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Has anybody here used Alcotec whisky yeast? Any good?
-Dan

A site search returned 162 posts with reference to "Alcotec", including this yours... Probably 163 counting this one... Might be worth doing the search, reading those posts, and making your own decision...

Of the now 164 results for "alcotec" search, 161 are concerned with alcotec turbo yeasts. 3 are concerned with alcotec whisky yeast, of which this is the third. Of all the results, none provide information on alcotec whisky yeast, but I hope this thread might provide satisfaction for those with a taste for the Kafka-esque.
-Dan

anytime I hear the name 'alcotec' I think of turbo. Their whiskey yeast is not a turbo? News to me. I thought it was a turbo like, with some enzymes kicked in the pack. If not, then I also would be interested in hearing peoples results with this.

H.

Husker wrote:anytime I hear the name 'alcotec' I think of turbo. Their whiskey yeast is not a turbo? News to me. I thought it was a turbo like, with some enzymes kicked in the pack. If not, then I also would be interested in hearing peoples results with this.

H.

Same here, Husker...

So, Dan P., what's your decision...??? From what you've read do you really want to use Alcotec yeast...??? Why not Google "Alcotec" and see if you can find any references other than "Turbo", which is something you could have done before asking... Your choice, but I'd steer clear of the name brand altogether...

Husker, I agree entirely. I imagine it is one of the turbo yeasts available for people to make high ABV simple fermentations, often sold in packs with flavours etc to make what I presume is some sort of revolting simulacrum of whisky, gin etc. Because of the publicity given by Smiley to a particular proprietary whisky yeast I thought Alcotec's might be worth investigation, as it is widely available in the UK (and I am an optimist!). But this one walks and quacks like a turbo yeast.

rad14701, I got your point about searching the website before asking the first time you made it. Further suggestions that I peruse the 138,000 google results for "alcotec" are quite unnecessary, thank you.

Sounds like it really takes away from the total process (experience) like Turbo, I agree with rad I think there is a better way to research it and attain more information. I am really enjoying experimenting with the Tried and True recipes (with a little of my own combinations), if you don't go to far off base you really have a great shot at producing wonderful results!

Hi Dan, doing the same search as you.
Now over 301,000 results on google!
I just bought some to try. I don't know how it will pan out, but it has got to be better than bakers yeast!

Lawrence wrote:I don't know how it will pan out, but it has got to be better than bakers yeast!

Hos so...??? Do you have some documented information that we don't know about...???

Most folks here use bakers yeast almost exclusively... I haven't used anything but bakers yeast in decades... Bet you didn't know that several of the yeast manufacturers that supply bakers yeast also supply bulk yeast to distilleries, based on the same Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains...

Hi, sorry, I don't mean to be controversial or demeaning to those who use bakers yeast.
Although I am a newby here, I have been making wines and beers for over 30 years and have tried many yeasts.
I consistently get better results by using a specialist yeast.
Most of the people I know who use bakers yeast use it because it is cheap and easy to get hold of, not because it gives great results.
My wife is a master baker, and I can get it for free! I still prefer to buy a yeast bred for the product I am making. Just like my wife would not use EC-118 to make the Queens breakfast rolls.
I of course stand to be corrected once I try it, I was recently given some Barley usually destined for the Scotch Whiskey market so I thought I would try the Whiskey yeast. I have about 200 lbs so I might try a few different yeasts and see if there is a difference.

BTW, you would lose your bet about the bulk yeast.

if your doing scotch then id use a scotch or Irish ale yest.

Look up the safwhisky yeast - its not a turbo, and I'm guessing is similar to mauri distillers yeast which is ubiquitous in Scotland. Scotch ale yeast has worked for me, but I fermented it like an ale at 68F, and not near as high as distilleries ferment. It made a pretty heavy product, with a pretty small hearts cut on a double run. Irish is going to more ester-y. From the wyeast line, scottish should be similar to chico/sierra (1056), which ferments pretty cleanly as an ale.

Dan P. wrote:Of the now 164 results for "alcotec" search, 161 are concerned with alcotec turbo yeasts. 3 are concerned with alcotec whisky yeast, of which this is the third. Of all the results, none provide information on alcotec whisky yeast, but I hope this thread might provide satisfaction for those with a taste for the Kafka-esque.
-Dan

I just had to comment after almost pissing myself laughing. I'm halfway through my third reading of "The Castle".

