Birdwatchers sugar wash recipe

[maxd43]

After learning my lesson(s) with turbo yeast, I am about to start my first BW sugar wash. I was hoping to have a couple of questions looked at:

Regarding inverting sugar...If regular granulated sugar is used, do I need to boil it first?

Also, If the SG is slightly high or low, what is the most stable way to adjust it (the SG)?

Lastly, my local water has high chlorine levels. Would it be beneficial to use distilled water or just boil briefly to burn off chlorine?

Thanks as always.

[Dnderhead]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 40&t=22453
use back set if you have it to lower PH.. either calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.
in a pinch sodium carbonate will do to rise PH.

[Dnderhead]

if its chlorine ,boiling,aerate, or sun light will remove it.
if Charmine remove with k meta?.

[frozenthunderbolt]

if its chlorine ,boiling,aerate, or sun light will remove it.
if Charmine remove with k meta?.

As will the addition of ascorbic acid - vit C

[nuckles]

Ok I am going to try this recipe for the first time, and being new to this ( I have done turbos for the last five years).

I this a silly question

I know what the sugar and yeast are doing but what about the tom paste and lemon?

If I make a 20l wash what yeld can I get.

sorry if a bit basic but just starting to look outside the brewshop turbo.

cameron

[Dnderhead]

as most ferments id keep it about 10% .you will have better product and have more harts.
the tomato past/lemon is for nutrients.turbos use chemicals.

[frozenthunderbolt]

as most ferments id keep it about 10% .you will have better product and have more harts.
the tomato past/lemon is for nutrients.turbos use chemicals.

Lemon is also to adjust the pH - Yeast like a mildly acid environment to grow

[rad14701]

Lemon juice, or other acid sources, is also commonly used to invert the sugar for faster and more efficient fermentation... Research "invert sugar" for more information...

nuckles, this is all valuable information that you need to know if you want to successfully improve your home distillation practices... You've been spinning your wheels this past five years using turbo washes...

[timmsy]

Nuckles

Do this recipe. You will not be dissapointed. The results are awsome and the cost well put it this way. A turbo wash when i 1st started cost me about $38 AUD where as a Birdwatchers will cost me abot $8 AUD. Cost aside you will be happy with the end product. So get down to your local supermarket, get the ingridiants and put awash down. Dnt be scared on what does what or if yo invert the sugar enough. Your practices will get better with more research and off course practice!
Remember to post you results

[Odin]

Just started my first Birdwatchers a few days ago. Choose the following recipe:

25 liters of water
4.5 kilo's of sugar (not inverted)
juice of one lemon
0.4 liter of tomato juice (this juice was made of 99% tomato paste, 0,4% salt and 0,6% lemon juice, apart from water)

Mixed everything up. Got a nice looking, redish fermenter, that started bubbling away after an hour or so. Pitched with new yeast at around 28 degrees centigrade, btw. Fermentation is going quicker than the Gerber & All Bran I did earlier with a faulty yeas (to old?), so I hope it is finished in a week to 10 days max.

Aiming for 10% max, but forgot to take SG readings. Low % to see if I can get my heads cut back.

Smelling nice, at the moment. Started out with a lemon nose. Now it is a little bit of tomato I can smell. No of tastes what so ever.

Odin.

[nzl.james]

hi guys,

made this wash twice now and the first time I 'started' the yeast in a pyrex jug and added 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons sugar. I waitied for 15-20mins until the yeast foamed up like a loaf of bread before adding it to the wash. this took about 5-6 weeks to ferment out and i didnt know why, i thought it may have been the cold climate.

the second time I just sprinkled the yeast into the wash and stirred it in. this fermented out much quicker.

I decided this time to try both methods side by side to see what happens. i had 2 buckets with identical ingredients and methods, apart from starting the yeast in one barrel and just sprinkling it straight in, in the second barrel.

so....after about 5 hours i found the barrel that had the yeast just sprinkled in was foaming up and had forced foam through the airlock and down the side of the barrel

the barrel I had started the yeast in the pyrex jug has been relatively slow to start fermenting and only had a gently fizz

Sooo..... 2 days later and it seems the wash with the yeast sprinkled in is performing MUCH better than the other. the SG is 1.05, compared to 1.06-1.062 for the other barrel. both barrels started at 1.075


Are these results unusual or expected? based on this experience im not going to bother starting yeast beforehand, I will just sprinkle it straight in??

