Potatoes in Primary??

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Heineken

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I was speaking to my 87 year old grandma about my homebrewing hobby. She mentioned that her Dad also homebrewed (and moonshined!). This would have been 70-80 years ago. Her Dad sliced potatoes very thin and put in the bottom of the fermenter. She was not sure why he did that. only stated that he would give the pigs the potatoes afterward and they loved them. also, they became very drunk after eating which i think they enjoyed watching.

Anyways, curious if any others had heard of putting potatoes in the ferment and what the reason could be (other than the drunk pigs).
 
Potatoes are the basis of the Irish potato moonshine called Poitin, I suspect it was just to add more fermentables in the form of starch.
 
Potatoes are the basis of the Irish potato moonshine called Poitin, I suspect it was just to add more fermentables in the form of starch.

But starch is not fermentable right? Wouldn't they need to be added to the mash to be of any use? Says he added them to the primary which is after mash. Maybe she just didn't know enough about what he was doing, that or he just wanted to soak potatoes in beer for the pigs.
 
I haven't tried making potato beer but my local brewpub made a potato stout a few weeks back and it was really really tasty.
 
But starch is not fermentable right? Wouldn't they need to be added to the mash to be of any use? Says he added them to the primary which is after mash. Maybe she just didn't know enough about what he was doing, that or he just wanted to soak potatoes in beer for the pigs.

Not sure, don't know enough about potatoes fermentability, but I do know they were used in poitin as the main fermentable in a lot of areas, I'm not sure if they were boiled first or not.
I suppose they would have to had some process done on them to convert the starch to sugar.

Was just an idea...
 
The starches in potatoes can be broken down at fermentation temperatures by certain amylolytic fungi, much like the making of sake (which uses Aspergillus Oryzae AKA Koji).

But, my money goes on the drunk pigs.
 
A friend in college made moonshine with potatoes. I'm not sure of the process. I think he "mashed" potatoes and some other starchy things with turbo distiller's yeast.
 
My father made potato vodka when I was a kid, and then added coffee and something else to turn it into Kahluha(sp)

Didn't get to try it.. I was only 8... doh!!
 
She mentioned that her Dad also homebrewed (and moonshined!).

Sounds like he only Moonshined. I'm pretty sure that anyone of that generation who was making their own knew how to do it correctly. He wasn't making beer. His product was probably very good. You've got good blood in ya.
 
Great, now I need to ask about homebrews... Being allergic to potatoes is gwad awful...
 
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