All Bran Recipe

[ga flatwoods]

You could run it now if you like. You started with a stout sugar dose anyway.

[rad14701]

Looks like it is right around the 1.00 mark. Using the temperature conversion (79.2F) puts it at around 1.002. So I guess it is close, but need it to drop below 1.00 ?

SG.jpg

Thanks,
Pat

It's essentially done... It could go lower if it is still producing CO2 and not simply off gassing... I let mine set after things slow or stop until the wash temperature matches ambient room temperature... And most of the time I rack into a secondary because the last of the trub drops from suspension faster, but not always... I still have some 6 month old wash to run at some point... You can see right through the carboys and could probably read through it...

[bonnieblue]

Looks like it is right around the 1.00 mark. Using the temperature conversion (79.2F) puts it at around 1.002. So I guess it is close, but need it to drop below 1.00 ?

SG.jpg

Thanks,
Pat

It's essentially done... It could go lower if it is still producing CO2 and not simply off gassing... I let mine set after things slow or stop until the wash temperature matches ambient room temperature... And most of the time I rack into a secondary because the last of the trub drops from suspension faster, but not always... I still have some 6 month old wash to run at some point... You can see right through the carboys and could probably read through it...

That's some pretty clear wash it you can read through it, my pretty cloudy. I did buy a siphon thinking I would rack it into a secondary for clearing as well.

Thanks,
Pat

[bonnieblue]

You could run it now if you like. You started with a stout sugar dose anyway.

Hmmm... I was going to wait until tomorrow and rack into a second container...but now your suggestion is tempting me !

[still_stirrin]

I just fired up an all bran batch earlier this afternoon.
It's not even bubbling yet (1 hour after transfer to fermenters).

All Bran 6-30-16

Cloudy and yellow/green (B vitamins and bran cereal).
Fleischmann's bread yeast (rehydrated).
OG 1.074

ss

[Kegg_jam]

It will clear more if you let it.

But if 'in you in a hurry you could run it now.

Decisions, decisions...

[bonnieblue]

First off, I would like to say thanks to all the mashing help you have provided. Without which I would not have been able to get to where I did. The good news is that I have learned how to make a hop-less beer. The bad news is after a transporting mishap this morning I now have a soured and sloppy stair case to clean up. I was planning on using a water distiller (air still) and from what I have been reading most think it would have been a waste of time. It seems to me I will be better off learning how to perfect making a drinkable beer since I now have most of the equipment for beer, and none for a real still. Incidentally I took one final SG reading and it dropped even a little lower. So Rad's All Bran recipe works, and works exceptionally well !

Thanks,
Pat

[Spriit Tisler]

I have had this recipe bubbling for 7 days now and temperature fell just a bit over 20C and it is still bubbling 1-2 bubbles per second. I moved it to more warmer room, but I think I'll have to wait for a while for it to stop and clear. I wouldn't like to use clearing agents although I've got plenty of them - trying to get this one right.

I used 200g of fresh bakers yeast, 7kg of sugar (inverted in citric acid), a 500g pack of all-bran in total volume of 40 liters. One possible explanation is that strictly following the recipe I should have used almost twice the amount of yeast, so it could take a bit longer. I used SS air stone and air pump to aerate it.

Btw, does all that all-bran stuff float there or does it fall to the bottom? How clear it should get in order to avoid any issues when distilling it with gas burner operated still?

[rad14701]

Spriit Tisler, you're fine with half the yeast... Every ferment takes as long as it takes... 20C/68F is on the low side for bakers yeast which explains the slow ferment... Get it up closer to 27C (24C - 30C) and you will have better luck...

Once fermentation is complete the wash will clear substantially, to the point of being translucent... Racking into a secondary vessel upon completion will speed up the clearing process...

[Spriit Tisler]

I moved it into boiler room that has 30C ambient temp and it has begun bubbling faster now. I'll keep an eye on it that it wont go much higher than that to prevent any nasties forming at too high temps. I will let it do its job as long as it takes, I rather get myself two barrels and wait the time instead of fucking up the one.

