Constant Fermentation

[Sourwood]

Hello all,
I was curious if anyone has ever tried an ongoing fermentation. What i mean by that is having one ferment that continues, with mash removed and water/sugar/corn added as the process continues. I have a 10 gallon clawhammer still that I have been running for about a month with some pretty decent UJSSM results. I was considering picking up one of these https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1600SL-Pol ... allon+drum" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow so i don't have to keep running two fermenters to fill up my still. Now, obviously that is about 3 times my current runnable volume, but if i subtract how much corn would be in the bottom (call it the bottom 4 inches of the fermenter, so 5 gallons or so) that would put me at about 2.5 times current runable volume. I know that i could just run that bad boy twice, but i was wondering if anyone has tried/ if there is any benefit to leaving that last 5 gallons in there and adding back sugar and corn indefinitely (after removing spent corn).

Anyway, i hope this makes sense. Let me know if anyone has considered/ played around with anything like this before.

Thanks guys.

[seamusm53]

It'll work fine but don't forget that UJSSM after multiple iterations may need pH ministrations/buffering. I have a 30 gal and a 50 gal trashcan which I use. I do own a mop strainer when I'm trying to maximize yield but I confess sometimes I just throw the
spent grains with liquid into the garden compost pile.

[Sourwood]

Thanks Seamus. What size still do you run?

[Danespirit]

It should be doable, as long as you can keep the yeast happy.
That means if the ABV in your ferment gets to high, the yeast will start to die...eventually leaving you without any yeast to multiply.
Also, you should be aware of the two stages the yeast undergo regarding fermentations:
1. Stage is the aerobic phase or lag phase.Once the yeast has been pitched into a new environment they start to acclimatize themselves by adjusting to the new environment’s temperature, specific gravity, pH, mash/wash composition, and level of dissolved oxygen.
They also multiply at this stage...I.O.W. the yeast cells will divide and form new ones.
Yeast can also reproduce during the fermentation or anaerobic stage, but they reproduce much more intensively in the presence of oxygen because of the added energy stores available for their metabolic needs.
2. Stage is the said anaerobic stage where the actual fermentation process starts and you don't want oxygen to interfere at this point. CO2 gas is a byproduct and so is our beloved ethyl alcohol.
So before you start any new fermentation, it would be beneficial to vent the contents with some fresh air in order to help the yeast.

[seamusm53]

Thanks Seamus. What size still do you run?

5 gallon copper pot still. 8 and 13 gallon stainless boilers and a 2-inch stainless column. nuttin fancy.

[raketemensch]

I’ve definitely left 4-5 gallons in the bottom of a 32-gallon barrel and started the next batch on top of it many times.

[Sourwood]

It should be doable, as long as you can keep the yeast happy.
That means if the ABV in your ferment gets to high, the yeast will start to die...eventually leaving you without any yeast to multiply.
Also, you should be aware of the two stages the yeast undergo regarding fermentations:
1. Stage is the aerobic phase or lag phase.Once the yeast has been pitched into a new environment they start to acclimatize themselves by adjusting to the new environment’s temperature, specific gravity, pH, mash/wash composition, and level of dissolved oxygen.
They also multiply at this stage...I.O.W. the yeast cells will divide and form new ones.
Yeast can also reproduce during the fermentation or anaerobic stage, but they reproduce much more intensively in the presence of oxygen because of the added energy stores available for their metabolic needs.
2. Stage is the said anaerobic stage where the actual fermentation process starts and you don't want oxygen to interfere at this point. CO2 gas is a byproduct and so is our beloved ethyl alcohol.
So before you start any new fermentation, it would be beneficial to vent the contents with some fresh air in order to help the yeast.

Absolutely. I have a paint mixer that should do the trick. As far as PH balancing, i was planning on throwing an oyster shell or two in there on top of it to buffer the PH. Good idea or not?

[Sourwood]

It should be doable, as long as you can keep the yeast happy.
That means if the ABV in your ferment gets to high, the yeast will start to die...eventually leaving you without any yeast to multiply.
Also, you should be aware of the two stages the yeast undergo regarding fermentations:
1. Stage is the aerobic phase or lag phase.Once the yeast has been pitched into a new environment they start to acclimatize themselves by adjusting to the new environment’s temperature, specific gravity, pH, mash/wash composition, and level of dissolved oxygen.
They also multiply at this stage...I.O.W. the yeast cells will divide and form new ones.
Yeast can also reproduce during the fermentation or anaerobic stage, but they reproduce much more intensively in the presence of oxygen because of the added energy stores available for their metabolic needs.
2. Stage is the said anaerobic stage where the actual fermentation process starts and you don't want oxygen to interfere at this point. CO2 gas is a byproduct and so is our beloved ethyl alcohol.
So before you start any new fermentation, it would be beneficial to vent the contents with some fresh air in order to help the yeast.

Absolutely. I have a paint mixer that should do the trick. As far as PH balancing, i was planning on throwing an oyster shell or two in there on top of it to buffer the PH. Good idea or not?

[DAD300]

I do continuous fermentation. It works well as long as you never leave it empty. If you leave it empty or half empty for more than a few hours it can mold quickly.

I take out the still charge, run still and save cooling water at 140F. Heat that cooling water, mix or mash a new batch and add it back to the ferment today's still charge came from. I saved the energy from the cooling water and didn't have to clean the fermenter.

Oyster shell is always a good idea as a buffer. But the ferment may require something else to get it closer.

If there is more than a 0.5 adjustment I will add something else to get close and then add the oyster shell.