Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[rad14701]

I've used tomato paste, tomato puree, and cheap tomato ketchup... Double the amount with puree and ketchup due to the added water they contain...

[Pesty]

Here are the results of my almost 3 gallon wash using the BW recipie to make 2 - 2.5 gallon batches that were combined into the 5gal carboy.
Ferment was wrapped with a heat blanket and kept temp in the low 90 F range for 2 days, then 80 F until it was done.

I siphoned off the wash into my boiler so all sediment stayed in the carboy.

The first 2.5 gallons run was the Sac run, the 2nd was the actual run

Ran in pot still mode on the combo still and pulled the following
1 - 85ml foreshots - dumped
2 - 300ml - 140 proof
3 - 300ml - 130
4 - 300ml - 120
5 - 300ml - 110
6 - 300ml - 98
7 - 300ml - 80
8 - 300ml - 60
9 - 250ml - 35 - dumped (no weird smells or the carboard wet dog I was reading about and temps were getting high so shut it down)

These numbers are about identical to the sac run i ran in the morning.

The next step is run it all in re-flux next chance I have to set the still back up.

[Devonhomebrew]

On oak ummmm i think birdwatchers is ment to be a vodka for a pot still mate so i would infuse with fruits to make schnapps mixed with peels and herbs to make gin its basically a base for many many things. \i dont see how oak will help at all??? could you please explain to me why you would oak a sugar wash

[GuyFawkes]

I've found BW to be more difficult to make cuts. Maybe it's the lack of overall nasties in it, or perhaps the lack of flavor. Not sure. Either way it's one where I definitely have to collect in small amounts to make good cuts, and it's usually one where I can't exactly tell which jar is where it starts to get funky like I can on a lot of other runs. It's much more gradual.

[jholmz]

i used 4 tablespoons of red star dry active yeast worked great for 5 gallon wash

[MDH]

Distill once. Add about a teaspoon sodium hydroxide to the low wines and leave it for a week, this will react most if not all of the fatty acid/esters. Add a half teaspoon of ascorbic acid and a tiny bit of copper sulfate to the low wines, this will remove any sulfur compounds. Distill it for a second time and then a third, store the distillate at around 80% it in a half-full jug. Aerate it by shaking and open the lid briefly after doing so, then dilute to 40% using filtered water and bottle.

This will work even with a pot still.

[WV Shine]

Have you tried watering the samples down to around 30% and then tasting/smelling? Sometimes that makes it easier to pick up on the flavors. If you ran super fast it may be smeared together pretty bad, which would make differentiation harder When ya do your spirit run you'll be able to pick up on the changes more easily.

[Bushman]

i have just put a batch of this on and found that i didnt get any Krausen, it is definetly fermenting though as its fizzing like crazy, i am fermenting at 30C

Is this normal?

With birdwatchers I usually get krausen at the beginning but settles out fairly fast. I usually keep my fermentation room at between 25-28C so your 30C should be fine as I haven't taken an actual temp of the fermentation in sometime.

[Undies]

Instead of using juice from freshly squeezed lemons is there a problem using bottles lemon juice?

It depends on the ingredients. As long as there aren't preservatives added, it should be okay. The cleaner the better.

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/

[Ccndry]

Is the lemon a set amount or just enough to drop ph depending on what the water comes off the tap at... I find if I use the amount as per recipe my ph drops below 4

[Undies]

Is the lemon a set amount or just enough to drop ph depending on what the water comes off the tap at... I find if I use the amount as per recipe my ph drops below 4

The amount of lemon is the average for all different water around the world along with all their different ph levels.

It leaves room for error, but some people might be pushing those limits.

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/

[Undies]

I also didn't use epsom salts but heard of people using them. What does the epsom salts do for the wash?

Yeast loves Epsom salts (AKA Magnesium Sulphate). It has something to do with how the yeast cells multiply and clump together (or don't clump together?).

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/

[SIXFOOTER]

Recon what it will do if I use Lime juice instead of Lemon?
Was all ready to go on this batch and no lemons.

[F6Hawk]

You can use anything acidic and food safe... lime, lemon, citric acid.

[acfixer69]

Inducing air at the end of the ferment is not a good thing, it puts airborn nasties in when the yeast is slowing down. Also a bit chilley should be 20-35 C for most yeasts.
AC

[Undies]

thx for the reply, i checked the container and it's airtight, still fizzing away nicely so im guessing it'll be fine, i've had it wrapped in a blanket as its a little chilly at my place atm, every time ive checked on it today its been at 28 so id say temp is rather steady, shouldnt of had any spiking hopefully lol. any idea how long it'll take to ferment without the salts?

At 28°C, I'd guess 6-8 days. Ideally leave it for two weeks to make sure it's all done (if you have the time).

As a tip, the more consistent the temperature throughout the fermentation, the better the quality. Apparently the yeast prefers a constant temperature... Apparently...

[Dnderhead]

" infomation on the water would help in mashing"
first its not a "mash" a mash is the proses of cooking,converting starches to sugars.
and doing that does make a difference in water..
this recipe like most on here use sugar,and makes little difference with the water.all that is needed is good portable water.as long as its not "funky" your good to go.