You think I should really double the amount of yeast to make it go faster? The 200g costs mere 80 cents and I dont feel bad putting another into there if it cuts the time half.

I took that sample from the batch just to test it and put it in fridge and it has cleared a lot by itself but it certainly is not ready yet, it tastes surprisingly good being what it is, but it is still quite sweet. I should get myself a SG meter..

[rad14701]

I would wait and see what maintaining a higher temperature does before doubling the yeast... I don't use as much as I used to because I use a carboy cozy these days to retain fermentation heat... My ferments usually finish in 4 - 7 days...

[Spriit Tisler]

I noticed that the intro probably meant dried active yeast instead of fresh pressed yeast which I used. Since dried yeast is 2-3 times the fresh yeast's weight, it could explain the longer time. No worries, I'll check it again next time I get to my shop, let the yeast party another week.

I was so bored I put up another batch there now.

[Bert13]

Hi folks, it's that novice Bert13 here again and I apologise for not following up on my post [of Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:12 am] a little sooner. My wife was taken into hospital with a broken arm and broken pelvis and I've mostly been in there by her bed for the last fortnight.

This means that the bran wash that I put on has not been monitored effectively and the scant detail is that it started like a steam train and carried on burbling until a couple of days ago - say roughly 2 weeks to work out.
The wash didn't taste sweet so I decanted it into a clean bucket to relive it of most of the sediment and it its reading perhaps a fraction above 1 on the hydrometer but is definitely not clear . . more sort of translucent so I'm going to leave it for a couple of days and take daily readings to see if it remains stable and in the hope that it clears some more.

As previously mentioned, this is my 3rd ever wash and the previous 2 were turbo's so I'm feeling a bit nervous at this juncture because I've previously used clearing agents prior to distilling and anti-foaming aids in the still - can someone perhaps advise if I can use a not quite clear wash in a T500 reflux or if I should use clearing agent and also if I need to use an anti-foaming agent?

I realise that most of you guys use more traditional methods and equipment and I'm supposing that I'll probably graduate in that direction myself but for now any advice on this issue with this kit will be most keenly appreciated, thank you.

One other little thing that has been puzzling me is where does the water go from the air trap? Sometimes it sits in there for weeks with no bother and on other occasions it can just disappear if you turn your back on it though that seems to be either right at the start of a wash or right at the end after a wash has been decanted to relive it of it's sediment prior to final settling to clear - is it something associated with oxygen in the wash maybe?

Thanks again

Bert

[Spriit Tisler]

I quess the bran should look close to this when it has settled. This one has sat two days in +2C at fridge and it is sort transcludent-opaque as ppl have stated here - but not clear that one could read anything through it. All yeast has settled to the bottom.

[Mikey-moo]

Mine wasn't that clear when I ran it and I had no issues with foaming. It's basically a sugar wash and they don't foam all that much.

[Hound Dog]

Clear is relative. In the warm summer mine are usually a bit milky after clearing for a week. In the cold of winter it's clearer than apple juice. If it's been sitting for two weeks and you racked it into pails to clear some more, it's ready to run.

Hope the 'ol lady is ok.

[rad14701]

Spriit Tisler, that wash is plenty clear... I don't always wait until it's that clear... It just depends on when I have the opportunity to do a run...

Bert13, my airlocks lose water during aggressive fermentation... Some airlocks can also suck water into the fermentation vessel if the wash cools too rapidly...

[Bert13]

Mine wasn't that clear when I ran it and I had no issues with foaming. It's basically a sugar wash and they don't foam all that much.

Hi Mikey, could you please say if you ran it in a pot still or a reflux?
Also, if you know, are pot stills or reflux stills more prone to or can they be damaged by the action of a wash foaming during distillation?

Thank you for your advice

Bert13

[Mikey-moo]

12l Pot still. I've not heard of a still being damaged by foaming. It can make a mess though.

I ran 10l first. Then added the low wines from that to 7l for another run then the low wines from that with the last 3l for a final spirit run.
Turned out very tasty. Although I think I prefer corn liquor to wheat in the end.

