Ted's Fast Fermenting Vodka

[rubberduck71]

I'll put $5 on pH crash.

This recipe is virtually bulletproof.

[8Ball]

Thanks Ted, for this great recipe.

I recently finished a batch and it tastes great. I used 12 pounds sugar and a box (18 oz) of all bran flake cereal (I know, you use bakers bran). Topped up to 8 gallons @ 90F with a starter using 1/3 cup of distillers yeast. Went from 1.070 to 1.00 in a week.

[bunny]

Hi!
I've been making an extremely fast low ABV "sugar, water, chemicals, and yeast" wash for a while now.
I might consider something slightly different.

Question: What does the simmering of the bran accomplish?
Is it necessary?
If so, can it be done the day before?

tia

image.png (9.91 KiB) Viewed 5152 times

[Teddysad]

The simmering breaks the bran down into much smaller particles, effectively a soft liquid. This releases certain nutrients and more so flavours into the water allowing the character to be absorbed by the wash as it ferments. My trials showed a much better result than just the dry bran being added to the wash. Yes it can be done the day before although I would recommend reheating and a good stir before the addition to the wash.

[bunny]

Thanks!
Just what I wanted/needed to know.
Will give it a try in the next ferment.

[Rrmuf]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

[howie]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

i seem to remember the answer was that it's so cheap, there's not much point.
and there wasn't any 'generational' advantage.
i suppose there's nothing stopping you reusing the trub.

[TwoSheds]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

i seem to remember the answer was that it's so cheap, there's not much point.
and there wasn't any 'generational' advantage.
i suppose there's nothing stopping you reusing the trub.

I also remember reading someone tried it and that it wasn't as 'clean' on flavor, so not recommended, but the cost of finding out would be pretty low.

[Rrmuf]

Thanks to both, I was just exploring as a time-saving opportunity.
/Cheers,
R

[CjD183]

Hi,

I did 1 pot distillation and 1 reflux distillation, it is very nice, but it has a distinct smell of wheat do you do a second reflux with this recipe ?

How did your single pot distillation come out? Thank you

[CoogeeBoy]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

I just did it and it worked fine for me but I am after a neutral, not a vodka.

To be frank, I was surprised at how quickly and clean the wash was, I didnt have any troubles with it at all.

Whilst it is not expensive, getting wheat bran here is not that easy at the moment so it suited me to use the trub.

I didn't boil it, I just put the sugar and water on top of it, no new yeast, which I think was also an advantage, lots of it so it kicked off really fast.

[Garouda]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

Yes I boil part of it as nutrients...

[Garouda]

I just did it and it worked fine for me but I am after a neutral, not a vodka.

IMHO a good vodka is a neutral... I almost lost my face at a nice restaurant telling to my colleague the vodka we ordered was a Stolichnaya Elit (Russia), but no, it was an Absolut (Sweden)
Another source: https://www.totalwine.com - "(..) The definitive neutral spirit, vodka is an essential ingredient to be enjoyed in any number of mixed drinks (..) "

[CoogeeBoy]

I just did it and it worked fine for me but I am after a neutral, not a vodka.

IMHO a good vodka is a neutral... I almost lost my face at a nice restaurant telling to my colleague the vodka we ordered was a Stolichnaya Elit (Russia), but no, it was an Absolut (Sweden)
Another source: https://www.totalwine.com - "(..) The definitive neutral spirit, vodka is an essential ingredient to be enjoyed in any number of mixed drinks (..) "

I hear you but if it is just a neutral, what is the difference between them all? That Bison Grass for example.

The thing about the TTFV IMO is that there is v little base flavour to it, the wheat bran makes it a bit smoother but I don't have the taste of wheat coming over.

Now my Ginapear however, made from gin and pear brandy feints.......

[Garouda]

I hear you but if it is just a neutral, what is the difference between them all? That Bison Grass for example.

The thing about the TTFV IMO is that there is v little base flavour to it, the wheat bran makes it a bit smoother but I don't have the taste of wheat coming over.

Now my Ginapear however, made from gin and pear brandy feints.......

That's exactly what happened to me, there's almost no difference...
T'sFFV has got wheat bran that gives a slight grain taste, like some white alcohols we have in Belgium and the Netherlands, but I guess you have a good still and you can remove those flavours.
Besides this, there are flavoured vodkas like your Bison Grass...
I distilled several batches of T'sFFV, but to make Gin or Pastis, I'm not that much a Vodka fan...
The only difference is that I'm using rice bran, because we grow rice here, and I can source rice bran at a very cheap price...
Cheers !