I would have replied in exactly the same way as rad did. I will never do so again.

blanikdog wrote:

I just had to comment after almost pissing myself laughing. I'm halfway through my third reading of "The Castle".

I'm glad somebody got the reference!

I would have replied in exactly the same way as rad did. I will never do so again.

I'm glad about that too. I usually respect rad's input on this forum, and I appreciate that my initial post had many of the hallmarks of the dimwit newbie, but this particular exchange is one of the reasons I don't really post here anymore.
-Dan

I had a packet of Alcotec 24hr yeast sitting there for a year. Finally gave it a run by cutting it down to 1/4 of the yeast charge with additional nutrients by the way of the DWWG recipe, and gave it enough sugar for 12% alc in the brew. It fermented in 10 days the same as baker's yeast, but there was an unpleasant taste in the final product that needed carbon to get rid of. Perhaps an extended clearing session would have helped, or buy the necessary clearing agent

The alcotec yeast can be presented in many formats for the greedy...24 hour super fast = lots of yeast, appropriate nutrients, and not much sugar. The high 18% is the same turbo yeast but it gets more sugar and time. It's a super vigorous yeast but no thanks...not for me.

yes, I tried it. Works good. Do not let yourself be fooled by all those guys talking about bakers yeast. Alcotec makes great products, but somehow this comunity is quite conservative. Anything you cannot make yourself is worse then something you can at least partially make yourself. But what if the proof is different? Dó use A-whiskey yeast. It is good for minimash or grain based. Gives a good base beer for whisky making. Combination of sugar ánd grain is also good. up until 20 litres and it will give you around 13% max. with little head and not too much tails.

Odin.

Combination of sugar ánd grain is also good. up until 20 litres and it will give you around 13% max. with little head and not too much tails.

I found the experience quite the opposite - there was almost nothing worthy of drinking. Maybe I'm just picky ... or I did something wrong.

Darn ... but is there a whiskey method that does suit you? Quite interested in upgrading my skills ...

Odin wrote:yes, I tried it. Works good. Do not let yourself be fooled by all those guys talking about bakers yeast. Alcotec makes great products, but somehow this comunity is quite conservative.

I recently used bakers' yeast with good results. Excellent results if you factor in the fact that bakers' yeast is a fraction of the price of brew-shop yeast and can be bought from your local shop. Like turbo or alcotec yeasts, I have heard bad things about it, and I can understand how when certain ideas become established, they can be repeated without much qualification. I think ultimately, sacharomyces cervesisiae is saccharomyces cervisiae, and I have come to the conclusion that a short, vigorous fermentation to dryness at a reasonable (6-8%) alcohol content is easiest and, if the cumulative experience of commercial distillers is anything to go by, probably best.
-Dan

Odin wrote:yes, I tried it. Works good. Do not let yourself be fooled by all those guys talking about bakers yeast. Alcotec makes great products, but somehow this comunity is quite conservative.

Humm...

If you think someone that doesn't wanna spend extra for a product that will make a wonky smelling and tasting product is "conservative"... then, sure, paint me conservative.

My advice for anyone that wants to make a better whiskey: Use a nice ale yeast and shoot for 6% ABV, or lower. This will make for an extremely fast ferment that will be VERY clean.

My advice for anyone that wants to make a better whiskey: Use a nice ale yeast and shoot for 6% ABV, or lower. This will make for an extremely fast ferment that will be VERY clean.

Ironically, you'll have more drinkable distillate, relatively speaking - less is more with this hobby ... so I'm learning.

Thanx holymackerel!

I will just try that in a few weeks time. Just read Ian Smiliey's book on corn whiskey making. Wow! But first I've got some 25 litres of neutral sugar wash clearing right now. Saturday the stipping run, sunday the spirit run. Can hardly wait ...

Sorry if I offended anyone by calling them conservative. I just get the feeling that if it isn't the bakers yeast/tomato juice mash, somehow it cannot be good. Talking sugar washes now. Lot's of people say new generation turbo's are bad, but if you follow up, it is just because they heared about somebody else's experience. Somehow I feel, that what motivates me most in this forum is trying things, doing something different, failing every now and then, but exploring for new, better ways. Says at least as mucht about me as it does about anyone else.

Regards, Odin.

