Could you use Etosha charcoal in Whiskey making?

Etosha is a hardwood from Namibia, it is an invader species there and is hence used widely as barbeque charcoal throughout Southern Africa. Its smoke has an amazing scent and aroma to it. I saw this recipe video for Whiskey and was wondering if you could substitute the oak with another charcoal that is fit for cooking food. I don't know if there is something that may make a charcoal fit for cooking food, but unfit to mellow whiskey with. …
Category: Mac

As a benchmark, how much grain (and water) would be used to make one litre (or 100L) of wort?

Obviously the style of beer, type of grain (barley, wheat, etc) and depth of roast would make a difference. But in general what would be the typical ranges be? So for example: For a Dark Stout: A kg of grain plus X litres of water gives one litre of wort For a Pale Ale: B kg of grain plus Y litres of water gives one litre of wort If you give imperial measurements (lbs Gal) I can covert them no …
Category: Mac

Possible to make whiskey from turbo wash?

If I create a wash (between 20 and 22% using turbo yeast), would it be possible to use that wash to create a (weak) whiskey using oak chips or oak powder? I would possibly like to do this without a barrel, and would like to do this without distilling. Is 22% strong enough to extract the flavours from toasted oak chips? Has anybody tried this? How did it go?
Category: Mac

Zymurgy, Oenology ... but what about spirits? What's the "ten penny" word for still masters?

This is just a question about terminology. Those who are into brewing and beer making are zymurgists. Those who are aficionados of wine are oenologists. But what does one call a expert in distilling spirits ... an whiskey/bourbon/scotch spirits in particular? Are there different terms for those who are masters at crafting these (stillmasters?) vs. those who have the expertise for judging and describing them? I'm curious ... but I'd also like to know soon since I'm going to an …
Category: Mac

barley content in whisky from barley grains

Of the whiskey in a barrel, what % of it is barley? From what I understand, to make wort only 20% of spent grain is left. This leads to a figure of 80% of the grain dissolved in the wort. After the yeast is added, the wort is distilled, separating the alcohols and leaving stuff behind. Seemingly the barley that has dissolved in the wort, does not get distilled and gets left behind? What is the original ratio of water …
Category: Mac

Re-racking in a Buffalo Trace whiskey barrel

The story is; We have 5-6 home brewer's who will be doing 6 batches of 5 gallon beer. We will be bringing the fermentators/carboys over to my house and re-racking all 30 gallons into a Buffalo Trace whiskey barrel. We plan on aging it for only 3 months then force carbing 15g in Korny kegs for a going away party. Then bottle conditioning the rest of the 15g for all the brewers to take home with them. My question is …
Category: Mac

Detecting differences in the type of whiskey used to soak oak

I'm about to add oak chips to my scotch ale. I was thinking about what sort of scotch to soak the chips in before hand. And then I thought, how much does it really matter? At what point can one tell the difference between types of whiskey an ounce of oak chips were soaked in, when they've been sitting in 5 gallons for a while? For example, if I use the exact same kind of whiskey, but one is a …
Category: Mac

Soaking whiskey in oak chips

I made some good whiskey and have a litre soaking in a cup or two of home made oak chips (an old coffee table which I planed all of the varnish off first then chipped, haha). I didn't sanatize or char the chips, will this work or make any difference to the whiskey and how long should I leave it to soak? Thanks...Motuiti Lad
Category: Mac

How much bourbon is the right amount?

When adding something like bourbon (or other whiskeys) to the secondary, how much do you add? I realize this will differ based on recipes, tastes, and styles, but what is a good range? How much is so minimal that you won't taste it, and how much is so much that it will overpower the grains and significantly increase the ABV of the final product?
Category: Mac

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