Home Distiller

I was wondering if I could trouble you for some assistance? I seem to be having some trouble fermenting. I started the receipt below last Monday night. 1-2-06. When I started, I took the SG reading at 1.08 (if I am reading the meter correctly). After a week it is only down to 1.06 SG, at a temperature of about 26.5 C. Should it take this long? Should there be a lower SG? What am I doing wrong? Can I successfully ferment at 26.5 C? If so, how long should it take? The mash is still bubbling…

Thanks for all your help.

Just a little depressed..,



20 liters water
5 kg sugar
59.5 grams of nutrient (commercial prepackage for distilling)
28.5 grams of distillers yeast.

temp looks good, but at the maximum heat, since fermenting yeasts generate heat,try a slightly cooler place.
It is bubbeling, so that is good.
Is the water you are using chlorinated, or unusual, sulpher or somerthing...

what nutrient mix prepack did you use.
how hot was the wash when the yeast went in..

what kind of yeast, brand, liquid or dry.

Possum:

I used distilled water. I just bought the 1 lb bag of nutrient item # N21A at http://www.homebrewheaven.com onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow. You can search the item # with the “search” field in the upper right hand corner. I placed the yeast in the mash at 37.75C. I also used Super Start Distiller's Yeast 1# From Alltech (dry) item # L20 at homebrewheaven.com .

Thanks for your interest and assistance.

did you aerate the wash good and hard before capping the fermenter?

Most of what you did sounds good. The temps were right. Sugar amount is OK. But it is still not going properly!

Couple of things. KH points out aeration at the pitching time is important to allow the yeast to multiply. Did you by chance boil the water? (boiling removes oxygen). I just use ordinary water from the hot tap and thrash it around dissolving sugar and again after pitching the yeast/nutrients.

Another problem may be too little nutrient/yeast. My Turbo packets (for 25 ltr fermenst) have 150g of stuff in them. You used 88g.

But if it is bubbling and smells OK just let it go. Maybe you might try a Turbo packet next time for comparison. Mine sends its first bubble out after 2 min!! and goes like blazes and is done in 3 days.

Good luck - keep us posted.

linw:

” Mine sends its first bubble out after 2 min!! and goes like blazes and is done in 3 days. “

I want yours!

Might you suggest perhaps doubling my yeast and nutrient level, and using hot tap water instead of hot distilled water my next attempt? Can you use too much yeast / nutrient? I’m beginning to wonder if distilled water was a wise choice since distilled water is “dead,” and void of any and all nutrients. It is in my opinion healthy to drink assuming you actually eat meat once in a while for the nutrients, but perhaps not good for a chemical reaction like fermenting.


Thanks for your interest and assistance.

Your mash might be coming along better than you think. If it is bubbling you won't get a true sg reading and also if it is 26.5 it is too warm to correctly read sg, it should be 20 degrees.

Well Uncle Remus you bring up an interesting point. My hydrometer states that it is calabrated to 15.5556 C (60 F). I take the test sample out of the fermenter, and place it in the freezer until it reaches 60 F for the test.

Thanks for your interest and assistance.

what you said about doubbling yeast and nutriet sounds good for next ferment.

Aeration is also a good idea.

if you are impatient, add more yeast .
I think it just needs some time.

Distilled water is the problem. Research it re fermentations.

Try this quote.

Using distilled water can cause big problems for the unsuspecting
winemaker. There are two reasons for this. The first being
distilled water has had all of the excess or "free" oxygen
removed from it. The second reason is that distilled water has no
minerals either. Both of these conditions are direct results of
the distilling process and both conditions have inhibiting
effects on a fermentation.

During the primary fermentation the yeast need an ample supply of
oxygen in the must to allow them to freely reproduce themselves.
The yeast have the monumental task of multiplying themselves to
around 100 to 150 times during the primary fermentation. If the
yeast are not given enough oxygen to multiply successfully, then
the result will be a sluggish fermentation that can drag out for
several additional weeks.

