Potato Vodka Specifics

Information about fruit/vegetable type washes.

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ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

hello boys! been workin my own taters for a couple months now...dhead is the best! that guy is like yoda:-) been doin it for years and has more xperience than most...thanx dhead! my xperience has been pretty good...i was inspired by some PA guys who are makin pot vdka from dried pot flakes...i also had some 'ultimate' tater vdka and was smooth stuff! so anyway, been gettin 20lbs of tates mixed w/ 5lbs of 6row to convert...mashin the tates real good before addin the 6row at approx 150f...try to hold at 140-150 for 2hrs and then it passes the iodine test....then i strain a lil b4 fermin...i tried vdka yeast and turbo...i like the vdka yeast best...havnt tried bakers but i like the suggestion of a slower ferm will increase the yield and be a better ferm..i think punkin or rad suggested that...worth a try...dhead if yur listening what do you think? what would be the best yeast for tates in yur opinion? anyway, i let ferm a wk either way, stirrin every day to areate...then after a wk i strip...i got about 2 gal of 40%....havnt distilled yet, gonna nxt week as i got a 25L mash fermin and gonna distill it em all the same day....so far the 40% smells real smooth and is very clear after the strip...so im feelin pretty good about the results..plus i agree that hard work makes the vdka more rewardin, and lets face it, it aint THAT hard:-) plus to end up with somethin special, and top-shelf is well worth the effort...but dhead is dead-on, it aint cheap..but im lucky so far...my buddy has a tater farm and zero is the best price :wink:
junkyard dawg
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by junkyard dawg »

nice tt..

Turbo yeasts are designed for eating sugar quickly in high gravity washes. They are not usually very tasty... It would be my last choice for making a good vodka. It would be my first choice for making a lot of bad vodka tho... They are fun for learning. I'd just use it in a sugar wash and pick up someother yeast. I don't know what I would recommend, there are so many. All contributing different character and taste to a ferment.

Bakers yeast is pretty general purpose. Its a durable workhorse of a yeast. Some are very sensitive to their environments, not bread yeast. It will ferment fine to the alcohol potential of the potato wash. Others may be better than that, but you won't go wrong with it.

The other thing about doing stripping runs... its a common technique for us small scale folks. Its also handy when your wash only produces 7-8%. You will fill the boiler and run the still fast and hot. Collect everything and set it aside. Repeat that several times. Then, after you have a lot of distillate (low wines)thats been through the still once, you put that all back in and run it again this time slow and make your cuts. Its talked about in detail here and on the parent site, it just takes time for it to sink in.

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ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

thanx jd! where/what kind of 'bakers yeast' do you refer to? fleishmans at the grocery store? or ??
the two strip runs ive done (1 w turbo and 1 w vdka yeast w ag) seem to produce a nice smooth product, almost drinkable (over ice:-) as is...but im gonna wait and do a nice long distill w cuts etc...then njoy! im anxious to try the bakers yeast and save some $$ and also maybe get a lil higher yield too:-)
i also think if i add more 6row to the mash, maybe 10lbs tates and 4lbs 6row, the yield should be higher....its nice to experiment, like travelin without a map...much better than 'heres what u do and heres what you get'...taters are kinda uncharted territory, with lots of side-trips...makes it all interestin and rewardin wen u get to the destination :wink:
muckanic
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by muckanic »

paulaitken wrote:I'm reconsidering this as I'm realizing the sheer quantity of potatoes this is going to require, but I'd still be into any other anecdotal advice anybody has.
Here's some theoretical numbers:

Assuming 100% efficiency, 2 lbs of grain per Imp gall should result in a gravity of about 60, which corresponds to a strength of 7-8% ABV. Concentrate that wash 4-5 times in a pot still with a bit of reflux and it should yield about 1L (or 1 qt for you metrically challenged folks) of 37-40% ABV, which is standard underproof strength.

Now, spuds contain about 4 times less starch than grain per unit weight, but a lot more water. So, that same largish bottle of booze theoretically ought to require about 8 lbs of spuds. We have an indication that the practical requirement may be double that number, which suggests that the efficiency of either the mashing or the distilling of spuds is fairly poor. I would speculate this is most probably due to avoidance of pulverising the spuds (for some good practical reasons), and reliance on thermal starch conversion (at the least resulting in considerable unfermentable sugars). Dunder indicated his spud washes are about 4% ABV. From my experience with flour mashing, I would say that strength could probably be doubled if one was willing to handle mashed goop, possibly in a double-boiler.

