Sweet Potato Vodka

[Rudog]

Has anyone had any success converting sweet potatos to simple sugars? I've tried following a recipe for regular potatos but I'm not getting a good sugar content. I know you have to add some sugar to increase the brix but it seems I'm adding so much that I'm concern I'm loosing the purpose of using potatos to begin with. I'm using amylase for the conversion. Thanks for the info.

[rad14701]

I'm not aware of there being all that much convertible starch in sweet potatoes so I wouldn't expect much more sugar than they already have... There is a chart kicking around here, somewhere, that shows the amounts of sugars and starches from various sources... Dnderhead would probably know if there is a way to get any additional sugar out of them if anyone does...

Oh, and welcome to the HD forums... Please stop by the Welcome Center and provide us an proper introduction...

[Dnderhead]

as for sweet potatoes not much more carbs. than white potatoes.witch are 17% and sweet potatoes are about 14% starch and some sugar
for a total of about 20% carbs.so that means you need some where around 5x as much as if you used sugar.
so if you want a 6gal wash at 7% you need to use 30lb of sweet potatoes, if your conversion worked.
most potatoes are cooked to a "sup" then enzymes are added, then stired until converted.it needs this stiring as it gits thick
and enzymes cant migrate without. you need both bata and gluco amylase,or malt.
most wash/mash that the "big boys" use are 5-7% ,some as low as3%,,not 10-15% as most want on here.
they work with shear volume.

[Rudog]

Thanks guys. I've used varying amounts of sweet potatos with a high of 20 pounds for a 5 gallon wash. After cooking and cooling I added the enzyme and stirred. After a couple of hours I'll strain and measure. I get way less that 3% which tells me I'm not doing something right. I add about a gallon cane syrup to get to 5.3%. What do you mean by "sup" when cooking? What about enzyme ratio? I've added about 2 tsp of enzyme to 20 pounds of potato. Is that enough?

[Dnderhead]

i meant soup. and yes some thing is not right .it appears that you have no conversion.
are cooking enough? are keeping mash at 140-150f after adding enzymes? are you stiring
during conversion? are the enzymes good?

[Rudog]

Good questions.

Next time I'll try to cook longer. That may help. And when I add the enzyme I knew I wasn't supposed to add that above 150f but do I need to maintain that temp during the conversion? And I stirred it every 15 minutes for an hour. Maybe I need to do that longer.

I'm going to try the bran wash that was suggested to me earlier to gain some experience. But does that follow the same post distillation process as vodka? Like filtration and dilution?

Thanks for everyones advice. This has been helpful.

[Dnderhead]

yes most or at least I when mashing/converting. bring the temp down to 150f add enzymes/malt then rap in somthing
to hould the heat,I then leave over night or untill cooled.this is to give the enzymes plenty of time to work
they work best at 140-150f.

[Rudog]

Dnderhead, what do you mean by bata and gluco amylase? I'm just using one. I didn't realize there were more than one version.

[Dnderhead]

there is 2 enzymes used ,, alpha converts starch to dextrins, then dextrins is converted to sugars with beta (glucoamylase).
beer brewers often limit bata(glucoamylase) this is because yeast wont use dextrins and that leaves the sweet taste in beer.

[Capt_Teedge]

I realize this post is slightly dead, but I do have a question.

If you let the sweet potatoes grow eyes, does that start the enzyme conversion. We let corn start to sprout, is that not similar? Just wondering. Thinkin about tryin this myself.

[Dnderhead]

potatoes have more than enough enzymes to convert them selves and more.
just grind potatoes,and enough water to make "soup" warm to? (60c/140f?)
when you ferment add nutrients..

[grainhopper]

Im thinking of trying to convert sweet potato sugars. Here is what I have found on the subject.

Raw sweet potatoes have a lot of sugar, and even more starch. Cooking them activates enzymes which convert some the starch into even more sugar. You can maximize this enzyme action - and thus the amount of tasty syrup you get - by holding the temperature in the correct range (in the case of sweet potatoes it's between 140 and 150F) for an hour. In brewing or distilling, this is called "mashing".

If you simply want sweeter potatoes and more juice, I would cook longer at a lower temp in a covered dish. This gives the enzymes more time at the sweet spot to convert the starch to sugar, and makes the resulting juice less likely to burn.

