Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[Bushman]

OK, I'm back from the mountain and just started the birdwatchers recipe for the first time. I used the following preportions:
10 lbs sugar
3/4 fresh lemon
6 oz can tomato paste
4 gallons of water
4 pkgs of dry yeast

I followed the instructions and mixed it all together at 86F in a 6 gallon fermenting bucket. My starting SG was a little higher than I hoped for 1.1 but left it anyway. The following are pictures of my set-up.

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I put the lid on loose as per the recipe and will put the airlock on after day 3. This set up is done in a small bathroom in case the wash overflows and also I can regulate the temps.

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I purchased this temp controller from ebay per maheels suggestion. Wired it up and it is working great. Set the variance at plus or minus 2.5C. So with the temp set at 27.5C it comes on and runs until it hits 30C and shuts off until it drops to 25C and then comes back on.

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Had to look at it, this is after the first 1/2 hour so things look like they are working the way they should.

[rad14701]

Bushman, that's ~17.6% ABV...

[Paul1453]

This is the next "Tried and True Recipe" I will try, and I will not experiment with it. Following it to the letter to get my supply of neutral back up to an acceptable level, currently I have none.

[maheel]

bushman you should put that temp controller in a little box even tupperware or cardboard or something, if it falls in the sink with any water.... bzzzzt you might get a shock.....

i like to put my temp probe in a little sealed bucket (500ml) so that it does not react to fast temp swings and it helps smooth the temp ranges

i like the in the shower idea

play it safe

[Bushman]

Thanks for the advise maheel I will set it in a box however we have a 5 bedroom house with 3 bathrooms and it is only my wife and I since the kids are grown and gone. This is a small downstairs bathroom and it is off limits when I am doing my wash. I will put it in something however as I don't want it to get knocked off the counter.

[Bushman]

I have two different brands of tomato paste on the shelf and looking at the ingredients I noticed a slight difference. Both cans are 6 ounces but one has 35 calories while the other has 30. Upon a closer look everything appears the same except the one with 35 calories is made from tomato pulp while the other just says tomatoes. Probably doesn't matter in the recipe but I thought it was an interesting side by side comparison. I plan on making two batches soon I will mark and separate the two in different washes just to see if I can see a difference. Problem with this type of experiment on such a small sample is there are too many other variables that could skew the results! Just found it interesting.

[razbarb]

Just put my first Birdwatcher's on.
I scaled the ingredients down to a quarter of birdwatchers recipe; 190ml tomato paste, juice of 3/4 lemon(approx), 4.5kg plain sugar, 64g of baker's yeast and 2 pinches of epsom salts and 20 litres of charcoal filtered rainwater (Gotta use the charcoal filter i bought!)

At 20litres of water my SG was 1.09, so i added more water chasing 1.07 and eventually used 24litres.
I added 64grams of baker's yeast (should have been 56.25g) at a water temp of 30.7 C.
It is now an hour since the wash has been mixed and the yeast activity appears to be good. If i were to measure the froth in litres on my fermenter, it would be 3 litres worth.
I'm looking forward to distillinh this in a few weeks.
Good thing i bought another fermenter to get another going next week.

[maheel]

Just put my first Birdwatcher's on.
I scaled the ingredients down to a quarter of birdwatchers recipe;

sounds like it's going to go fast

whats your normal airtemp over 30' wash and i would consider cooling but thats me

[razbarb]

sounds like it's going to go fast

whats your normal airtemp over 30' wash and i would consider cooling but thats me[/quote]

Hi Maheel, the wash is now under my house where the temp is 20.7 C, the thermometer on the side of my carboy is on 28 C with a bit of colour on the 26 C line.
When moving the wash to under my house the sloshing made the froth disappear. The froth is back now and it's a nice pink colour rather than just colour of the yeast.
I wouldn't know if it's going too fast cos it's only the second wash i've done, the first being a triple distilled turbo.
The lid is on tight on the carboy with the airlock and there are no bubbles yet.

