My first wash (sugar)

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 6:06 pm

I'm planning to do a basic sugar wash with a small 1 gal carboy I have around. Going to put in:

1200g table sugar
Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
1 tsp Andovin Super Nutrient
made up to 4L with water.

According to homedistiller.org this should make a wash of 17.6%. The EC-1118 is supposed to be able to drive up to 17-18% or so. Can someone else using EC-1118 fill me in on if it can take 0.30kg/L at the start without bursting?

Also, is that enough nutrient? And, will the EC-1118 even go that high. I use EC-1118 for wine, but that only ends up at 14%.

How long will this take to ferment? I've seen anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks on assorted sites

Yttrium · Post by **Yttrium** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:25 pm

How long will this take to ferment?

There are a lot of factors affecting how long it will take. Temperature is a big variable. How active the yeast are is another. Bacterial infection will also reduce the ethanol yeild.

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sun May 01, 2005 8:29 am

If you are going to use EC-1118 for a an all sugar wine then I would suggest to start a culture to get the yeast reproducing and excited before pitching them. EC-1118 is a good yeast but it can be slow. It will most certainly go up that high and even higher it just takes a long time. I have had it go up to 20% but it just takes a long long time. If you are pushing the yeast this high then 4 weeks or more could be expected. Now I only use this yeast for making rum and for the most part it finishes at around 14% in 3-4 days.

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Sun May 01, 2005 12:24 pm

So I start the yeast aerobically in a sugar/nutrient solution, let it run until it foams up, and then pitch it into the main wash?

Ok, i'm going to step it down to 1kg sugar then and run it to 14%. If it finishes up fast, then I'll add more sugar. Are these fermentations typically run fully anaerobic or should it be aerated occasionally?

Also, would leftover sugar make a nasty mess of the still, or is it just a waste of sugar? Ie, should I toss in the remaining 200g once the 1kg is gone and distill it when I'm sick of waiting, or should I toss it in 50g at a time to avoid having to wait 4 weeks for it to be converted?

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Sun May 01, 2005 2:12 pm

rectifier wrote:So I start the yeast aerobically in a sugar/nutrient solution, let it run until it foams up, and then pitch it into the main wash?

Ok, i'm going to step it down to 1kg sugar then and run it to 14%. If it finishes up fast, then I'll add more sugar. Are these fermentations typically run fully anaerobic or should it be aerated occasionally?

Also, would leftover sugar make a nasty mess of the still, or is it just a waste of sugar? Ie, should I toss in the remaining 200g once the 1kg is gone and distill it when I'm sick of waiting, or should I toss it in 50g at a time to avoid having to wait 4 weeks for it to be converted?

When I start a culture I get it going and leave it going over night before I use it. I will then make my wash and remove a portion of it to refill my culture bottle. Then I will pitch about 3/4 of the culture and get the wash going. Then I will take the removed portion of the wash and refill the culture bottle. I put the culture bottle in the fridge to slow down the yeast. Then next time I am ready to make another wash I will remove the bottle from the fridge and let it gradually warm up again increasing the yeast's activity. I usual take the culture from the fridge the day before I intend to use it then I repeat the process from the beginning again.
You should only aerate the wash at the start to give the yeast a limited supply of oxygen then leave it be.
Left over sugar will make a mess of your boiler so it's best to let it finish. If you are in a hurry then you should get yourself some turbo's, they will finish much faster then the EC-1118.

v0rtexx · Post by **v0rtexx** » Sun May 01, 2005 10:24 pm

knuklehead,

Excellent tip for keeping a culture going. I am going to have to try that. Just a question though; Have you ever ran into any bad microbs getting into the culture?

Thanks Again!

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Mon May 02, 2005 4:08 pm

I have a 1 liter pop bottle that is fitted with an airlock to keep my culture in. I put the bottle in the fridge until the day before I intend to use it then I pull it out and let the yeast get energetic again. Then I do as I described in the previous post. The most I have ever done this is for 7 batches and then I or should I say my wife just gets tired of having it in the fridge so on the 7th bath I usually just pitch the whole culture. I have never had anything go wrong with any of these cultures but you have to be very careful to sterilized everything every time.

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Mon May 02, 2005 5:29 pm

I'm not going to bother keeping it going between batches as EC-1118 is only a buck a packet anyways.

Here's what I did with my culture - boiled 200mL of water containing 50g sugar in a 600mL beaker while boiling 50mL of water in a 250mL flask.

Cooled the water to 40 deg C and added the yeast for the 15min rehydration period, swirling occasionally... meanwhile cooled the sugar solution to 37 deg C, added 1tsp yeast nutrient and the yeast solution once rehydrated and swirled vigorously. Covered with a paper towel and allowed to sit on the counter with the thermometer in it.

it seems to be taking off ok, bubbling solidly and maintaining 28 deg C. I stir it occasionally to get more oxygen in.

37 deg C may have been a little high to start it but the yeast seems to be doing ok. It's formed a bottom cake but not a top cake or any real "foam". I think it's fine though. I'm going to pitch the whole culture tomorrow into a carboy with my wash and go anaerobic.

This enrichment step is a first for me, usually I make wine and beer which just involves rehydrating the yeast and then pitching it into the mash.

I might be being a little too scientific here, but that's what I get for being a chemist (starting in microbiology/biochemistry next year)