Hello

[Orange79]

Hi,

I've been reading these forums and the parent site for a few months. I'm amazed by the amount of knowledge that people have on here and the willingness to share. I'm just starting out and looking for a wash that would produce a vodka closest to a premium store brand. I would like to avoid turbos, so I was thinking of starting with Gerber or WPOSW. Not sure if these would be considered actual vodka's?
Has anyone ever tried this Ian Smiley Wheat Mash Vodka Recipe?
http://www.home-distilling.com/store/pc ... Recipe.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks!

[rad14701]

Welcome to the forums, Orange79... The term "vodka" has evolved over the years to mean little more than neutral spirits cut to a potable 100 proof (50% ABV) or less... Gerber, Birdwatchers, WPOSW, and DWWG are all good recipes for neutral spirits in a single run through a reflux column...

I'm familiar with Ian Smileys Wheat Vodka Recipe but have never tried it... It sounds a bit trickier and more expensive than the recipes I use for neutrals... I was just working up some numbers earlier and found that with both my Gerber and All Bran recipes my neutral spirits cost ~$4.50 or less per liter of 95%, or ~$2.25 per liter of potable 100 proof using grocery store ingredients...

Good luck...

[LWTCS]

I'm at $12 per 25 liters.

But I'm pot stilling, so I'd rather use the All Bran (good carry over flavor).

No matter, cost is the same.

If your a purist and prefer a martini, you may need to plan for the long haul.

[Orange79]

Thanks for the info. I think I am gonna start with the Gerber and see how that goes. Is PH ever an issue with that wash? I am planning on using filtered bottled water for the wash. I noticed on the WPOSW recipe it calls for the addition of gypsum and citric acid. Has anyone ever tried this with Gerber or is it not necessary? I've also seen the 5.2 PH stabalizer additives. Has anyone ever used these to ensure correct PH levels?
Thanks again.

[kiwistiller]

If your a purist and prefer a martini, you may need to plan for the long haul.

If you're a purist, and prefer martinis, shouldn't you be making gin?

Seriously though, a good column, run carefully, will thrash out some very very neutral spirits from almost anything. I like the odd vodka martini, and have had very nice results from birdwatchers sugar wash. It doesn't go as fast for me as other sugar washes, but crikey it's clean. Works out at around $2 a liter of 45% for me. what type of still are you running / thinking about?

[LWTCS]

If you're a purist, and prefer martinis, shouldn't you be making gin?

Your right. I recon I'm a product of the american marketing machine. Shame on me.

Let me re-phrase that:
If you prefer a Martini style vodka beverage you may need to,,,,,,,,,, practice, practice, practice.

[rad14701]

I haven't tested pH with any of my washes but have never had issues that I'm aware of... Shooting for only 12% potential ABV and adding some boiled yeast and 20-20-20 for nutrients results in a 30 - 36 hour ferment if you're looking for speed... With the added nutrients I can get 14% but it takes a bit longer...

I've had issues with Gerber finishing at 14% with just the basic recipe so I'm shooting for 12% these days... That's 3.5 cups of sugar per gallon (4 liters) instead of 4 cups per gallon, or a maximum SG of 1.080...