[maheel]

thats a better temp, 30 might be stressing the yeast a bit IMO but really i got NFI just my ideas

if you have a yeast thing happening on top it's working, airlocks not bubbling does not mean much....

check you gravity in a day or so thats the real measure but i reckon you know that anyway

[razbarb]

thats a better temp, 30 might be stressing the yeast a bit IMO but really i got NFI just my ideas

if you have a yeast thing happening on top it's working, airlocks not bubbling does not mean much....

check you gravity in a day or so thats the real measure but i reckon you know that anyway

I've been reading so much between these forums and a couple of books(making vodka and gin and the compleat distiller) that i'm filling my head with info without having distilled much!
I need some practical experience and certainly need to learn how to drive the still better.
These recipes and forums are such a bonus for us all though.

[maritime]

i have found if i make the normal 5 gallon wash,
if i take it to 6 gallons, everything else being the same, i get a bigger heart. at times i get another 500ml of heart.
is it worth it? not sure if the extra propane costs is worth the extra heart. but all i do is add another gallon of water.
so i think it is worth it.
wonder why? just gives the yeast a little more elbow room.
i am running a 2" slant plate over a 7.5 gal keg

[razbarb]

After the first 24 hrs the SG is 1.06 and she'e bubbling at a slow and steady rate.
The thermometer on the carboy reads 20 C and i've opened the door to under my house, since it's a warm day and the warmer outside air temps might help (about 29 C).
All seems well.

[Paul1453]

Started my first Birdwatcher's ferment today. Here is what I used:
20 Lbs white sugar
15 Gal water
4 Fresh Lemons juiced
4 Multivitamins
18 oz Tomato paste
1 tsp Epsom salt
1 cup cooked rice approximately
1/2 tsp each A&G enzymes
4 oz Fleischmann's BreadMachine Yeast

I know I said I was going to follow the recipe exactly and there is no rice in the original, but instead of throwing out our rice from yesterday I just tossed it in. Figured it shouldn't hurt the formula. The only difference between the breadmachine and regular dry yeast was some ascorbic acid in the breadmachine yeast vitamin C 4% so I picked that. Pitched the yeast at 90 F about 30 minutes ago. Just checked and there is a nice 1/2 inch of pink foam on it already. No hydrometer but the pH was 4.9 before pitching the yeast.

I sure hope my new still arrives soon.

[Popcorn Fan]

I like the idea of rice, I have no idea why but I just like it

[Austin Nichols]

I know I said I was going to follow the recipe exactly and there is no rice in the original, but instead of throwing out our rice from yesterday I just tossed it in.

Futzaholic

[rad14701]

I know I said I was going to follow the recipe exactly and there is no rice in the original, but instead of throwing out our rice from yesterday I just tossed it in.

This once again raises the question I thought to myself earlier on in this topic... Why the hell do you keep making too much rice...??? I mean, back down on the recipe, man... Do you only know how to make rice in one proportion...??? Or, better yet, ever heard of eating leftovers...??? Your wash bucket is not a substitute for the garbage pail...



I just couldn't resist temptation... Carry on...

[Paul1453]

With four kids and a wife who eats rice with every meal we almost always have excess cooked rice just waiting to go to waste. Before starting this hobby I threw away too much rice. Now I look at it and say to myself "That looks like free booze not trash".

I considered just omitting the rice in my recipe report, as I knew comments like "Futzaholic" were sure to follow. But I like to tell it like it is, and let the chips fall where they may.

That was a tiny amount of rice compared to this batch size. This ferment is going very well so far. Temp down to 85 F and lots of foaming action going on. Used a new fermentation container for this batch. An 18 G Rubbermaid "Ruffneck".

[razbarb]

I know I said I was going to follow the recipe exactly and there is no rice in the original, but instead of throwing out our rice from yesterday I just tossed it in.

This once again raises the question I thought to myself earlier on in this topic... Why the hell do you keep making too much rice...??? I mean, back down on the recipe, man... Do you only know how to make rice in one proportion...??? Or, better yet, ever heard of eating leftovers...??? Your wash bucket is not a substitute for the garbage pail...



I just couldn't resist temptation... Carry on...

LOL,
Sounds like my house, always have left overs. I don't think outside of the square enough to consider putting some of them in the wash. Although the worms in the compost heap might complain!
Does the rice help feed the yeast?

[razbarb]

It's my second day into a BW's and all is going well, SG down to 1.05.
I will be away for a few days and want to know if this will be fine to leave alone at this point.
I think it should be ok from what i have read so far, just want a bit of re-assurance.

