Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[Dnderhead]

concentrated tomato,found in tubes,small cans.

[ErnieV]

OK Cheers. I'll have a look for it next time i'm in the ASDA (wall mart owned company in the uk)

[southern traditions]

Not having a Reflux still to use for the "spirit" run has anyone done their second run thru a pot still with a thumper instead? Just curious how it turned out? When I built my pot still I designed it using unions so that I could add a thumper with minor changes. I'm aware I can't expect the same results as someone using a reflux but its hot me wondering how the thumper will affect the overall abv%..


Thanks for any suggestions

Martin

[southern traditions]

Just started my first scaled down to 20l Birdwatchers recipe. Starting SG was 1.080 and 20 minutes in you can see the yeast doing its thing. Thanks BW for a easy to follow recipe.

Thanks, Martin

[Devonhomebrew]

ErnieV Im from the uk aswell i just used tomato puree from asda and it is the same thing.

[Lipdog81]

G'day everybody.. Novice Distiller here.. Have run 3 Turbo washes since deciding to take up this wonderful hobby.. not too bad results, got better with each run... but after some scouring I came across something called a TPW.. and with some more googling came across this excellent site and recipe (Thankyou Birdwatcher) and decided to give it a crack.. So set my wash donw exactly 7 days ago... scaled down recipe for a 23L wash.. all started off fine, although SG was probably a little high to start, 1090, but I think that was because I put all my sugar in and didnt split it over 24hrs maybe... anyways she kicked off within minutes of pitching the yeast and got a nice 2-3 inch head on her immediately and bubbled nicely for the first 5 days, SG was coming down about 15 - 20 points per day.. then 2 days ago she stopped on 1010 and hasnt moved... airlock bubbling has ceased, and even with a stir I get maybe 2 "Blurps" out of the airlock and then nothing.... when I lift the lid and put my ear to it I can hear a light fizzing sound.... kinda like soft drink(Soda)... so I have removed the airlock and just covered the hold with a cloth... there is also a layer of sediment about finger widtch at the bottom of the fermenter..

My questions:
1) Is it stuck or finished?
2)If the bubbles mean that it is still working away, should I expect the SG to get below 1000?? Like around 990?

Sorry I have spent the last 3 hours reading this whole post to try and answer my own questions, but having only run turbos I am used to a wash finishing in several days and the SG getting down to 990 by day 4.... I don't want to jump the gun and tip it out, or run it through my reflux prematurely.

I thank you in advance for any answers and look forward to joining this wonderful little community.

Regards
Lipdog81

[thecroweater]

bit of fizzing might still be going a bit, I'd give it a stir leave it for a few days to settle and it should be good to go

[Durace11]

My questions:
1) Is it stuck or finished?
Could be either, wait 2 more days and check the gravity, if it's still at 1.010 then it's done. Stuck or finished it's done.

2) If the bubbles mean that it is still working away, should I expect the SG to get below 1000?? Like around 990?
It could be just degassing CO^2, which is good but can be confused as active fermentation. How low it goes is anyone's guess but 0.990 is freaky low so just wait and see where it goes. Once it stops for 3-4 days it's done.

[Lipdog81]

My questions:
1) Is it stuck or finished?
Could be either, wait 2 more days and check the gravity, if it's still at 1.010 then it's done. Stuck or finished it's done.

2) If the bubbles mean that it is still working away, should I expect the SG to get below 1000?? Like around 990?
It could be just degassing CO^2, which is good but can be confused as active fermentation. How low it goes is anyone's guess but 0.990 is freaky low so just wait and see where it goes. Once it stops for 3-4 days it's done.

Thanks for the replies... so when you say .990 is freaky low... this wash isn't supposed to hit that low like turbo's??

Checked it again this morning and hasn't moved from 1.010.. still slightly fizzing.. so I might just leave it until tomorrow or the next day and run it to see what comes of it....... and of course get another wash straight on the go

[Lipdog81]

Well just a quick update.. I uave left my wash for the last 2 days thinking I might just run it today.. when I went to check it this morning the Hydrometer is down to 1.006 .... guess there must still be some activity 8n there albeit slowly so im gunna let it keep going I think..

In the meantime im of to Bunnings to invest in another fermenter with some of my xmas money from Nana.... im itching to get another wash going is it just me or does watching that head come to life after pitching some yeast become an addiction

[BokaBakla]

Got another 28 gallons of birdwatchers going this time with red star active dry yeast. It has a different smell to it than when using fresh cake yeast.

