When Brewing Moonshine Is It Ok To Leave The Corn In It?

Do you leave corn in mash while fermenting?

Up to you. If you have a great all grain mashing setup for making beer, you can just do that and have great results. If not, you can ferment on the grain, and let time and gravity filter the grain out rather than dealing with it before fermenting.

Is it better to ferment on or off the grain?

Fermenting on or off the grains Fermenting on or off the grains simply means whether the grains are present during fermentation or not. Fermenting ON the grains means that the grain is still present. Fermenting OFF the grains means that the grains are separated before fermentation.

If your mash has incomplete starch to sugar conversion and not all the starch was liquefied during mashing, you can add enzymes which will keep converting starch to sugar during fermentation. Glucoamylase will keep forming sugar from residual starch as the yeast produces ethanol and may help you increase ethanol yields. Forming sugar during ferment is commonly known as Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF). Increased flavour- This one is in both the pros and cons section! If you want a super neutral vodka, fermenting on the grains isn’t the best idea. Your distillation column may or may not be able to separate some undesirable astringent flavours. If you are planning on a very complex whisky, you might want to ferment on the grains. Extract more tannin (polyphenols) and oils. Hotter ferment and hotter sparge (if you remove the grain before distilling) will extract more tannins. The new make whisky might be undrinkable for the first year. However, these compounds will react with chemicals from the oak barrel and those chemicals will oxidise through air contact through the breathable staves, creating new complex flavours. Tannins are an important factor in red wine production, creating structure in the wine and superior mouthfeel. In several years time you might be left with a complex masterpiece with a super long finish! Less sparge water- ethanol is more miscible with water than sugar is. If you ferment on the grains, it requires less water to rinse the ethanol out of the grains than it does to rinse sugar off the grains. Keep in mind that temperature plays a roll here, so it isn’t necessarily a 1:1 comparison. If you ferment off the grains, lautering will be done while the grains are still hot, after mashing. Sugar is more soluble at higher temperature. When you are lautering a fermentation with grains still inside, it is normally done at ambient temperature or whatever temperature the fermentation finished at.

Fermenting off the grains benefits

Cleaner flavour. Removing the grains prior to fermentation will mean that less tannins (polyphenols responsible for astringency in high concentrations) and other possibly off flavours are avoided. Trub, fine solids left in during the fermentation such as amino acids and proteins can lead to increased hydrogen sulfide production, and a “sulfury” tasting spirit. Copper can be an important part of beverage distillation, as the hydrogen sulfide reacts with the copper, removing it from the spirit. There are also other ways to remove the sulfury flavour, such as running a tall distillation column in full reflux for a while to purge the gas before taking the heads cut. Hydrogen sulfide boils at negative 60 degrees C, so it will definitely come off first. Different yeast strains produce different amounts of sulfur. Hydrogen sulfide is a gas, so letting your spirit rest for a long time will allow the gas to dissipate. No drunk cows- A lot of distillers give/sell their spent grain to cattle farmers. If you draw the sugary wort off the grains and then give them to a farmer, there will be zero alcohol content. If you ferment on the grains and don’t manage to sparge off all the ethanol, the cows might be stumbling around the paddock the next day! One moooo means they like the sugary grains better, two moooos means they like alcoholic grains, ask one next time you see one. Easier pumping- separating the wort from the grains as soon as possible means that you don’t need a special pump which can handle high amounts of solids to transfer the grain, water and sugar mixture to the fermentation tank and then back to the lauter tank or still. Similar to easier pumping, except easier to cool. Heat exchangers often have small gaps between the plates. Cooling a fermentation with the grain in often requires a special heat exchanger design which won’t clog up with solids.