[C2H5O5]

Finally finished this thread, WOW! 56 pages, 1668 posts and 142,736 views, quite impressive Rad… This is a very bittersweet moment for me, finishing the thread, reminds me of how I felt when the X-Files ended.

For the last few years I have been running Birdwatchers and wanted to give Rads All bran a shot.
Anyhow I'm going to start a few 18 gallon ferments in a few weeks. I will be refluxing on my Nixon Stone, (stripping several washes followed by spirit runs).
Over the last few weeks I have been gathering my supplies, just need to pick up the cereal.
Hopefully I will have my Spiral Prismatic Packing completed. If not I will just use the copper mesh as I always have, for now anyway.

Ordered a backup, alcometer, hydrometer and Graduated Cylinder
I will be using two 20 gallon Rubbermaid trashcans and three 6.5 gallon ferment buckets.
Here's what I got so far.

I am leaving a little wiggle room to tweak the ABV if needed. Here is what I have for three 17.2 Gallon wash (66 Liters) shooting for 1.080 max of 12.3% ABV (per/parent site calc.) KISS Recipe

• 15 Gallons of water (total water)
• 30 pounds of inverted Sugar (2 C. = 1 lb.) bring following to a simmer (do not boil), stirring continuously
• 12 cups “crushed” All Bran flakes Simmer cereal with double the volume of water for 30 minutes (1.5 Boxes of 17.5 OZ.)
• 1 TBSP boiled yeast component
• 1 TBSP 10-10-10
• 8 oz. Fleischmann's active dry yeast (not scaled up evenly based on comments on this thread).

x3

• Add 8 gallons of tepid water to ferment vessel a few days prior to making wash.
• Add Aquarium heaters and set to 85°F.
• Invert 30lbs. Sugar, 2 gallons of water and 1.25 cups of Lemon Juice in a stainless 10 gallon stock pot.
• Simmer cereal, 1.5 gallons of water and yeast component in a 12 qt stock pot, set aside.
• Add inverted sugar to Ferment vessel
• Add water until desired SG is reached 1.080 max, can go a bit higher on the SG because more water from cereal will be added (Mark SG (OG) on ferment vessel)
• Add simmered cereal, allow wash to cool to 95°F
• Aerate with immersion blender several minutes
• Pitch yeast and 10-10-10
• Place on ferment vessel lid, top with towels and secure so I don’t get maggots again!
• Buy more propane lol.

• Go on a weeks vacation
• Drink my 100 proof 1 year old Birdwatchers Sweet Tea Vodka with my sister that is going through a rough divorce.
• When I get back Check SG, after SG is reached, remove heater, settle the rest of the week.
• Rack 20 gallon ferment vessel#1 into 6.5 gallon ferment buckets, settle at least three days
• Start 20 gallon ferment vessel #3 after racking
• Rack Batch #1 from 6.5 gallon ferment buckets into boiler
• Start stripping run #1 and #2
• Rack 20 gallon ferment vessel #2 into 6.5 Gallon ferment buckets
• Rack Batch #2 from 6.5 gallon ferment buckets into boiler
• Start stripping run #3 and #4
• Rack 20 gallon ferment vessel #3 into 6.5 Gallon ferment buckets
• Rack Batch #3 from 6.5 gallon ferment buckets into boiler
• Start stripping run #5 and #6
• Collect low wines in 5.5 gallon Sanke Keg and pickle jars if needed, trash the Carlos Rossi jugs
• Dilute to 30-40%, charge boiler
• Reflux, Air, Make cuts

[Hound Dog]

C2H505, I have made this recipe a lot. It is my favorite vodka recipe. I have used different cereals but same method. I too use the 20 gallon brute trash cans. I just dump in a 25# sack of sugar, box of cereal (my favorite it Frosted Mini Wheats) a little gypsum for my water and a hand full of crushed oyster shells for good measure. It aerates well when I use the nozzle on the hose to fill it up to just above the ridge on the trash can. This gives me just under 10% potential. After a few times I found no reason to cook the cereal or invert the sugar. Just a foolproof recipe.

