Yellow label yeast?

[SGB]

Yes most likely this yeast will ferment the kitchen sink into something you could clean your floor with

"Most likely"? Explain.

Meaning that (most likely) this yeast has a broad range of ingredients that can be fermented and distilled into alcohols but that doesn't mean the flavors are the same. I've fermented chicken feed... Didn't taste so great... I fermented old rice... Didn't taste as good as fresh steamed rice..
The claim by Angel is that you can use this yeast to ferment a variety of starches into biofuels (most likely)

[v-child]

I distilled both batches of mixed grains yesterday. Both finished about the same. Honestly I'll not use Angel or Nuruk to "mash" anything besides short grain rice in the future. It left a ton of trub in the fermenter. I'll be re-distilling the combined batch again today for 2x vodka. It didn't taste that bad though- no burn or nasty off-tastes. Having a mixed bag of grains is what a bunch of folks do here.

[NormandieStill]

Honestly I'll not use Angel or Nuruk to "mash" anything besides short grain rice in the future. It left a ton of trub in the fermenter.

My single ferment so far with Yellow Label was a wheat "mash" for making GNS. I wouldn't have said that there was anything more leftover than any of the on-grain ferments I've done so far (Wheat + enzymes, HBB). I squeezed the grains like I would any on-grain and then cold-crashed the resulting custard. I'll be starting some more this week so I'll try and take better notes on volumes.

[v-child]

I put oatmeal and barley in the batch, both known for being goop. I think wheat, corn and rice are probably the best to use with the Angel yeast.

[Saltbush Bill]

I put oatmeal and barley in the batch, both known for being goop.

It's worked just fine on any grain I've used to date.....including Barley.
No idea why you seem to think it's only good for certain grains.

[v-child]

With all respect, the only time I used it was in a mixed batch of grains and I did not have any luck with it. Maybe separately, I don't know.

[SGB]

Thanks! Very helpful info, thank you ALL for your time

[bluc]

With all respect, the only time I used it was in a mixed batch of grains and I did not have any luck with it. Maybe separately, I don't know.

Doesnt make any diff what ratios or grains i use. Volume per/kg ends up about the same too...

[bluc]

Grind fine cool water no gelatinize works everytime. As does sour mash tested up to 35% backset 5 gens...

[Saltbush Bill]

Have you experimented much with temp Bluc......keeping it at the recommended optimum of 32c, I thought mine did better when I kept it close to that temp.
Having said that recommended low is 26c and the high is 38, so it should be fairly forgiving Temp wise.

[Bryan1]

I waited about 3 months months to get this angel yeast so in the end I wasted 2 off 20 kg sack of grain for a total.......... 3.5 litres to 60% on my 4" bubbler and as far as the taste went one would be better drinking toilet water......

Now my last AG over 4 generations got 21 litres @65% for aging and after aging for 4 months it tasted better than my first AG run the year before.

so the hype over this yeast is way over rated when compared with doing a proper AG

[Swamptrout]

Have you experimented much with temp Bluc......keeping it at the recommended optimum of 32c, I thought mine did better when I kept it close to that temp.
Having said that recommended low is 26c and the high is 38, so it should be fairly forgiving Temp wise.

I put my 12-15kg grain in the fermenters, add 10L 90c water and let it sit for hour then top up with 40-50L tap water. Its still around 50c so let it cool naturally to 35c then add the yeast (no starter / no hydration). It sits outside under the pergola in the Brisbane summer weather. No wrapping, no special treatment. Lets see how winter goes.

[rubberduck71]

I've found this yeast fairly forgiving.

I ferment in my dining room, which is usually ~70F/21C. Lately I do use heat bands to help promote the fermentation process.

I've done 100% corn meal, CROW bourbon, 100% rice (for both a whiskey & a NGS), Irish style whiskey, all turned out good. Also sugarheads on the spent grains & yeast beds.

I'm working towards a spirit run of 100% rye pumpernickel meal & very curious how it turns out.

For its simplicity of use, totally worth the hype in my book, IMO.

Duck

[CoogeeBoy]

Konichiwa,

I have a question. How do you measure your starting SG with this type of yeast? Or, more simply, can you?
The way I see it, you can gelatinise (or not), add the water and yeast and you are off but, when it comes to checking how the ferment is going, you cant compare the SG because there are no fermentable sugars at the beginning of the ferment!
In case you are wondering, I am doing a rice wash now using Angel yeast, I am getting effervescence but the airlock is not bubbling so I did the hydrometer test and, as you would expect, it is at 1.00 so I don't know if the yeast is converting the rice.
In my other post I mentioned that I used the yeast for a sugar wash (and that is going off) however I dont know if I have a problem with this one.

Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received!

Arigato.

[Dancing4dan]

Konichiwa,

I have a question. How do you measure your starting SG with this type of yeast? Or, more simply, can you?
The way I see it, you can gelatinise (or not), add the water and yeast and you are off but, when it comes to checking how the ferment is going, you cant compare the SG because there are no fermentable sugars at the beginning of the ferment!
In case you are wondering, I am doing a rice wash now using Angel yeast, I am getting effervescence but the airlock is not bubbling so I did the hydrometer test and, as you would expect, it is at 1.00 so I don't know if the yeast is converting the rice.
In my other post I mentioned that I used the yeast for a sugar wash (and that is going off) however I dont know if I have a problem with this one.

Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received!

Arigato.

