Wineos Plain Ol Sugar Wash

[basementjack]

i just took cuts, got rid of 100mm of foreshots and stopped cooking when the still reached 90 celsius. I got 80% alcohol from start to finish, thats the most my still will output

[rad14701]

basementjack, it would help us immensely if you were to inform us as to what type of still you are running... Pot Still, Liquid Management, Vapor Management, Cooling Management, Air Still...???

[SMiTH]

I went to the home brew store today to pick up some DAP to give this wash a go and they sold me bentonite (used to clear wine) I think i already know the answer to this question but I feel the need to ask it, can this be used as a substitute? (I'm gonna go ahead and say no)

for the guys in Oz, where are you getting yours?

_____________
SMiTH

[leiothrix]

Bentonite is clay which as you said is used to clear wine, whereas DAP is a free nitrogen source for the yeasties.

Grain and grape in melbourne sell DAP for 19.95/kg http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/product ... ts_id=8195

HTH,
Rob.

[SMiTH]

Cheers leiothrix! ill order some now!

_______________
SMiTH

[braemar]

I got a kilo from countrybrewer for around $20
Regs braemar

[SMiTH]

okie doke, got my DAP in the post today and I wanted to run a couple of things by you all before i throw in the yeast and play the waiting game...

Firstly, this is the reading on my hydrometer, I bought a hydrometer to make sure this wash is right so I have never used one before, is this OK? if not what do I need to do to the wash before I put the yeast in


Second of all I bought this bakers yeast, will this do?


for a bigger picture of the bakers yeast see <http://s883.photobucket.com/albums/ac36 ... G_0343.jpg

[olddog]

That's the yeast I use, I can't see enough detail with your hydrometer to comment.


OD

[Titus-a-fishus]

+1 on the yeast

Remember you need an alcometer and a hydrometer
One for checking your alcohol and one for the wash

TAF

[SMiTH]

Cheers fishus got an alcometer with the still when i bought it,

Here is a full size image of the hydrometer,

[olddog]

Looks fine to me.



OD

[SMiTH]

what exactly am I looking at though?

[Dnderhead]

using a beer/wine hydrometer-
a hydrometer measure density-or weight of ? compared to water. as you add something to water you change the weight of it.
sugar increases the weight ,so the more sugar is in the solution the more it will displace,then the hydrometer floats higher. doing so you can tell
how much sugar is in the solution, from 1.000= none to say 1.140 witch would be 364 grams/liter or 18.6% possible alcohol.
this can only be read directly with water,as other stuff that does not ferment in the mix will/can affect the reading.(grains/fruit juice/molasses etc)
say you have a mix of fruit juice/water ,first take a reading,(og) as a example,this mite be 1.010,after adding sugar it reads 1.080- so you can subtract.
1.010 from 1.080= 1.070 or you have added 182 grams/l or have 9.3% possible alcohol + whatever is in the juice.

now-as the yeast consume the sugars the solution will loose weight,so the hydrometer will sink, you can take readings as you go.this will give you
an idea how far along the ferment is,when it reads the 1.000 (for water) or the same as it did to start,you know the yeast has consumed the sugar you added.
readings below this the yeast are consuming the sugars in the juice/molasses or whatever you started with.

when making a recipe you do have to estimate sugars in the juice/molasses etc..until you have done a few. most recipes this has been done and will
give you a OG (original gravity) and a FG (final gravity).

all this sounds complacated,but not once you understand how it works,it is more so to exsplain.

[Mr.Spooky]

using a beer/wine hydrometer-
a hydrometer measure density-or weight of ? compared to water. as you add something to water you change the weight of it.
sugar increases the weight ,so the more sugar is in the solution the more it will displace,then the hydrometer floats higher. doing so you can tell
how much sugar is in the solution, from 1.000= none to say 1.140 witch would be 364 grams/liter or 18.6% possible alcohol.
this can only be read directly with water,as other stuff that does not ferment in the mix will/can affect the reading.(grains/fruit juice/molasses etc)
say you have a mix of fruit juice/water ,first take a reading,(og) as a example,this mite be 1.010,after adding sugar it reads 1.080- so you can subtract.
1.010 from 1.080= 1.070 or you have added 182 grams/l or have 9.3% possible alcohol + whatever is in the juice.

now-as the yeast consume the sugars the solution will loose weight,so the hydrometer will sink, you can take readings as you go.this will give you
an idea how far along the ferment is,when it reads the 1.000 (for water) or the same as it did to start,you know the yeast has consumed the sugar you added.
readings below this the yeast are consuming the sugars in the juice/molasses or whatever you started with.

when making a recipe you do have to estimate sugars in the juice/molasses etc..until you have done a few. most recipes this has been done and will
give you a OG (original gravity) and a FG (final gravity).

all this sounds complacated,but not once you understand how it works,it is more so to exsplain.

what you have just wrote here should be included in the directions sold with these. perfect explination

[stillin]

Mixed up a 25L wash of WPOSW and it come out just as advertised. Fermented out in a couple a weeks, let settle for about a week and its clear as a bell with a apple juice like color to it. So I made up another and kept it at a little higher temp. and it finished a bit quicker(bout 10 days). Letting it settle right now and plan to make a 12gal run next week. Can hardly wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing this recipe Wineo. I'll post the results next week!!