[Undies]

It's day 3 of fermentation and everything is going nicely, but what I'm wondering about is this - I've seen pictures of some TPWs before and it looks like the foam bubbles up for a few inches on those washes, whereas in mine it only seems to froth for a few millimeters. Is my wash not as vigorous as normal, or could it be that there's not much foam because it's not completely air-locked? I had to cut a small 'flap' in the middle of the lid to insert the aquarium heater.

I suspect that since you are deviating from the recipe slightly, the surface tension of the liquid is slightly changed, hence not as many bubbles forming. As long as carbon dioxide is being created, you should be sweet. Keep us posted.

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/

[braemar]

Hi Phanitic,
Sorry about the vague response before, in the initial aerobic phase the yeasts need oxygen i guess it doesn't matter if it gets it from the air on top of the wash or from the wash itself if you stir it in, i just find it does well leaving it on top, the kraeusen forms quickly and within a couple of hours it has settled down and is going gangbusters.

Good luck
Braemar

[Undies]

I tends to just place the yeast on top. Within the hour it's all dissolved and disappeared under the surface.

[Undies]

Initially it was at about 32 degrees celsius with the blanket insulating it. I seem to remember folks here saying to do birdwatchers at 30-35 celsius. But on the advice I was given here here I took the blanket off, now it's just got the aquarium heater and it's at ~28 celsius. It's still going - as of now it's Sunday (day 6) and still has bubbles. It'll probably take at least 7 days to ferment out completely which seems about typical going by other posts here.

Another thing to remember for next time, (apparently) yeast likes a consistent temperature, so try and get the wash up to temperature before pitching the yeast, then keep it there. It's up to you what the temperature is, as long as it stays the same.

[Just a Biker]

Being a newbie myself so I am going to help you in a way that will point you in the right direction. The experienced users on this forum do not mind helping at all. To thank them for that they ask that we do our part.

1) 1st...when you do a stripping run with a potstill hard far down do you collect abv?
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 63&t=13261

2) 2nd...when you do a spirit run in a reflux from what was collected above...what should the highest abv be when added to the boiler
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=36624

3) can I use distillers yeast (DAP) with this recipe since I have lots...if yes, how much would I use for 25l ferments?
a) http://homedistiller.org/forum/search.p ... sf=msgonly
b) http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =3&t=40640

Like you I am learning, I hope this information helps as well and demonstrating how readily available the information is.

[rad14701]

Hey I've been running sweet feed with no problems for a little while now and decided to make a batch of Birdwatchers and my ferment has stuck. SG was 1.08. After about a week it had barely gone down, around 1.07 or .06 so I added more yeast and around a week later it was 1.05, I added more yeast AGAIN and now it's been 3 weeks from the start and it's at around 1.03 with no activity. I made a 25 liter wash. Used the calculator here (http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow) to get the recipe. I didn't use epsom salts and I pitched just one packet of champagne yeast originally. Any idea what could be going on? I use the same yeast for my sweet feed washes and they're done fermenting in 5 or 6 days usually.

The main reasons for slow or stalled ferments are temperature too low, lack of nutrients, or pH too low... A less likely reason would be bad yeast...

[luke777]

Hello.
Thanks to all for a truly amazing site and resource.
Previous experience with Turbo's which I want to move away from.
Read the whole topic over a few days and got a bit overwhelmed. In the end I jumped in and have just put down my first try.
I live in Far North Qld Australia and thought I would post my process, attempt and the ingredients I used for people in my area who are a bit nervous about jumping in.
Results will follow..... Fingers crossed as it's a bit hot coming into summer. Hopefully result will be good.

Luke777 Birdwatcher Wash attempt 001
29/10/2013
Room temp 31 deg C
Total wash volume 53 litres

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients available in my area

10kg white "Coles" sugar
1 1/2 jars (375 gram) Leggos Organic tomato paste
1/2 tsp Epsom Salts
Strained juice of 2 x lemons (not very juicy)
1/3 tin "LOWAN" instant dried yeast in red cylindrical tin

PROCESS:

-> Cleaned and rinsed everything and laid it all out ready
-> combined Tom paste,Lemon juice and Epsom Salts with 2 litres warm water and mixed well
-> 5 litres cold water in fermenter bin
-> Boiled large pot water (about 4-5 litres) and poured into bin
-> Added 8kg (4 bags) sugar and stirred till mostly dissolved
-> put bin where it would stay and added tap water till 40 litre mark
-> Added tom paste mix (nutrient mix)
-> Added 1 kg sugar and stirred vigorously till all dissolved
-> Added water to 45 litre mark
-> Add last kilo sugar and mix vigorously 'till dissolved
-> Checked SG which was high
-> Added tap water incrementally till SG was 1.072
-> total 53 litres of WASH
-> Check SG- 1.072
-> Wash was close to room temp (in this case 31 deg C) sprinkled yeast on top
-> lid loosely on bin
-> Wait and see

To all of you who are more experienced than me (99% of you ) Please let me know if you see any obvious errors in my process or ingredients.
I am now going to make a Pot Still head for my Still ( Untill now I have never done stripping runs) ready for when the wash is finished.
Wish me luck!!