[frozenthunderbolt]

I ran a WPOSW wash that was covered in white powdery scum, it was amazingly fruity smelling but had next to no alcohol in it - a couple of 100 mls. still tasted sweet, so i've added tomato paste to the now (hopefully) sterile wash and have bombed it with a yeast starter. My fingers are crossed.
I've also started a birdwatchers exactly as per the recipie and it is crackerlacking already! I'm way impressed! Looking for a shitload of low wines ready for when my keg is turned into a decent super-Bok!

[Dnderhead]

if your going to "dry pitch" yeast dont stir.it needs to become accustomed to its new environment. then it will fiend own its place in life.

[stinkypete]

hi guys my first wash of any kind , did half the recipie in 2 x 20 l buckets , start temp was 32 c wash was started 28 hrs ago , temp thismoring and tonight around 37 c , is this temp too high ? i have 2 blankets covering them would it be wise to take them off ? its smelling like alcohol and dosent taste as sweet as yesterday , it would be best described as fizzing away like a glass of fizzy drink , i dont have a hydrometre yet so cant tell you the sg yet , will try tommorrow

thanks

stinky

edit* measured sg it is 1.01 on one bucket and 1.02 on other bucket 14/10/2011 3 days now temp dropped to 34 now

[UlTrA_]

Hey guys
I am new to making spirits I have been making beer for a few years now.
Anyhow before i stuff some crap up im wondering if you's can give me a hand putting together a simple wash recipe with ingredients I have
I like the idea of tomato paste but would that do anything in a pot still?
and do i really need to add charcoal into my wash and i dont want to stain my fermenters.
Anyhow my ingredients i am thinking of using are
5kg white sugar
1 - 1.2 kg liquid malt extract
7g of that ec1111 yeast
bit of tomato paste left in the fridge LOL
half a jar of bakers yeast
And anything else that people usally have round there house do people make yeast staters for spirit wash's
Anyway i wanna do it right so if i dont get any replies i might have a go at this birdwatchers recipe possibly crush a couple of folic acid tabs too


Thanks guys

[Dnderhead]

with malt extract you shuld not need other nutrients.

[UlTrA_]

great
So if i add that extract shoul i use it all or just like 200ml?
And should i rehydrate the yeast and add some tomato paste too?
Alll i wanna be able to do is to make some alcohgol
Anyhow my 25lt recipe might be
5kg white sugar
packet of ecc111 or whatever yeast
few teaspoons of tomato pasteand some bakers yeast as they should die of and add nutrients?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
And thanks for the reply mate

P.S i have lemon juice too

[Dnderhead]

if you add the 1.5 kg malt you can leave out tomato past..it wont hurt just not needed.

[rad14701]

UlTrA_, slow down a bit and do a little more research... Your abundant enthusiasm, and sheer number of questions, shows that you are a bit too eager to start out making mistakes rather than gaining enough knowledge to be confident that you are doing things right the first time... Am I wrong here...??? I don't think so... Also, why keep pulling this Birdwatchers recipe thread off topic...??? Either run this recipe or another Tried and True recipe... Deviating by modifying a good recipe or trying to create your own on the first attempt isn't a good plan of action...

Again, slow down... You don't want to be this weeks recipient of the giddy schoolgirl of the week award...

[Bayou-Ruler]

UlTrA_,Again, slow down... You don't want to be this weeks recipient of the giddy schoolgirl of the week award...

They got my vote!!

[stinkypete]

hi guys today is day 5 of my bw wash temp is down to 27.8 celcius , on both 20 l buckets , sg is (if im reading it corectly ) on one bucket just over 1 and the other is sitting on 1 , the fizzing appears to have slowed down a fair bit . am i near the end of the wash ? and should i let it sit for a few days to settle out , i was thinking of doing the run next weekend . cheers

stinky

[Bayou-Ruler]

hi guys today is day 5 of my bw wash temp is down to 27.8 celcius , on both 20 l buckets , sg is (if im reading it corectly ) on one bucket just over 1 and the other is sitting on 1 , the fizzing appears to have slowed down a fair bit . am i near the end of the wash ? and should i let it sit for a few days to settle out , i was thinking of doing the run next weekend . cheers

stinky

Mine usually take 7 days to complete and then i let it sit til it clears. I think ur close to the end and yes let it sit til it clears.

