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How long can a fermented wash sit before distilling?

What are the negatives, if any, of keeping a wash too long in the fermenter?

I did a piggyback version of this method using some spent grains from a AG beer. I intended to let it ferment out for a week or so and run it.

Well I had and issue with my still and with time. The wash has been sitting for damn near a month in the fermenter. I haven't opened it or anything.

Can I still run it?

firerat wrote:How long can a fermented wash sit before distilling?

What are the negatives, if any, of keeping a wash too long in the fermenter?

I did a piggyback version of this method using some spent grains from a AG beer. I intended to let it ferment out for a week or so and run it.

Well I had and issue with my still and with time. The wash has been sitting for damn near a month in the fermenter. I haven't opened it or anything.

Can I still run it?

Your questions are indicating that you need to slow down and start doing what we consider mandatory research into the theories and fundamentals related to this hobby... We can't keep doing a question and answer routine with every novice so just stop what you're doing and read... Perhaps not the answer you want, but the answer you need... These are all very basic questions that make us wonder what else you don't know that you really really need to know before proceeding further... You're just not ready yet... All you are doing is fragmenting this already long topic with what we consider off-topic questions you should already know the answers to...

rad14701 wrote:

firerat wrote:How long can a fermented wash sit before distilling?

What are the negatives, if any, of keeping a wash too long in the fermenter?

I did a piggyback version of this method using some spent grains from a AG beer. I intended to let it ferment out for a week or so and run it.

Well I had and issue with my still and with time. The wash has been sitting for damn near a month in the fermenter. I haven't opened it or anything.

Can I still run it?

Your questions are indicating that you need to slow down and start doing what we consider mandatory research into the theories and fundamentals related to this hobby... We can't keep doing a question and answer routine with every novice so just stop what you're doing and read... Perhaps not the answer you want, but the answer you need... These are all very basic questions that make us wonder what else you don't know that you really really need to know before proceeding further... You're just not ready yet... All you are doing is fragmenting this already long topic with what we consider off-topic questions you should already know the answers to...

Wow that's incredibly helpful thank you.....

I've made a few decent whiskeys and do understand the basics principles of distillation. But I bow to your elitist knowledge.

The search function here sucks. I searched before I asked. Didn't find my answer.

i leave my beer fermenting for 3 weeks - standard operating procedure.
as long as your wash is under airlock and correct temps.
you should be ok. dont you think, firerat?

what does it smell/taste like?
run it and see what happens, what else are you going to do with it?
IMHO
good luck

goblin wrote:i leave my beer fermenting for 3 weeks - standard operating procedure.
as long as your wash is under airlock and correct temps.
you should be ok. dont you think, firerat?

what does it smell/taste like?
run it and see what happens, what else are you going to do with it?
IMHO
good luck

Oh I'd imagine so. I was just curious of what negatives if any of leaving a wash that long. Longest I ever had one sit was 3 weeks.

This is just a first generation piggyback experiment anyways. I intend to replace most of the grain with corn to get back to a more traditional simple sour mash. Throughout the generations I want to incorporate corn, different spent grains, maybe even some oats or rye.

But I don't want to upset the royalty here so I'll take my off topic questions elsewhere.

firerat wrote:

goblin wrote:i leave my beer fermenting for 3 weeks - standard operating procedure.
as long as your wash is under airlock and correct temps.
you should be ok. dont you think, firerat?

what does it smell/taste like?
run it and see what happens, what else are you going to do with it?
IMHO
good luck

Oh I'd imagine so. I was just curious of what negatives if any of leaving a wash that long. Longest I ever had one sit was 3 weeks.

I've had some sit for several months before being run. so long as you followed good inital sanitation procudure there will be no problem running them later if they look and smell ok.

If sour mashed (ie with backset AND microbial action) you might have some kind of a time limit as it will continue to sour to a degree that may be undesirable (though not actualy harmful)

frozenthunderbolt wrote:

firerat wrote:

goblin wrote:i leave my beer fermenting for 3 weeks - standard operating procedure.
as long as your wash is under airlock and correct temps.
you should be ok. dont you think, firerat?

what does it smell/taste like?
run it and see what happens, what else are you going to do with it?
IMHO
good luck

Oh I'd imagine so. I was just curious of what negatives if any of leaving a wash that long. Longest I ever had one sit was 3 weeks.

I've had some sit for several months before being run. so long as you followed good inital sanitation procudure there will be no problem running them later if they look and smell ok.

If sour mashed (ie with backset AND microbial action) you might have some kind of a time limit as it will continue to sour to a degree that may be undesirable (though not actualy harmful)

Now that's what I was looking for. I didn't think it would be "harmful" and couldn't find much evidence either way so I figured I'd ask folks who have some experience.

Thanks bro!!

I've got 40 gallons been sittin for 6 months or better. Checked it the other day. Yep still good.

40 gallons? Of what?

Actually I have 40 gal of UJSSM wash and 40 gal of panela rum wash waiting.

Nice. When you get past your summer projects P youre gonna be a busy dude come fall. Shit, if I had 40 gallons of panela wash, there'd be 30 when I got around to stillin it. That stuff is tasty.

Mr P,If you don't mind me asking what do you use to store all that wash? I might need to do that soon. thanks
ez

The 55 gal drum fermenter it fermented in.