P.S. Any Fellow distillers in my area feel free to P.M. me and give me advice!

Luke

[rad14701]

Not sure what the slow ferment thing is all about... I threw together a 5 gallon slightly modified Birdwatchers wash on Saturday evening, with an OG of 1.086, and it was finished this morning, with a FG of 0.994... That's ~12% ABV in 4.5 days at ~70F... I could have called it done last night but the yeast hadn't dropped yet so I waited until this morning when all airlock activity had ceased and clearing was well underway... And this was with half the yeast I normally pitch...

[rad14701]

What yeast did you use rad ?

Getting ready for my first BW.


FMH.

I have been using up some Fleischmann's Dry Active Bakers Yeast that I've had for a couple years... That's all I use...

[george_bryant_nz]

I think the health food stores in NZ must be the same as in AUS - different to a health food store in the US.

The only place I could find 'fresh yeast' was from the home brew shop (Lavlin EC1118) which was only $2.95 but it's a bit of a hike from where I am so I've stuck with the supermarket ingredients instead:

25L wash
1 Lemon - free from over the fence
250g tomato paste - $1.59
5kg bag white sugar - $5.59
pinch of epsom salts - $1.71 for 500g
75g active dried yeast - $3.99 for 130g

Mixed everything up and ended up with a SG of 1.08 (was going for the 1.06 but added too much sugar initially!). Sprinkled yeast on top @35Celcius and left it overnight. This morning room temp is currently 19C and fermenter is 26C. Something must be working because my loosely fitted lid kindly allowed some of the froth to drip onto the floor.



All up it's cost around $9.50 for what I think will be around a 11% wash (??). Being a beginner I've been using turbo yeasts at $6.95-$8.95 a shot plus finings @ $4.95 and either 'turbo sugar' @ $3.59/kg or dextrose @ $2/kg, sure it's given a quick easy clean product but now I've got a little bit of a stockpile built up so I can spend some time on this little experiment. Hopefully Santa will get that 23L carbouy down the chimney next week so I can siphon this of to settle while I crank up another batch.

Looking forward to doing my first stripping run and then a reflux run to see what the end product is like

I followed this last night and made it, forgot to check the SG....

Checked SG this morning and it was at around 1040....somethings not right is it?

[Prairiepiss]

1.084 is what it should have started out at. I doubt it dropped to 1.040 over night.

Either the sugar isn't mixed up good. And is sitting near the bottom. Or you hydrometer is way off.

[rad14701]

I have had Birdwatchers and several other recipes drop SG by half within 24 hours so this isn't totally unusual... From that point on it usually tends to slow, however... My batches usually take ~4 days to reach 0.99x or lower... YMMV...

[Bushman]

Answers and comments to Birdwatcher Recipe by various members that may be helpful!

Re the temperature range 30-35C. This is simply the range recommended in Jone Stone's book. http://www.gin-vodka.com/making-gin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

BTW, Stone recommends a starting SG of 1.06 rather than 1.09 as stated in my recipe. I increased the SG after someone on this forum suggested it. Then I read starting at 1.06 gives better quality. I'm seriously thinking of changing back. This really speeds up the process.

Why go to that expense. If your aim is to create 95% ethanol
in the quickest, least expensive manner, buy fresh refrigerated bakers yeast
in bulk at any good health food store.

Smaller amounts of yeast will work in any wash/mash . it just takes longer to start (lag) but more it is safer as then it can help prevent infections.

So, let me see if I got this right. I can actually start with any amount of yeast. From what I start with that yeast will grow till either it runs out of "food" or untill the alcohol "kills" it. If I start with a low quantity of yeast it will just take a longer time to get there. Is this the issue.

Tomato paste IS pureed tomatoes... Just make sure you get the kind without any other added ingredients like oils or spices...

The citric acid/lemon juice can be used for two separate purposes... It can be used to invert the sugar prior to mixing the wash and it can be used to drop the pH of the wash prior to pitching your yeast... I'll leave it to you to search for information on inverting sugar here in the forums if you have questions about that process...

"Proofing" the yeast, or creating a "starter", is optional... Most here simply "pitch" (sprinkle) the yeast into the wash and either let it be as-is or stir it in...

As most ferments id keep it about 10% .you will have better product and have more hearts. The tomato past/lemon is for nutrients.turbos use chemicals.
If your going to "dry pitch" yeast dont stir.it needs to become accustomed to its new environment. then it will fiend own its place in life.

I run all washes with airlocks installed within an hour or two of pitching my yeast and have never had an issue... Leaving ample head space to account for potential krausen is the main thing to consider... I have even left my wash a bit light on water and then topped off once the most aggressive phase was completed, about 12 - 24 hours later... Never had an issue with osmotic stress on the yeast using this method as the colony is quite resilient during the aerobic to early anaerobic phases...

I have found that if i pitch the yeast on top and leave it alone without stirring it at all it ferments out just fine.
I reckon just let the yeast do what it has got to do