One aspect that hasn't received a lot of attention is whether 7% malt or thereabouts in a spud wash tilts the flavour towards whiskey. This is actually more like the impact of 25% malt in an all-grain wash. I guess that matters most in a single-run pot still with no polishing afterwards.
Dnderhead
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by Dnderhead »

My understanding the "BIG boys" make "thick sup" out of them but this has to be constantly stirred,from cooking ,converting, and fermenting
the percent of wash depends on the amount water used , to boil you need enough water to cover. that dilutes the wash . if you could
steam it mite be better.(spuds contain water that adds to wash. grain does not they also contain a lot of unfermentables.
most grain you can use 1lb to a quart of water, potatoes on the other hand you cant because of all the unfermentables. so you have to make
a thin mash (thin in starch) If you put 2 lb of grain in a gallon of water it is still fluid.but put 8lb of spuds in a gallon of water and you whould
have mashed potatoes (or burnt), and enzymes/yeast wont like it.

.
Hawke
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by Hawke »

One of the larger suppliers of top shelf potato vodkas (From Idaho, with no brand of thier own) claims they use 9.5 pounds to produce 1- 750ml bottle.

Saw a post where they used a filter bag and boiled until the cubed spuds are soft but not turned to mush. If you did this method, then used this starch water to cook more spuds, you could get a decent yield without all the un-fermentables. Instead of a base malt, you could use enzymes or distiller's yeast with AG for conversion.
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ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

i have noticed that if i mash/crush the taters during some very intense boiling, i get a bettr wash with a higher yield...also higher if i use more 6row, say 10lbs taters and 2lbs+ of 6row..instead of only 1lb 6row(thats all u need to convert).....
i also find that straining some of the crud and the 6row (that forms a thick top layer over the mash if u let it settle b4 fermin) before i ferm, helps increase the %......
Dnderhead
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by Dnderhead »

TT I Think your "better yields" are coming from more grain, not actually better yields.
ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

i agree 100% dman...its the more 6row and less taters per mash= mo yield...makes the cost more effective,
yet the brew still has mostly "tater flavor/character".....a nice compromise for the effort...im guessin/figurin about
10lbs tates and 2lbs 6row per 1ltr at 40-50%.... :D
brewmaker1
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by brewmaker1 »

Glad to see you're using 6 row instead of 2 row. 6 row will give a better % yield with less flavor.
ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

howsit B1! nice to see ya:-)
yeah not by choice :oops:
needed the 6row to convert the starches and just went from there :wink:
my nxt test is to try a diff, slower yeast. might also increase the yields and the price:-)
thinkin bout bakers yeast. whadaya think? and is that da kine found in da grocery sto? like say "fleishmans"??
junkyard dawg
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by junkyard dawg »

yep, thats what I use a lot... a one pound bag is about 4 bucks and lasts a good long time..
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ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

thanx jyd! so its "fleishmans bakers yeast" grocery store kine...real simple...how much needed for a 25L spirit mash?
trthskr4
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by trthskr4 »

I use 20% malt by weight on all mashes to convert, otherwise you get lower conversions. The malt will increase the SG just by itself, and give better conversion cause it adds sugar by it being in there.

They leave the skin on the potato quite possibly because of all the nutrients in it, other reason may be for a bacterial fermentation from the dirt contact with the skin. Same as using a handfull of garden dirt for a bacterial starter in a grain mash or burying a sack of wet corn in the ground under leaves and litter. I didn't see a reference to malt in that particular post, so may explain it.

What about the PH of a potato mash? It should be pretty base, could you get better results by adding citric acid or bringing the ph down to say 5? Most enzymes need a particular ph range to work usually around 5-6 for store bought.
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Dnderhead
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by Dnderhead »

yes you should ajust PH.check this out----- http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... &sk=t&sd=a
ttcola
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by ttcola »

i use the 5.2...seems to work well and real ez....
bstinga
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by bstinga »

Check out the second post here: http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/sho ... hp?t=10965" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow it is fairly specific about converting starch, using diastatic malt extract and amylase..

Interesting article kinda related to this,

Direct and quantitative conversion of starch to ethanol by the yeast Schwanniomyces alluvius
Summary The yeast Schwanniomyces alluvius ferments soluble starch to ethanol at a conversion efficiency of greater than 95%. Only trace amounts of side products are detectable.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/gt2448612n27982u/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
WearyTraveler
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Re: Potato Vodka Specifics

Post by WearyTraveler »

My wife bought me a still for Christmas.

I love Polish potato vodka. I've seen all kinds of posts that say it's less than the best. Regardless -- I love the taste and would like to make it myself.

I have a large pot and a 3 gallon fermenting pail.

How do I make it? I think that I've gleaned that you put several pounds of potatoes in water, boil till soft / dissolved, then what do I do?

For 3 gallons of potato water - -how much malt do I put in? Do I actually need malt? How much malt?

When do I put yeast in? I know that after the yeast is in, you wait till the bubbling stops, then you run it several times through the distiller.

What's the piece between boiling the potato water and putting in yeast?

Folks - is there a step by step procedure?

Thank you all for all your help!!!
Thanks,
WT

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