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From my experience with this wash it is really active right after pitching the yeast, and for several hours after, hence the need for plenty of head space in the fermenter , the cap going down is just from the yeast eating up nutrients from my understanding.

Are you keeping the temperature regulated on it?

And if it is still working , I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

the head/cap. or whatever you want to call it. is trub,bits of what ever is in wash/mash
that is hitching a ride on co2, so it goes to the top then if it looses the co2 when it gits to
the top the it sinks again just to repeat.then when the ferment slows down they tend to settle
to the bottom.when ferment stops completely all will settle to bottom.

BrewinFool wrote:
UPDATE:
Last night I took my 1000ml flask for yeast starters and combined 650ml of RO water with apx 2TBSP of tomato paste, 2 TBSP of distillers yeast and ~6 TBSP of sugar at about 75F shook to aerate over 15 minutes.

I popped the top on the POSW which has been sitting dormant for a couple weeks now even after the addition of just distillers yeast at 2TBSP about a week ago. I took a SG and got 1.011 at 60F and pitched the flask. I replaced the cover on the bucket covered the airlock hole and shook the piss out of it to agitate/aerate. I applied to seed heating mats to the sides and covered with towels.

This morning the top of the bucket is at ~84-85F and lock is pumping every 9-10 seconds Thanks rad! I'll let you know where we finish out. I think we will strip this wash and run two more and strip to do a spirit run as outlined in kiwistillers operating a CM still post.

OK, way busy, so the POSW has been camping out for a while. I just racked it over and it's nice and clear with a slightly amberish color. It indeed finished less than 1.000, 996 to be precise so we are around the 9% abv we were shooting for. Though bitter tasting it has a much nicer smell than the crappy turbo wash. We'll let this clear out and likely run it next weekend.

Thanks again for all the help!!

Let it clear real good. Run it twice. Run once, then dilute back down with water and run it again. It should be nearly tasteless...

I ran my wash last night but had bad smell . I let it clear good and ran it but i could still smell the citric acid . What did i do wrong ? Are they two kinds of citric acid ? Our will the smell leave ; im airing the jars out now.

What kind of still are you running?
What ABV were you pulling during the run?
Did you run nice and slow and make cuts?
When you run the second and/or third time, only run the hearts.

Im running a pot still . i was doing a strip run , you may have the answer Bgrizzle. I may have run it to fast. ABV in not sure . I need to built or buy me a parrot to be able to check my abv during my run. I have been going by taste and smell so far .

A stripped sugar wash isn't gonna be tasteless. I assume you're gonna run it again thru the pot or a reflux making cuts right?
That should clear out any funny smells and tastes you have in your low wines.

Yep thats what i was planning on doing , nice and slow 2nd run . Maybe that will take out the smell like you said.

After running again if it still isnt clean, run it again! Last night was sipping on the best I've had yet. It was RADs all bran. I didnt even really let it clear. I did this on purpose to see if I could clean up a dirty tasting spirit. I ran it 3 times. It is flavorless.

I think my wash may have stalled.
I've got a 80L wash with 13.5kg sugar (aiming for 10% abv).
It's been going for 2weeks now, the temperature is 28-30c.
It's sitting on 1.000 now. I don't get any bubbles from airlock.
I've tried stirring the wash, added 1tsp dap & 1/4cup dried yeast... still hasn't started.
Will check the pH level tonight.... any suggestion?
If I ran the 1.000 wash would it be alright? I'll rack it twice leaving 2days between each rack.

If it gets down to 1.000 then you should be fine. Different people report getting anywhere between .990 and 1.000 for a finished sugar wash, it just depends on the recipe you yourself use. The fact that yours seems to have stopped at 1.000 may be due to the yeast you have used. Not necessarily a bad thing...
Have you ever done this recipe before and got a lower result?

sparky marky wrote:If it gets down to 1.000 then you should be fine. Different people report getting anywhere between .990 and 1.000 for a finished sugar wash, it just depends on the recipe you yourself use. The fact that yours seems to have stopped at 1.000 may be due to the yeast you have used. Not necessarily a bad thing...
Have you ever done this recipe before and got a lower result?

Ye I did a 80L last time aswell. used same recipe. I got ~0.993 I think from memory.
Although this one I've added 1tsp DAP & 1/4 cup yeast.
I did check the pH level last night.... it was ~3.2ish. So i've added 2 tablespoons bicarb soda.

I know this might be a hard questinon to answer because they are some many factors. But on a average what is the amount of hearts everyone is getting on their second run on a pot still ? This is from a 5 gal wash .

carolina moonshiner wrote:I know this might be a hard questinon to answer because they are some many factors. But on a average what is the amount of hearts everyone is getting on their second run on a pot still ? This is from a 5 gal wash .