[Rrmuf]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

I just did it and it worked fine for me but I am after a neutral, not a vodka.

To be frank, I was surprised at how quickly and clean the wash was, I didnt have any troubles with it at all.

Whilst it is not expensive, getting wheat bran here is not that easy at the moment so it suited me to use the trub.

I didn't boil it, I just put the sugar and water on top of it, no new yeast, which I think was also an advantage, lots of it so it kicked off really fast.

Great. I think it's worth a try. I am also just making neutrals. We have great access to cheap wheat bran, but what you describe is exactly the advantage I was imagining. Kind of a "Drain, Top it off, and have another go at it." For a big batch of neutrals, I usually have two rounds of ferments / stripping before I reflux it, so I was wondering about how to do a quicker turn-around for that 2nd round.

I imagine the refill temp is important to keep the yeast happy.

[CoogeeBoy]

Question: Has anyone tried reusing the trubb for a next batch of this wash?

I just did it and it worked fine for me but I am after a neutral, not a vodka.

To be frank, I was surprised at how quickly and clean the wash was, I didnt have any troubles with it at all.

Whilst it is not expensive, getting wheat bran here is not that easy at the moment so it suited me to use the trub.

I didn't boil it, I just put the sugar and water on top of it, no new yeast, which I think was also an advantage, lots of it so it kicked off really fast.

Great. I think it's worth a try. I am also just making neutrals. We have great access to cheap wheat bran, but what you describe is exactly the advantage I was imagining. Kind of a "Drain, Top it off, and have another go at it." For a big batch of neutrals, I usually have two rounds of ferments / stripping before I reflux it, so I was wondering about how to do a quicker turn-around for that 2nd round.

I imagine the refill temp is important to keep the yeast happy.

Everything else is the same, make sure you cool down your water with the dissolved sugar to 30C or whatever temp you would normally pitch your yeast at, I used Bakers Yeast so 30C was fine, then your back in business

[Rrmuf]

I will try it this week! Thanks.

[Rrmuf]

Well, that works well! I racked a load and then reloaded the fermenter with PH balanced (5. water and disolved sugar @28C , plus a bit of Calcium Carbonate to help maintain the PH and within an hour it took off hard and fast again. What does it save? Not much in terms of money, but it is a very fast and easy way to get another round going.

--- I probably won't chance a 3rd "generation" this time around because my setup runs pretty optimally with two rounds of ferments... but not really three rounds.

Thanks for the tips.

[JakeB]

Well, that works well! I racked a load and then reloaded the fermenter with PH balanced (5. water and disolved sugar @28C , plus a bit of Calcium Carbonate to help maintain the PH and within an hour it took off hard and fast again. What does it save? Not much in terms of money, but it is a very fast and easy way to get another round going.

--- I probably won't chance a 3rd "generation" this time around because my setup runs pretty optimally with two rounds of ferments... but not really three rounds.

Thanks for the tips.

It works for other washes too, including beer. When I reuse yeast, I usually try to harvest from the top of the fermenter, comes out cleaner with more of it still viable that way, and no trub from other spent wash ingredients. Boil and cool some clean water, scoop some off the top in to a sanitized jar and top with the pasteurized water, shake and put in fridge with lid loose. Dont seal it tight, it will pressurize.

If it is dirty with leftover wash, boil and cool some more water in a few days, decant the clear liquid out of your yeast slurry and shake new pasteurized water in, repeat as needed until you are satisfied old wash is cleared out. It's best to use on the same type of wash again, and not worry too much about clearing it unless stored for a longer time.

When you want to use it, just warm to room temp and pitch as normal, or make a starter with it if more volume is needed. Sometimes I add a bit more fresh yeast. Keep in mind, bakers yeast is cheap and consistent. Use this technique to make more of specialty yeast, or to maintain the flavor profile of yeast blends you made for washes where you are trying to maintain a flavour profile. Commercial distilleries and breweries do this all the time, both for cost savings, and consistent flavor profile.

[Rrmuf]

Well, that works well! I racked a load and then reloaded the fermenter with PH balanced (5. water and disolved sugar @28C , plus a bit of Calcium Carbonate to help maintain the PH and within an hour it took off hard and fast again. What does it save? Not much in terms of money, but it is a very fast and easy way to get another round going.

--- I probably won't chance a 3rd "generation" this time around because my setup runs pretty optimally with two rounds of ferments... but not really three rounds.

Thanks for the tips.

It works for other washes too, including beer. When I reuse yeast, I usually try to harvest from the top of the fermenter, comes out cleaner with more of it still viable that way, and no trub from other spent wash ingredients. Boil and cool some clean water, scoop some off the top in to a sanitized jar and top with the pasteurized water, shake and put in fridge with lid loose. Dont seal it tight, it will pressurize.