[rad14701]

hi guys today is day 5 of my bw wash temp is down to 27.8 celcius , on both 20 l buckets , sg is (if im reading it corectly ) on one bucket just over 1 and the other is sitting on 1 , the fizzing appears to have slowed down a fair bit . am i near the end of the wash ? and should i let it sit for a few days to settle out , i was thinking of doing the run next weekend . cheers

stinky

Sounds like it should be finished, degassed, and cleared, by next weekend...

[UlTrA_]

Heh
I brewed grain washes a few years back but wanted a cheap sugar wash
Anyhow didnt mean to jack any threads no disrespect meant and i am not trying to ruin anyones recipes i just dont have idea for sugar wash nutrient needs
Anyway i have done alot of research over the past few years while ive been brewing my all grain beers
Anyway thanks to birdwatcher for the recipe i pretty much stuck with that (scaled down of course)it has came in at 11.02 which is a little high i think
I did however proof my yeast which was actually dv10 and add in 1c malt extract and a crushed folic acid pill
Anyway guys my apologies again didnt mean to get of on the wrong foot but sometimes people need to realise that I am not trying to hijack any threads or piss people off
Am just after feedback really .as like most things trial and error is the way to tell

Cheers

[Odin]

Ultra,

I think you enthousiasm is much apreciated. If you want to investigate new recipies (or adapt old ones), why not start op a new thread?

Odin.

[UlTrA_]

no just wanted to push the point that i wasnt being a dick
i have got my friend onto this birdwatchers recipe over using turbos we done one yesterday:)
mine is bubbling away nicely now cant wait to distill
cheers guys have a good rest of the day

[Odin]

Update on my first Birdwatcher's. Just racked it of this afternoon. Normally, I would let it settle in a cooler place for a day and a half to get rid of some more solids. But this looked so good & devoid of solids, I decided to go ahead and strip it right away. First points scored: allmost no loss of wine to sedimentation!

In distilling, I thought: "Am I actually not just distilling water here?" Heads were ... well maybe "missing" is not the right word, but "absent"? Yes, for sure. No ethyl acetate taste or smell at all. Now I do not do cuts on a stripping run, but I was curious to find out - by taste & smell - just what came out. Centre part almost made me want to get my ABV rod out to check if I actually succeeded in making alcohol. Pure as water, was the first impression. I collected 7.2 liters on a 21 liter batch, so must have taken out pretty much all the alcohol. Towards the end I was curious to tails. Dipped in the finger once more and maybe, just maybe some minor traces of the slightest card board taste could be detected. Could be I imagined it, could be that there was a slight difference with the hearts part ... Impressive!

I collected the 7.2 liters at 38%, which means my wash must have been around 12.5%. More than I expected. Looking forward to doing the fractionating run. If I am not mistaken this will by far be my best vodka yet.

So, YES!, Birdwatchers must have been send by the gods! Thank you BW for a great recipe. Now all I have to do is speed up the fermentation process ... Three weeks is too long. Underpitched? Bad yeast? Better fermentation at 28 degrees centigrade instead of 21? Let's find out!

Odin.

[Bushman]

Odin that is about the same results I get with my birdwatchers, looks like from your previous post that the wash took about 2 weeks to complete. Mine usually is between 2 and 2-1/2 weeks although I think your starting ABVwas slightly higher than mine.

[Odin]

Finished the spirit run on my BW this morning. Came out fine. Slightly smaller head fraction compared to Alcotec 48 Turbo. Heads smelled a lot better on BW, BTW. Steered clear of any tails and made me a 1.1 liters of my best neutral yet. Am not sure whether "best neutral" and "best vodka" are the same for me, though!

@Busman: I will try to up the tempo a bit by adding more yeast than I did last time, and by fermenting at around 24 to 26 degrees instead of 20 to 21 degrees.

Keep ya all posted.

Odin.

[Bushman]

Finished the spirit run on my BW this morning. Came out fine. Slightly smaller head fraction compared to Alcotec 48 Turbo. Heads smelled a lot better on BW, BTW. Steered clear of any tails and made me a 1.1 liters of my best neutral yet. Am not sure whether "best neutral" and "best vodka" are the same for me, though!

@Busman: I will try to up the tempo a bit by adding more yeast than I did last time, and by fermenting at around 24 to 26 degrees instead of 20 to 21 degrees.

Keep ya all posted.

Odin.

My temp is set at 27 C and my temp control gauge kicks on at 2.5 drop in Celcius so the room temp is always between 24.5-27C.