Best way to clear a sugar wash?

[aegean66]

Hi there,

Was wondering the best way to clear a sugar wash when you are after a neutral spirit with no residual taste from the ferment? Seems to me that the most critical of all stages is getting the clearest possible wash from that fermented swamp of crap you end up with after a week or so.

Do you just let it settle for as long as possible? is there some "stuff" you can add that can seperate the crap from the crystal clear wash we want? and when the crap has settled to the bottom what is the best way to get the good stuff out without disturbing the crap? syphon? some other method?

Carbon? where does that fit into the above?, add it to the start of the ferment? liquid carbon? Has anyone heard of Turbo (gasp!) Clear? is it a good product?

Seems to me if I can nail this down I can be as happy as Barney (buuuuurrrrrp!)in a brewery

[maheel]

put the whole fermentor in the fridge if you can for a few days

i use a temp controlled fridge to ferment in (beer) and depending on the yeast set it around 12 0r 15 deg c while fermenting

then turn it to 2 deg c for a few days to drop out the yeast and crap, makes it very clear

you could also run it through a filter after it settles a bit
http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

works the same on sugar washes

[rad14701]

No wash needs to be crystal clear... They only need to have a majority of the suspended solids settled out and then racked (siphoned) into the boiler or into another vessel to await distillation... The term "clearing" is a relative term... No matter how discolored or sediment laden the wash is, the resulting spirits will always be clear unless your boiler pukes or you run deep into the tails and end up with fusel oils in your spirits...

[Dnderhead]

you can git stuff to help clear your wash but most do not use,just time and degassing maybe a bit of could .5* or so will help.
if you want you can git stuff from beer/wine home brewing shops. like bentonite,sparkollid,kitosol etc.. most are not worth it
as even with them you have to waite.so unless your doing wine/beer it is not worth it..

[Sheamas_88]

Sorry to necro the thread, but just wanted to point out that I use bentonite and it is a really good clearer. It takes a bit of stuffing around to use but you can clear a wash in as little as 2 hours using the stuff (although I would suggest waiting longer than that). I've used crash chilling, gelatin, bentonite and turbo clear. All of them except gelatin work really well on sugar washes, but for me, bentonite is the most cost effective.

I can get 1kg of bentonite for around $10 and I use about 10g per 20L wash. Thats only 10c a wash! If you would have to buy a fridge to use then you would probably have to do over 1000 washes for it to be more cost effective than bentonite. But of course the cheapest method is time, but if you like to clear a wash in about 24-48 hours then I would suggest bentonite.

[gtwarren1966]

Cold crash it for a couple days, should clear it up. The yeast will floculate to the bottom.

[clearspirit]

Sorry to necro the thread, but just wanted to point out that I use bentonite and it is a really good clearer. It takes a bit of stuffing around to use but you can clear a wash in as little as 2 hours using the stuff (although I would suggest waiting longer than that). I've used crash chilling, gelatin, bentonite and turbo clear. All of them except gelatin work really well on sugar washes, but for me, bentonite is the most cost effective.

I can get 1kg of bentonite for around $10 and I use about 10g per 20L wash. Thats only 10c a wash! If you would have to buy a fridge to use then you would probably have to do over 1000 washes for it to be more cost effective than bentonite. But of course the cheapest method is time, but if you like to clear a wash in about 24-48 hours then I would suggest bentonite.

No apologies necessary!! Here in 2023 I'm only just discovering natural alternatives to “turbo-clear” type flocculents / clearing agents and other commercial products which don't specify ingredients. I can buy 4.5kg of 100% Sodium Bentonite (no perfumes or fillers) for about $3. It's called Essentials brand Clumping Cat Litter at Woolworths. I just today mixed 2tsp with 1/2 cup of water and blended it. Didn't matter how much I blended, it still had lumps. Left it for an hour and no lumps.

I was trying to clear a 26 litre Pure Distilling Premium Spirit Yeast wash (with 6.1kg raw sugar 1tbsp shell-grit 2 tbsp activated carbon pH 6.7 sg 1092, 28-30C which finished bubbling at 72 hours sg 0960 (!)) that had “semi-cleared” the top 40% three days later and looked like taking another 3-5 days to finish being “semi-cleared” and I want to use the fermenter. So once the lumps went away I added it and stirred the whole lot up again (as I read that the more solids in the solution the better the bentonite could work) which made sense to me (formula for life? – if it makes sense try it and if it doesn't work try something else) and one hour later the top 1cm looks way clearer than the earlier 40%, and now 3 hours later the top 3cm is similarly clear. At this rate – 3cm / 33 cm total wash depth ie approx 10% / 3 hours it will be “more clear” in 30 hours instead of 3 – 5 days.