If you want to go all out and make a pot of sweet potato syrup (which sounds delicious), you'll need a meat or candy thermometer, some cheesecloth or fine strainer, and a pot or double boiler.

Start by shredding the raw sweet potatoes in a grater or food processor. Then toss them into a pot with just enough water to cover. Less water means better starch-to-sugar conversion. You want just enough so that it doesn't burn. A double boiler is helpful here, if you have one.

Slowly bring the temperature up to 150F, while stirring, then cover and turn the heat off. Check on it every 10 minutes or so for an hour. Apply heat and stir whenever the temp drops below 143F.

The liquid should be noticeably sweet, and the potato shreds should be soft. Dilute the mixture with 3-4 times its volume in water. (i.e., if you have 1 pint of shredded potatoes and water, add 3-4 more pints of water.) Move to a larger pot if necessary.

Apply heat, and raise the temperature to 170F, stirring as you go. This will stop the enzyme action, and start to free the sugars trapped in the shredded potatoes. Once you hit 170F, turn off the heat. Strain the shreds out of the liquid by pouring it through a strainer or cheesecloth.

You will now have a tasty, but dilute sweet potato syrup. You want to reduce this by half, or even 2/3rds to make a thick syrup. A double-boiler or slow-cooker is strongly recommended here. (you don't want to waste an hour-plus of work by burning it!) Go slow, and check the viscosity regularly with a metal spoon. Take a small sample and let it cool to see how thick it is at room temp.

Note that the above instructions will also work with pumpkins and most other types of squash, except that most of them don't have enough naturally-occurring enzymes to convert their own starches to sugar. To accommodate this, you need to crush up a tablet of Beano and mix it into the shreds in the "mash" step.

[junkyard dawg]

I'm suspect of some of that info...

particularly this line

To accommodate this, you need to crush up a tablet of Beano and mix it into the shreds in the "mash" step.

Beano, or alpha galactosidase, is not used for starch conversion. It can break polysaccarides into fermentable forms, but its ineffective on starches. Second, it is deactivated at relatively low temperatures. Somewhere around 100f.

So, while beano is useful in mashing, remember to use it only when the mash has returned to room temp.

[Shine NOLA]

being they are a local crop, they have my instrest also.
seems when done properly it may be worth it
50 lbs to a 15 gal mash.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 250425/pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Shine NOLA]

I've used varying amounts of sweet potatos with a high of 20 pounds for a 5 gallon wash.

seems it would need to be 5lbs per gal, without cooking it

"Ueda3 has also reported alcoholic fermentation of sweet potato without cooking by
using Rhizopus glucoamylase preparation."

read it here.....
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 250425/pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Shine NOLA]

I realize this post is slightly dead, but I do have a question.

If you let the sweet potatoes grow eyes, does that start the enzyme conversion. We let corn start to sprout, is that not similar? Just wondering. Thinkin about tryin this myself.

No, sweet potatoes are "cured" for a week after harvest. At which time the starch is converted to sugar naturally .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGFo3bZj_SM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[krausen89]

Has anyone tried canned sweet potatoes? Ingredients are sweet potatoes, water, sugar. I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed. I think i will be doing some experimenting!

[SassyFrass]

Krausen89,
Do you realize the post before yours was back in 2014?
I dont know about other folks but I'm interested in how your experiment turns out. I'd appreciate it if you share your results. And what kind of recipe you come up with..
SF

[shadylane]

I like it when members bring old posts back to life

I've been thinking about Sweet Tator shine myself.
The plan was to first bake them at around 140'f for a long time.
I just happen to have a slightly modified oven to do it with

[krausen89]

Thanks guys, when i get to it i will post to recipe development. Have to free up some buckets before doing another. (Which is not a bad problem to have) i am pretty sure the canned ones are already baked. As they are soft and packed with sugar that has been sitting with them.

I do realize the last post was from years ago but i would rather bring this back then keep starting new threads about the same thing.

The plan is to mash the 7 cans which will be around 2 gal, add the karo and some hot water from the tea kettle. ( just to aid in dissolving everything) maybe some amylase to be safe. I have never uses it so i have to look up the process and correct temps to use it if i do decide to go with it. Maybe even do 2-3more lb of sugar to up the abv. Not even sure what target abv im going for but with the dady yeast i might shoot for 15-20%.... This is all just brainstorming

[still_stirrin]

I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed.

