Maximum Sugar Concentration

Why not just add heaps of sugar ? Because the yeast won't be able to handle it, and will burst. The better yeasts (ie alcobase) can take up to 0.35 kg of sugar per litre of water, but most other mortal yeasts won't. Keep it to around 0.20 to 0.25 kg/L unless otherwise specified on the packet.

To make L of wash	at kg/L
Use kg of sugar

However, Donald advises ...

When making thin worts for distillation achieve higher alcohol yields by "stepping up" the fermentation, usuing yeast nutrient and real distilers yeast. To "step up" simply add (50%-100%) more fermetables after primary fermentation and repeat until yeast is maxed out. Do not use this procedure if you want to re-use yeast. You may however, harvest enough yeast (1/4 of total) to re-ptich then step up the rest.

ie .. so start out with the regular routine of say 5 kg sugar in 20L of water, to get an SG of around 1.07. Ferment down until about 1.0 or 1.1 (ie starting to slow down), then add another 3-5 kg and see what happens ? (me asking) Yes, but keep those yeast nutrients in there & make sure it includes diamonium phoshate.

With proper yeast strain & yeast nutrient a complete end fermentation is common past 20% so getting 17%-20% at home is only a matter of watching the hydrometer. Adding too much sugar or adding too much all at once will result in the wash foaming up when distilling, or burning onto the element.

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