Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[Manc]

That exactly how I do it Scotch

I still discard the first 200ml on the spirit run as it early heads and doesn't make the cut anyway. I usually end up keeping about 50/60% of the spirit run but that's just MY PREFERENCE if you collect in small jars and air for 24 hours you can discard what you don't like. If you don't want to wait you could just run the 2 you have but in my experience a stripping run takes 3 hours and a spirit run 7 hours but I have a different setup 50litre boiler.

Hope that helps and good luck let us know how you get on.

Lee

[Scotch Trooper]

That exactly how I do it Scotch

I still discard the first 200ml on the spirit run as it early heads and doesn't make the cut anyway. I usually end up keeping about 50/60% of the spirit run but that's just MY PREFERENCE if you collect in small jars and air for 24 hours you can discard what you don't like. If you don't want to wait you could just run the 2 you have but in my experience a stripping run takes 3 hours and a spirit run 7 hours but I have a different setup 50litre boiler.

Hope that helps and good luck let us know how you get on.

Lee

Brilliant thanks Lee

Think what confused me was that i always collected everything ( apart from first 100ml ) until the dripping stopped in a spirit run as long as temp was 52°c - 57°c ( this temp gave me the 2-3 drips per second ) then ran it all through a carbon filter.

[Manc]

Your welcome.

Been there got the T-shirt ran an air still and t500 with turbo's for a couple of years it's what the homebrew shops and turbo producers tell us to do then buy this and buy that and we don't know any better. Until we find this site.

I know you'll be pleasantly surprised when you try your birdwatchers wish you all the best with your ferment.


Lee

[vex]

When doing BW on a column still, should I use the reflux condenser?
If I do use reflux, is a stripping / spirit run necessary or should the product be clean enough.

[Bushman]

When doing BW on a column still, should I use the reflux condenser?
If I do use reflux, is a stripping / spirit run necessary or should the product be clean enough.

With Birdwatchers you are basically making a neutral or non flavored alcohol. I never found it necessary to do a stripping run with a reflux still as my VM usually resulted in 94-96 abv.

[thecroweater]

Everybody has a different take and there is no wrong way, just the way that works best for you. With my old reflux still you could get neutral spirit out of almost any shit but the worse it was the longer it took. Pre-stripping delivers a cleaner, higher proof product to your column meaning a cleaner result in a much faster time frame. Where as it might not be actually necessary I believe it is very beneficial (for me) to pre-strip.

[justin2019]

Novice here.

I managed to get my wash ok but had done two mistakes

A I used lemon juice which had potassium metabisulfate preservative in it
B I smelled my wash and the gas in it attacked my nose for two seconds Do please smell it slowly and with hand wafting technique only.

[NZChris]

It is extremely unlikely that the amount of potassium metabisulfite in the necessary amount of lemon juice would be a problem. That said, I would rather use a lemon and then only after checking the pH. I put a wash down today, checked the pH with a strip and the pH was pH 5.3 already, so adding lemon juice would have been a mistake.

[Undies]

Hey guys. I've made some changes to the calculator. Let me know if you find any problems. Cheers, Undies.

https://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/

[bastardbrewer]

Hi guys.
Had about 10 runs of Birdwatcher on my reflux still (T500, yes i know loads of you dont like it) with different results. I collect in 18 jars and keep finding that my heads run quite far eg till jar 7, 8 or 9, clean hearts section is only about 1/2 a liter on a 25 ltr wash. Done an cereal sugarwash for the first time with great result and im now wondering if I am mistaking the sweeter smell of the BW for heads? The cereal product came out very nice, for my feeling cleaner and certainly less sweet than the BW.

Dont get me wrong I'm not complaining the BW is a great wash that ferments out very quick, just wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Last time I combined a couple earlier jars (eg. add those jars 8 and 9) that i think smell and taste headsy and the product did taste overly sweet and much harsher.

Dos anyone else experience something similar?

[NZChris]

Heads to jars 7,8 & 9 of 18 jars is a lot

I get way less heads than that by double pot distilling, so I won't be rushing out to buy a T500. If you can run it in pot still mode, try stripping first. That will help any neutral. I've just done my first wheat bran wash and that came out very nice after stripping then refluxing.

[bastardbrewer]

Heads to jars 7,8 & 9 of 18 jars is a lot

I get way less heads than that by double pot distilling, so I won't be rushing out to buy a T500. If you can run it in pot still mode, try stripping first. That will help any neutral. I've just done my first wheat bran wash and that came out very nice after stripping then refluxing.

Cheers,
Mind, the smell of what I think may be heads or may be confusing it with heads happens on the Birdwatcherwash only. I find the BW far sweeter (almost sickly sweet?) than my first cereal wash so may be just my nose and taste playing tricks on me.

Yeh I can strip with T500, either through the column without packing or by buying the copper potstill head (which is on the pricey side). Will give that a go next time and update results. Was thinking about "getting" the copper pothead for christmas anyway

[BundyBear]

Does anyone know a decent brand tomato paste in Australia for this? About to do a bw run

[NZChris]

Leggo's Tomato Paste, no added salt works for me.

