Home Distiller

Here is to document my first wash.
100liters of water
2.5kg of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
17.5kg of white sugar
100grams yeast

Used food processor to grind up Flakes.

Currently boiling some of the 100l of water.

Rephrase
Water was about 120f not boiling
Added surgar slowly
Then added flakes
About 150f now with a constant stir

Lowered heat and slowly bringing to a boil

Lowered heat as I think some flakes got dark at beginning on bottom

Slowly bringing to boil on lowered heat.

Well just realize my low wines sugar meter doesn't have gravity.

So any ways my wash before adding yeast is 15%
Other side reads approx 5
Not sure what that is because its from ukrain and I can't read it lol

Pitched 100g of active dry yeast wash was 100*f

Sugar water flakes was on heat for 60 minutes
15 minutes at light boil

Not real bubbling yet but has thick foam cap.

The cap was gone by next morning.

Wash too cold approx 50*f

But still going.

I really though the heater I ordered would be here last week but still no luck. (Ordered march1)

Moved was bucket onto some 2x4 off concrete and put a heater in shed

Was hoping this would ferment in 5-7 days but so cold it could take weeks.

When heater arrives hopefully will be faster.

Also ordered better hydrometer that was to be here last Friday so no sg readings.

Will get these next batch.

Besides the issues I'm having due to not having correct tools, how does the recipe sound to you folks?

My temp heater working but hard to control

Wash was now at 93*f

A question I have may be Rad or someone can chime in on is at what temp is the wash preferred at?

Using RedStar dry active yeast.

Package says 90*f to 110*f
But figuring (from other reading ) 75* to 85*f would be better?

planethax wrote:Package says 90*f to 110*f

That's for pitching.

But figuring (from other reading ) 75* to 85*f would be better?

That's for fermenting.

Cool that sucker down before you piss off the yeasties and they take a dump in your drop.

tp

Thank you TP
That's what I was thinking but wasn't sure.

Hopefully get to do my sac run Saturday and first product run Sunday.

87*f now
Heat is off

It hard to control as just an electric space heater.

Was was 70* for a week and when I added heater I didn't expect it to rise so much so quickly.

Iirc you're fermenting in buckets, right? They're a lot more temp sensitive than the 10 gallon insulated coolers I normally use.
We had to leave for a week and turned the thermostat on the house way down to conserve while we were gone. When we got back the house was at 52 degrees and so was the bucket of UJSSM that had still been working in the spare bathroom (my "ferment room"). Got the house back up to temp and it took right back off.
tp

Ya a 32g plastic can.
Seems very sensitive.
Even cooled down from 100*f to 70*f over night when I first started.

Expected my submersible heater etc to be here a while ago. Ordered back in March.

Wrap it in a sleeping bag or blanket. Big temp swings aren't a good thing either.

tp

Ya it's wrapped in sleeping bag now. Just gotta watch temp till I get it steady.

Checked temp this morning, 73.5*f
Just touched up heater slightly hoping it will not decrease anymore and stabilize.

Contacted seller regarding heater, they may resend package.

Now that I am on laptop I see I posted in Rec Dev
Thinking since this is my First wash (Sac and First Product)
it should have been posted in "My First" or Novice section somewhere.

I don't wanna double post and get my TP slapped lol

Maybe Rad or another Mod could move to appropriate section?

Thanx.

planethax wrote:Now that I am on laptop I see I posted in Rec Dev
Thinking since this is my First wash (Sac and First Product)
it should have been posted in "My First" or Novice section somewhere.

I don't wanna double post and get my TP slapped lol

Maybe Rad or another Mod could move to appropriate section?

Saw that little tete a tete, didja?

Oh. Rad's retired, btw.

tp

Lol

Oh ya I forgot about Rad being retired.

Ok so have some questions and need some advice.

It's been two weeks now and still going but slow.

I now have temp steady at 79.2*.

Just now got my sg hydrometer. It's reading
1.034

I forget my estimated starting sg according to parent site. I will recheck in a moment.
17.5kg surgar to 2.5kg Kellogg's frosted flakes and 100l of water. (Total wash about 110.74l)

Now my question

I didn't aerate before pitching yeast.

Should I now aerate and repitch?

I expected this to take 5-7 days and its already been 14 and sill only at 1.032sg

Estimated sg according to parent site 1.061
It may be slightly higher as the frosted flake had well sugar frosting on them

But how much sugar could 2.5kg of ground up frosted flakes have?

If you have a larger ferment that requires heat a heating pad works pretty good wrapped up with a sleeping bag works pretty good. If you got 5 gal buckets and lookin to kick up temps set them in bath tub and run some hot water in the tub. TP is giving pretty good advice. If temps are not what the yeast like it works slow and usually not so good for tastes. Keep your temps where the yeast like and might be OK. You Need to keep out of your mash as much as possible.

Ya it's a 32g bucket b
Have heater ordered but got lost in mail so for now using a temp space heater and now have temps stable at 79.2*f

I forgot to aerate before pitching yeast so was worried it would stall.

I have seen others aerate and repitch so wasn't sure if I should.

Ill leave it for now then.

Do you think the slow ferment is due to forgetting to aerate?

Temps first thought. My heater is a heating pad (sore muscles kind or back ache) that you buy at wally world or maybe a light bulb in the barrrel wrapped up in a blanket or 4. Ariation would have been good becasue you boiled. I think I would stay out of it if you can.

Btw this recipe based off Odins cornflake whiskey which fermented dry in five days b

Only diff is I couldn't get Kellogg's cornflakes so used frosted flakes in place.

Flakes are the same (nuts etc) just an extra sugar frosting.

Thanx HB
I didn't realize u had posted in between my posts.

I have ordered another submersible heater but this space heater is working now and stable.

Just frustrated that its so slow.

I picked this wash as Odin had his regular cornflake wash dry in 5 days.

I realize my issues with temp at first affected the ferment but it has been stable last five days and expected closer than 1.0320

That's why I thought it was my lack of aerating causing it.

It is still going
Picture a glass of cola
Seems to be about as much as this is fizzing.

I do not have air lock.

Once done first 50l (13.x gallons) will be my sac run.
Next 50 my first product run.

I've been reading this thread and it looks to me like the little yeasties have been moved around quite a lot, maybe even killed off quite a few. I am thinking that since the wash is a constant 79 degrees now I would make a little yeast bomb and aeriate the wash well and pitch it in. I have used Red Star quite a lot and it works well between 78 and 81.