First wash issue, HELP!

[BCJ67CHEVY]

Did first wash last night
13 gal batch in 55 gal fermenter
-46 cups sugar
-13 gal water
-15 cups crushed frosted flakes
-3 yeast (5gram) packets, red star Pasteur red

sugar was inverted with equal parts water, then flakes and balance of water was added. This cooled right away to about 87 deg so I pitched the yeast right away and added. I stirred once every 5 minutes for a little over a hour. Checked SG one hour after I pitched yeast, forgot to check sooner, it was 1.075.

issues
-no action yet, has been 9 hours since yeast was added.
-does have a pretty strong smell, and does seem to have some additional warmth in the barrel.

questions
-Did I add enough yeast? And if not can I add more now?
-What did I do wrong
-Is there anyway to speed up, was wanting for this weekend.

Thanks guys

[aj2456]

i would say would be a push to be done by then, time and patience yields better results, btw dont panic till nowts happening at 48hrs, then might need some action

btw might be worth reconsidering the yeast choice in future- red yeasts throw out some funky stuff- they are my least favourite yeasts, but thats just my preferance

[BCJ67CHEVY]

Thanks for the reply.
Does the amount if yeast seem right then? I just followed the gallon amount on the packet. 3 packets@5 per=15gal
The yeast I already had and thankfully is for my SAC run.

I wish I could find a really fast sugar wash ferment for my first couple trial learning runs.

[SoMo]

The best bet for you would be the Ujssm in tried and true I've had some go as fast as 4 days but this is a game of patience speed and greed cause problems. Good luck Melloman

[corene1]

If nothing is happening by now. Check your yeast , it is possible it has gone bad. Take a quart jar and fill it 1/2 way with wash. Make sure it is around 85 degrees and put some fresh yeast in it to make sure the yeast is active . If it starts to work then pitch the started yeast into your wash. If it does not start then your yeast my be the culprit. Go buy some fresh bakers years. I get red star bakers yeast for $5 dollars a pound at the market.

[frunobulax]

That's wine yeast, It takes a little longer to get going.
I'd bet it's moving now.

[BCJ67CHEVY]

Nothing has started yet... This would be about 36 hours now. If you look at the top of the wash you should be able to see something happening right? This batch has a lot of head space 13gal in 55 gal drum, would this make any difference?
Temp right now for it is probably 65 deg.
Could I just add more yeast?
how long can the wash sit without being active before it goes bad???

[bellybuster]

you are at the very bottom of its temp rating. It's gonna take some time to get going. Any action it does will be very slow and maybe not visible at all.
Any way to warm it to mid 70s ?

just to add, it probably has started somewhat, just very slow you can take a sample out into a sealable bottle with a balloon or something on top. This will give you indication of working.

[shadylane]

The recipe is good, but the temp is on the low side. It's working but slowly. Some folks like fermenting that way.
Figure out a way of heating it up to the low 80's and keep it there.
Do you have an old electric blanket or an electric heater you can point at it?
Edited: It ain't going to be finished by next week end. Patience my friend.

[BCJ67CHEVY]

Thanks guys, I guess I will have to find a way to raise the temp. It's in my basement in a un-heated area. Ill try a test sample tonight and see what is going on.
I started a different wash last night with grape juice concentrate and it was starting to go after just a hour, BUT I used EC1118 yeast for that one, same temp though.
So how long could the cornflake wash sit inactive and sit be ok to restart again with yeast??

[bellybuster]

it probably isn't inactive at all, it is probably slowly chugging away.
If you're brave, stick your head in there and take a quick sniff, the CO2 should burn your nose. make sure its just a quick sniff though, you don't want to pass out.

[BCJ67CHEVY]

So if you wanted a fast ferment what temp would you want it at? Does this affect the end resulting quality?

[T-Pee]

To quote shadylane:

It ain't going to be finished by next week end. Patience my friend.

The faster the ferment in general, the lesser chance of good quality. I feel it's directly proportional.

tp

[BCJ67CHEVY]

Thanks guys, I will just wait it out then.
So stupid question, if it is going so slow because of the temp and I can't really see any action, how will I know when it is done??

[bellybuster]

use a hydrometer... yes I said "a" (different thread)

personally, I would find a way to get this one a bit warmer, at least mid 70s.


edit for clarification...
using a hydrometer lets you know many things, it will tell you if you are fermenting at all and it will tell you when its finished. 3 or so days with no change on the hydrometer indicates no fermentation. A sugar wash should get down below zero but with your temp that will take a while.

[aj2456]

agreed temp for the red yeasts need to be a bit higher- the champagne yeasts ive used will even ferment in the fridge, they sure are something else

[BCJ67CHEVY]

I'll see what i can do on the temp.
Ill check the SG in a couple days and see what it is at, it was at 1.075 at the beginning.
My other grape concentrate wash started at 1.085, ill have to check it too.
Thanks