Search found 219 matches

by pistachio_nut
Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:52 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: 55 gal fermentor, beer keg boiler
Replies: 4
Views: 806

55 gal fermentor, beer keg boiler

Last night I ran off my first batch from my latest wash. Fifteen gallons of wash yielded 2 gallons of 185 proof and a half gallon of 100. I have two more batches that I figure will yield the same. Then comes the spirit run, where I'll be able to combine the two initial runs with about five gallons o...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Sep 20, 2015 8:24 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Racking-clearing before stripping TPW necessary or overkill?
Replies: 34
Views: 7541

Re: Racking-clearing before stripping TPW necessary or overk

I use Keselsol and Chitosan, like the poster above me. I put in the Keselsol first and then run the aquarium pump that's sitting in the bottom of my fermentor for about twenty seconds, which is about what it takes to mix everything in the fermentor. Then an hour later I add the Chitosan, run the pum...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:25 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: intentionally infecting a ferment
Replies: 124
Views: 17493

Re: intentionally infecting a ferment

I never intentionally infected a whiskey mash, but I make Belgian sour beer and in those I use Pediocaucus Lactobacillus and Bretenomyces and it takes a long time 6 months+ for them to do their thing. Bacteria are slow critters Actually, bacteria are insanely fast critters. Just think about how lov...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:22 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

Re: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-

I'm curious, why the fining agents? Cold crashing your ferment after racking for a couple days will clear it enough to run. Typically fining agents are to make a wine really sparkle. We don't need that, just clear enough to run. I run dirty, and have never had any flavor from yeast carry over. Inst...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:06 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

Re: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-

The sour taste in the distillate is due to the size of your yeast pitch and the EXTREMEly high gravity of your wash. If you really have to do high grav washes you need to pitch A LOT of yeast to avoid a lot of heads and weird flavors in your hearts. Take a look at http://byo.com/malt/item/1882-ferm...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jul 12, 2015 10:41 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

Re: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-

Nobody says you can't share with company but you shouldn't be making spirits for the entire neighborhood... Share a drink or two at home but don't send bottles and bottles home with everybody... Let them take the same risks you take if they want to save money or want better than commercial spirits....
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jul 12, 2015 3:42 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

Re: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-

I'm confused why you've said its like my kale wash?, its nothing like it, its got to much sugar, different yeast, and spinach, not kale. It going to taste totally different with different ingredients and a high abv like that. The only thing this has in common with yours is it has a little kale juic...
by pistachio_nut
Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:01 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

Re: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-

You tasting 140 proof . What you tasting? So I'm tole I just took some 135 proof and set some aside, and diluted another sample down to 80 with tap water. On the 135 taste, I got kind of a POW up front, my lips and gums got a little numb. I swished it around my mouth and swallowed slowly. I got a d...
by pistachio_nut
Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:11 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: 50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118
Replies: 21
Views: 3997

50 gallons of 18% sugar wash, like googe's goo, with ec-1118

Part of the reason I'm running this one is because I got such awesome results from clearing my wash with chitosan and kieselsol. That cleaned up the taste very much. I sampled out my stuff to about 20 people (observing opsec, they had no way to know who I was) and had people from Kentucky, Tennessee...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:54 am
Forum: Mashing, fermenting, flavoring and aging related hardware
Topic: question about your "larger" fermenters
Replies: 19
Views: 3294

Re: question about your "larger" fermenters

I recently added a 55 gallon blue barrel to my collection of fermentors. Right now I have a googe's goo in about 40 gallons of the barrel. I have guests this week, so I'll probably fill it up to the 55 gallon mark with more water and sugar and give it another week to hit 18%. That will charge my boi...
by pistachio_nut
Fri May 22, 2015 11:01 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Question for those that experiment with fermintations
Replies: 13
Views: 1413

Re: Question for those that experiment with fermintations

I agree with the above comments but if you really want to learn try to understand what the purpose of everything you are adding. Also keep good notes as they are valuable tools when duplicating recipes. I second the above. Calculate the amount of sugar you need for your volume of water. Remember th...
by pistachio_nut
Tue May 05, 2015 11:44 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

I think this will be my last update to this thread. After I aired it out for two days, the distillate smells good to me.

I'm happy with the outcome.