Odin, we've still got a lot of people trying turbo yeasts and mostly reporting bad results... And some also purchase kits which include a small still, turbo yeast, sucrose, activated carbon packs that go in the wash, fining agents, and activated carbon for filtering the distilled spirits... I, for one, can appreciate your fondness for turbo washes but they don't really play very deeply into the overall learning process... Most of us are here to strive to be well versed home distillers which requires gaining knowledge of a majority of the aspects the hobby encompasses...

For instant gratification, or as instant as possible, some folks will always buy their way into their hobbies... That means buying a still instead of building, using turbo yeast instead of investing time and effort into learning about recipes, relying on activated carbon to clean up any sloppiness incurred in their quest for instant gratification, and flavoring with essences rather than using proper aging... And then there are those who want it all old school and will only run all grain mashes through a pot still... Everyone else falls somewhere in between those two extremes... Most of the instant gratification folks will invariably grow bored of the hobby and will be off doing something else that suits their fancy while the rest of us will be enjoying home distillation perhaps for the rest of our lives...

Rad, thanx for the insightful explanation. I think you are completely right about people looking into the art of mashmaking and fermentation and building as well as the process of distillation itsself. My interest has been on distillation, and somehow, I expected that to be true for everybody. I start to understand that is not tue ánd its great that is not true. I am reading and learning and sometimes get bored and sometimes get hooked. That last part can only come from learning somethin new, another approach. I will most certainly try and expand my horizon a bit from distilling to fermenting and building. Funny thing is ... it already takes place. After making a "whisky" with essence, then a whisky out of beer, then a whisky out of my own whisky mort, I am planning to start a pure corn wash Ian Smiley style. Also, ideas of building my own VM keep crawling up ...

Odin.

'Lots of people say new generation turbo's are bad, but if you follow up, it is just because they heared about somebody else's experience'

If you can learn from other people's experience it saves you making a lot of mistakes of your own.

What type of still are you using to make youe whisky now, odin? I don't think that you have mentioned this aspect. I hasten to add that I'm one of the so called conservatives you mention and have used turbo and I don't think it's i'ts worth two knobs of Billy Goat excreta.

@Odin

Thanks for understanding the broader perspective... I have a real problem with the "I want it all and I want it now" generation, but that's best left to a whole separate topic in and of itself...

Good luck with your recipe trials...


@The Baker

True, turbo yeasts have surely evolved over the years... But the problem remains that if a novice starts with them they will encounter as many if not more problems than if they started with a traditional recipe... In contrast, someone with experience could conceivably use turbos with success because they are more attuned to the overall process and would make any necessary adjustments throughout fermentation and distillation... Perhaps it is more of a flaw in turbo yeast manufacturers viewpoint of the target market... Or that flaw may be that of still manufacturers who bundle it with their units and not the manufacturers at all...

Baker, Rad,

I understand (or start to understand) your points. If you really make something yourself, you are obliged to dive into the matter. And if you (finally) succeed, it gives more pleasure. But most of all ... you learned a lot from the experiences. Yes, distilling has been like that for me from the beginning: trying to find a way and slowly progressing towards better results (eventhough my brandy just seems to turn out worse and worse ...).

With washing, I just went for what was on the shelve availalbe. And since I liked the results, it also wás fine for me. But now, trying to make my own whisky washes, I start to get the same feeling of discovery that distillation gave me right from the beginning. And I already told you about my plans to build a VM still myself. In doing so, I am sure, more discoveries await.

I am signing of now, the mississ is starting to complane about "wanting to have it all" and also "right now".

Till later, Odin.

I know this is a very late reply to this thread but I thought it might come in useful to people. I have recently tried the whisky alcotec yeast with an oat malt whisky, it didn't work very well not for flavour wise it is brilliant flavour wise but the alcohol didn't come out very high (not enough enzymes in the packet to cope with the lack of enzymes in the oats) but I also experimented with something more recently that has just finished which takes a lot longer (20 days ferment) which has come out at 19%. Try and have ago with Koji-jin, I know it is meant for sake but i used the same principle with oat malt and it worked fantastic on both yield and taste compared to a normal mash and wash steps for western brewing, in future I am definitely carrying on with parallel fermentation and I am definitely going to use this method when I start up distilling professionally as the flavour sticks more as well . PS, I am doing Uni work atm and won't reply for awhile if you have any queries on what I did (probably month and half). But just follow a normal sake recipe and you shouldn't go wrong, with sake methods you can ferment anything with a high starch content with relative ease

Craisogaenus, I would be very interested to hear about your method, and would also be interested to know where you got your koji (I am also located in the UK).