MIKE"S SIMPLE FIVE recipe.

[mds624]

Ingredients
* 8 lbs white sugar
* 2 lbs brown sugar
* 1 six ounce can of tomato paste
* 1 TBS miracle grow plant food.
* 1 pack of EC 1118
Process
* Combine components with 95 degree water to bring up to 5 gallons total volume.
* Pitch yeast.
* Cap and insert air lock.

Always yields from 17 to 20%.

[rad14701]

Welcome to the forums, mds624...

How long does that recipe take to ferment...??? Not sure how you're getting 17% - 20% ABV from a 14.1% potential ABV wash... Care to share your secret...???

[mds624]

Keep in mind that the tomato paste has sugar in it as well as nutrients. It ferments in about 10-14 days.

[grunger]

http://www.unico.ca/cgi-bin/products.cgi?id=12" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Amount of sugar in a 6oz can of paste is about 16 grams or 0.036 lbs. Added to you recipe it still yeilds 14.1%. Even if that can had a pound of sugar in it the potential is still 15.5%

Might be a faulty hydrometer.

[rad14701]

Nutrients help keep yeast healthy but don't increase alcohol content... Only sugar gets converted into alcohol...

[LWTCS]

got called out on to the rug.

How does one proceed?

[rad14701]

got called out on to the rug.

How does one proceed?

I'm not trying to be hard on Mike... Simply pointing out facts that he may not be aware of as yet... We can always use new recipes, but they need to be accurate as far as claims are concerned... A bit of theoretical research goes a long way and the parent site is a great place to start...

[mds624]

I did my homework. I did my calculation and saw the percentage that the sugar can produce and saw the potential ABV that rad pointed out, I admit that I agree with his findings. I learned something today. Now my mission is to find out how I got those high hydrometer readings. I plan to use a new hydrometer on the batch I have fermenting now. I am just as curious as you guys are. I do understand that the nutrients help keep yeast healthy but don't increase alcohol content, only sugar gets converted into alcohol.
I feel that this is a good recipe, the ingredients are easy to get for anyone, anywhere in the world, no brew shops and no internet purchases. This recipe can be adjusted and made better. I know stuff, but I am smart enough to know that there is more to learn.

[LWTCS]

Excellant forward movement.

Welcome to the forums mds624

Your recipe is just fine and I'm sure your forthcoming batches will be better.

Not that it matters, but whats wrong with a 13-14% abv?

Cheers
Larry

[rad14701]

Every day is a learning experience, mds624... If you aren't learning then you're resigning yourself to being set in your ways... Some might call that just being old and stubborn...

Anyway, do you consider this to be a sugar wash with the solids in brown sugar as partial nutrients or a very light Rum...??? A bit more yeast would reduce fermentation time significantly without adverse effects, even if the EC1118 was substituted with bakers yeast...

[blanikdog]

... Not that it matters, but whats wrong with a 13-14% abv? ...

Nothing I suppose, however I personally think it's on the very upper limit. When I first began distilling I strove for those figures out of greed but experience has told me that 10 - 11 % gives a better, cleaner, less harsh product. Guess it depends on what one prefers.

blanik

[rad14701]

That upper limit, depending on several factors, including personal preference, can be 8% - 10% or 10% - 12% or 12% - 14%, but is rarely above 14%...

I have been quite successful at pushing Fleischmann's active dry yeast to 14% in sugar washes and been able to get clean neutral spirits in a single run through my LM column... When I've tried to go higher I've had problems, however... I actually prefer about 10.5% - 12% because that last few % can start getting slow if you don't juice up the recipe and use extra yeast to make it finish quick...

Mike's Simple Five recipe, if backed down to the 10% - 12% range, could quite possibly ferment to dry in the 48 - 72 hour range with a bit more yeast without off flavors in the final product... Perhaps mds624 (Mike) would like to prove that out for us... I would myself but I have yet another recipe up my sleeve that I'm planning on trying this coming week...

[stillvodka]

Mike,
You have Nice little recipe there, I like it

[LWTCS]

by blanikdog » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:01 pm
LWTCS wrote:
... Not that it matters, but whats wrong with a 13-14% abv? ...

My thinking also.

It seemed like Mike was proclaiming "17 to 20%" should be something to aspire to. Perhaps not. Just a bad read off of the hydro.

[blanikdog]

Yairsss LW, I wasn't by any means being critical, just my take on high etho washes.

blanik

[adama_bill]

* 1 pack of EC 1118

Hi all

When someone say * 1 pack of EC 1118 . . . exactly what size is that?
I got a pack of EC 1118; it's 500g!

Regards

[MuleKicker]

* 1 pack of EC 1118

Hi all

When someone say * 1 pack of EC 1118 . . . exactly what size is that?
I got a pack of EC 1118; it's 500g!

Regards

500Gs?! How much did that cost???? I think everyone is talking about the 1-2 gram packets the size of a condom wrapper. and you pay $1-3 us for them depending on where you get them.

[Dnderhead]

most of what Ive seen is about 11g.

[adama_bill]

Thanks Dnderhead for that clarification . . . so it looks likely that one packet equals 11 grams (I was thinking it may have been 25 grams).

MuleKicker . . . maybe you meant to write 1 ~ 2 ounzes?
My 500g packet cost AU$30 (I'm 'appy with that price)

Regards

[Dnderhead]

mite very with brands, 1116 and 1118 have a price of .99$ on line . some others are more.
I just used safebrew 33 it kicked off in about one hour.(in beer)

[MuleKicker]

my bad on the weight...... But a pack is the size of a condom wrapper $20 AU, Thats about $56 US. Id say thats a good deal. G'night, Im tierd....and drunk

[adama_bill]

Hi MuleKicker

My 500grams of Lalvin EC1118 works out at U$26.00.

I'm guessing a condom packet would be 10 ~ 12 grams (?) I'll run up to the drugstore and buy some . . . you never know; I could get lucky.

Regards

[MuleKicker]

i just looked at one of the ec118 packs, turns out mine are only 5g. I must have screwed up the exchange rate too. i guess i was a little tipsy last night. Good luck on your quest too. Cheers MK

[Dnderhead]

20$ for 5g Id be yeast farming.

[MuleKicker]

dnder, its about $1 for the 5g pack.

[adama_bill]

Thanks MK for getting the precise info; "1 packet equals 5 grams".

[blanikdog]

... you never know; I could get lucky. Regards

blanik

[snuffy]

How big are those Aussie condoms? 500 g seems like a lot of protection....

[mds624]

I used to think that the higher abv the better, but now I know that above 14% will produce more impurities. Nothing wrong with the percentage that this recipe produces.
I have considered the solids in brown sugar as both partial nutrients and a very light rum, but mostly as a light rum because the recipe has all the nutrients in it already. I think results will be just as good if you use all white sugar if you wish to have a neutral wash.
The pack of EC-1118 that I use is 5 g, it is good for up to 5 gallons. It costs about 97 cents. Yes, I know that a bit more yeast would reduce fermentation time without adverse effects, even if the EC1118 was substituted with bakers yeast.

[HookLine]

How big are those Aussie condoms? 500 g seems like a lot of protection....

Dangerous country. Venomous critters everywhere. Man can't be too careful with his little man.