First time

[Ccndry]

Great site you guys have..
On my first wash using a turbo production pack, has been fermenting for about 36 hours the bubbles in the airlock have stopt the barrel is really warm and a bit of a smell.... Is this normal???

[Samohon]

Welcome Ccndry...

Perfectly normal so far.... The yeast generates a lot of heat at the beginning of the ferment, especially turbos...
For a quality beverage you should drop using the turbos. They are engineered to work harder and produce more alc, think quality NOT quantity...

Nip on over to the Welcome Center and tell us a little about your tastes...

Have fun...

[Ccndry]

Oh yea I was kinda thinking that, the only advice I have so far is that by my local shop so I guess he will recommend what he stocks... What kind do you recommend? Ill pop in to the welcome section after work

[F6Hawk]

I would say the majority on here use baking (bread) yeast. Simple to come by, cheap, and it lives well from generation to generation (if running a sour mash type ferment).

[Ccndry]

I had a look at the local bulk supplier but there were so many different kinds. Is it dry yeast I need and how do I know how much to add

[Gaztops]

I use 75g of dried active bakers yeast for a 25 litre/6.6 gallon BirdWatcher's Sugar Wash. With the use of an aquarium heater, it usually ferments dry in under a week.

[Ccndry]

Thanks ill give it a go do you use any added carbon or clearing agent with ya wash?

[Gaztops]

BirdWatcher's Sugar Wash can be distilled as soon as it is fermented to dry, there's no need to wait for it to clear, just rack it straight into the boiler

[Samohon]

I use plain old bakers yeast for my neutrals and a distillers yeast for sour mash / whiskey....

But if you dont have distillers yeast to hand, plain old bakers yeast works everytime...

[Ccndry]

Is bird watches sugar a brand or type? Oh cool I seen dry yeast ill give that a go, how much yeast would I add to a 25 liter wash?

[Samohon]

Is bird watches sugar a brand or type? Oh cool I seen dry yeast ill give that a go, how much yeast would I add to a 25 liter wash?

I would make a starter with 1 Tbl-spoon of yeast and 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient.

My Method...

• 1 liter of your sweet wash @ 25deg C, in a 2 or 3L sterile jar - (the oxygen in the jar will allow the colony to multiply)
• Add 1 Tbl of bakers yeast
• Add 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient
• Give it a good shake
• Leave for a few hours @ 25deg C - (preferably overnight)
• Shake it up just before charging your fermenter
• Pour it into the fermenter and stir.

Yeast need nutrients, oxygen and a steady temperature to thrive. The tomato paste in a birdwatchers recipe give the colony more than enough nutrients to survive.
The first 2 or three days in the fermenter will be very vigorous. It will then die way down but if you listen, you will hear a slow hissing. It is still working.
This process from the yeast will also generate a lot of heat within your FB (Fermenting Bin), but never enough to kill the colony. (their clever little buggers...)
When the wash has cooled down, no sound can be heard and becomes bitter to the taste, the wash is ready to be stripped/run, but should always be checked with a hydrometer...

The Hydrometer...
A hydrometer is your best friend here, they are both cheap and accurate.
A reading should be taken from your wash before pitching yeast (SG - Starting Gravity) and after it has fermented out (FG - Final Gravity). This will tell you how much alcohol you have, it will also tell you when the fermentation has finished.
If your like me, then buy 2 or three, I always manage to drop them...

Hope it helps....

[Ccndry]

Cheers Samohon on way home I brought another fermenting barrel and all the ingredients and put a wash in as per your method