Making the perfect Vodka wash

[hulmeshiner]

Ok, so i have done quite a few runs now. For the first wash i used 8kg of sugar, Alkotec 48hr and 20 Gallons of water. following this guide on youtube . I left for ten days then distilled twice and then watered down with distilled tap water.

The second wash i read into the use of activated carbon so i bought the Still Spirits brand of activated carbon and the turbo clear part a and b. i used the same recipe of 8kg sugar, 20 Gallon water, Alkotec 48h, this time i added the activated carbon. Then on the 9th day i added the Turbo Clear. Allowed to clear and then distilled twice again and watered down to a reasonable percentage.

Now after reading the packet of the Turbo clear i realised that the filings contain crustaceans. I am a vegan (shoot me now), so therefore i would like to stop using the turbo clear. My question is would the activated carbon eventually clear on its own if left in a cool place? or could i just buy ordinary activated carbon and filter the wash through it using a similar procedure to this

I have also read that maybe using 6kg of sugar would be better? Do i have to use the activated carbon if i use Turbo Yeast?

My set up is a pot still, which i know isnt idea for making a nuetral spirit, but it is all i have.

Sorry for all the questions which im sure have been answered before. I have read through other posts regarding similar issues, but would be nice to have a discussion regarding my particular equipment. I am new to this, and very willing to learn, so please feel free to be harsh =].

Thank you for taking the time to read my post,

Hulmeshiner

[Bigbob]

Well you said to be harsh.... Most people here don't use turbo or charcoal filtering. As you are a vegan are you going to dump that wash or what? There are plenty of suger washes in tried and true I think if you use the proper yeast they will qualifie as vegan. Kinda out of my element here

[Halfbaked]

"feel free to be harsh" I won't be harsh but you will under stand it.

1st off you need to read crankys manditory reading in my signature. If you have already read it you need to re read it.

Paulinka wrote:
Will I buy a bottle of T. Smith's to try? Absolutely not. For the same reason I don't go to the circus when I have a toothache. I visit a doctor then, not a clown.

You tube is the clown.

95% of youtube shine stuff is real bad. Don't do it. If you are getting a tooth pulled go to dentist. If you are making likker go to tiried and true on HD. here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=14

turbo most likey you will never find it in tried and true. If you have a good recipe you most likely won't use carbon. The pot still making vodka is the best thing you are doing.....IMHO... Might look at TPW or wposw or all bran or bird watchers....

[hulmeshiner]

ok thank you for quick replys. i will get reading now.

Ha unfortunatly the wash has already been double distilled, watered down and processed by my liver. I didnt read the ingredients untill the second time through (which is now) so at the moment i have a fermented wash which i added activated carbon too. i was about to pour the turbo clear in when i realised what was in it.

Should i chuck the wash? or i was wondering if it would clear on its own if i leave out in the cold for a week or so?

Although now im going to look into some new ways of making the wash as it seems turbo yeast is not the way forward in the first place.

[bearriver]

I could take time to pick apart that horrible video, but I'm kinda at a loss for where to start... Really stupid videos like that actually get under my skin... Just take everything you saw there and push it out of your mind. There is no use asking or answering questions about it. That guy's process is absolutely foolish from the start to finish.

Take HB's advice and in a few months your efforts will make that guy look like a clown at the freak show.

[Bigbob]

Your adding carbon to your wash? Read the post that Halfbaked suggested, and take a break from making anything untill you read it. You can make better product. Listen to bearriver, he knows neutrals.





Posted same time as bear

[bearriver]

See here, in the "What not to use" section of this forum: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 89&t=51020

[hulmeshiner]

Now i am definatly glad i joined the forum. Ok thank you for the information, im now going to make a start at the daunting amount of reading ahead of me, which hopefully isn't going to end with the realisation that i can't afford this hobby after all... enjoying a drink is expensive here in England and i was hoping this would be a way of me and my friends enjoying a drink and without worrying about drinking the rent. Although if this is somthing that me and my friends are going to consume, then i would like it to be as clean and tasty as possible, and above all, safe.

Im not going to give up at the first hurdle, and i am sure you will here more from me in the future, hopfully with alot more knowledge under my belt, and i promise, no more youtube videos =]. Thank you

[Bigbob]

Your welcome just make sure to read that post and all that is in it. Then go to tried and true and find a recipe to work with. You will make a drop that is better than any commercial. Welcome!

[skow69]

This you tube guy isn't nearly as entertaining as the west coast exterminator.

[hulmeshiner]

Ok, i have been reading, and after looking through the recipes which halfbaked pointed me to i decided to try birdwatchers recipe. Just a quick question, the recipe states to shake the wash gently each day, so when the fermentation is completed and the SG is .995, will the sedement have all sunk to the bottom and the wash just require syphoning? or does some form of filteration need to be implemented before hitting the still?

p.s. although the irish guys info was inaccurate... i cant help but admit i found him entertaining.

[Saltbush Bill]

No need to shake it, it will ferment out fine without.
You don't need to filter it, just siphon the finished ferment out of the fermenter.
This wash does not go completely clear unless you leave it to settle for a long time, leave it a week after its fermented and you should be good to go.
If you really want to clear it first, a stripping run is the way to go.

[hulmeshiner]

Thank you Saltbush.Ok so i am going to do two seperate washes, one using the birdwatchers recipe and one using the all bran recipe. On the birdwatchers recipe it says to use Fresh Bakers Yeast and ok the all bran recipe it says Active Bakers Yeast. I found this infomation on a food related website " Baker's yeast is either active dry yeast (where the yeast is alive but inactive due to lack of moisture) or compressed fresh yeast (where the yeast is alive and extremely perishable as a result)." Judging off this the recipes are referring to two different types of yeast? If so can i substitute one for another to save buying two different types of yeast, or should i stick to the exact recipes given?