[SMiTH]

Okie Doke, left the wash for a while, took another reading on the hydrometer this morning, there is a significant difference, is it close to being done?

[rad14701]

Okie Doke, left the wash for a while, took another reading on the hydrometer this morning, there is a significant difference, is it close to being done?

Don't rush it... A reading of 1.000 - .980 will indicate that the wash is done, BUT only if all bubbling has stopped... Just let to go until it starts to clear, then you can be sure it is finished... It needs to clear anyway so just wait for that indicator...

Patience, patience, patience... You'll need plenty of that to succeed at this hobby...

[SMiTH]

awesome thanks! It was still bubbling when I took this reading so I'll leave it another week and see how it goes, then siphon it off the yeast cake which should make it clear faster.

[braemar]

Hi Smithy,
I'v got one at about the same stage as yours at about 1.01 sg as RAD said wait until it's at or below the small 10 on your hydromometer in the photo ,im also in oz and depending where you are you may need some heat cause it's winter here i keep mine at around 28 c and it will take around 14 days from go to woe, i will only take the heat off when it has completely stopped bubbling, I know we are vey impatient buggars down here but you will see the benifits of waiting. I'v been doing this for around 12 months and there's always something to learn from these blokes so hang in there.
good luck mate
braemar

[SMiTH]

Cheers braemar, I probably should look at getting some heating pads or belts, although winter has almost subsided. I'm in newcastle at the moment so min temp in winter has been around 10 and max is 20. I took another look at the wash yesterday and its still bubbling away happily.

[braemar]

Hi Smithy,
I have three fermenters going at a time and i keep them warm by joining two single electric blankets together longways , the width of the blankets suites the height of the fermenters, one blanket is ideal for a single fermenter as it goes around almost twice, you can set them on 1, 2, or 3 depending on the temp. and they only cost around one cent per hour to run. I also wrap one of those silver tsrps around the whole thing to insulate it.
Regards
Braemar

[Torry73]

Hi Braemar,
I have been watch this thread with great interest.I like the idea of the electric blanket, I also live in Oz, Adelaide Hills, the overnight temp here are about 1-2 degrees c .So I use an old fridge with a 75 watt light globe to heat up to temp then a 40 or 25 watt to keep it constant at about 28.Thanks Guys for sharing your recipes and helpfull hints.I do like the clean finish I get from this recipy.

[braemar]

Hi Tory,
Do you use the original recipe or have you modified it for your conditions, my three washes have been going for 20 days and one is still blurping, i have kept them between 26 & 28 deg c. I was wondering if you have added any extra yeast to speed it up a bit.
regs
Braemar

[LWTCS]

You could try pitching a bit more yeast to help "power" through a bit more quickly but that may change the flavor profile.

If you can get yourself another ferment bucket up and running to try and get on top of your consumption curve,,,,do so.

Then you can take your time on your ferments and also make ruthless cuts during stilling. Thus giving youself some really good likker.

By doing this, you will advance more quickly by moving more slowly.

[Torry73]

Hi Braemar
I am still learning so I stick with the original recipe,hopefully that way I don't stuff it up ,I guess for me Tried and True Recipes says it all .I look and learn from others who have the knowledge and experience.My wash has been going for about two weeks at 28 deg C .For me the time doesn't matter,I have 4 fermenters going with recipes from this site.Like they keep saying don't rush it

[braemar]

thanks guys i'm the same as torry i just follow the recipe , wineo does say in this thread that he has doubled the yeast to speed it up but as you say it might effect the taste, i have three fermenters going now, i dont think the minister for war and finance would like too many more lined up on the bench, i might try more yeast in one batch the next time i load the 3 of them up to compare.
thanks torry & lwtcs for your imput
Regs
Braemar

[SMiTH]

ran my wash tonight, clear like apple juice, no floaties or clouding at all however I'm not completely sure if I got the recipe right considering out of a 22l wash I got 2 1/2 litres of distillate... did i not put enough sugar in? I used 3.6kg

[heeler]

That sounds about right......after cuts (fores-heads (hearts to keep) and tails) I get about 2&1/2 qts after cutting to 45%. I make a 5 gallon mash and cook good and slow, I'm in no real hurry when it comes to cooking. Now I might toss more than others but I just add it back next time so I'm not really throwing it away just delaying it's collection.

[rad14701]

SMITH, that sounds pretty much spot on for your ~10% wash... Perhaps even a bit high if you were running a reflux column at high purity... If you made proper cust, and it blends well after airing, then I'd consider it a very successful run...

[Bayou-Ruler]

SMITH, that sounds pretty much spot on for your ~10% wash... Perhaps even a bit high if you were running a reflux column at high purity... If you made proper cust, and it blends well after airing, then I'd consider it a very successful run...

+1