An extra layer of complexity is added for distillers who ferment on the grains. Should you filter/lauter the grains off before pumping it into the still or not? Again, there is no right or wrong answer, simply different variations that give different results. Distilling on the grains benefits:

Massive reduction in heating energy use. When separating the grains, brewers/distillers will generally sparge (which means to wash the grains) with 1.5 times as much water which was used for mashing. If it is a mash with 100 L of water, 150 L of water will be used to rinse all the sugars out of the grains. A total volume of 250 L of water, minus some trapped in the grain husks. If you ferment and distill with the grains still there, you only need to heat ~40% of the amount of water to boiling, a huge energy saving!Practically perfect ethanol yield when distilled on a tall continuous column. When sparging grains, there comes a point where it is futile to wash any more sugar/ethanol out of the grains. You are just diluting the mixture too much, resulting in more energy usage to boil more water for a tiny amount of yield. If you ferment on the grains and then pump this directly into a 10-20+ plate continuous stripping column, the ethanol yield for this step will be very close to 100%. If you distill on the grains in a pot still, there is much more alcohol left over. This is really more of a benefit of a continuous stripping column vs pot still in terms of alcohol yield.but a continuous stripping column pairs perfectly with fermenting on the grains. Continuous stripping columns usually aren’t practical in small diameters which are used by hobby distillers. The gaps in the plates will be small and clog with solids. Larger columns can handle the solids with ease (the grain can also be milled much finer if it is being fed into a continuous column to prevent clogging, though this makes it harder to recover the spent solids for animal feed use). Full bodied complex flavour- as with fermenting on the grains, boiling with the grains after ferment will further increase the amount of tannin and other chemicals extracted. As mentioned before, this isn’t ideal for making a clean neutral spirit which is drinkable from day one if you don’t have a very tall still, but can be very desirable for a complex whisky or other spirit if you are willing to wait many years for the flavours to oxidise, react and mellow. If your distillation column is very tall, you will be able to remove flavours you don’t like and include flavours you do like.

Distilling on the grains drawbacks:

Burning solids to heating elements/hot surfaces. Grain husks, fine flour, yeast etc may burn to hot surfaces and be incredibly hard to clean off. If it does burn, it could produce horrible smoky flavours, and no i’m not talking about an easy way to fake peated whisky! Burning solids to an electric heating element can easily cause it to melt, if this happens the batch will be ruined and your element will need replacing. Distilling with the grains still in is never recommended for electric heating elements. If you have a steam jacketed still and a powerful agitator, you are safer, though some distilleries who distill on the grain have special agitators which scrape the bottom of the still to prevent burnt solids. Off flavours caused by boiling with the yeast, tannins etc.

What do we do at Headlands Distilling Co.? We ferment on the grains! Seacliff Vodka (which is also the base of our gins) is designed to be a vodka with complexity, not a neutral industrial spirit. However, our packed vodka column is very tall, with 37 theoretical plates.

While more flavours are extracted from the grain during fermentation, we are able to separate out the flavours we don’t like and only include the flavours we do like, or the compounds responsible for structure, a more viscous mouthfeel without the harshness. It is a common misconception that a very tall column will only produce a very neutral spirit.

This is partially true, it CAN produce a very neutral spirit, but if you keep the distillation running, the other components will start coming off in order of boiling point/polarity as well, then you can blend them back into the hearts if desired. We remove the grains before distilling and then pump this into our energy/yield efficient continuous stripping column.

How do you know when your mash is done for distilling?

HOW TO USE YOUR HYDROMETER – To use your hydrometer is not a difficult task, Simply fill the hydrometer ⅔ of the way full. Gently add your hydrometer and roll the hydrometer slowly in your hands to remove any bubbles. When the hydrometer falls take the reading.

When should I stop fermentation?

When does fermentation stop? Fermentation will stop once all the grape sugars are consumed by the yeast. However, fermentation can be interrupted and cease if the temperature rises above 35°C, or if there is a lack of nutrients for the yeasts to stay alive (aside from sugar).

Can you over ferment moonshine?

Home Distiller Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling. Moderator: Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:10 pm Hi folks, I may have a bit of a dilemma. I started a 2 separate 5 gallon Cornmeal/Sugar/Barley mashes in anticipation of distilling after about 7 or 8 days.

• However, when I unpacked my new still that I ordered I realized that an important piece was missing and I had to alert to seller to send to me ASAP.
• Of course I was disappointed and fighting mad.
• Anyway the seller sent the item but it’s taking forever to arrive and according to the tracking I may receive it tomorrow or the next day but the dilemma I referred to is that both my mashes have now been sitting for 14 days or 15 days now and active fermentation stopped after about 10 days.