After MUCH reading (... sigh) before finding this thread, next wash I'm going to follow what I THINK is Mars's method (awaiting confirmation) of adding 2tsp of slurry to the water before anything else (as I read something about it binding to CO2 which rises then absorbs shit then sinks back down again with the weight of the shit then keeps absorbing rising sinking throughout the brew), then another 2tsp mid brew (approx sg1040?), and another 2tsp after <sg0990 with a vigorous stir. Hoping to clear within a day or two...

[Wildcats]

I guess you can use a clearing agent. I don't. I just let it clear with time. Racking it off the yeast as soon as possible will help. It just takes a week or so. Cold crashing will help. It just takes time. Don't rush it.

[Bradster68]

This is the 3rd post about clearing and clearing agents? All from old post. Hmmmm

[Hoosier Shine9]

This is the 3rd post about clearing and clearing agents? All from old post. Hmmmm

+1
let me add a disclaimer at the start.......
I am a GRUMPY OLD CURMUDGEON!

Might this be a way to increase "post count" thus allowing the posting of photos.
Or possibly a way to get out of the Novice Ranks?

Typically i keep my above thoughts as "inside voice"

just sayin......

hs9

[still_stirrin]

This is the 3rd post about clearing and clearing agents? All from old post. Hmmmm

+1
let me add a disclaimer at the start.......
I am a GRUMPY OLD CURMUDGEON!

Might this be a way to increase "post count" thus allowing the posting of photos.
Or possibly a way to get out of the Novice Ranks?

Typically i keep my above thoughts as "inside voice"

just sayin......

hs9

Maybe just a young “whipper-snapper” looking for confirmation to his paradigms. Sometimes they’ll ask and ask until they get the answer they want to hear. Otherwise, just to annoy the heck out of us (curmudgeons).
ss

[Bradster68]

Not sure but I'm a stickler now for watching the dates of post. Iv fallen prey(so to speak) to answering them in the past and have someone point it out to me.lmao

[Hoosier Shine9]

Not sure but I'm a stickler now for watching the dates of post. Iv fallen prey(so to speak) to answering them in the past and have someone point it out to me.lmao

I think we all have answered an OLD post at least once.... lol
I know i have.

[The Baker]

No biggie.

There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle.

Geoff

[Saltbush Bill]

If it wasn't for people answering old posts , I wouldn't have ever found half of the interesting posts that I've read and learned from........I don't see bringing old posts back to life as a bad thing..........read them from end to end .....you just might learn something.

[Hügelwilli]

Here in 2023 I'm only just discovering natural alternatives to “turbo-clear” type flocculents / clearing agents and other commercial products which don't specify ingredients.

Ingredients are specified I think. Alcotec turbo clear is kieselsol and chitosan. Both substances are pretty "natural".

[clearspirit]

This is the 3rd post about clearing and clearing agents? All from old post. Hmmmm

+1
let me add a disclaimer at the start.......
I am a GRUMPY OLD CURMUDGEON!

Might this be a way to increase "post count" thus allowing the posting of photos.
Or possibly a way to get out of the Novice Ranks?

Typically i keep my above thoughts as "inside voice"

just sayin......

hs9

Maybe just a young “whipper-snapper” looking for confirmation to his paradigms. Sometimes they’ll ask and ask until they get the answer they want to hear. Otherwise, just to annoy the heck out of us (curmudgeons).
ss

Certainly don't want to annoy the people who can teach me... ONLY trying to confirm or disprove a theory on product improvement. My apologies if I can't fully understand the answers given and keep asking until I can...

[clearspirit]

If it wasn't for people answering old posts , I wouldn't have ever found half of the interesting posts that I've read and learned from........I don't see bringing old posts back to life as a bad thing..........read them from end to end .....you just might learn something.

Thank you SaltBush...

[clearspirit]

Here in 2023 I'm only just discovering natural alternatives to “turbo-clear” type flocculents / clearing agents and other commercial products which don't specify ingredients.

Ingredients are specified I think. Alcotec turbo clear is kieselsol and chitosan. Both substances are pretty "natural".

Thanks Hugelwilli - DOH!

[Renhoekk]

Clearing is for brewers and vintners. When you’re reflux distilling a sugar wash for a neutral spirit, it really doesn’t matter. If you’re bothered by the lees, just let it settle and rack off the liquid and leave the slurry behind.

