Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[OlympicMtDoo]

Wash is at 1.000 but still bubbling away. If at .995 it is still bubbling, should I wait for it to stop bubbling before distilling

By all means let it finish bubbling but it won't get much dryer.

[Due51]

I had a little more than a gallon from my first batch of birdwatchers that had been done and cleared for a few weeks. I decided to make a pot still and run it on the stove top (electric). I've collected about 300 ml of 95 proof at about 1 drop per second. I've been running for about 3 hours but it's been a great learning experience monitoring the heat on the stove, the temp of the discharge tube and distillate, and adding snow to my big cooler holding the worm. This had been a lot of fun. And the best part is my wife calmly worked around all my stuff as she prepared dinner and didn't have a single negative word to say.

All hail the drinkin man.

[george_bryant_nz]

From a 25l wash how many l should I collect, at this stage i'm aiming at 3.5L

Do I "have" to re-distill? Not that I actually know how....

[NZChris]

Aim to turn it off when it tastes bad George. You get what you get. Don't forget to throw away the first 150ml of foreshots. They are toxic.

You don't have to distil twice. It depends on what you want to achieve.
If you don't care what it tastes like and you just wanna get drunk, it'll do the job and give you a very fine hangover.
If you only want to make Bloody Marys out of it, it might be nice.
If you want to buy bottles of flavour from your local home brew shop to make cheap Whatever, don't expect rave reviews from the Missus.

[george_bryant_nz]

Aim to turn it off when it tastes bad George. You get what you get. Don't forget to throw away the first 150ml of foreshots. They are toxic.

You don't have to distil twice. It depends on what you want to achieve.
If you don't care what it tastes like and you just wanna get drunk, it'll do the job and give you a very fine hangover.
If you only want to make Bloody Marys out of it, it might be nice.
If you want to buy bottles of flavour from your local home brew shop to make cheap Whatever, don't expect rave reviews from the Missus.

I absolutely care what it tastes like. How does one redistill?

[NZChris]

Hound Dog already done tole yer that in this page of this thread

[george_bryant_nz]

You guess no or so?

I have a pot and reflux still, I see no mention in the directions as to what still to run the wash through.

Can someone please give me a clear answer. Thanks

If you have both stills you have the perfect setup to make a good neutral from this. Strip two batches of wash down in your pot still and just collect everything as "low wines". Dilute the "low wines" down to 35% and run it in your reflux still making your cuts and you will be good.

Ok, so when you say to strip to two batches do you mean to half the 25l wash?

So then I would run 2 x 12.5L washs through the pot still? How much of the 12.5L would I collect?

This is where I get confused, because would I want to collect the entire 25L in two separate batches then run through the reflux still? If so how much would I want to collect from the reflux still?

Sorry to seem stupid but I really just don't get it so would appreciate more detail. Many thanks.

[rad14701]

george_bryant_nz, you really need to stop and do some serious research into the theories and fundamentals of the entire process... There's just too much you don't have a grasp of if you don't know such basic distillation related concepts... It's just not safe to venture into practical application if you aren't well versed on what happens and when... We're big on safety here...

[FreeMountainHermit]

Sorry to seem stupid but I really just don't get it,

GBN,I hope you don't think I'm being too harsh but most of us said the same thing and you have been here only two weeks

Consider HD to be like a good book. Curl up and read it.
Now read it again.
Read again.
Repeat as necessary.
Ask relevant questions
An epiphany will happen unless you're on life support.
Stick to tried & recipes even if that's not what you had in mind as you will gain experience.
I've BTDT.


FMH

[ledyard]

I am going to use this wash for my first and also sacrificial run. As I cannot see pitching an entire wash after waiting for it to ferment I have a question.

I am going to double the wash size to 21 gal. I'll run 6-7 gal and then pitch it for the sacrificial run. Then I will rack the remaining 14 gallons into my 15 gal pot in two 7 gal increments and run it and attempt to make cuts ect. But have something to show for my first wash.

If I have learned one thing so far that was a big sticking point for me is yeast quantities greatly vary even with same size mash/washes. It is safe to assume (I think) from my talking with members that just because I am doubling the batch size doesn't mean I am doubling yeast amount. Right? On that note I would probably go with the parent site's recommended 2g-3g per gallon. Unless someone has another suggestion from experience.

On the same subject of double sizing....since the tomato paste is also food for the yeast would I still double the tomato paste?

And the Lemon juice?

The sugar and water are obviously 3x.

[Teddysad]

Yes Just scale all ingredients up

[Peppermint Butler]

Hi,

am ultra new to the whole scene, and have already picked up that air stills are frowned upon by many. I have just bought an air still as an introduction to the hobby and wondering how it will perform with this wash? what volume and percentages will i be expecting out of a 4L air still when this wash is loaded into the still?

Thanks in advance

Pepps

[ledyard]

I have read the first 10 pages and the last 7-8 pages of this thread. I plan on reading the whole thing though. I have not seen anything on it yet but has anyone run this same recipe with all brown sugar in place of regular sugar?
If so, were all the other ingredients left the same? how was the taste difference?

[Hound Dog]

I have read the first 10 pages and the last 7-8 pages of this thread. I plan on reading the whole thing though. I have not seen anything on it yet but has anyone run this same recipe with all brown sugar in place of regular sugar?
If so, were all the other ingredients left the same? how was the taste difference?

This wash is meant to be a neutral. Devoid of flavor. Since brown sugar is made with molassas which has a strong flavor profile it would seem to defeat the point of this wash. This is probably why no one has posted about it.

[acfixer69]

I have read the first 10 pages and the last 7-8 pages of this thread. I plan on reading the whole thing though. I have not seen anything on it yet but has anyone run this same recipe with all brown sugar in place of regular sugar?
If so, were all the other ingredients left the same? how was the taste difference?