I didn’t have a suitable secondary vessels at the time and I hated to go out and spend a lot of money for glass carboys to transfer to while I waited for the shipment. I read something about not letting the mash sit too long after fermentation finished and to distill immediately after the bubbling stopped or else all I did was make vinegar.

So my question is has my mash basically gone to waste now or do I still have a chance at distilling a good product once I get my part in a couple days? If it matters I used Turbo Yeast on one mash 5lbs Yellow Cornmeal + 5lbs White Sugar with 1lbs Rye and 1lbs Toasted Barley Grains and on the other I used Fleischman’s Bread Yeast with 5lbs Yellow Cornmeal + 5lbs White Sugar with 2lbs Light Barley Grains I do have more ingredients at the ready to start over.

I planned to make a new mash anyway once I distilled the first two but I was hoping to save these and not have to start all the way over again and wait. What’s the verdict? Thanks in advance. Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch.

First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Trainee Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 6:43 pm Location: South of the Mason Dixon line by » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:19 pm The wash you made is still plenty good. Hell it’s just now cleared probably. Not sure where you read that you must distill ASAP after fermentation but it’s not true and you need to stop getting advise from wherever that was.

Do you plan to use one if these washes for the cleaning run? Your going to do a vinnegar run first right? I think you maybe need to ready crankys spoon feeding thread for a while before you fire up that still. But what the heck do I know.I am still learning.

Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play by » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:21 pm JayTeeDee wrote:,both my mashes have now been sitting for 14 days or 15 days now and active fermentation stopped after about 10 days.has my mash basically gone to waste now or do I still have a chance at distilling a good product once I get my part in a couple days? Naw, don’t worry too much about it.

The ferment will be fine. The good thing about alcohol.it is still a pretty good preservative. If the ferment was healthy, it’ll set fine for a week or two, even after it’s done. So, what’s more critical.the cleaning runs for your still. There is a 4-step protocol recommended here: step 1) mechanical cleaning (brush and soap), step 2) a good steam bath (fill with water and make some steam).

• Get it all good and hot.
• Step 3) vinegar run with 50/50 vinegar and water (get it good and hot again), step 4) a sacrificial alcohol run, meaning you run a wash through it like a regular wash, but you dispose of the product (all of it too!).
• So, if you’re planning to use one of your mashes as the sac run.OK.

Otherwise, get a quick sugar wash started to clean the still before your cornmeal mash. ss p.s. – the spoon feed thread that StillLearning recommended (Cranky’s) is linked in my signature. Just click and read.read.read.etc. Last edited by on Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:26 pm Whew good to know. I plan on running them twice. I read some stuff from different books and distillation blogs that had me freaking out. I’m just trying to make some good whiskey. Thanks for the quick reply! Yea I might use the Turbo as a sac run it’s the one that’s been sitting the longest.

Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch. First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Trainee Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 6:43 pm Location: South of the Mason Dixon line by » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:38 pm JayTeeDee wrote: Whew good to know.

1. I plan on running them twice.
2. I read some stuff from different books and distillation blogs that had me freaking out.
3. I’m just trying to make some good whiskey.
4. Thanks for the quick reply! Yea I might use the Turbo as a sac run it’s the one that’s been sitting the longest.
5. Man we got a guy here that swears by letting his ferments sit for AT LEAST a month after fermentation stops.

Just keep the lid on and the fingers out and you should be fine. What kinda still did you order? But what the heck do I know.I am still learning. retired Posts: Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:13 pm by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:39 am I rarely run a wash/ mash that is LESS than 3 weeks to a month old.

I noticed that you wanted to run it after several days – did you miss that you said fermentation stopped after 10 days? Leave it be Beaver, you’ll be fine. Read my signature lines Coyote “Slow Down, You’ll get a more harmonious outcome” “Speed & Greed have no place in this hobby” Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:46 am StillLearning1 wrote: Man we got a guy here that swears by letting his ferments sit for AT LEAST a month after fermentation stops.

Just keep the lid on and the fingers out and you should be fine. What kinda still did you order A friend bought me one of those Chinese made stills off Amazon because they knew I home brewing and thought I might like this too. It got good genuine reviews so hopefully it holds up to the test.