[Paul1453]

Rice plus A&G enzymes will convert to sugars the yeast can use to make alcohol.

[Paul1453]

Futzaholic reporting, 60 hrs into the ferment all is well but bubbling action has reduced significantly. So more sugar is added while stirring it up, and the yeast go nuts creating about 2 inches of foam in about 15 seconds.
I only put 20 lbs of sugar in at the start and that is on the light side for a 15 G ferment. I plan to add 4 lbs more sugar over the next 12 hours and then stop. That would make 24 lbs sugar for this batch, or 8 lbs per 5 G of mash. This mash tastes surprisingly good at this time.

[Bushman]

It's my second day into a BW's and all is going well, SG down to 1.05.
I will be away for a few days and want to know if this will be fine to leave alone at this point.
I think it should be ok from what i have read so far, just want a bit of re-assurance.

I look in on mine daily but nothing to be done after the first couple days of stirring and the airlock is in place. I have a controlled temperature room so not much to go wrong.

[corncooker69]

I have got to say I am glad I found this site and this very good or should I say great alternative to a turbo sugar wash.

I have never tried a turbo, thanks to all the advice from HD, but I have a friend who is just getting started and I tried some of his turbo vodka and all I can say is thank you to Tater and to HD for the information I have got out of this site.

After seeing the difference between a turbo and this recipe, I don't think he will be doing any more of the turbos.

[Bushman]

Woke up this morning and tried to get on the Internet, didn't work so I went to check my wireless router and found that I had popped a fuse. How does this relate to the birdwatchers recipe you ask Well I have two batches of birdwatchers fermenting started one week apart and because the power was out my temp control room dropped down to 17C. Got the temp back up and everything seems to be back to normal While investigating the cause of the popped fuse I went out to the garage and found my son had dropped by and started a rock tumbler which caused the stress.

[Paul1453]

1st time for the BW recipe so please tell me if this is how it normally goes.

The tomato paste went to the bottom early in the ferment, but now it has come back to the top. Does this mean it is almost done?

[maheel]

1st time for the BW recipe so please tell me if this is how it normally goes.

The tomato paste went to the bottom early in the ferment, but now it has come back to the top. Does this mean it is almost done?

did you stir in the TP or just dump it in? when i make it i make sure the TP is thoroughly mixed and not "lumpy" (maybe just a few small lumps)
the whole was is pink -> red and stays that way but clears fairly well to a very light colour after a few weeks.

once in the tub i don't stir / dont add oxygen or anything just leave it alone and it will do it's thing

[Paul1453]

The paste was thoroughly dissolved when initially added, the whole thing looked kind of pink. I have been mixing it up once or twice a day. I have my "Roughneck" tub sitting on top of a heating pad. I used Breadmachine yeast, which I gather from reading on this site is a top fermenter as opposed to a turbo bottom feeder. My heating pad turns off automatically in 1 hour. I have been trying to keep my ferment at 80-85 F. Without the heating pad it will drop below 70 F.

The paste that has reappeared now is above where the heating pad contacts the bottom of the tub and not around the edges. The paste is kind of chunky frothy, sort of like small curd cottage cheese and not as dark red as it originally was. I peeked in just now and noticed the CO2 smell was almost gone and the ethanol smell was quite strong.

I'm guessing that the paste and rice currently floating will drop to the bottom again if I stop using the heating pad and let it cold clear.

[rad14701]

I have been mixing it up once or twice a day.

Haven't we had conversations about sitting on your hands rather than meddling...

I'd say the wash is about done, especially if it tastes dry instead of sweet... A hydrometer reading would tell the tale...

[Bushman]

I used the following preportions:
10 lbs sugar
3/4 fresh lemon
6 oz can tomato paste
4 gallons of water
4 pkgs of dry yeast

OK, this is the first time I've used this recipe. Started it on 1/16 with a starting SG of 1.1, I am now on the 13th day and the SG is 1.034. The airlock is still bubbling away so will leave it longer. My room temp has been a constant 25-30C. The original recipe called for 7-8 days I am hoping to get down to .99 SG but not sure with my starting SG that I will reach it. Any suggestion Do I leave it alone or add something to it. My previous reading was 1/23 and the SG was 1.054.