How Much Sugar and Water to get the highest % wash?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:48 am

Hey,

Just wondering how much sugar and water and yeast to use to get the highest % wash say if you using a 20-25L container to make it in. Also what temperatures did u keep the wash at?

so if you could state:
1. How much water
2. How much sugar
3. How much yeast
4. Temperature
5. And what % it made

Thanks

rangaz · Post by **rangaz** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:11 am

for a 20-25L batch I use between 4 and 5 kg. Using less sugar will make it faster and make a slightly cleaner wash. keep it around 25C. Dump as much yeast as economically possible. I use about 3-4 sachets of bread yeast and tomato paste for nutrients

There are calculators on the parent sight for working out the % but I dont bother much, I just run it through.

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:15 am

get you one of them testers an put 20 of them leters in a tub then add suger til the p a gets up to 21 to 23 any moren that an you wastein suger. then get you a little bit of fertilizer an add that an distillers yeast. distiller yeast will carry it up to the low 20s. i hear tell some folks add a over ripe banana to it to. pell an all.
so im tole

Post by **blanikdog** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:02 pm

Would the banana cause pectin problems?

blanik

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 3:59 am

truth be tole they aint really been worryed bout pectins cause they always catchin the first bit an throwin it out

was always tole bananas was for body an food for the yeast.
looked an cant see where it say it adds newtreents.

i stand corectecded on bananas bein added for newtreents

BW Redneck · Post by **BW Redneck** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:29 am

I never push mine above 14%, even for a neutral spirit run. Too many off flavors.

The motto for a lot of us here is "quality over quantity", meaning that we're willing sacrifice the amount of spirit for better tasting stuff.

A wise person once said,"Quality, quantity, or speed. Pick any of the two and you can't have the third."

wineo · Post by **wineo** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:48 am

My sugar washes are 12% tops.They run alot cleaner that way.I use 8 pounds of sugar in 5 gallons,no more.I dont want quantity,I want quality.
I get great results with this wash with 1 run,and dont have to throw out hardly any of it.Its so clean that the only part I throw out is 200ml of forshots.I collect to 35%{potstill} and keep all of it.It tastes better than any vodka you can buy,by far.
wineo

Post by **manu de hanoi** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 8:03 am

start with 15% sugar in weight and slash the water when pouring in, this will give u a robust start, keep 20% of the container empty, then a coupla days later, add 5% sugar, and repeat every 2 days till it doesnt work anymore.

Post by **blanikdog** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:04 pm

Thanks goose. I think I'll try that banana thing.

blanik

tracker0945 · Post by **tracker0945** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:03 pm

goose eye wrote:truth be tole they aint really been worryed bout pectins cause they always catchin the first bit an throwin it out

was always tole bananas was for body an food for the yeast.
looked an cant see where it say it adds newtreents.

i stand corectecded on bananas bein added for newtreents

Extracted from Home Site
A reliable source of a-amylase enzymes is ginger and I believe the inside white part of a banana skin.

Maybe this is why it is used? but in this instance they are using it for the grain to sugar conversion. May not be the same as this thread.

AllanD · Post by **AllanD** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:07 am

Why the desire for a high percentage wash?

a "thin" was will ferment quickly and completely with less undesireable
byproducts.

Yeah, your yield per run will be lower but it'll probably be a MUCH cleaner product.

as an example a 3% wash will under proper conditions
can ferment out in as little as 24-36hours.

a 5% wash can easily take twice as long, typically a week or more.
a 10% wash will ferment out in a minimum of two weeks.
a 15% wash may "stick" and not ever ferment out all the sugar.
a 20% wash WILL stick, anyone who says differently is also probably trying to sell you a bridge or some swamp land.

Your risk of the fermentation stalling or "sticking" becomes
exponentially greater with each percentage increase of sugar.
so will your fermentation time.

simply put, if you are looking to produce the maximum quantity and quality of alcohol you are better off doing a larger number of "light" washes of no more than 5-7% alcohol that ferment out quickly.

AD

Post by **Husker** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:53 am

Allan,

Your percentages are not right. They may be for certain yeast strains, but as a general rule, it simply will not stand.

I produce 11 - 12 % UJSM wash and it takes about 5 days. I produce 10-11% rum wash, and that is done in 5 days (4 days if warmer weather).

Now, this certainly may be due to better quality yeast strains being used. Sure, if you do only sugar washes, and have inadequate nutrients in the wash, and do not build a big yeast starter, then certainly, things may go pretty slow. However, to produce a wash as strong as 10%, it can be done in 60 to 72 hours.

Now, on the same thread, you are EXACTLY right to question WTF anyone would want to push mash ABV% to the max. It takes a long time, produces a much worse product (or at least a whole lot of the excess you produce will not be drinkable). A person can easily produce 2 10% washes in the time it takes to get a 15% wash. And from those 2 10% washes, you will end up with close to twice as much finished product (there will be a LOT of waste in heads/tails in the 15%, quite a bit more percentage wise than the 10% wash).

However, advocating 3% is a little on the ridiculous side. Possibly if you were making a pee water beer (i.e. ultra light), you might target that. However, for distilling, 3% is simply a pretty low target.

H.

Post by **theholymackerel** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:06 am

I regularly brew a Brittish style of beer called a "Mild Ale".

It's dark, rich, sweet, and 2-3% abv. It makes a great "Table Beer" to drink at meals.

But, yes Husker, a 3% mash for distillation purposes is a bit silly, but 5-8% is real traditional and makes a great whiskey.

Post by **HookLine** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 4:50 pm

a 10% wash will ferment out in a minimum of two weeks.

Depends a lot on how much yeast you use. I use 100-150 grams of bakers yeast in a 10%, 40 litre sugar wash, and it usually finishes fermenting in 4-5 days.

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:28 am

allen d you sayin you cant or anybody cant get 20 out of distiller yeast.
can 10 stick

Post by **Tater** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:44 am

AllanD wrote:Why the desire for a high percentage wash?

a "thin" was will ferment quickly and completely with less undesireable
byproducts.

Yeah, your yield per run will be lower but it'll probably be a MUCH cleaner product.

as an example a 3% wash will under proper conditions
can ferment out in as little as 24-36hours.

a 5% wash can easily take twice as long, typically a week or more.
a 10% wash will ferment out in a minimum of two weeks.
a 15% wash may "stick" and not ever ferment out all the sugar.
a 20% wash WILL stick, anyone who says differently is also probably trying to sell you a bridge or some swamp land.

Your risk of the fermentation stalling or "sticking" becomes
exponentially greater with each percentage increase of sugar.
so will your fermentation time.

simply put, if you are looking to produce the maximum quantity and quality of alcohol you are better off doing a larger number of "light" washes of no more than 5-7% alcohol that ferment out quickly.

AD

I say different .Ive had 20% washes using distillers yeast and have had much different ferment times then you have posted.