Traditional Corn Specifications
Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 1:04 pm
In 1935, Karl M. Herstein wrote a study of distilled spirits manufacture (covering some related areas like wines and cordials).
This is a fascinating book. It spanned both the pre-industrial (so to speak) whiskey-making era and the modern one informed by modern chemical engineering and other science.
In this book, the chapter on whiskey production is essential reading and contains much of interest I believe for craft distillers since Herstein distinguishes between small and large scale production - in his schema the difference is mainly in how the mash is cooked. We've seen though that small tub mashing and variants on sour mashing were earlier distinguishing characteristics of small scale producers (recall that Gallagher article from the late 1800's).
So that chapter, some 45 pages long, is recommended, but here I draw attention to his comments on corn. He states distillers preferred white flint corn, preferably grown along the Kentucky or Ohio Rivers, and he gives a fairly detailed chart on the make-up of such corn (moisture content, proteins, etc.). See pg. 31-32.
I'd be interested in any comments Todd, Tom or others have on his comments on corn (or the whiskey chapter). Does distillers' corn today resemble the corn Herstein is describing?
http://books.google.ca/books?id=Y25d9Ht ... q=&f=false
Gary
This is a fascinating book. It spanned both the pre-industrial (so to speak) whiskey-making era and the modern one informed by modern chemical engineering and other science.
In this book, the chapter on whiskey production is essential reading and contains much of interest I believe for craft distillers since Herstein distinguishes between small and large scale production - in his schema the difference is mainly in how the mash is cooked. We've seen though that small tub mashing and variants on sour mashing were earlier distinguishing characteristics of small scale producers (recall that Gallagher article from the late 1800's).
So that chapter, some 45 pages long, is recommended, but here I draw attention to his comments on corn. He states distillers preferred white flint corn, preferably grown along the Kentucky or Ohio Rivers, and he gives a fairly detailed chart on the make-up of such corn (moisture content, proteins, etc.). See pg. 31-32.
I'd be interested in any comments Todd, Tom or others have on his comments on corn (or the whiskey chapter). Does distillers' corn today resemble the corn Herstein is describing?
http://books.google.ca/books?id=Y25d9Ht ... q=&f=false
Gary