What Should I Do?

pro65 · Post by **pro65** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:12 pm

I started another batch of UJSM, but I pre-sowered the corn for 6 days and then added my melted sugar and 3 more gallons of water and yeast and now over 24 hrs later still nothing going on, no bubbles from air lock nothing.

It is a new batch no backset at all.
10LBS cracked corn
10 LBS sugar
6 GAL. water
1 1/2 TBSP distillers yeast

Godstilla · Post by **Godstilla** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:20 pm

Ayay · Post by **Ayay** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:19 pm

Are you sure there are no gas leaks in the fermenter lid?

Post by **Hack** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:24 pm

It might be that since it's the first generation that the pH isn't ideal. That will make it take a little longer to get going. Do you have a way to test pH? Lemon juice is a cheap easy way to get the pH more acidic.

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:50 pm

I'd bet that too acidic is more of a problem...

pro65 · Post by **pro65** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:19 am

Ph is fine, but I did find the problem it was letting gas escape from the o-ring around the air lock, so I put some dough around it and it's kikking now. Thanks guys

lawdog · Post by **lawdog** » Sat May 09, 2009 3:44 am

instead of starting a new one, ill post here, see what happens.

i put a sugar wash together tuesday. 5 gallon glass carboy, 8lb sugar, 3.6gal water, 5g dry wine yeast, 1/4tsp nutrients.

i use tap water, so i bring all the water and sugar to a boil for 20 minutes or so, then funnel in the tank. let sit till evening and its down to room temp. i mix yeast in 1 cup luke warm (100*) water, and pitch. i swirled the carboy once wed, and once thurs. but still no bubbles on saturday. should i re-pitch? i have a coffee filter/rubber band over the neck as gas barrier. i rinsed with campden before use, and rinsed that out good.

whats my problem and whats the next step?

thanks

nh_yankee · Post by **nh_yankee** » Sat May 09, 2009 4:50 am

Heating water drives off dissolved gasses. If you put the hot wash into the fermentor (even splashing a bit) not enough air may be present to kick-start the yeast. If you knew the S.G. that could be a clue as well. I also don't see an addition of any acid to your wash...

Post by **HookLine** » Sat May 09, 2009 4:57 am

lawdog wrote:instead of starting a new one, ill post here, see what happens.

i put a sugar wash together tuesday. 5 gallon glass carboy, 8lb sugar, 3.6gal water, 5g dry wine yeast, 1/4tsp nutrients.

5g of dry yeast ain't a lot for a distilling ferment. Would help if you made a yeast starter, get the yeast up and running, before pitching it into the main ferment.

1/4 tsp nutrients may be too little, depending on the particular nutrients you used.

Like nh–yankee said, you need to aerate the wash real well just before you pitch the yeast.

Last, the coffee filter paper may be to restrictive to the ferment gas (when it gets going). May need to make a small hole in it.

lawdog · Post by **lawdog** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:11 am

nh_yankee wrote:Heating water drives off dissolved gasses. If you put the hot wash into the fermentor (even splashing a bit) not enough air may be present to kick-start the yeast. If you knew the S.G. that could be a clue as well. I also don't see an addition of any acid to your wash...

the only hydrometer i have is for maple syrup, and t just has "finished" lines, so its of no help really. should i cork the top and shake it up good to aerate? i will go check ph in a minute. i only have the drops tho, so i cant test very low. as long as its below 5.5 i should be alright? ill have to get a couple lemons. should i just grind em up and put the whole thing in?

thanks for the attention. im obviously new to this, and ive been reading for a few days, but thought i better get a direct answer before too long

lawdog · Post by **lawdog** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:22 am

HookLine wrote: 5g of dry yeast ain't a lot for a distilling ferment. Would help if you made a yeast starter, get the yeast up and running, before pitching it into the main ferment.

it is the little packets from the winery for making up to 5 gallons, i got another one, figger it'd help to pitch it as well?

1/4 tsp nutrients may be too little, depending on the particular nutrients you used.

its a local manufacturer's brand, i just went by whats on the bottle. runnin a little scared because ive read about all the terrible flavors form too much nutrient, as well as bad flavors from not enuf in a sugar wash...guess it dont make a difference if i just kill all the dam yeast, huh? haha

edit: i only put in enuf for 1 gallon. i went ahead and put another teaspoon in. it fizzed up pretty good, and when i corked it and shook it, it really frothed well. its workin, just not noticable. its acidic enuf to be below what my drops can read. yellow = less than 6. ill add a lemon to it this evening tho.

Like nh–yankee said, you need to aerate the wash real well just before you pitch the yeast.

Last, the coffee filter paper may be to restrictive to the ferment gas (when it gets going). May need to make a small hole in it.

ill keep that in mind. a friend back in college made quite a few batches of home brew whiskey (rot-gut) with a crockpot still and a big glass bottle, and i remember him using a coffee filter for a "bubbler". i have no aspirations of making the same grease as he did, but it seems to work. if it doesnt work for me, ill post it here

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