[Stonecutter]

Hi there,

Was wondering the best way to clear a sugar wash when you are after a neutral spirit with no residual taste from the ferment? Seems to me that the most critical of all stages is getting the clearest possible wash from that fermented swamp of crap you end up with after a week or so.


Seems to me if I can nail this down I can be as happy as Barney (buuuuurrrrrp!)in a brewery

Novice opinion here but the best way to clear a sugar wash would be to run it.

Seems to me the most critical of all stages would be the handling of the wash inside the still and/or subsequent blending and re-running.

I read a distillation process that I swear WindyCity did that seemed pretty damn intense.
Now if it wasn’t you Chicago I do apologize.
Also, I don’t remember if they included a wash clearing process.

[Vickypoint]

Sorry to necro the thread, but just wanted to point out that I use bentonite and it is a really good clearer. It takes a bit of stuffing around to use but you can clear a wash in as little as 2 hours using the stuff (although I would suggest waiting longer than that). I've used crash chilling, gelatin, bentonite and turbo clear. All of them except gelatin work really well on sugar washes, but for me, bentonite is the most cost effective.

I can get 1kg of bentonite for around $10 and I use about 10g per 20L wash. Thats only 10c a wash! If you would have to buy a fridge to use then you would probably have to do over 1000 washes for it to be more cost effective than bentonite. But of course the cheapest method is time, but if you like to clear a wash in about 24-48 hours then I would suggest bentonite.

No apologies necessary!! Here in 2023 I'm only just discovering natural alternatives to “turbo-clear” type flocculents / clearing agents and other commercial products which don't specify ingredients. I can buy 4.5kg of 100% Sodium Bentonite (no perfumes or fillers) for about $3. It's called Essentials brand Clumping Cat Litter at Woolworths. I just today mixed 2tsp with 1/2 cup of water and blended it. Didn't matter how much I blended, it still had lumps. Left it for an hour and no lumps.

I was trying to clear a 26 litre Pure Distilling Premium Spirit Yeast wash (with 6.1kg raw sugar 1tbsp shell-grit 2 tbsp activated carbon pH 6.7 sg 1092, 28-30C which finished bubbling at 72 hours sg 0960 (!)) that had “semi-cleared” the top 40% three days later and looked like taking another 3-5 days to finish being “semi-cleared” and I want to use the fermenter. So once the lumps went away I added it and stirred the whole lot up again (as I read that the more solids in the solution the better the bentonite could work) which made sense to me (formula for life? – if it makes sense try it and if it doesn't work try something else) and one hour later the top 1cm looks way clearer than the earlier 40%, and now 3 hours later the top 3cm is similarly clear. At this rate – 3cm / 33 cm total wash depth ie approx 10% / 3 hours it will be “more clear” in 30 hours instead of 3 – 5 days.

After MUCH reading (... sigh) before finding this thread, next wash I'm going to follow what I THINK is Mars's method (awaiting confirmation) of adding 2tsp of slurry to the water before anything else (as I read something about it binding to CO2 which rises then absorbs shit then sinks back down again with the weight of the shit then keeps absorbing rising sinking throughout the brew), then another 2tsp mid brew (approx sg1040?), and another 2tsp after <sg0990 with a vigorous stir. Hoping to clear within a day or two...

Have alook in Aldi. Sani pet cat litter Plain Bentonite 10kg for a bit over $7. Cheapest i found. Works great.

[acfixer69]

I'm assuming you're OK with what the hell is in cat litter won't carry over.

[shadylane]

"Best way to clear a sugar wash"

The tool needed is a temperature-controlled fermenter to cold crash the wash when it's done.
That and a side drain on the fermenter to draw off the cleared liquid while leaving the trub behind.

A little advice from a fat and lazy man.
Always use gravity to your advantage if possible.

[Saltbush Bill]

Best an easiest way is time and to use Shadys recipe as its so clean to begin with.
That , and as above ,draw off from above the yeast bed.
Stripping also does a good job of clearing a wash.
No Cat Litter going into my fermenters

[bunny]

viewtopic.php?p=6726935#p6726935

[still_stirrin]

… No Cat Litter going into my fermenters

+1000
SBB is a friggin’ genius!
ss

[bilgriss]

Tardis. It will clear given enough time.

[Yummyrum]

In winter time it's easier. I just take the blanket off it and leave it a week .
In Summer, it never really clears .
Only time I've added Turbo clear is when I have been absolutely desperate to distill ....IE , Mrs Yummy is making Camel sounds .

[Dunkydonuts]

I'm assuming you're OK with what the hell is in cat litter won't carry over.

Just use it before the cat and not after