Yeah, like you said there are many many factors here. If your 5 gallons of wash came out to about 10%, you should get about a gallon of 40%ABV hearts. Give or take. Maybe a little less with tight, conservative cuts.

I have a question, Im from the Central coast of NSW, Australia and have calles my 2 local brew shops. None had even heard of DAP.

Am I looking for DAP (damonium phosphate) by itself or what should I be buying. Where should I find it?

Also the same with gypsum, should I go to a plant store and but the plant fertilising version?

sevenel_mx wrote:I have a question, Im from the Central coast of NSW, Australia and have calles my 2 local brew shops. None had even heard of DAP.

Am I looking for DAP (damonium phosphate) by itself or what should I be buying. Where should I find it?

Also the same with gypsum, should I go to a plant store and but the plant fertilising version?

I'm also in Oz.
I use Calcium Sulphate http://www.westbrew.com.au/showProduct/ ... ves/940047 also known as Gypsum.
and http://www.westbrew.com.au/showProduct/ ... ves/940036 for D.A.P (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) from BrewCraft.

Cheers thanks sidewinder. Because I couldnt get a hold of the gypsum and DAP I decided to run the all bran recipe today (this is my first fermentation)
Got ripped buying dextrose from the brew shop too. $49 for 25kg, I was stupidly blind. Plane sugar was much cheaper when I went to the supermarket later to buy the yeast, oh well lesson learnt.

I blended the all bran (mix between 2 packets - origional and an apple flavoured one haha) and have put a 16litre wash together. Although I hose to simply dissolve the sugar rather than invert it as I only have a very small pot at home for use on the stove and it would have taken way to long to boil and simmer that many batches. Will look into getting a big 20l litre pot or similar.

I let cool and added the dry yeast I got from the supermarket (8 tablespoons/half a cup) It just sat on top of the wash and started to turn into dough, I am letting it airate for the hour and am stirring occasionally to mix it through the wash.

Is this correct should I have/have not done this?

sevenel_mx wrote:Cheers thanks sidewinder. Because I couldnt get a hold of the gypsum and DAP I decided to run the all bran recipe today (this is my first fermentation)
Got ripped buying dextrose from the brew shop too. $49 for 25kg, I was stupidly blind. Plane sugar was much cheaper when I went to the supermarket later to buy the yeast, oh well lesson learnt.

I blended the all bran (mix between 2 packets - origional and an apple flavoured one haha) and have put a 16litre wash together. Although I hose to simply dissolve the sugar rather than invert it as I only have a very small pot at home for use on the stove and it would have taken way to long to boil and simmer that many batches. Will look into getting a big 20l litre pot or similar.

I let cool and added the dry yeast I got from the supermarket (8 tablespoons/half a cup) It just sat on top of the wash and started to turn into dough, I am letting it airate for the hour and am stirring occasionally to mix it through the wash.

Is this correct should I have/have not done this?

haha, dont worry champ. I got sucked into the dextrose aswell yes white sugar is a lot cheaper.
apple flavoured all bran? odd lol. I don't think there should be any problems (maybe someone else mite comment).
I've never inverted my sugar etc... might possibly ferment bit faster... I never had a pot big enough either.
I think everything else seemed fine. I use Lowans Dry bakers yeast, have not had any problems. Make sure the temperature is ideal. The allbran has a awesome smell to it

Thanks again, and yes, out the back of the house its smelling like a bakery haha.

With the all bran I brought one origional packet but there were apple packets on special (im a cheap ass I know) But i thought what the heck surely the small difference of afew apple flavoured pieces wont have mush of an effect. Blended really fine and nicely in the blender. smells funky. Nice aroma with the apple kick haha.

WIth the dextrose I hardly had to even heat the water, on the stove for afew mins and it melted straight in, too easy. ABout 8 cups of sugar and 2 litres of water is what I fitted in my stove top pot. 2 of those for the wash than the rest cold water from the tap.

I am also using the lowan yeast haha. Brought two of the red cylinders.

sevenel_mx, where are you located...??? It would help as far as support if you could edit your profile to state your general geographic location considering that this forums has members from every corner of the world...

To be honest, I have never heard of All Bran being sold in "packets", nor have I heard of apple flavored All Bran... Are you sure you have the right cereal...??? The All Bran referenced in the All Bran recipe topic is like Total Cereal in that it has 100% of the recommended daily allowance for every mineral and vitamin listed... The reason All Bran works so well is due to that 100% fortification... There are very few cereals or other foods available that are fortified with this amount of nutrients per serving size...

