BW sugar wash versus Local advise

[Pikey]

When you get a bucket or 2 free - you CAN dilute it with plain water so as to make your 20 Lires into 30 litres if you want.

[Rollercoaster639]

@Pikey. Thanks. Sometimes the answer is under one's nose and we just dont see it. I thought of everything from adding one thing or another to just throwing it away and cutting my losses. Never thought of diluting it down.

[still_stirrin]

@Pikey. Thanks. Sometimes the answer is under one's nose and we just dont see it. I thought of everything from adding one thing or another to just throwing it away and cutting my losses. Never thought of diluting it down.

Pikey's right. But believe it or not...I gave you this suggestion a week ago. You must not have read my answer.

...Hot Stuff (for want of a better description) Buckets 5 and 6. Only 1 bucket has started bubbling but slowly.

Probably too high of sugar concentration. Try diluting and making a healthy yeast starter to pitch. Then, oxygenate the wash well and pitch the yeast slurry. You may get lucky.

[Rollercoaster639]

@SS 100%correct. The Hot Stuff has run aground. I have now done what @SS and @Pikey recommended. Added 10 liter of water to each and it is bubbling away again.

The BW (Buckets 1-4) is clearing nicely. I will rack it to another bucket tomorrow then let it clear some more.
Question: If the now ex Hot stuff does run dry and I run it will it have more bad stuff than the BW. (ie will I get less Harts and more heads and tails)
Should I throw away the head and tails or will it be OK to mix them to the next BW run.

[Pikey]

I don't know ! - It's a sugar wash, but we are still a bit vague as to the type of yeast and don't know what still you run ? - Both of those are relevant. Sugar wash shouldn't be too bad unless you used T"urbo" which you didn't. It is also said that bread yeast developes bad flavours at high alcohol levels - but I don't use it except for making bread, so I wouldn't now for certain. But I've never done a sugar wash either. Still it in small portions, taste it, cut it and then depending on teh tste of the "Hearts" - do they taste like your birdwatchers ? - if they do - chuck the feints in with the next if not - don't !

And remember - Ikg sugar total in 5 litres - is about as high as you want to go with a decent yeast !

[Rollercoaster639]

The BW was made as per the recipe using bakers yeast.
The "Hot Stuff" was made using DADY yeast.
I use a reflux still. LM Boka style


And remember - Ikg sugar total in 5 litres - is about as high as you want to go with a decent yeast !
For a sugar wash I will stick with a max SG of 1.070 to 1.075. I will change my yeast from Bakers to DADY even for the sugar wash. (just to see if there is any difference)

[bluefish_dist]

I toured two distilleries last weekend and both were using bread yeast exclusively. They were both doing good spirits from whiskey to rum. It just shows that you can make good products with bread yeast.

[Pikey]

If you're running a Boka, you should be able to clean it up fine !

[Edit yes bluefish - there are some who claim bakers to be ok for low abv washes.]

[skow69]

The BW was made as per the recipe using bakers yeast.

Why not just make it easy on everybody and write out the recipe here. We don't have it memorized. I, for one, am happy to help if you don't make it difficult, but I don't have the motivation to go look up the recipe, read it, and find my way back. Then if there is any confusion, go through it all again.

[Rollercoaster639]

Birdwatchers:
Sugar 18kg
Tomato Paste 786 grams
Lemon juice of 3 lemons
yeast: 225
Epson salts 0.5 tsp
Total volume 80liters
I just divided it into 4 x 20 l
I also added a small amount of water to get the SG to 1,075

[Rollercoaster639]

Just so this thread has an ending. I did strip runs of both the hot stuff (which was no more hot stuff) and BW separately then did spirit runs. Left both overnight for the angles to take their share. Both came out very neutral so I am very happy with my new still. This is the first time my sugar washes have come out really neutral. Very pleased and thanks for the help. Although I did not measure it accurately I can say that the amount of fore-shots and heads where about the same. (200ml fore-shots and about 800ml - 900ml heads. Just shy of a full jar each)

One point which I still have to figure out is why my pH takes such a big a dive. I did a 20l UJSSM just to check if it only happens to sugar washes but after 3 days UJSSM ph dropped to 2,9 and the ferment had come to a stand still at 1.010 - 1.015. I added bicarbonate of soda and its going strong again. Ph was sitting at 4,1. As mentioned earlier I am using borehole water. Next time I will buy water and check if the ph also takes such a big dive.

Note to self: never just pitch the bicarbonate of soda in large quantities. The beast kicked back into life like a steam train and belched about 3l all over the floor.

[Still Life]

Consider using oyster shells in your wash. They make a great pH buffer.
I pour a handful into a sock-size brew bag (for easy retrieval & re-use).

[bluefish_dist]

Ph crashes are common for sugar washes. Not much buffering capacity. Just add some citric acid and calcium carbonate at the start. My hypothesis is that citric acid lowers the ph allowing more of the cc to dissolve, so you will get a bump in ph after you add them. So wait 30 min+ after addition to get a stable ph.
For my water I have to add slightly more citric than cc by volume which gets me a start ph of about 5.1, if I do this I get better ferments (finish lower). Yeast need calcium and you can see this if fermentation activity if you add a little cc 24 hrs after pitching.

[Rollercoaster639]

Consider using oyster shells in your wash. They make a great pH buffer.
I pour a handful into a sock-size brew bag (for easy retrieval & re-use).

Thanks Still Life.....I just had a good laugh now regarding the link to oyster shells that can be bought from Amazon. I wish it was so easy down hear. I will have to take the wife to a seafood restaurant and sit her down in front of a plate of them. (I will not eat those slimy things) I will then ask the waiter to put the shells in a "Doggy Bag" come take away bag. You can just imagine the looks I will be getting. I might even have the SPCA knocking on my door.

[Mikey-moo]

They're sold as chicken grit if that helps - do people down there raise chickens? Even egg shells can be used if you can't get oyster shells. Or chalk. Or marble blocks or limestone.

Any source of calcium carbonate.