1. That’s why the part is taking so long because it’s coming from Beijing! But eventually I’m going to upgrade to a good one from Clawhammer unless y’all can recommend some other place.
2. Last edited by on Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
3. Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch.

First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:48 am Coyote wrote: I noticed that you wanted to run it after several days – did you miss that you said fermentation stopped after 10 days? Leave it be Beaver, you’ll be fine.

1. My original plan based on what I thought at the time was solid research from youtube and other blogs before I found this forum was to run it after about 6-8 days.
2. I just freaked out when I didn’t have my part and thought my first batches were ruined because I left them too long.
3. Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch.

First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:52 am still_stirrin wrote: So, what’s more critical.the cleaning runs for your still. There is a 4-step protocol recommended here: step 1) mechanical cleaning (brush and soap), step 2) a good steam bath (fill with water and make some steam).

1. Get it all good and hot.
2. Step 3) vinegar run with 50/50 vinegar and water (get it good and hot again), step 4) a sacrificial alcohol run, meaning you run a wash through it like a regular wash, but you dispose of the product (all of it too!).
3. So, if you’re planning to use one of your mashes as the sac run.OK.

Otherwise, get a quick sugar wash started to clean the still before your cornmeal mash. That’s good information I may make a quick sugar wash to run before the cornmeal. Just 5lbs of Sugar + 5 Gallon of Water + yeast right? All of which I got plenty of! I don’t mind sacrificing that. Posts: Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:41 am Location: a land of saints, poets and navigators by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:48 am JTD can we see a picture of the chinese still? I fear it might have plenty of unsafe materials. Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:05 am cuginosgrizzo wrote: JTD can we see a picture of the chinese still? I fear it might have plenty of unsafe materials.

• UH OH! Here is the product page: And here are some pictures I took when I notified the seller of the missing part.
• The part I’m missing by the way is if you check the product page is that airlock that they have attached to the top of the pot which doubles as a fermenter.
• They call it an exhaust valve though.

I didn’t ferment in the pot though I fermented in my cleaned and sanitized brew buckets. I was taking everything out to clean when I noticed the part missing. I repackaged it up just in case I was going to have issues getting the part. But I will thoroughly clean and sanitize the same I do with my brewing equipment and I will do a sac run. Posts: Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:41 am Location: a land of saints, poets and navigators by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:19 am It doesn’t look totally unsafe, at least to my unpracticed eye. There are much worse around. At least the connection is copper, I hope they used lead free solder on those junctions.

1. What’s that gasket made of? It looks like silicon: if it is discard it, since it is not considered safe, and make yourself another with ptfe wrapped cardboard (look for everlasting gasket on this site).
2. The worm I fear is way too small, you’ll not have an easy life tuning that.
3. Also, collection point is right above the still, if you plan to use a gas burner try to extend the product collection as far as you can from the open flames.

Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:18 am cuginosgrizzo wrote: What’s that gasket made of? It looks like silicon: if it is discard it, since it is not considered safe, and make yourself another with ptfe wrapped cardboard (look for everlasting gasket on this site).

The worm I fear is way too small, you’ll not have an easy life tuning that. Also, collection point is right above the still, if you plan to use a gas burner try to extend the product collection as far as you can from the open flames. I think it is silicone so I’ll use it as a guide and toss it to make the everlasting gasket.

I found the instructions to make one. Thanks. The worm is small but it’ll have to do for now. and I’ too was concerned about the collection point. I will be using a gas burner so I’ll have to rig it up some kind of way to keep it from the open flame I think I got an idea so I’ll do a test run when cleaning. Posts: Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:41 am Location: a land of saints, poets and navigators by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:28 am Did you consider building? I started with a buy mindset then built my own. Even starting with a very limited skill set I managed to make my own still.

I found out that it is fun and it teaches you a lot. Actually I believe that in this hobby half the fun is building, half is making spirit and half is drinking it! Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 5:00 pm Location: PA by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:31 am I originally went with an airstill and I gotta say it’s much more cost effective to just get a boiler and some copper and build your own plus you can troubleshoot it when you need to without contacting manufacturers or being without the still entirely to each there own but I think you’d do better with almost anything other than tho eBay stills Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:37 am I never considered building but I’m pretty handy maybe I could do DIY it.

