help with fermenting a mash

charles · Post by **charles** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 2:26 pm

so last night i finally got to what i've been planning on doing for months now and started my first batch. i've read the whole website numerous times as well as other sources(the online instructions on my yeast producers site) so i felt like, aside from experience, i was in pretty good shape.

now, to get to the point, i disolved close to six kg sugar in around the same number of liters of boiling water witch i added to an 18.9 liter jug that i'm using for fermenting. i filled it up to about 18.4 liters but i had shaken the water well and the cool water from the tap that made up most of it comes out very full of oxygen so i didn't worry about leaving too much room in the top. i let it cool for about four or five hours until the thermometer i have stuck to the side read just over 26C(79F) which, according to the yeast i used was a fine starting tempurature. i added most of my packet of 8kg turbo yeast, not the whole thing because it's enough for a 25 L batch, and added a little bit more water to help mix it in. i stirred it in until the whole solution was milky white and there weren't any visible clumps left and i slid the rubber cap over it and put the airlock on. i moved it into the closet that i'm going to keep it in and left it there and nothing has visibly happened since. it's not bubbling or anything. the turbo yeast is supposed to be active already and on this site it says after a half hour it should be bubbling. this was more than 13 hours ago.

thanks.

allen42 · Post by **allen42** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 2:59 pm

last night too was my 1st attempt at making a wash , started out with warm water , 13 gallons , 27 pounds of sugar , mixed that till i could not feel anymore sugar in the bottom of the tub i used , then , i poured in the turbo yeast , mixed it in till everything was dissolved , this morning when i got up, i could hear bubbles popping before i even got to it & the smell , sweeet smell of sugar fermetting , i have stirred it a couple times today & it is still bubbling like crazy

my yeast called for 6 kg per pack of turbo yeast used 2 packs, so i added a lil over 27 pounds of sugar

hopefully somebody more knowing than me will help ya out , i am sure they will

Post by **Fourway** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 3:19 pm

Charles, it is possible that you got a dead pack of turbo yeast. rare but it happens.
wait another day and if nothing is going on throw in a new pack.

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 5:40 pm

@Charles, what does the thermometer say on the side of the fermenter? Turbo's generate a lot of heat so the temperature of the fermenter should read higher then the temperature in the room. Also turbo ferments are strong so the are extremely loud meaning you should be able to hear the fizzing. If it is fizzing and the temperature is up higher then room temperature then I would say that you have a leaky lid and the CO2 is escaping through the lid rim and not the airlock. The airlock will supply a little bit of back pressure so if the gas can escape somewhere else rather then the airlock it will do so. I had this same problem on my very first batch and this is exactly what my problem was. Since then I always tightly wrap a few rounds of packing tape around the lids of my fermenters to make sure they are on tight and sealed.

nzbourbonhead · Post by **nzbourbonhead** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 5:56 pm

A turbo should of got a good head of foam on it within hours

charles · Post by **charles** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:07 pm

@knuklehead

it reads about seventy which isn't too much different than the room temp. i added the rest of the yeast packet to a smaller amount of the mash that i then whipped to get some air into it. it started fizzing and foaming a lot but more or less stopped once i added it back in to the rest of the mash. i talked to the owner of the homebrew shop in town and he said to just give it more time and it should work, the likelyhood that i got a dead batch of yeast is very slim.

however, it still isn't really foaming at all though it looks like something is happening. bubbles are forming and coming up and the airlock is releasing something. it's just going very slowly. i'm going to try taping it as you recomended but the seal seams pretty tight.

mshinner · Post by **mshinner** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:45 pm

Charles did you check the PG of the mash before you pitched the yeast? you may have to much sugar for a 18L wash.

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:51 pm

charles wrote:@knuklehead
i'm going to try taping it as you recomended but the seal seams pretty tight.

That is what I thought about my first fermentation as well, that the lid did seal tight but just as a last resort I figured I would run a few rounds of tape around the rim of the lid and after the first round there was suddenly a bubble in the airlock, then another and another. Happiest day of my life

(exaggeration) give it a go and I hope it works for you. Good luck

charles · Post by **charles** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:52 pm

No, that's the one thing i didn't do. I have an alcohol meter but not anything to measure PG with. a friend of mine does have hydrometer but i didn't use it. just roughly went by the directions on the yeast. what happens if there is too much sugar? and what should the PG be? i could go back and check it. and is it something i could fix by pouring out some mash and adding some water?

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 9:00 pm

mshinner wrote:Charles did you check the PG of the mash before you pitched the yeast? you may have to much sugar for a 18L wash.

Parental guidance? You been sippin Mshinner

I assume you meant SG

charles · Post by **charles** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 9:11 pm

yes, indeed that is what i meant. SG. a mixup between potential alcohol and specific gravity. thanks.

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 10:10 pm

If the SG is too high then you will sufficate the yeast. You could try cutting the wash with some more water if all else fails. You need to get a hydrometer and use it always.

mshinner · Post by **mshinner** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 10:52 pm

Parental guidance? You been sippin Mshinner I assume you meant SG

[/quote]

Yep its Saturday night.....

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 12:13 am

You got to take the time to reap the reward

charles · Post by **charles** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 4:45 am

thank you everyone for your prompt responses. i think i fixed it today by pouring a portion out into a bucket, hydrating the rest of my yeast and then pouring that into the bucket, and stirring briskly with a wisk to aerate it. then i poured it back in the jug and gave it a few shakes. it seems to definitely be fermenting now though maybe a bit more slowly than it should be. i figure now all it needs is time and i should be sipping some of my "Mshinner" as well. thanks.

ricki · Post by **ricki** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:26 am

nzbourbonhead wrote:A turbo should of got a good head of foam on it within hours

I've never actually seen a foam head with a sugar wash and turbo; I only see it when I use grain. Sounds like everything is running fine as long as you see a lot of bubbles and activity at the top.

nzbourbonhead · Post by **nzbourbonhead** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:52 am

ricki wrote:
nzbourbonhead wrote:A turbo should of got a good head of foam on it within hours
I've never actually seen a foam head with a sugar wash and turbo; I only see it when I use grain. Sounds like everything is running fine as long as you see a lot of bubbles and activity at the top.

You must of had a very long blink and missed it lol
I use turbo express and foam in first couple of hours is unbelievable

ricki · Post by **ricki** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:48 pm

Is this with a plain cane sugar wash??? I am always anxious and check my mash all the time prior to ferment start and for my sugars I have yet to see a large foam head.

nzbourbonhead · Post by **nzbourbonhead** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 5:45 am

ricki wrote:Is this with a plain cane sugar wash??? I am always anxious and check my mash all the time prior to ferment start and for my sugars I have yet to see a large foam head.

Yes plain white sugur and turbo yeast,, It foams up quickly but all foam disapears in a few hours not like a mollases brew I did foam was very thick and remained on it for the whole fermentation process