blakesduc wrote:Ran my first batch this past weekend and got ok results the first pass it had a red tent to it and I ran it back through and it seemed to clear with a proof of 190 each time I decided to carbon polish it and when I did the red tent came back any suggestions of what is going on and should I be worried and use this as fire starter I have ran it threw a few filters and cooler will not go away I have two more gallons that I have not carbon polished and they are still clear . My still is a 6 ft reflux the first pass I did not have my ceramic packing and got the 190 proof the second time had the ceramic rings in and got same proof with color gone just do not understand why it came back with carbon polish
I would think if your wash wasn't infected and you used tomato past in your wash per the recipe. The obvious assumption would point to the tomato paste as the source of the red tint. It's interesting how the red tint came back after carbon filtering.Hmmm. Giving the fact you have ran Birdwatchers and I haven't certainly makes you more experienced the me. However, if I wind up with your results and it tasts neutral........ I'm drinking it.
Maybe extra racking and longer settling time was needed..
Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over....
Perhaps the activated carbon needed to be cleaned... Best bet is to learn how not to need activated carbon... Dilute to under 40% ABV and redistill... You need the practice, anyway, plus it's fun...
dude, you probably had tomato paste chunks in the wash and you puked some into the strip. 1) make sure you mix the tom.paste with hot water to break it up and 2) check yer tubes, you probably have puke in there contributing to the "tint"
With this recipe (I have only done it about 4 times now), there is absolute no reason to carbon filter if distilled correctly and cut correctly ...
LTV - "keep in mind distilling is like masturbating. You do one wrong and you go blind."
Want to keep people from consulting idiots on youTube about distilling?? Don't be an idiot when someone asks for advice ... Help them
Doogie wrote:With this recipe (I have only done it about 4 times now), there is absolute no reason to carbon filter if distilled correctly and cut correctly ...
I have done this recipe lots of times, but I'm not very good at cutting yet (for whatever reason). I'm learning, but it's quite an art. Point is, I make the cuts the best I can but still carbon filter once blended. It corrects the shortfall in my cutting skills. Over time, the better I cut, the less I carbon.
Let me explain a little better the two gallons that I have not carbon cleaned are clear and taste good no real burn even at 190 but the one that I carbon polished is clear but red tent and is hash even when cut to 110 all this seems crazy to me column was clean would say I could have let it settle a little more before running but this wash stalled at .100 and just had to run
Hi Mate,
I have been doing this recipe for over 12 months and have never had any colour come through even when pot stilled, i think Rad is right and the colour and harshness is from the carbon not being clean prior to filtering as others have said run this slow through your reflux column and you should not need to filter it.
Regs
Braemar
endwrench wrote:Whhhoohhh! Just finished reading all 81 pages.
1/2 cup of bakers yeast per 5gal (19L)
warmth - atleast 75 deg f - prefer 85-95 deg f
endwrench
Not sure why you are using so much yeast? The original recipe calls for 56g in 5 gallons of wash, which is .41 cups as opposed to your .50.
I just tried 3 TBSP, or .19 C, and it worked just fine. At $4.25 a jar, I am trying to make my yeast go farther.
Also, I have read that lower temps, while finishing slower, seem to produce less off flavors. Something to consider. If my wash finishes on a day when I can't distill (often), I just let it sit for a few days or a week until I can run it. Just gives more time for the yeast to settle out.
My 2¢, YMMV
Not exactly sure how I went about calculating the 1/2 cup? I get 2lbs of yeast for 3 bucks so I'm not too concerned about price. At some point when I get some stock built up I do plan to experiment some with temperature and other things. I want to keep all things the same for now and change one thing at a time. I plan to attack this hobby a little more scientifically than I did beer brewing. I made tons of different styles of beer but it was about 3 years before I actually started making "good" beer .
Scaled this recipe down to two five gallon batches, and the first one started bubbling immediately and the second one took only about an hour to start. Both are going good now. My only question is on the quantity of yeast. I bought some instant dry yeast in bulk and I'm wondering if you use the same amount as the active yeast? I did a couple of searches and found that it was OK to use but nothing different on the quantity. Thanks in advance.
Doogie wrote:With this recipe (I have only done it about 4 times now), there is absolute no reason to carbon filter if distilled correctly and cut correctly ...
I have done this recipe lots of times, but I'm not very good at cutting yet (for whatever reason). I'm learning, but it's quite an art. Point is, I make the cuts the best I can but still carbon filter once blended. It corrects the shortfall in my cutting skills. Over time, the better I cut, the less I carbon.
Simple fix would be to make more cuts. I usually do 350mL cuts, and when I detect I am into the hearts, then I crank it to 450mL for about 5 jars, then back to 350 to try and detect the tails. Take only the best stuff to keep, and I usually toss 75% of the heads (at the beginning) and keep the late heads and tails and add them to the next run. Oh, and I use a pot still, no reflux column, and it comes out great.
To detect, I soak my finger with what is coming out, and immediate rub it all over my tongue - this allows your palette to detect things, and may give you a clue. Spit it out though
LTV - "keep in mind distilling is like masturbating. You do one wrong and you go blind."
Want to keep people from consulting idiots on youTube about distilling?? Don't be an idiot when someone asks for advice ... Help them
Doogie wrote:Take only the best stuff to keep, and I usually toss 75% of the heads (at the beginning) and keep the late heads and tails and add them to the next run.
What Doogie means is late heads and early tails (not late tails) sometimes we type too fast.
I've found BW to be more difficult to make cuts. Maybe it's the lack of overall nasties in it, or perhaps the lack of flavor. Not sure. Either way it's one where I definitely have to collect in small amounts to make good cuts, and it's usually one where I can't exactly tell which jar is where it starts to get funky like I can on a lot of other runs. It's much more gradual.