I’ll see how the Chinese thing works for now and go from there. Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch. First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Trainee Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 6:43 pm Location: South of the Mason Dixon line by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 11:41 am Sorry Jayteedee.

• I wasn’t trying to burst your bubble.
• But I was afraid you may have ordered one of those eBay stills.
• We see it at least once a week here, someone orders one of those then comes here wondering why it won’t work well.
• The good news is your here now and you can research the still, find out what’s suitable or not and go from there.

And you have all the advise a man could ask for on how to get where your going. But what the heck do I know.I am still learning. Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 11:50 am StillLearning1 wrote: Sorry Jayteedee. I wasn’t trying to burst your bubble.

• But I was afraid you may have ordered one of those eBay stills.
• We see it at least once a week here, someone orders one of those then comes here wondering why it won’t work well.
• The good news is your here now and you can research the still, find out what’s suitable or not and go from there.
• And you have all the advise a man could ask for on how to get where your going.

Well it was a gift so I’ll just use it to learn on until I upgrade or build on my own. Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch. First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it! Trainee Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 6:43 pm Location: South of the Mason Dixon line by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:11 pm JayTeeDee wrote: StillLearning1 wrote: Sorry Jayteedee.

1. I wasn’t trying to burst your bubble.
2. But I was afraid you may have ordered one of those eBay stills.
3. We see it at least once a week here, someone orders one of those then comes here wondering why it won’t work well.
4. The good news is your here now and you can research the still, find out what’s suitable or not and go from there.

And you have all the advise a man could ask for on how to get where your going. Well it was a gift so I’ll just use it to learn on until I upgrade or build on my own. As long as it’s safe that’s a great plan. You will know pretty quick if your going to outgrow that still or not. Posts: Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:47 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 1:12 pm A few minor modifications should get you safely going on that one. By the way, I have a ferment that has been sitting since September waiting to go. As long as you keep it sealed with an air lock, you’ll be fine.

In order to get vinegar, you need an acetobacter introduced. Fruit flies are a big enemy of us as they often carry these little buggers. They convert alcohol to vinegar (the bacteria do). Site Donor Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 7:16 pm Location: NW Montana – Flathead Valley by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 5:53 pm StillLearning1 wrote: JayTeeDee wrote: Whew good to know.

I plan on running them twice. I read some stuff from different books and distillation blogs that had me freaking out. I’m just trying to make some good whiskey. Thanks for the quick reply! Yea I might use the Turbo as a sac run it’s the one that’s been sitting the longest.

Man we got a guy here that swears by letting his ferments sit for AT LEAST a month after fermentation stops. Just keep the lid on and the fingers out and you should be fine. What kinda still did you order? I’m one of those guys, my rums sit for 5 to 6 weeks. The one out back that was supposed to run last weekend is now on week 7.

Still pops a bubble every few minutes. Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:49 am by » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:48 pm I just got notification my part made it to the local post office so it should be delivered tomorrow. I’m going to do my cleaning and my sac run then my distillation and report back! Why you babysitting only two or three shots? I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch.

Is fermentation better in the dark?

Place the Jar in a spot about 70ºF (not much above 72ºF and not much below 68ºF) and ferment for the time specified. Desirable LAB flourish optimally at about 70ºF while culturing most vegetables. Temperatures too low will slow down the fermentation process, and temperatures too high will either kill them, causing the fermentation process to proceed too quickly, and/or cause undesirable softening of the vegetable.

• Each species of LAB has an optimal temperature range (yogurt LAB like 105-112ºF).
• Follow the temperature suggestions in the recipe for optimal results.
• Cover the Jar with a dark kitchen towel.
• Lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB) (the bacteria that do the work of fermentation) flourish in the dark, and light kills them.

UV Light in the amounts that penetrate the Jar seem to be beneficial to yeasts, and is to be avoided. Yeast, while not necessarily harmful, really interferes with the flavors and texture of a ferment. Wrap the Jar with a dark kitchen towel, or another light-blocking material, and set it in a location in the kitchen where the sun does not shine directly.