Somewhere in either the All Bran topic there is a chart that shows the values for various adult cereals... I also have one here that is for baby cereals like Gerber, BeechNut, and several other brands...

Hey Rad, said location afew posts up but have updated profile now anyway.

This is the all bran I used which is available to us in Australia. Didn't really think about the recipe being created in another country to be honest. Hopefully everything still works out.

THe wash is bubbling about every 5-7 seconds on day two. Is it still on track?
Bu the way its a 16litre wash in a 20l fermenter.

Oh and also I think I will purchase the DAP e.t.c from the links provided above and change over to that recipe as soon as I run out of the all bran I have blended (or if this wash doesnt work out) Its going to be my first distlill anyway so will have some learning to do.

sevenel_mx, do you have a link to the cereal you are using...??? Most manufacturers have nutritional information posted online for their major products...

yep this is the one http://www.kellogg.com.au/Home/Products ... fault.aspx

also my wash stoped bubbeling day 3 ish. Is all ok???

sevenel_mx wrote:yep this is the one http://www.kellogg.com.au/Home/Products ... fault.aspx

also my wash stoped bubbeling day 3 ish. Is all ok???

That's exactly what I used for my All-Bran. Worked a charm.
Day 3 slightly too quick? Think mine too slightly longer (cant remember).
Check the Gravity level if between 0.990 & 1.000 all good. if not mayb pH level or temp issue (doubt temp.. it's definitely warm enough in Oz lol. darn 36+ degrees! The issue is keeping it cool lol.

It has sat around 25-30 degrees. (currently at about 29 **at night**) Unfortunately I don't have a gravity meter at the moment :/ What could possibly have gone wrong though, I dont see there being too much of a problem.

One thing I should ask is does everyone mix the yeast in upon addition? and should the fermenter be shaken around ever day or so or something like that?

sevenel_mx wrote:It has sat around 25-30 degrees. (currently at about 29 **at night**) Unfortunately I don't have a gravity meter at the moment :/ What could possibly have gone wrong though, I dont see there being too much of a problem.

One thing I should ask is does everyone mix the yeast in upon addition? and should the fermenter be shaken around ever day or so or something like that?

Lol sorry mate. there might not be anything from and you had a quick ferment.
Mine took longer, could be my fault... I think I did the All-Bran when it was colder and that coulda added time on mine.
You should really get a Hydrometer tho.

I don't get what you mean with the yeast, I add the yeast last nd sprinkle it on top. Although you have to wait for Temp to be under 35C.

You don't need to shake the fermenter every day. I give my Wash a stir (scrap the bottom) once it's stopped bubbling to release any gases or to make sure there isn't any sugar left stuck on the bottom. Then I leave another couple days and then rake into first fermenter, then after 2 more days I rack into a second fermenter (unnecessary but I've got built up stock, so time is not a issue for me). It's best to leave the Wash as long as possible and the clearer the wash the better. Patience is the key.

Edit: Mate you should prob discuss all this in the All-Bran thread. Read all the pages because It's all been covered. I read all the pages before attempting the All-Bran wash (actually read all pages for Wineos Plain Sugar wash & Birdwatchers aswell (knowledge is your friend)).

Alright thanks sidewinder. Time is not an issue with the ferment here either, it will be sitting there for another week because I haven't actually completed the still yet. Just need to get the element in the keg and a fish tank pump and were ready to go. I'll get some reading done when I get some more time (ultra busy atm) but if I have any more issues I will start up a new thread. CHeers.

Hi

I've been looking around this forum for a couple of months now
But only just got round to registering.

I'm fairly new to all this and only made a few turbo washes. After finding this forum I no longer want to use turbo yeast.
After allot of consideration I've decided to try this recipe first just got a few questions hopefully someone can answer.

Will I need gypsum?
I'll be using filtered town tap water. Before this tap water is filtered it tastes strongly of chlorine and other foul flavours.
After the water is filtered it tastes really clean almost as clean as spring water. (Almost flavourless)

Which Yeast will be best?
I can get bakers from the supermarket.
Super start distillers yeast.
Lallvin EC-1118
ICV K-1116
A whole range of other wine yeasts.

What should the Ph be when adding the yeast?
I’m fairly certain I can adjust the Ph with the citric acid and Epsom salts?

I have no problem sourcing any of the ingredients (all food grade) so I’ll be able to follow this recipe exactly.

I don’t really have allot of time to play round and experiment as I’m working 12 hour shifts for the next 8 weeks. Soon after that I hope to go travelling around Australia, with a really good supply of really good home brew.

Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have a feeling I'm really going to appreciate it.