If it is dirty with leftover wash, boil and cool some more water in a few days, decant the clear liquid out of your yeast slurry and shake new pasteurized water in, repeat as needed until you are satisfied old wash is cleared out. It's best to use on the same type of wash again, and not worry too much about clearing it unless stored for a longer time.

When you want to use it, just warm to room temp and pitch as normal, or make a starter with it if more volume is needed. Sometimes I add a bit more fresh yeast. Keep in mind, bakers yeast is cheap and consistent. Use this technique to make more of specialty yeast, or to maintain the flavor profile of yeast blends you made for washes where you are trying to maintain a flavour profile. Commercial distilleries and breweries do this all the time, both for cost savings, and consistent flavor profile.

Wow! I just left trub et al in the fermenter after harvesting the clear fermented wash, and then added more sugar water at 28C. It isn't done yet, but took off fast and steady. It is a day or two away from finishing but so far so good.

I am sure the steps you are suggesting are extremely important for beer, but it seems a bit too much work for my motivations. Remember, I am just after saving myself some time and steps to get that 2nd ferment going and not after any money savings, which would only amount to about $2. Right now, the only extra precaution I've taken is to keep tabs on PH.

Thanks for the advice though. If this ferment goes south for any reason I will look your steps over.

[JakeB]

Ya, skiming and clearing is more for preserving a strain, or mix of strains so you get consistent results. You are right that in distilling, you don't need to worry as much about contamination. It will matter if you are trying to store yeast for a later batch, you don't want anything else growing in a yeast slurry. Pitching right over the old wash will also work to some extent, but I would think after a few times you might get a funky flavour from the build up of spent mash trub. I did exactly that on a plain sugar wash, I would think the wash for TFFV would have too much sediment to do more than a couple times. I hadn't tried that on this recipe. Not sure it would save much more than a rinse and a buck woth of yeast.

[8Ball]

Not sure it would save much more than a rinse and a buck woth of yeast.

+1
This recipe gives you a quality neutral spirit at a very small cost. At a hobby level, I don’t understand why you would want to cut corners.

[Rrmuf]

Not sure it would save much more than a rinse and a buck woth of yeast.

+1
This recipe gives you a quality neutral spirit at a very small cost. At a hobby level, I don’t understand why you would want to cut corners.

Understood. As mentioned before, it is really a time saver (as opposed to a money saver) in the context of back-to-back ferments. I literally warmed up water and sugar while my fermenter was being drained into a secondary clearing vessel, and then I dumped the warm water in, re-buttoned up and away it went. All told, my 2nd batch was up and running in 20 minutes and took off again like a rocket. I will reserve final judgement until I compare low wines but I don't really expect any difference.

[NZChris]

Not sure it would save much more than a rinse and a buck woth of yeast.

+1
This recipe gives you a quality neutral spirit at a very small cost. At a hobby level, I don’t understand why you would want to cut corners.

You must have the reflux still from hell, TFFV would make me a wheat flavored vodka, which is why I don't make it. If I was a big vodka drinker, I'd try treating TFFV like UJSSM, including some backset as well as the trub.

[Rrmuf]

Not sure it would save much more than a rinse and a buck woth of yeast.

+1
This recipe gives you a quality neutral spirit at a very small cost. At a hobby level, I don’t understand why you would want to cut corners.

Understood. As mentioned before, it is really a time saver (as opposed to a money saver) in the context of back-to-back ferments. I literally warmed up water and sugar while my fermenter was being drained into a secondary clearing vessel, and then I dumped the warm water in, re-buttoned up and away it went. All told, my 2nd batch was up and running in 20 minutes and took off again like a rocket. I will reserve final judgement until I compare low wines but I don't really expect any difference.

BTW: I just finished stripping this "2nd gen" ferment after a very clean ferment. It worked just fine. I will be doing this again!
I

[shadylane]

After making several batches of this.
I vote that it needs to be in the tried and true section.

[Rrmuf]

+1 T&T! Apparently it's been discussed and rejected on account that there are a few neutral sugar washes already. I've tried 2 others, but this one has been more consistent.

[Saltbush Bill]

Congratulations Ted.
After much discussion between Mods, and to and froing on several occasions, it seems that this recipe has made it to TnT.

[CoogeeBoy]

Congratulations Ted.
After much discussion between Mods, and to and froing on several occasions, it seems that this recipe has made it to TnT.

I'm breaking out the OEG and toasting Ted!

Woo Hoo!!!!