• Be sure to keep the top of the Airlock uncovered to allow pressure to escape thru the tiny holes in the Airlock cap.
• Move the Jar to cool or cold storage at the indicated time.
• The time frames given are a guideline,
• When the bubbling looks like it has stopped, it is time to move it to cooler storage.
• Don’t move it to cool or cold storage while the ferment is still producing bubbles; likewise, don’t leave it at room temperature much longer when no more bubbles are being created.

I like to peek at my ferments a few times each day. There is something so satisfying about checking on the bubbles! To check for bubbles, I remove the towel that covers the Jar, slide the Jar towards me on the counter, and without lifting the Jar, grasp the lid and neck of the jar (without disturbing the Airlock) and rotate the jar back and forth a few times.

How long does it take to ferment corn?

Lacto-fermented corn is one of our favorite condiments to put on tacos, sprinkle on hot dogs, or even eat as a side salad. We love making this fermentation recipe during peak season because you’ll want the corn to be as fresh and sweet as possible; like the kind of corn you can eat raw because it’s that juicy.

Fermenting corn is the perfect way to preserve that taste of summer for the months to come, and it’s incredibly easy to do! If you typically don’t love corn because of its sweetness, lacto-fermented corn is the perfect sour condiment that’s also good for your gut. The best part is how simple it is to make.

All you need is fresh corn still on the cob, salt, water, and your fermentation jug. Simple, and the final result will blow you away! Fermented corn, or sour corn as some call it, is a very simple ferment and is definitely one to add to your must-try list.

The juicy kernels are sour and pack an exciting burst of flavor, making it delicious enough to eat on its own or to use it as a relish. We love keeping a jar in the fridge and snacking on it with tortilla chips and even just eating it with a spoon. Seriously, it’s that good. How to ferment your corn Making sour corn is easy and leaves room for you to get creative.

For ours, we used three fresh ears of corn, two garlic cloves, two red chili peppers, and one tablespoon of kosher salt. You can also add in onion, bell pepper, and even tomato. We like ours simple with a little bit of spice, which is why we use chili peppers.

1. First, shuck your corn and cut the cobs in thirds.
2. We really recommend making this dish with corn that is in-season, as fresh corn will retain some of its delectable crunch after fermenting.
3. If you can’t find super fresh corn or it’s not in season, you will just have to steam it for a few minutes and let cool before fermenting.

We chose to ferment the corn while still on the cob so that it would be easier to keep all of the corn under the brine. If you’d like to remove the kernels ahead of time, just keep the husks and use them to hold down all of the kernels under your fermentation weight.

1. Next, you’ll slice your garlic cloves and thinly slice your chili pepper.
2. Add your garlic, chili pepper, and corn cobs to your fermentation jug.
3. Dissolve two tablespoons of salt in a quart of water to make your brine and cover the vegetables until they are fully submerged, using your fermentation weight to keep them under the water.

Add your airlock and let your corn ferment at room temperature for 5-7 days, tasting on day 5 and letting it ferment longer if it isn’t sour enough for your liking. Once you’re happy with the taste, transfer to a container with a tight seal and refrigerate.

• Your corn should keep for several weeks, just be sure to keep it submerged in the brine.
• You can enjoy your sour corn on its own, alongside a Sunday football barbecue spread, in salads, and even on your avocado toast.
• Fermenting corn is surprisingly simple, with the most delicious pay off.
• Don’t let summer’s corn crop pass you by without giving this ferment a try.

New to fermenting? Check out our very own Fermented Vegetable Kit for everything you need to easily get started lacto-fermenting at home. Looking for more fermented onion recipes? Check out our Lacto-Fermented Red Onions Recipe,

What is the fermentation process for corn?

Commercial production of fuel ethanol in the United States involves breaking down the starch present in corn into simple sugars (glucose), feeding these sugars to yeast (fermentation), and then recovering the main product (ethanol) and byproducts (animal feed and carbon dioxide).

Why use corn in brewing?

The Effects – Corn adds a slightly sweet smoothness to the beer and is often included in light lagers and cream-style ales, It can also be used to lighten a fuller, denser English style beer. It is hard to taste an actual corn flavor in most beers, however, its impact results in smoother, light beers. Rice is even less flavorful than corn and produces a dry, clean taste.