Experience is what you get right after you need it.
I have made this wash with distillers yeast and have a really hard bite but I had also had a high alcohol content in wash doubling sugar had a good turn out but even after cutting to 50 proof really has a real bite to it almost as it had never been cut from the original 190 proof could this be from distillers yeast ,high alcohol content wash or what. I was going to try again starting at 1.06 using bakers yeast and hope for a little better any input would help .
blakesduc wrote:I have made this wash with distillers yeast and have a really hard bite but I had also had a high alcohol content in wash doubling sugar had a good turn out but even after cutting to 50 proof really has a real bite to it almost as it had never been cut from the original 190 proof could this be from distillers yeast ,high alcohol content wash or what. I was going to try again starting at 1.06 using bakers yeast and hope for a little better any input would help .
Isn't distillers' yeast just mumbo-jumbo salesman speak for turbo yeast? If so, you will almost never get good flavors from turbo. Save it for making shit you plan on burning/detonating, not drinking. Your description of the result makes me think it was turbo. You can get MUCH better results by adding nutrients and using something like a champagne yeast or other high alcohol tolerant yeast. Lalvin ec1118 is pretty common, but expensive, and many prefer to just go with the cheap and available baker's yeast.
Experience is what you get right after you need it.
Down to a SG of .980 on my 30 gal wash. Holding out for a SG of .950. It still has kept dropping everyday, course it's only dropping .010 per day for the last couple. I planned to rack it at least twice and it settle couple weeks.
Is this kinda excessive and not needed?
Last edited by Navy vet on Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over....
Given that this post is currently 84pages long and I might have missed a thing or two, just wanted to ask a few clarifying questions:
1. For a 3Gal batch, would the following be correct?
-7Tbsp Tomato paste
-Splash of Lemon juice
-5.6 Lbs sugar
-10g EC-1118
2. Do I need the lightbulb/heat belt? Or can I stick it in my brew closet like I do for my other washes?
Well on my third day of my wash started at 1.07 now down to 1.02 the smell is still really pleasant I had tried this before with baker and Crosby distillers yeast and had peaked sugar content out at 75lbs sugar and the smell was like a bad battery for first three days this made some high proof stuff but the bite was unreal but this is nice I only used 40lbs this time and bakers yeast based on smell think this will be smoother
I'd like to report my results of my 30 gal bird watchers wash. First, I have to give a big thanks to Mash Rookie. The packed SS scribble column work great! You saved me a lot of work as I was going to add more plates.
My wash finished at .950 and settled for about a week. I followed the original recipe to the letter. Only exception was I didn't transfer wash. I did filter the wash twice with paper shop rags in a strainer. ( rags in a box) white, no coloring.
After removing foreshots and a wide head cut, I averaged between 190-192% the entire run. Only the very end of the run my ABV dropped off to 188%. After my cuts I put everything into a big SS mixing bowl and proofed it all down to 40%.
I was surprised just how much 80 proof vodka I made. I tasted it (sniff, taste, spit). My tempory medication forbids any consumption. However I had a couple of vodka snobs with me and they reported it was premium. I ran 25 gal of my wash in two runs and I couldn't keep track of my total yield as my friends brought over several empty bottles and were filling them up with great enthusiasm. To remove any temptation on my part I instructed them to take it all with them.
As a complete novice I can say this recipe made me a Master Distiller in the eyes of my friends and family.
It's truly a great recipe..
Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over....
Nice one, NV. I have made a couple of those, and like it as well. It has a hint of taste to it that I cannot describe... different but pleasant. Not completely neutral, but I only distilled once (I'm drinking it too fast to be able to mix batches and re-distill). Was thinking of soaking some raw pineapple in some at 90% and see what it tastes like after a few days.
I'm currently working on Uncle Remus Rice Vodka recipe. Smells like it will be nice, as well.
F6Hawk wrote:Nice one, NV. I have made a couple of those, and like it as well. It has a hint of taste to it that I cannot describe... different but pleasant. Not completely neutral, but I only distilled once (I'm drinking it too fast to be able to mix batches and re-distill). Was thinking of soaking some raw pineapple in some at 90% and see what it tastes like after a few days.
I'm currently working on Uncle Remus Rice Vodka recipe. Smells like it will be nice, as well.
I did notice the neutral really came out at 80 proof, I was going to stop at 100 but it seemed to have that same flavor you described. Big difference down to 80. Also I have great artesian well water, I may try distilled or bottled water next time.
I'm gonna follow you on the Uncle Remus rice vodka thread.
N.V.
Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over....
Hi Everyone. I am about to try the BW recipe for the 1st time but have a question regarding the yeast. I am wondering whether to use dry active yeast or bakers yeast(wet) and if the amounts stay the same with both or should the dry active yeast be scaled back to 2:1 ratio. thx
mano wrote:Hi Everyone. I am about to try the BW recipe for the 1st time but have a question regarding the yeast. I am wondering whether to use dry active yeast or bakers yeast(wet) and if the amounts stay the same with both or should the dry active yeast be scaled back to 2:1 ratio. thx
I used dry bakers yeast, it worked great. Go on the web and search for a yeast calutator. It will give you conversion amount from fresh to dry yeast.
I proofed my yeast in a gal of my wash first, watch it close, when it kicks off it foams up fast.
This recipe won't disappoint...
Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over....
so could someone convert this to standard and not kg and for a 5 gallon wash for a newbie....this recipe was recommended to make a neutral flavor for making mixes like apple pie. Was gunna give it a shot but my math skills are as good as a 2nd graders.
Best bet is to learn how not to need activated carbon... 
Dilute to under 40% ABV and redistill... 
You need the practice, anyway, plus it's fun... 
.