Having no minerals in the water affects the fermentation in a
negative way as well. Minerals are a significant portion of the
nutritional meal the is required by the yeast to perform at their
best. Different minerals effect the yeast in different ways, but
in general, minerals increase the yeast's ability to metabolize
or consume sugar. Without a supply of minerals you have yeast
that consume sugar at a slower pace.

W-O-W

I thought using distilled water would be a “good” idea since many state problems with water contaminants. Thanks for all your help. I will try it again with tap water!

Thanks for your interest and assistance.

You can use bottled water, just not distilled water

Greetings all,

Just thought I’d give an update. The first wart is still slowly bubbling away… I created a second wart using hot tap water (110F). I used the same amount of sugar, but doubled the nutrient amount. I waited until about (90 F) to pitch twice the original amount of yeast. The concoction started bubbling a couple of minutes later. It has been going for a little over a day, and is effervescing like a Champaign volcano! You never can tell, perhaps one day I will be a shiner!

Thanks for your interest and assistance.

Way to go!!!!!

Just one thing ... The Starting Temperature.

I use Still Spirits yeast, and pitch the yeast at approx 24 - 26 deg C. I think the safe starting temperature for the SS yeast is between 20 - 28 degrees C. After starting the yeast, it will ferment at higer temperatures. I'm not familiar with your yeast, but maybe it's something to look out for.

I know with beer and wine yeast, if it's pitched in a wort that's too hot, it will kill the yeast, and if it's pitched in a wort too cold, it just wont do anything till it warms up.

This thread was helpfull. I have the exact same batch brewing, except with 10g's less nutrient and I used bottled spring water. Same results,, my fermentation is super sluggish. Its been going for weeks now, and it only drops sg, after i give it a good stirr, then it freezes again. I stirr, it drops a bit overnight, then stops, stirr drop freeze ect... Its really annoying, im afraid im going to infect the wash with my spoon.

Im going to use more nutrient this time, actually better yet im going to just toss in a can of tomato paste and see how that works. Its way cheaper, and Ive never heard of it going wrong.

I haven't read the rest of this thread, but what you are describing about having to stir it makes me think it is an airation problem. I spend a solid 5 minutes with a whisk beating air into my wash before I pitch the yeast. Try that next time.

Adding lots of oxegen after the fermintation is unerway might lead to some off flavors but in this case, you are probably better off just whisking the hell out of it so that your yeast can multiply.

Peachey wrote:Just one thing ... The Starting Temperature.

I use Still Spirits yeast, and pitch the yeast at approx 24 - 26 deg C. I think the safe starting temperature for the SS yeast is between 20 - 28 degrees C. After starting the yeast, it will ferment at higer temperatures. I'm not familiar with your yeast, but maybe it's something to look out for.

I know with beer and wine yeast, if it's pitched in a wort that's too hot, it will kill the yeast, and if it's pitched in a wort too cold, it just wont do anything till it warms up.

In fact, SS Turbos, apart from Turbo Extra, should be pitched at 35C (from official SS pamphlet, "Still Spirits Turbo System"). The pamphlet also states that sticking to this designed temp is very important. The fermentation phase should be around 25C.

I have done whisking to aerate wash, but I use another method that works better.

Get a 1 gallon jug I use a molassis jug, but it is shaped like a bleach bottle. Clean and sanitize your bottle first before the wash touches it. Fill jug 1/2 full with wash. Screw the lid on. Shake shake shake...shake shake shake,...shake your bottle, shake your bottle. Then pour it into the carbouy or whatever your fermenter is. This can be repeated as needed.

I've aerated a wash using a copper tube extending to the bottom of the fermenter with mesh wrapped around the end. The mesh helps disperse the air flow into smaller bubbles. Attach an aquarium pump to the tubing and place a film canister in line with the tubing. The film canister can be filled with cotton to help prevent contamination. It won't be sterile, but neither is the air we try to entrain by shaking our fermenters.

Grayson,

If you soaked the cotton in the film canister with 40-50% alcohol, would this help kill the nasties in the air?

Thought about that, but i figured it would be harder for the air to slip through the damp cotton.