommend storing that for and what would be a proper way to store it? Thank you.

Hey George been following the videos and have learned so much but im still not understanding how the old timers could use corn,malted corn,and sugar only no yeast in the wash. How is this possible without pitching yeast? Please do a video on the old time recipes if you havent already thank you so much!

Great info! Question; when using what’s left in the still, do you put the material in the mash container to ferment with the new grain or keep aside to add in the still when the your mash is ready (separately)?

copper is there as a filter for hydrogen sulfide that is produced from berries and the like. The stainless won't do that.

Methed 4 use Brettanomyces Bruxellensis yeast like when making a sour beer

No refux flavor i love it.

Great video! Could you also use method #3 for other spirits in distilling (rum, tequila, or vodka)?

The concern I have with adding three pounds of the last batch to the new batch is how to convert the new grain bill so that you don't have to much solids in your 6 gallon fermenter, it seems it would reduce the amount of liquid you would have to put into the still because you don't have as much room to add water. I imagine you would only have about 3 gallons of liquid to run with all the new grain and then three pounds of the last mash?

George, how long can you store the back set? It maybe 7-10 days before I can make my next mash.

Which method does Jim Beam use? 1,2 or 3?

Hey George I have one of those dibosh 20l/5gal still runs good but the lid is floppy .the new reflux column w/sight glass also dibosh sways in the wind . I'm afraid it will tip over. Question: what can I do to strengthen my lid . 8:34

Hey George I haven't spoken to u in a while I haven't had many questions but I'm wanting to build me a copper pot and was wandering what u thought was the best thickness for building your own still

Thank you for your videos! The science behind all this fascinates me. Quick question using the 3rd method from this video; do you just continue to use 25% over and over, from one batch to the next, or is it make one batch, then one batch of sour, then start fresh? Thanks again!

Love the videos George. I have one question though....Where can I find that song in the beginning? I've been searching and can't find it anywhere.

What if you use Malolactic bacteria in your fermented mash and do a second fermentation? The lactic acid would produce the same flavor?

Damn A/C moon shiners

Since you are adding 3lbs of old mash into a new batch, do you also need to add more water?

So is it bad to let my mash clear before distilling? I have only been using clarified (looks crystal clear almost) mash that I treat the same as if I were making beer or wine except I don't filter it.

I'm interested in how the AC unit is used.

George, on the 3rd method, do you put the backset in with the fermentation or in the still right before running the next batch?

What about if it's fruit does that make a difference

Thanks again George.,..Re#3...how long can that 25% be kept before being used??

What song is that as well

Do you have a license for distilling? How do you not get in trouble if not?

What should the sour mash taste like

Will I have to run out methanol in my sour mash second batch

Happy Distilling..

Hi George, I have to admit your videos are eerily on point with things I recently start to research. *Grabs foil hat*

George, method #3 - 25% of old pot (that is 25% of what’s left) or 25% of new pot?

Is it advisable to use the back set for proofing down your run to the proof you want?

A bit of confusion on method 3. Is the stillage added to the fermenter or the still? Your diagram shows still, but that doesn't seem like it would have time to do much.

Do you have a wheat vodka mash recipe

Puzzled, wouldn't PWM vary frequency rather than amplitude?

Sour mash = how I learned to stop caring and love not sanatizing

Hello George. How long I can keep sour mash before running it on still. Can I store it as normal mash, or it will get too sour?

George, doesn't "sour mash" assure the flavor continuity between batches?

Anyone know what happened to George?

Hey George , have you ever heard the theory that the methyl , being an azeotrope , either never distills out or does so at the Tails , rather than at the foreshots ?

So how much did he get out of that 5 gallons?

I need an answer to this question if anyone can help, has anybody tried to do a Sourmash with a fruit bill??? I put 8lbs of cranberries, 20lbs of raisins with two bushels of apples. It fermented for a week and it smells delicious. I strained most of the solids out and put it in two 5 gallon buckets & covered it. It smells fine and I'm going to try and run it with new fruit & sugar to all of the old fruit tomorrow, Is this a good idea?

George aren’t you just allowing the grain/s to ferment? Making lactic acid? If that’s the case an inoculate can be added which could speed up the process.... thoughts? I have a habit of stopping the vid and texting out a comment or question.... sorry please forgive. Explaining things can be frustrating huh? :-)

Does anyone know where I can find this specific type and size distill column?

4:14 for sourmash

#3 to me sounds easier to make and understand

do u have a website

You could get rid of a lot of words and be way more effective.

Sorry commenting while watching its known as dunder in rum

So what your saying is our sour mash is a bucket full of Jizz?!?!