[Spriit Tisler]

Is there basically any risk for off-taste inducing thermal runaway using bakers yeast in batches sized 50 liters at 30C ambient?

[rad14701]

Is there basically any risk for off-taste inducing thermal runaway using bakers yeast in batches sized 50 liters at 30C ambient?

The biggest issue is maintaining a constant temperature rather than allowing the wash to go through temperature swings... 30C/86F should be just fine with bakers yeast...

[Spriit Tisler]

Is it.. ready to be stripped?

The first is from clearer portion (I divided it in 10l buckets) and second from dirtier, more cloudier one.

[Greenthorn]

This is what mine looks like, I just siphon off and run it like this. Guess I run it dirty?

[Spriit Tisler]

Am I getting too clear with mine?

Ok, I cheated a little and did a test with bentonite and it clarified the rest within minutes. I was amazed actually.

[rad14701]

Definitely clean enough to run...

[whistlewetter]

C2H505, I have made this recipe a lot. It is my favorite vodka recipe. I have used different cereals but same method. I too use the 20 gallon brute trash cans. I just dump in a 25# sack of sugar, box of cereal (my favorite it Frosted Mini Wheats) a little gypsum for my water and a hand full of crushed oyster shells for good measure. It aerates well when I use the nozzle on the hose to fill it up to just above the ridge on the trash can. This gives me just under 10% potential. After a few times I found no reason to cook the cereal or invert the sugar. Just a foolproof recipe.

BINGO!! I was thinking of heating up the water and just pour everything together in my 30 gallon fermenter. I thought I should read through the later posts of this thread to see if anyone has tried it and how it worked.

Do you at least heat up the water? I plan to, I want to make sure everything dissolves well.

[Bert13]

Mine wasn't that clear when I ran it and I had no issues with foaming. It's basically a sugar wash and they don't foam all that much.

Hi Mikey, could you please say if you ran it in a pot still or a reflux?
Also, if you know, are pot stills or reflux stills more prone to or can they be damaged by the action of a wash foaming during distillation?

Thank you for your advice

Bert13

Hi Mikey and All,

I'm pleased to report that I ran the wash in the reflux, 2 days ago now, and it worked a treat. Owing to a bout of nervousness I did use 3 little caps of anti-foaming agent but I didn't use anything to clear it and had no issues - got myself a whisker more that 3 litres of 92.5% crystal clear spirit from the 22 litres that went in so that puts the wash at around the 14% mark and I take my hat off to Rad14701 for pioneering the recipe that I attempted to follow and to all you good folk who post so that imitators like me can feel clever in their actions.

What does it taste like? Well, when I was a youngster I dated a girl who's father was a tail gunner in the free Polish air force, he came to Britain to fight in the war, married a local girl and stayed. He had close links with the Polish community in Suffolk (where any Poles settled close to the airfields at Mildenhall and thereabouts) and he always had a bottle of Polish white spirit, as he called it [or vodka as we'd call it] on the go.
Cut to 47% it tastes like that did according to my distant memory. It's a powerful tasting sipper that I think will mellow with age.

Thanks again everyone.

Bert13

[Spriit Tisler]

So I stripped and fracced the stuff. The final product is more neutral to nose than turbo alcohol that stood ½years with carbon and was treated with soda and re-distilled. I still think it could be more neutral though and I began to wonder if it is just like that or is there something to improve in my work methods. I noticed sort of burned yeast/rubberish/sort of pungent odor in the product and I thought could it be from the gas burner being on too powerful?

I also ran on another strange phenomenon. I plugged a brass valve in the still and stripped the second batch (about 25 liters) to gain about 3 liters of 70% stuff, but when I added sodium hydroxide into the strippings, they turned yellow. I wonder if the lye reacted with some dissolved metals or something else? The washes were bit acidic due to addition of citric acid during inverting so they could have picked up something during stripping run.