Dixie's techno sugar wash...

[dixiedrifter]

Here lately I been working on a sugar wash recipe that goes off like a turbo, without the price tag or the nasty off flavors. Every recipe I have seen on here except for the DWWG is just too slow. So after much searching and taking into consideration information garnished from yeast manufacturers, beer brewers, and wine makers, I have created a preliminary recipe designed in an attempt to meet the needs of the yeast without buying expensive fermentation boosters.

For a approximate 55 gallon sized wash prepare the following:

150g DAP (should produce around 150ppm nitrogen)
82g Epsom salts (should produce around 38ppm available magnesium)
22g Potassium Chloride (sourced from No Salt substitute)
50mg Biotin (the only vitamin yeast cannot produce on its own)
1 50mg zinc tablet (this should give near enough zinc levels)
2 multivitamins (mainly for micronutrient minerals)
1 Super Complex B vitamin
4 twelve-ounce cans of tomato paste
90lbs of cane sugar
50ml of concentrated sulfuric acid (to drop the pH - your mileage may vary)

I think this is getting closer to what the yeast need to give maximum performance. The nitrogen content is still a bit low but should be on the front end. I'm not for sure about the potassium levels if they are appropriate or not. I have no clue what FAN level the tomato paste gives but it can’t be much I would imagine. Also IMO, baker’s yeast likes warm so to really kick things off try and keep the temps around 90F when the wash is all mixed.

To rehydrate the yeast:

Proper rehydration is really important to ensure a large healthy cell count. Measure our 500g of sugar and add it to about 10L of plain old tap water at as close to the wash temp as possible. Take 1lb of red star active dry baker’s yeast (available at Gordon Food Service in a 2lb pack for $4.99) and add it into the sugar water and stir gently for about 10 minutes.

Now I must admit, AFAIK this is a lot of yeast. But what the hey, its cheap! Anyhoos, you should notice some activity within 30-45 minutes of pitching the yeast. AFAIK Red Star is a bottom fermenter and does not form a Krausen like Fleischmanns and has a better alcohol tolerance. Once the sugar level has dropped to around one third of the initial gravity (or you decide to say to hell with it and pitch it early), then comes the second infusion of DAP and a quick pH balance. According to winemaker’s, the nitrogen content should be 300ppm or more. Add in another 200g of DAP.

So far the results are promising... 12 hours into fermentation the hydrometer dropped two points and the tomato color is already about gone. I hope this is all over and done with in 5 days.

[Hillbilly Bill]

55 gallons? Sure that is enough?... lol

[MuleKicker]

Dixie, I love the volume! Everyone tells me Im nuts doing large ferments like that. The only question I have is, heat? when I do mine, i think i "handicap" it alittle so it doesnt take off, because that size ferment makes alot of heat when fired off fast. what kind of temps are you getting?

[dixiedrifter]

I use a large 60 gallon conical fermenter which is shallow and wide with temps in the upper 60's in my abode, it actually cooled off about 10 degrees overnight to around 85F... I think I overpitched the yeast and instead of going into the exponential growth phase it just started to ferment. I decided to put a heat lamp on it this morning to keep the temps up while I visit relatives.

[rad14701]

Just remember, yeast can become photosensitive... Whether the wavelengths of a heat lamp will have a photosensitive effect or not I'm not sure, and would also depend on the translucency of the fermenter...

One of the reasons I've been using All-Bran cereal is because I don't have local access to many of the ingredients you've listed and it provides everything needed for a rapid and full ferment... By using generic All-Bran my all-in recipe cost, including sugar, is in the range of $1.25 USD per gallon of wash... Ferment times are in the 72 hour range... The only optional additions I use are boiled yeast and 20-20-20... Simple and fast and I only have to buy what I need when I need it...