First Fruit Wash and Switching from Reflux to Pot Still

[firepower]

Hello,

So far I have only done reflux distillation to produce neutral spirits, and I have managed good performance using Ted's fast fermenting vodka.

I would like to switch to fermenting and distilling fruit brandies, my still is modular and can be run in pot still mode as well.

I selected the Banana Brandy recipe that Jesse from the youtube channel Still It uses, with some small tweaks to match available materials.



Instead of exotic nutrients and wine yeasts I plan to use proportionally the same amount of DAP as I use in the TFFV and to use baker's yeast. (Where I live these nutrients and yeasts in the video are not even available)

Some concerns:

Can I simply use baker's yeast? I have it on hand.

Can I use the same ratio of grams of yeast to total volume as the TFFV recipe?

Will the starting pH 5.0 and temperature 25-30C work fine? Do I need any pH buffer (I use crushed oyster shells with my sugar wash)

As far as I can tell the banana brandy wash begins as a banana puree of sorts, what should be the starting and ending SG? The initial banana slurry might make it hard to measure SG with a hydrometer.

As for my first time running my still in pot still mode, I guess the fractions will smear a bit more but otherwise it will be easier to do.

[PalCabral]

Yes, you can use baker's yeast but make sure you give it nutrients (e.g. boiled yeast) and a fermentation temp around 30C. Use the same ration you've used before if it worked. I don't know if you need PH buffer but if you have crushed oyster shells I would use it.

As for SG, I never go above 1.080, but I never made anything with banana. You should always aim to ferment out though, 1.000 or lower.

When you run pot still, you double distill. Stripping run w/o making any cuts, down to at least 5% off the spout. Rinse and repeat until you have enough low wines for a spirit run, that's when you make cuts. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[30xs]

I thought I had read somewhere in this forum about bakers being fine on grains and sugar washes, but about the worst option for a brandy. Iirc flavor profile and hot bite were mentioned using it for fruit. Not that it can’t or hasn’t been done, but better options were available.

Someone with some brandy experience should have led be along shortly.

[PalCabral]

Yes, you are probably right about baker’s yeast giving flavors that may be off for a fruit brandy, 30xs. I didnt consider that. When I have made apple and plum brandies I’ve always used EC-1118, primarilly because it was cold in my distellery when I was making brandies.

[firepower]

Well then, I can spend a little extra and source some wine yeast. I don't want to compromise quality.

Is it absolutely necessary to do a stripping run, get some low wines and then distill those? In that case I need to make close to 3x the amount that can comforfably fit in my boiler, strip those and distill.

Once I get all the supplies and work schedule allowing, I will pull the trigger on this project.

It will be a good intro into brandies for me as I have friends with fruit trees on their properties and summer is around the corner.

[MooseMan]

Well then, I can spend a little extra and source some wine yeast. I don't want to compromise quality.

Is it absolutely necessary to do a stripping run, get some low wines and then distill those? In that case I need to make close to 3x the amount that can comforfably fit in my boiler, strip those and distill.

Once I get all the supplies and work schedule allowing, I will pull the trigger on this project.

It will be a good intro into brandies for me as I have friends with fruit trees on their properties and summer is around the corner.

Yes I would suggest a wine yeast, doesn't have to be anything fancy but if you are buying some anyway, choose a varietal that is known to keep the fruity flavours during fermentation.

Strip and spirit run is always recommended, it tends to produce the cleanest spirit and makes the cuts easier as you get a much better yield from the run, but you can of course do it your way.
For example you could load the boiler with any combination of low wines and wine, 50/50, 75/25 etc.

I'm no brandy expert but I've done several now and if I could give one tip, it would be to take lots of small heads jars at the start of the spirit run and do the cuts really carefully, all the big flavours in brandy are right up front in the heads.

[firepower]

Very well I will do a stripping run also. It will be something new to try.

I have a 60lt fermenter, I can probably fill it up to 50lt with banana wash, then do a 34lt stripping run in my 48lt boiler, then distill the combined low wines and 16lt of remaining wash.

Is there any disadvantage to filling the boiler with too little volume? Normally I fill it to 2/3rds full.

Will 50lt banana brandy wash fermenting with 10lt headspace overflow?

[30xs]

The only limitation to minimum amount on a stripping or spirit run is to make sure elements are covered at the end of the run.

[PalCabral]

Very well I will do a stripping run also. It will be something new to try.

I have a 60lt fermenter, I can probably fill it up to 50lt with banana wash, then do a 34lt stripping run in my 48lt boiler, then distill the combined low wines and 16lt of remaining wash.

Is there any disadvantage to filling the boiler with too little volume? Normally I fill it to 2/3rds full.

Will 50lt banana brandy wash fermenting with 10lt headspace overflow?

Seems like you have a similar size boiler as I have, firepower. Milk can boiler with elements?

I'm not sure if banana wash is a foamer/puker, but I rarely fill above 35-36L for stripping runs, just to have a bit of headspace. I have noticed that YLAY washes are not foaming, so there I have gone up to 38-39L for stripping runs. If you have a sight glass you can catch it before it goes too far but if you don't, I would avoid filling more than 75% of capacity.

[MooseMan]

Bananas are notorious for needing a big headspace, so maybe start low volume, and see what your fermenter can cope with.

My dad made a banana wine once and got home from work the next day to find the airlock across the room, and a column of banana goo climbing out of the hole in the bucket like the Kraken! Lol

[firepower]

PalCabral - My boiler is a portable, SS industrial cooking/food storage vessel with a clamp down lid + silicone seal. I had a fab shop TIG weld a tri clamp connection to the top. I use a propane stove and I have a 5mm aluminum diffuser plate at the bottom for even heat.

I filled it up to 36lt (maybe a bit more as I added some tails in there too) once with TFFV wash and got impatient with the heat-up and had some minor puking, but when I cut the heat, let cool and very slowly heated up again, the only negative effect was some slightly pee colored heads. With 34lt wash volume I never had issues.

MooseMan - I will mix up a 50lt batch of TFFV today and see how the fermenter holds up. Maybe I'll make a bit less banana wine. I do have an extra fermenter (same size, 60lt) but I want to keep it available for making sugar washes while the bananas ferment.