I've got some black cherries, peaches, juniper berries, cinnamon, apricots, and vanilla beans that could use a soak.
by pistachio_nut
Tue May 05, 2015 12:10 am
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

I loaded up the next batch of wash and added back most of what I ran off the other day. Something wasn't right with my still. I wasn't getting the purity or the throughput I'm used to. Today I went to the brick pile and picked up a bunch of bricks that were once part of a fireplace in this beautiful...
by pistachio_nut
Mon May 04, 2015 12:57 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

It's the next afternoon and the product has had some time to air out. Much better. The smell is very much diminished, but not sweet. Into the hearts and it smells pretty good even without much of an airing out.
by pistachio_nut
Mon May 04, 2015 12:10 am
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

You will let us know if the resulting liquor is any good won't you? I decided to get around to running it off this week. No off smells, but definitely had a strong smell of alcohol. My wife said the house smelled boozy. I finally got around to running off the first third tonight. I siphoned about 1...
by pistachio_nut
Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:01 am
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

Looks like I'm down to SG 1.003 and still fizzing like a champagne cocktail, so we'll see where it fizzles out. I'm done adding sugar and nutrients at this point. A taste of the wash tells me the sweetness is gone. This should finish soon. If I kept better records I could tell you whether I have 110...
by pistachio_nut
Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:35 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

+1 FTW :clap: :clap: I could of run at least 3 batches of 8% UJSSM in the 21 days PN as been pushing this ferment. I would also have my spirit run done and have it aging... And it makes an excellent drop when you get your cuts right.. It's actually been a little longer. Probably a month. I would sa...
by pistachio_nut
Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:31 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

For fast fermenting & a smoother drop, try a wash with a lower gravity. When this one is done get an extra fermenter & do double the batch shooting for 8 or 9%. It will be twice the stilling but same overall yield, then compare with some of the current batch & decide for yourself if hig...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:49 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

Still waiting for it to dry out. I think I'll get my 16-18% and the wash tastes OK, so I doubt the flavor will be a big problem. This is taking a long time, though. If you guys can get a 55 gallon drum to 8% dry in a week... well, that's something. I learned a few things. 1. Pay attention to the pH....
by pistachio_nut
Thu Apr 16, 2015 11:24 pm
Forum: Boilers
Topic: Cleaning your keg boiler with oxyclean?
Replies: 10
Views: 2570

Re: Cleaning your keg boiler with oxyclean?

I use oxyclean regularly. After draining, I feel a slickness on the surface of whatever I was cleaning. I rinse several times to get rid of the slickness and have had no problems that I noticed. I do not fill and drain, I fill maybe 10% and shake it like a polaroid picture, drain, and repeat at leas...
by pistachio_nut
Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:36 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

I have three sugar washes I'm riding herd on that all started pretty much the same, and all of them got stuck for the same reason. pH was too low. Thank you carbohydratesn for suggesting I change that. The paper I read supported a 5.0-6.0 pH for baker's yeast, with the higher pH being less likely to...
by pistachio_nut
Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:26 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

With every batch of sugar I have added DAP and yeast nutrient, and K2CO3. My book said that yeast can operate in a pH range from 2.0-8.0, and the higher you go in pH the more likely you are to have an infection. I tried looking that information up in Brock's Biology of Microorganisms, but couldn't f...
by pistachio_nut
Tue Apr 14, 2015 1:08 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

I got another batch of pH test strips that cover the range from 1-14, and it looks like I'm somewhere between 4 and 6, probably closer to 4. Maybe it'll read easier with an incandescent bulb instead of my fluorescents. A teaspoon of K2CO3 seems to be the medicine this wash needed. One tsp last night...
by pistachio_nut
Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:08 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

That's very acidic...yer goin' the wrong way. 5 to 5.5 is a good range to aim for, yeast aren't too happy when the pH is much lower...that'd be another reason for the slow/incomplete ferment. It looks like you were on the money. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47170607/Yeast-and-fermentation_-the-optim...
by pistachio_nut
Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:43 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

SG dropped to 1.018, no use in letting all that hungry yeast sit around doing nothing so I have another ten pound bag to drop on it in a couple hours. I'll wait until I get an official 1.016, and then it's ON.

pH at 4.1, I might add a little acid.
by pistachio_nut
Mon Apr 13, 2015 1:58 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

Out of curiosity If you are going to distill this why do you want your starting ABV to be soooo high. Especially with a sugar wash. Sugar washes are notorious for being a "hot" liquor. Perhaps that is what you are looking for I cant say. But 18% going into the still is probably not going ...
by pistachio_nut
Sun Apr 12, 2015 7:59 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

Between today and my last post, I have learned a thing or two. The DADY kind of fizzled out a few days ago and stuck at about 1.030. I added a bunch of nutrients and nothing much changed. That wash has been going for weeks now and isn't finishing out. Yesterday I picked up my 500g bag of EC-1118 and...
by pistachio_nut
Fri Apr 03, 2015 4:22 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

24 hrs now with the aquarium heater. The barrel has about 30 gallons of wash and 50# sugar, and dropped from SG 1.047 to 1.032 in less than 24 hours. The temp of the barrel is 77*, up from 68*. Airlocks are not bubbling, but the airlocks will bubble to slight pressure on the lid. The liquid is still...
by pistachio_nut
Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:18 am
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash
Replies: 35
Views: 4757

Re: Aquarium pump, aquarium heater, and yeast in sugar wash

I did do some more reading there, and stumbled across a couple terms that made information much easier to find. Agitation helped. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10394 In which birdwatcher said I know Stone's book says to agitate your wash constantly, however, I have never fo...