Yeah lipdog what I noticed, it'll hit 1.01 fairly quick.. Like I start at 1.08 and about 9 days later it's 1.01.. Then it lowers around 0.002 a day afterwards- so ends around 2 + weeks

I only have a 50 watt heater on it though.. This time around I have a 100 watt and the 50 watt in 2 separate kegs wrapped up with movers blankets on bricks- so I'll be able to see if my ferment times improve between the two..

Also starting a keg of rum using bushmans recipe he posted and rice wine on the side for fun.. Asians love their rice wine and figured I'm just the man to make it New years I had some requests since the apple pie was such a big hit.. I've heard the word smooth more in these last couple months than I have in my whole life (if that tells you anything )

[Gaztops]

Gaztops, I do very similar method although With my temp I keep it around 28 C. My wash usually ends up around 12% and takes around 3 weeks to finish fermenting. How long did your wash take?

Also I have done both pitched the yeast and let it go, also have stirred the first 3 days with no noticeable difference.

Please accept my apologies for my late reply, I have had some serious issues with my internet provider.
Since my origional post I have made 3 more washes and all have fermented out in just over 6 days. My starting SG is 1.072 and final SG is 0.992
I use a 50 watt aquarium heater and keep a temperature of 30/31 degrees celcius throughout the fermentation.
The yeast I use is a store bought dried active bakers yeast and the nutrient is tomato puree. I found it hard to get hold of Epsom Salts so I used a brand named Andrews Salts which contains, Magnesium Sulphate, Sodium hydrogen carbonate and citric acid.

I have done 4 washes in all and each one has finished fermenting in under a week and it is Winter here where I live which means the outside temperature is around 7 degrees celcius at the moment. I think the quick ferment is due to the Submersible Aquarium Heater I use, it keeps the temperature of the actual wash at around 30 degrees celcius.

Edit:- I pitched my yeast just onto the surface of the wash and left it for the duration of the ferment, no stirring at all.

Hope this helps.

[thepatchworkdoll]

Hi Guys. Birdwatchers possible failure. I have 100 ltrs of Birdwatchers which has been going under airlock for 5 weeks now. Latest reading 1010. Stopped bubbling completely. Whats the score. Do I run it, tip it or what. Any offers greatly appreciated.
Regards
Patch

[Undies]

Latest reading 1010.

What was the initial reading?

[thepatchworkdoll]

Hi there the initial reading was just over 1080.
regards
Patch

[Undies]

Hi there the initial reading was just over 1080.
regards
Patch

According to this... http://homedistiller.org/calcs/alcohol_content" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
... your alcohol content is 9%. So it might be done. My last batch was around the same before it stalled. I suspect something was not quite 100% like temperature, contamination, bad batch of yeast, etc...

[southern traditions]

Hi Guys. Birdwatchers possible failure. I have 100 ltrs of Birdwatchers which has been going under airlock for 5 weeks now. Latest reading 1010. Stopped bubbling completely. Whats the score. Do I run it, tip it or what. Any offers greatly appreciated.
Regards
Patch

What temp are you keeping it at? I had one slow down similar to yours and it was due to the temp in my fermentor. I bought a 100w submersible aquarium heater and set it for 80F and it finished two days later at 99.2. Now I use the heater on every Birdwatchers to keep my ferment time more consistent.. I've got a 60L wash ready to run now that finished in 6 days..


Martin

[Lipdog81]

Hi Guys. Birdwatchers possible failure. I have 100 ltrs of Birdwatchers which has been going under airlock for 5 weeks now. Latest reading 1010. Stopped bubbling completely. Whats the score. Do I run it, tip it or what. Any offers greatly appreciated.
Regards
Patch

Hi Patch

Whilst I am still in my early days of being a home distiller I am onto my 3rd run of BW's now and on all three of them (25L) the same thing happened to me.. SG was 1090, dropped nicely under airlock for the 1st 5-7 days to the 1010 mark, then they just slow up.. I still get a very slight fizzing when I open my lid and after the 1st 7 days I take the airlock out and just cover the airlock hole with a clean cloth or facewasher to stop stuff getting in. The 1st batch I ran at 1000 because I was impatient and it was ok, but the next washes I let ferment for 2 weeks and the eventually dropped to .990 and .992 respectively and they taste much better.. after pitching, my washes drop by about .010 per 24hrs (i.e. 1090 - 1080 - 1070 etc) then when they get to around 1010 they slow up to dropping at the .002 per 24hrs (i.e. 1010 - 1008 - 1006 etc)

Hope that makes sense

[thepatchworkdoll]

hi st & lipdog my temp is 25c controlled with aquarium controller and insulated box for retaining temp.
regards
Patch

[southern traditions]

Hi Patch,
If its been several days since its been at its current SG I'd consider it finished and go ahead and run it. What I've found in my short distilling time is not every wash is going to finish in the ideal 99-99.5 range. The last two Birdwatchers washes I've run I've tried to keep the beginning SG in the 1.070 - 1.080 range and each one has finished in about 6-7 days around 99.0-99.5.. Hope this helps..

