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Hey, I am from an Appalachian area and even though we have been brewing a bit this Summer, I don't know much and am not afraid to admit it I am fully up to speed on the cooking portion, but the ferment is where I am stumped now.
My ex and I were watching a certain reality show about this topic last Spring and decided if they could do it, we could figure it out. Well, we did and even got the last few batches virtually tasteless and burned a beautiful low blue.
Very small, I have 2 5 gallon water jugs with an air lock that I used this summer to ferment, then cooked off in a pressure cooker set up that was surprisingly easy.
My issue is this, the ex is long gone and now that it's too cold outside for the ferment to just take place naturally in the sun, I am trying to figure out the easiest way to keep it hot enough to still make my little micro batches.
I'm not going to gather firewood to keep it heated in the yard, and I think doing it on my stove is out because I don't want my whole house to have that stench so, I am sure there is a solution that would make me able to still turn around my little batches of goodness? Hopefully something that I can do with limited tools?
I started to post something yesterday, but my internet connection crapped out on me.
I don't know your living arrangement, but there are several ways that you may be able to ferment in the winter months.
Option 1) Brew things like rum or brandy that tend to give off a more pleasing aroma than other types of fermentations. That way you might be able to brew indoors without any complaints.
Option 2) Brew in a basement, root cellar, etc. If you harness an underground space's natural warmth-in-the-winter and coolness-in-the-summer, that's always a good way to go.
Option 3) Fermentation is an exothermic reaction, and if you brew rum with a fair amount of nutrients, it will run quite a bit warmer than other, less robust ferments. Some of these guys can tell you stories of rum fermentations getting so hot that it actually killed the yeast.
Option 4) Find a brewing buddy who shares your interest, ideally one with a suitable space to ferment, and the two of you go in together on it. This is another good option, but it really depends a lot on your brewing buddy.
Option 5) Use a heating pad or a light bulb to keep a fermentation warm. The heating pad would be wrapped around the jug. The light bulb would be run in a semi-enclosed space as a heat source, incubator-style. You can adjust the temperature by changing the wattage of the bulb. (Exercise caution with the light bulb method.)
Pick your poison.
One thing to keep in mind is that a 5-gallon ferment won't freeze overnight if it stays someplace that reaches, say, 60 F during the day and drops to, say, 25 F at night, particularly if there's some insulation involved and perhaps a concrete slab underneath.
I found that 5-gallon batches will take on an average between daytime and nighttime temperatures, or a little above average, and not vary more than one or two degrees from day to night.
Next, a lot of guys here frown on pressure cookers, since most are made from aluminum, and aluminum is not nearly as chemically inert as most people think. Pressure cookers also rely on rubber gaskets, and rubber is also frowned upon if it comes into contact with your alcohol at any point in time.
Look around here on the forums, on the parent site, google images, etc. for a million other ways to make a still that don't involve using aluminum or rubber in the vapor path.
I'm guessing you want a stovetop unit, so look at any of the designs that involve a good sized stainless stockpot, some copper tubing, a plastic bucket as a flake stand, and a few other bits and pieces to hold everything together.
what exactly are you makin that you're worried about stench?
Something like UJSSM should be able to ferment fine indoors without smelling up the place , same with all-bran, or gerber washes too .
Even my bourbon mashes were OK indoors .
You may find that you can make a better hooch of you try and keep a consistent temp during your ferment rather that hot-cool-hot-cool ... that temperature change stresses yeast and stressed yeast make bad flavors and smells.
if you have access to a consistently cool place (50-55) you can use a lager yeast , otherwise you'll need to try and keep temps about 70 and use an ale yeast .
hope that helps
NChooch
Practice safe distillin and keep your hobby under your hat.
Ah, clearly I will need to do MUCH more research. My mash is corn, sugar, water and yeast. I used champagne yeast for the longest and we just tried Turbo yeast at the end of the summer. I did not notice a difference in flavor but it did finish bubbling maybe a day or 2 sooner.
I also think waiting a day or so after it has stopped bubbling is when we lost the nasty taste of our product. In the first few runs, it tasted like the ferment smelled. It would still give you a buzz but..ewwww. Of course that is just a guess about waiting a bit but.........
I know my set up is not pro. But, again, it is SUCH small scale and I am still running with my training wheels. For my purposes, learning the process was first and with time and experience I would allow for upgrades. What I can tell you for now is that basic or not, what I have made is good! I even shared some with family that buy shine from somewhere in Tennessee and got a thumbs up.
I have found that my cooking temps don't match the info that I found online but, I did sort out the right temp for my set up. Went from about a pint jar and a half to apprx a quart jar and a half as I got that all worked out as well.
Welcome to HD RedHead, This is the setup I use in the winter, I use aquarium heaters and insulate and do it in the shop, not because of smell, I just don't have a lot of room in the house. The aquarium heaters work great to maintain a steady temp in the cold winter weather here, I just have too many other hobbies to do much stillin in the summer which would be easier but hey ya gota do what ya gotta do. Good luck, oh and ya don't have to use fiberglass insulation but it works fine for me and it is what I had laying around.
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OlympicMtDoo wrote:Welcome to HD RedHead, This is the setup I use in the winter, I use aquarium heaters and insulate and do it in the shop, not because of smell, I just don't have a lot of room in the house. The aquarium heaters work great to maintain a steady temp in the cold winter weather here, I just have too many other hobbies to do much stillin in the summer which would be easier but hey ya gota do what ya gotta do. Good luck, oh and ya don't have to use fiberglass insulation but it works fine for me and it is what I had laying around.
I'm in cold country myself and was looking to find a remedy for this same issue. I'm interested in your aquarium heaters idea. I have a similar setup you show in your pictures except mines in a plywood box with rigid insulation inside. What brand/size heaters are they? I take it there's a thermostat with the heater? The first stage of the wash creates plenty heat by itself. Will the heater stay off until it's needed later when the mash cools down, when set at, say 80 degrees?
I am fully up to speed on the cooking portion, but the ferment is where I am stumped now.