Ive also realised that these recipes are infact saving me money compared to the turbo yeast, activated carbon and the turbo clear! Does that mean that these companys are flooding the internet with false infomation in order to sell there second rate products??? when really we just need very simple ingredients which we can easily buy from the supermarket? Why was i such a fool to think otherwise.

[bearriver]

Looks like your starting to get it hulmeshiner! Those products are for people with more money than sense. Pure marketing BS...

Those are two excellent recipes. BW should come out very neutral, which you may or may not like. You very well might find that true neutral is too clean for your tastes, and run subsequent batches accordingly. All Bran is more forgiving if it's not all that clean due to the presence of the cereal, which will leave a pleasant mouth feel and light flavor in a vodka.

Your turbo wash was well suited for a cleaning run. Did your still get a vinegar cleaning run before a sacrificial alcohol run when it was new? If not, you seriously should go back and do them. Had a guy not too long ago come here with projectile vomiting and diarrhea from skipping those steps....

[hulmeshiner]

Aye, i clean everything with distilled white vinegar ha. I work in a kitchen and collegues constantly take the piss outa me for my vinegar habits, the surfaces, the coffee machines, spots of mold.... vinegar is my answer to everything. When i got the still it had solder flux inside which took a good 4 litres of vinegar before it finally came out clean. Should i do a vinegar run between each alcohol run, i have read conflicting opinions?

Also the still has a rubber?/sillicon? seal around the rim of the pot. After reading the bad rep plastic/rubber etc. get i was wondering whether to remove the seal? My only worry would be vapours escaping. I read somwere that you can use vaseline, but surely that would have the same negative effects as plastic or rubber? that is presuming the problem with these are that they are oil based materials.

[Rodan]

Hi,

I am still a newbie at distilling, planning my first still at the moment. I have a background in beer brewing. If you're looking to clear your wash before distilling you should look into a product called BioFine Clear. Lots of breweries use it to help settle out yeast and other things in the beer. Best part: Vegan friendly. Like I said I haven't distilled anything yet so I have no idea what would happen if you distilled a wash with biofine clear in it, but it might be something to look into.

Cheers!

[still_stirrin]

.... Should i do a vinegar run between each alcohol run, i have read conflicting opinions?

Not required between runs. High proof alcohol vapor makes a great steralizer. You just should rinse with water after the run. You may have some sludge in the boiler after the run, which you should be able to rinse out with water. Air dry after rinse is fine.

... I read somewhere that you can use vaseline, but surely that would have the same negative effects as plastic or rubber? that is presuming the problem with these are that they are oil based materials.

Don't use petroleum products at all. The hot alcohol vapors are an excellent solvent to dissolve them into your product. Instead, use plumber's tape (PTFE), which is teflon. Its inexpensive and available in your local hardware store. You should research "everlasting gasket" for construction ideas.

Good luck. Be safe. Be responsible, and be discreet.
ss

[Hound Dog]

Vegan?!? Yuk you know worms are crapping on your food? Just kidding

Anyway, simple foolproof recipe that makes a good vodka is Rad's "All Bran" recipe in the Tried and True section. I personally use this with shredded wheat cereal and make a vodka with a hint of wheat flavor. It is smooth and good.

[OBX Phantom]

I haven't seen an answer to your question about the two dif. bakers yeasts yet, so I will tell you that yes you can use either yeast in either wash. As you said the only dif. is that one dehydrated and the other is hydrated... but they are still the same lil buggers.

[Ferment_It]

Toss the rubber gasket. Flour paste will solve your seal problem.

[bearriver]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24199

Boom!

[marquee_moon]

+1 on flour paste seel. Make it up like a thin dough - stretchy, sticky & gloopy. Cheap, easy & effective
Re: yeast, I buy Allinsons dried active bakers yeast. 77p from tesco, yellow tin. Don't bother with the 99p fast acting bread maker yeast ( green tin.
I'd also agree on the all bran recipe, but what they're talking about is sold in the UK as bran flakes.
Following the all bran recipe using Allinsons dried yeast (half a tin per 5 gall), I fermented 9.5% in 5 days just before Christmas in cold Yorkshire, no added heat. Then de-gassed & into the shed for 2 days to shock cool & clear. Stripped on day 8, spirit run day 9, cuts on day 11, drinking on day 12.
In terms of cost...
81p for 1kg tesco bran flakes
£3.50 for sugar
50p for yeast & nutrient
that's much cheaper than turbo & carbon. And I get it all in my weekly shop!
Using a pot still & double distilling this isn't neutral & can't be passed off as vodka. But its good to drink.

[rager]

still not sure why people bother with flour seal when you have a stock pot and a salad bowl lid, when you can wrap both rims with PTFE tape 6 or 10 times each and then run. you can get a few runs without needing a change and clean up is so simple.

[BigSwede]

If anything associated with distillation has the word TURBO in it -



Into the trash.

Turbo = chemical nastiness, yeast toxins, pain and woe and goat ass flavor. I learned the hard way. Nothing good is turbo or fast or high SG. The consensus is a wash should be 12% MAx, 10% or less preferred. All the nastiness in a beverage comes from stressed yeast, and when that TURBO packet of whatever dissolves, the poor yeast shriek bloody murder and even if they spew ethanol at an abnormal rate, they also spew toxins and off flavors. No amount of TURBO clear or carbon or clarifier or flocculent can remove it.

Happy yeast makes for yummy drink.

[Halfbaked]

You should stop what you are doing and don't run anything untill you get the reading done. 2nd you need to post pics of what you have and ask to be harsh. SAFETY first. You will not enjoy anything if it hurts you.