Thank you Mr P.

copperhead46 wrote:

Dnderhead wrote:if using "back set" then you dont want to add citric acid both lower the PH.
your strips will work as your looking for a PH above 5,,below this the ferment will slow..bread yeast will work at/over 100f .
ok you say if you shake it ,it foams? if you repeat and it foams again then it must be working or you would not git a build up of Co2 (just slooooow)
best way to check if working is a SG reading,,take one now,,another in a day or so,,if different then its still working ,if not then for whatever reason it has stopped.

Dnder, thanks for the heads up about the backset lowering the ph, I'll remember that for sure. The Epsom salts seems to have done the trick, it's bubbling away right now, been going for about 24 hrs, so fingers crossed. I want to thank you for getting in and helping me with this, I do appreciate it. I took the sg reading and it's 1.010, but the mash temp is 76, so I've got to figure the reading taking into account the temp, so I'm gonna call it 1.035, I'll check it again tomarrow.
so much to learn.

Ok it's been 10 days now since I added the Epsom salts and mash started working nicely, it has slowed way down but is still bringing up a bubble now and then, question is....the sg is now at 1.070 it was 1.010, (not factoring in the actual temp), that's not right, is it??? WTH ?

The SG of a wash is measuring the sugar content and it cant make more sugar so that is wrong..??????????????

Look at the top of your meter. That is 1.100 not 1.010. You probably just read it wrong.

EDIT: Other way around. Your alcohol meter should top out at 1.000. A hydrometer would would usually read 0.990 at the very top. There is also the possibility that your hydrometer is off. Put it in a tube of distilled water and it should read 1.000. Also take into account what the temp of the water is since that effects the calibration. The instructions that came with it should say what temp. the hydrometer is calibrated for. So you will need to take the temp and adjust for the difference. As stupid as this may sound, I when I test I also take a picture of the hydrometer in the tube so I can reference back later if I loose my notes.

Greetings fellow HD'rs
I was cleaning up after myself after preparing my fixens and as I closed my bag of cracked corn I saw a kernel of corn that was black. coal black. I went back and did the best I could to look through what was in my fermenter but I dont see any more. Should I be concerned? I have heard of mold and infections and I now have a sinking feeling.


Thank you again,
AlaskaHooch

Corn comes in a variety of colors including black, so I wouldn't worry about it. Take a look at images for 'black corn'

I agree nothing to fret about. I use corn right outta my dad's grain bin. raised right on our farm. There might be a black kernel or a off color one every now and again. Hell i crack it with our grinder mixer. lol I think this sour mash stuff is some pretty hardy stuff. I set a batch monday night and it was .990 this am. I hang a light off a yard stick on top of my fermenter to keep the temp between 80 and 90 Fahrenheit. I think it helps keep a good ferment going. I tried some cracked red wheat and a couple handful of malted 6 row with the corn on this set of ujssm generations just to see how it turns out.

Is there a particular distillers yeast you would suggest?

fleischmann's bread yeast is what i use and alot of others here and we have had good results.

Plain and common baker's yeast will do it.

Shit guys, really!?! 200 PAGES on UJSSM?

Wow.

Odin.

Hey Guys, I have finished my Boka, and done 3 runs on it, achieved 95.5%, so I am a happy camper. Started to read this 200 pages about sour mashing. At the moment I play with sugar, tomato paste, citric acid, epsom salt, molasses but want to try grains+sugar wash. Would be interested in sour mashing. Have access to malted barley, can I LEAVE THE CORN OUT and use malted barley instead? NO CORN AT ALL. Would it work this way? I think this would be good for a neutral run through my Boka. Ps.: Thanx for al of your previous help and advices. Really helpful bunch of people here!!!! RESPECT!!!

Odin wrote:
Shit guys, really!?! 200 PAGES on UJSSM?

Wow.

Odin.

WOW ....

Is it advisesble to add some sort of nutrients for the yeast in ujssm? If so, what and what quantity?
Thanks alot ,
Aaron

The corn is for nutrients and flavor in the UJSSM recipe. I do use a 1/2 teaspoon of epsom salts in a 15 gal wash.
ez

Here we go! Just put the air lock on my first batch of UJSSM! This should be cool. I have done batches of "rumquila", which was a mix of agave and molasses (too sweet for me), sweet feed (I liked it, but just not my gig), and a version of ujssm using flaked maize instead of cracked corn. That was by far my favorite as far as flavor, but getting it to clear and straining it was a nightmare. My plan is to use this recipe to refine my nose and taste buds as far as cuts go, while I source a larger fermenter and a second keg to convert to a kettle. I have a keg I'd like to use as a boiler so I can do 10-12 gallon batches at a time, but I don't have a large enough fermenter to make it worth it yet. The "keggle" will allow me to start all grain brewing my batches, which is my goal.

I made my first UJSSM run this past weekend. A full tilt stripping in my potstill as suggested in the instructions.

I went way deep into low ABV apparently as I was using the hot distillate for my measure as I collected the pint jars. I retested the ABV later after I cleaned everything up and was surprised to see such a large change in measured ABV.

It took about 80 minutes to strip through the first run of eight (8) gallons down to about 15% (measured when hot), 10% at 82F.

I was a Burgin at Burning Man three years ago. Sunday night I was a Dirgin, but am no more.
Jar#1 as Fores was used to clean up the newly painted garage floor and it worked well.
I charged the new fermentation batch with three gallons of backset and all the ingredients.

Just finished stripping generation #3. Added backset to old corn and #4 is bubbling away happily. Thanks Uncle Jessie!!!