Martin

[klondike]

Started my first Birdwatcher's sugar wash two weeks before Christmas. Added a little more sugar and tomato paste than in the recipe, and used cuvee yeast. I figured it would definitely be done in three weeks, if not sooner. Have aquarium heaters in each 20+ gallon batch, set between 76 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash still has foam caps on top. Is it stuck? If so, what would anybody suggest to start it back up? Or should I just run it? Haven't checked sg or alcohol content with an alcohol meter (one that reads low alcohol content). Any suggestions would be helpful. I'm out of likker and am itching to run this stuff.

[klondike]

Regarding last post, I tasted the wash. It was still sweet. Potential alcohol read a little over 5%. SG between 1.040 and 1.050. Added a small amount of yeast nutrient. Again, any suggestions welcome.

[frozenthunderbolt]

If you used the original BW recipe (a bit on the high side sugar wise) and added more sugar you are really stressing the yeast, take a couple of gallons out of each and add some pure water to dilute it a bit and drop the sugar content.

[klondike]

I added water to each batch and added more cuvee yeast right after I posted last night. Everything is bubbling away nicely now.

[frozenthunderbolt]

I added water to each batch and added more cuvee yeast right after I posted last night. Everything is bubbling away nicely now.

Every one makes the 'greed' mistake when first starting out - keep them washes to 10-12% ABV potential and you will get much more useable tasty product than if you pushed them to 15% or more (you have to take much bigger head and tail cuts when you stress the yeast to these levels)
To help you out try the calculators here:
http://homedistiller.org/calcs/rad14701" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[klondike]

Actually, I have been doing this for over three years. I make very good liquor. This was the first time I've ever had a stuck fermentation. I do aim for about 12% abv. For most of the time I've been distilling, I have been using a scotch recipe that works great. Decided to try a straight sugar wash because malt extract is expensive and my wife wanted me to make something that tastes more neutral. Thanks for your input.

[frozenthunderbolt]

Well there you go; assume makes an ass out of u and me, but mostly just me this time My bad! Most folks with 12 posts that would have been spot on advice sorry

[Undies]

Well there you go; assume makes an ass out of u and me, but mostly just me this time My bad! Most folks with 12 posts that would have been spot on advice sorry

Respect to both of you for not getting your backs up.

[jeremy38541]

Hi everyone! After lurking around here for the better part of 6 months I decided it was time to create an account. I’ve read through many of the pages on the main site, every post in the beginners must read section and numerous other posts throughout the forum. I’m glad I did because I think in the long run it saved me a lot of time by avoiding turbo washes, etc. In the end I built a 30 quart reflux still. With it I’m able to get 94-95% abv. There are no questionable materials used, all copper with the exception of the stainless pot and lead-free solder.

This is the recipe I have used exclusively and I’ve probably done 5 or 6 reflux runs, each with 2 stripping runs. This recipe is sooo easy to follow and I can get it ready in only a few minutes. That works out really well for me because although I love the hobby I don’t have an endless amount of time to spend with it.

I pretty much drink vodka exclusively. One of the drinks I enjoy are vodka sodas which leaves almost nothing to hide the flavor of the vodka. With the vodka sodas I notice an off-taste and I can’t quite put my finger on it, I just really don’t know how to describe it. I don’t really notice it if I mix it with something like Coke because there’s so much other flavor in it. What I’m asking is, with this wash is it possible to get the same quality vodka I would buy in the store without charcoal filtering it or anything after? I don’t expect top shelf vodka and I don’t need it either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing the recipe at all and I’m fully willing to take the blame on maybe not making the proper cuts or something else in my process. As for the cuts, I’ve tried to take what I would think to be just the very best of the hearts and mix it up in a small quantity and I still get the same off flavor.

I’m just wondering what is the best I can expect from this. If what I have is the best then that’s fine and I won’t bother worrying about it anymore. I used a lot of flux when I soldered the joints because I’m not very confident in my soldering skills so I was wondering if maybe there’s some flux left in there contributing to the flavor.

Any thoughts? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[frozenthunderbolt]

did you do a vinegar run and sacrificial booze run before running your rig to get drinking spirit? If not, there may still be flux in it affecting the taste (and safety!) of your finished booze.

For all the BW does make a great neutral I also get a very faint odd not with it (i always put this down to my crap commercial still though) a very faint bitterness would be the closest i cold describe it, but it still aint quite the correct word