Gonna’ be some expensive drinkin’ liquor. Tasty, but expensive. I hope you get some of the potato flavor carryover you want...if not, it’ll just be a labor intensive and expensive experiment.

Most distillers who use “alternative fermentative sources” do so because of the availability of inexpensive materials (often trading labor for cost). Sure, adjunct materials will contribute a unique flavor, but sometimes those flavors are elusive in the final spirit.

But, good luck with it. Interested in how it turns out and what you learn from the experiment.
ss

[The Baker]

Maybe krausen got a good price on those cans.
Why else would you buy them?
Unless you REALLY wanted to do the experiment....?

Geoff

[MichiganCornhusker]

Unless you REALLY wanted to do the experiment....?

Sometimes it’s just that simple!

https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50835

[StillerBoy]

I've done many washes using 1.5L per gal of potato water.. and makes a very nice neutral through a reflux column..

Mars

[krausen89]

I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed.

Gonna’ be some expensive drinkin’ liquor. Tasty, but expensive. I hope you get some of the potato flavor carryover you want...if not, it’ll just be a labor intensive and expensive experiment.

Most distillers who use “alternative fermentative sources” do so because of the availability of inexpensive materials (often trading labor for cost). Sure, adjunct materials will contribute a unique flavor, but sometimes those flavors are elusive in the final spirit.

But, good luck with it. Interested in how it turns out and what you learn from the experiment.
ss

About $23.50USD for 5 gallon wash. Cans and karo. I dont think its that bad. As long as it turn out really well lol if i can get it to 15-20abv i think it.will be worth it.

[jedneck]

I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed.

Gonna’ be some expensive drinkin’ liquor. Tasty, but expensive. I hope you get some of the potato flavor carryover you want...if not, it’ll just be a labor intensive and expensive experiment.

Most distillers who use “alternative fermentative sources” do so because of the availability of inexpensive materials (often trading labor for cost). Sure, adjunct materials will contribute a unique flavor, but sometimes those flavors are elusive in the final spirit.

But, good luck with it. Interested in how it turns out and what you learn from the experiment.
ss

About $23.50USD for 5 gallon wash. Cans and karo. I dont think its that bad. As long as it turn out really well lol if i can get it to 15-20abv i think it.will be worth it.

15-20abv chances are won’t be as good as 8-10abv

[krausen89]

I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed.

Gonna’ be some expensive drinkin’ liquor. Tasty, but expensive. I hope you get some of the potato flavor carryover you want...if not, it’ll just be a labor intensive and expensive experiment.

Most distillers who use “alternative fermentative sources” do so because of the availability of inexpensive materials (often trading labor for cost). Sure, adjunct materials will contribute a unique flavor, but sometimes those flavors are elusive in the final spirit.

But, good luck with it. Interested in how it turns out and what you learn from the experiment.
ss

About $23.50USD for 5 gallon wash. Cans and karo. I dont think its that bad. As long as it turn out really well lol if i can get it to 15-20abv i think it.will be worth it.

15-20abv chances are won’t be as good as 8-10abv

Yes i do realize this. And i never really go above 12abv for brandy...so maybe i wont push it much above that. I guess lower volume with more drinkability always outweighs more volume less drinkability lol.

[dragon9874]

Has anyone tried canned sweet potatoes? Ingredients are sweet potatoes, water, sugar. I just bought 7 large cans that i want use to make a 5gal wash. I also got 3 bottles of light karo to boost the gravity and table sugar and pure cane sugar that i could also use if needed. I think i will be doing some experimenting!

... any updates?? i'm curious!!

[dragon9874]

I like it when members bring old posts back to life

I've been thinking about Sweet Tator shine myself.
The plan was to first bake them at around 140'f for a long time.
I just happen to have a slightly modified oven to do it with

... did you ever try the baking technique??

[shadylane]

I like it when members bring old posts back to life

I've been thinking about Sweet Tator shine myself.
The plan was to first bake them at around 140'f for a long time.
I just happen to have a slightly modified oven to do it with

... did you ever try the baking technique??

I can remember playing with sweet taters.
But I don't remember how well it worked.