I don’t think a SG has any meaning with yellow label yeast. Neither OG or FG readings will mean anything.

You say you are getting effervescence. I assume you mean that when the lid is removed the ferment is still making bubbles. Regardless of what the air lock is doing you still have an active ferment if the ferment is still actively bubbling.

Air locks leak Co2 as do some fermenters and if they are leaking they don’t bubble. The surface bubbles are the real test of fermentation for me. An alternative is to put your ear on the fermenter. I damn near deaf and can hear the fine bubbles.

As SBB has mentioned this yeast needs a warm ferment. I use a heat belt or fish tank heater. Cool yellow label ferment is real slow.

Good luck. Others will chime in. Let us know how it goes.

[Saltbush Bill]

Exactly that , the way I see it there is no point taking readings of any kind. The yeast is turning the sugars to ethanol and other products as quickly as the enzymes are turning the starch to sugars.
This yeast seems to have a funny sort of surface action on the wash, it sort of boils up from the bottom.......not so much little fizzy bubbles.
When its finished doing its thing it goes dead still....there is no action of any kind.......least thats been my experience.
I just trusted the manufacturers instructions on water , yeast , grain ratios and optimum ferment temps..........seems to work just fine.
Got another one fermenting now, 70% corn 20% barley 10% rye.
Once this ones done and stripped I should have enough low wines to do a spirit run using the pot.

[The Baker]

Can't remember if I asked;

does this work on milk products, whey for instance?

Geoff

[CoogeeBoy]

Milk products?
No whey......

[CoogeeBoy]

You say you are getting effervescence. I assume you mean that when the lid is removed the ferment is still making bubbles. Regardless of what the air lock is doing you still have an active ferment if the ferment is still actively bubbling.
.......
As SBB has mentioned this yeast needs a warm ferment. I use a heat belt or fish tank heater. Cool yellow label ferment is real slow.

Good luck. Others will chime in. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks DD,
Yes, when I stir it, I get a lot of bubbles so that did give me comfort that it was working.

I am a little low on temperature I think, I will ramp it up a bit.

...
This yeast seems to have a funny sort of surface action on the wash, it sort of boils up from the bottom.......not so much little fizzy bubbles.
When its finished doing its thing it goes dead still....there is no action of any kind.......least thats been my experience.
....

The surface action is funny, I thought I had a lacto infection after day one but that went.

I have to say it doesnt smell at all appealing whilst it is fermenting.

[NZChris]

.... I am getting effervescence but the airlock is not bubbling so I did the hydrometer test and, as you would expect, it is at 1.00 so I don't know if the yeast is converting the rice.

Watch the refractive index with any wine or alcohol refractometer. If it’s rising, it’s making alcohol, when it stops rising, it's finished.

[rubberduck71]

Milk products?
No whey......

Ha! I see what you did there...

[The Baker]

Milk products?
No whey......

Thanks.

Geoff

[ThomasBrewer]

The instructions indicate you can use uncooked ingredients, but you'll get much better results by cooking to gelatinization temperature to get the starches soluble and doing some minimal pasteurization. Without pasteurization, you're likely to get some really gross results.

[elbono]

The instructions indicate you can use uncooked ingredients,

I kicked off a batch (10 kg corn/40 l water @ 38C/65 gm angel) yesterday and it's working nicely. The corn in the bottom is getting lighter every time I stir it. It's holding at 26-27C, I just wrapped some insulation around the container to see if the temp will go up a bit. Batches with similar conditions have finished in about 2 weeks.

I have used corn cooked for about 1 hour and corn with boiling water added. They both finished in about 1/2 the time of uncooked corn and water, otherwise I didn't see any difference.

I my not so vast experience (4 or 5 ferments total) I haven't had any infections but I'm sure it's a possibility.

[Saltbush Bill]

I have used corn cooked for about 1 hour and corn with boiling water added. They both finished in about 1/2 the time of uncooked corn and water, otherwise I didn't see any difference.

Agree ...uncooked seems to take longer to finish from what I've experienced so far.......that seems to be the only difference.

Without pasteurization, you're likely to get some really gross results.

I'm not convinced that, that is correct.......I had one ferment stink like hell, but the finished spirit was fine.

[ThomasBrewer]

Real-world experience trumps everything, but I've read a lot of disparaging things about Angel Yellow that seem to be just poor sanitation ("smells like a dead racoon", etc.). With some mild pasteurization, those issues would likely go away. Certainly not a necessity, but there's no magic anti-bacterial action to Angel Yellow.

[Saltbush Bill]

Where are you reading this stuff?

[Dancing4dan]

The instructions indicate you can use uncooked ingredients, but you'll get much better results by cooking to gelatinization temperature to get the starches soluble and doing some minimal pasteurization. Without pasteurization, you're likely to get some really gross results.

Don’t know why that would be a problem. Cracked Corn is the only thing I “cook” to temperatures that may pasteurize for fermenting.

[elbono]

Pretty simple answer, if you're worried about infection, either cook the corn/water or use boiling water/corn depending on the level of your concern. Bonus is it will finish faster.

If you're not worried about infection just go with warm water.

[ThomasBrewer]

Where are you reading this stuff?

Unfortunately, I participate in some FB groups where folks are much less knowledgeable..

Apparently I can't link without making the site have a fit, but the relevant convo is here: (www.facebook.com)/groups/homedistilling/permalink/1410490266047773/