[BundyBear]

Awesome, thanks Chris

[trubbubble]

Hey there, everyone,
I've made quite a few batches of Birdwatchers following the online recipe calculator and I'm just not getting good results.
When I do my cuts, I find that I have about 1/3 heads, 1/3 hearts and 1/3 tails. When I use just the hearts and dilute to 40%, it tastes comparable to a mid priced vodka but, when that is mixed with juice, it is really harsh.
I'm wondering if my yeast and/or fermentation temperature are goofing me up. I'm using Red Star DADY, pitching the yeast when the wash reaches 90F and fermenting in a room that goes as high as 82 during the day and drops to around 75F at night.
I just seem to be getting a lot of unwanted stuff.

I have made Shady's Sugar Shine and had excellent results but, the ingredients for Birdwatchers are easier to come by for me so, I'd like to get this sorted.

I'm following the online calculator Birdwatchers recipe using:
RO water
Citric acid
Epsom salts
Red Star DADY
Table sugar
Tomato paste

I use a CM still for stripping, dilute to 40% ABV then re-run through the same still for the spirit run and make my cuts. It takes on average 8 hours per 21L still charge so I don't think I'm running too fast but, I really don't know at this point.

[BundyBear]

Mine tastes like vodka bread. I added heaps of sugar and coconut essence, mixes well with pineapple juice lol. Waste of time on a pot still. Little better than turbo

[NZChris]

I don't know what you are doing wrong, trubbubble, I get a better yield than that with a simple pot still.

Are you removing a foreshot when stripping?

RO water doesn't have any minerals in it, which is not helpful for the yeast.

Try a different brand of Tomato Paste. The first one I tried was no good.

If Shady's Sugar Shine gets you better results, do what you have to to get the ingredients.

[thecroweater]

Mine tastes like vodka bread. I added heaps of sugar and coconut essence, mixes well with pineapple juice lol. Waste of time on a pot still. Little better than turbo

Pot still you bet ya left nut that'll be RAF . Try doing a strip then do a high wines run, make broadish cuts then do a slow AF spirit run (watering down to 40% first naturally) , you may even have to repeat that

[NZChris]

I hope BundyBear knows what RAF and AF means, coz I have no idea

Are they are an Aussie thing?

[BundyBear]

Haha thanks Crow, I'll give that a try. Still got heaps of low wines laying about.

I think AF means as f*ck and RAF mean rank as f*ck Chris

[NZChris]

My taste buds must be buggered. I've never tasted bread or yeast in a BWs, even when I run it in a simple pot still.

I have, after much re-distilling of feints, concentrated BWs feints into a tomato essence that made a great Bloody Mary. There is no sane way to justify the time and effort invested to do that, except that it was fun.

[trubbubble]

I have been throwing out 100ml foreshots on each stripping run.

We have been drinking some of my older stuff since the BW didn't turn out right. This is the stuff I made when I got a T500 and followed their instructions for the wash using Turbo Pure yeast and Turbo Carbon. It is MUCH better than my tomato paste wash. I'll see if I can source a different brand of tomato paste. It was quite a disappointment that the tomato paste didn't turn out after reading how superior it should be compared to using anything with the word turbo in it. To be honest though, I think the Turbo Pure is not a turbo yeast at all. It takes 11-14 days to complete the ferment.

My sense of smell is not too keen (I'm a smoker) so I judge cuts by taste and mouth feel. As soon as the heat goes away and I don't notice much if any taste, I figure i'm in the hearts. When the jars begin to get a isopropyl alcohol taste, I toss them away as tails. I have never rerun the feints. We use those to kill white fly on the rose bushes.

[The Baker]

I hope BundyBear knows what RAF and AF means, coz I have no idea

Are they are an Aussie thing?

Not that I know of.

Geoff in Australia

[thecroweater]

Acronyms chaps RAF : rough as f...

[mekks082]

Going to be running this for the first time (and my first time trying to distill). I will be making a 6.6gallon wash. Its telling me I need 70g of yeast? The yeast I bought is Distila Max LS activated dry yeast. Does that sound correct?

I will be running it thought a t500. Just looking for a brew belt, or fish heater before I start. Its around 75-77F in my house around this time of the year.

[Undies]

Acronyms chaps RAF : rough as f...

You all need to get on top of your TLA's.

[ezlle71]

I tried running this without clearing and i have to say it worked beautifully. No scorch and ran great. Been running this thru a pot with thump and comes out real nice. This wash is deadnuts simple, i notice a lot of people overthinking it.

[mekks082]

Have two 7 gallon BW washes going, followed the recipe to the T. The first I started 4 days ago, it was 1.09 SG, today its down to 1.03 SG and still bubbling away. I'm hoping to run it on Friday 4 days from now. The other I just started tonight.

One huge plus for me, the wash does not smell bad like the few others I have tried. The wife is happy about that.

[MexicanCustard]

Just started my first 30 gallon batch of BirdWatchers. Next time I'm going to pre-mix the tomato paste before adding it. It's a PITA to get it incorporated into a 30 gallon batch. I seem to be a little lower than others 1.067 with 56 lbs sugar in 30 gallons of water. This is for a sacrificial run so I'm not to worried about this one.