This recipe was developed for a neuteal and brown sugar would work but why spend the extra on the brown when cheap sugar will do the job.

AC

[OlympicMtDoo]

I am going to use this wash for my first and also sacrificial run. As I cannot see pitching an entire wash after waiting for it to ferment I have a question.

I am going to double the wash size to 21 gal. I'll run 6-7 gal and then pitch it for the sacrificial run. Then I will rack the remaining 14 gallons into my 15 gal pot in two 7 gal increments and run it and attempt to make cuts ect. But have something to show for my first wash.

If I have learned one thing so far that was a big sticking point for me is yeast quantities greatly vary even with same size mash/washes. It is safe to assume (I think) from my talking with members that just because I am doubling the batch size doesn't mean I am doubling yeast amount. Right? On that note I would probably go with the parent site's recommended 2g-3g per gallon. Unless someone has another suggestion from experience.

On the same subject of double sizing....since the tomato paste is also food for the yeast would I still double the tomato paste?

And the Lemon juice?

The sugar and water are obviously 3x.

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Have you seen this link? OMD

[ledyard]

I am going to use this wash for my first and also sacrificial run. As I cannot see pitching an entire wash after waiting for it to ferment I have a question.

I am going to double the wash size to 21 gal. I'll run 6-7 gal and then pitch it for the sacrificial run. Then I will rack the remaining 14 gallons into my 15 gal pot in two 7 gal increments and run it and attempt to make cuts ect. But have something to show for my first wash.

If I have learned one thing so far that was a big sticking point for me is yeast quantities greatly vary even with same size mash/washes. It is safe to assume (I think) from my talking with members that just because I am doubling the batch size doesn't mean I am doubling yeast amount. Right? On that note I would probably go with the parent site's recommended 2g-3g per gallon. Unless someone has another suggestion from experience.

On the same subject of double sizing....since the tomato paste is also food for the yeast would I still double the tomato paste?

And the Lemon juice?

The sugar and water are obviously 3x.

http://shuggo.com/birdwatchers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Have you seen this link? OMD

no, I haven't but THANKS!!! that is awesome.

I dunno what I was smoking when I posted that....I would have been doubling or tripling wineo's recipe. not this one. I think I read that thread then posted on this thread. either way a have a 20gal BW sizzling away now. didn't add epsom salt though. I followed the original recipe before I read that far.

[OlympicMtDoo]

I don't use epsom salt either and never have, works fine so I aint gonna fix it.

[ledyard]

I have read the first 10 pages and the last 7-8 pages of this thread. I plan on reading the whole thing though. I have not seen anything on it yet but has anyone run this same recipe with all brown sugar in place of regular sugar?
If so, were all the other ingredients left the same? how was the taste difference?

This wash is meant to be a neutral. Devoid of flavor. Since brown sugar is made with molassas which has a strong flavor profile it would seem to defeat the point of this wash. This is probably why no one has posted about it.

RIght, I get that. I was just curious if anyone has tried it. Other than a rum thread I haven't found anything brown sugar only related. If adding brown sugar instead of white and keeping all the other ingredients the same would work (while adding flavor of course) I would like to give it a try.

[gravy]

Hi,

I've never made a Birdwatchers, but I brew with white sugar (66kg) and molasses (5kg) and other stuff of course. This is much cheaper than using brown sugar but essentially the same thing. Molasses is a great yeast feedstock and relatively inexpensive which is why yeast manufacturers use it to grow yeast.

Overall. it should ferment better, but the result is going to have more flavours - that's not a reason not to try it. It might just be a reason to get a better still.

[carolina64]

Birdwatcher...I made a 10 gallon ferment of your recipe. I have a 5 gallon single pot still, I am doing my first 5 gallon strip run this morning..discarded the first 2 oz's and first test was 150 proof. My question is when I finish the stripping run of the 1st five gallon run, is their any good left in the backset, should I just throw that out and do the 2nd 5 gallon strip run, or add more ferment to the backset?? I think you said in one of your responses that you don't use any backset of a sugar wash for starting a new ferment.
I have a sweetfeed ferement going, can you tell me the advantage of using backset from that to start a new ferment? I am new, this is only my 2nd run and my first sugar wash run..thanks for your patience.
Carolina64

[dendog33]

Did everyone transfer to carboy? I have a heat strap on my bucket and would prefer to keep it in there. (It's been in the -20c)

[NZChris]

I've always made three or four times enough to fill my still, let it clear in the fermenter, then bailed and siphoned on stillin day, being careful not to suck up the lees.

[himmel]

Would you still have to discard the first 100ml when you distill this wash or is that only with complex grain washes? Thanks

[NZChris]

I toss 150ml from every 25l charge, regardless of type.

[himmel]

Ok awesome and this would be probably best to run through the reflux column I would assume correct?

[carolina64]

Birdwatcher, Carolina64 again..I am running my 2nd 5al gall ferment today of my 10 gallon wash..I will have approx. 2 gallons and 1 qt spirits in all. If I am reading you right, I should dilute that down to 35%ABV(70Proof) to distill for my 2nd spirit run and keep the hearts of that run for my good stuff and save fients to add to a later run..Am I correct in this? thanks
Carolina64

[NZChris]

Ok awesome and this would be probably best to run through the reflux column I would assume correct?

A recent post recommended using the pot for stripping and the reflux for the spirit run. I only run pots cos that's wot I gots.

[tony184k]

did rad`s version of birdswatcher sugar wash started at 1.090 eight days later ended at .988 this will be my first run from a tried and true recipe very happy with it going to run it Sunday thanks to all the people that put there time in to make this site possible.

[OlympicMtDoo]

Sounds good tony184k, let us know how it comes out.