Shady's Sugar Shine

[NZChris]

pH strips are fine for SSS. They don't need calibrating, their batteries never go flat and the OK pH range is so wide that accuracy isn't all that important

I only ever use a pH meter for rum, and that is because molasses is highly colored and makes strips hard to read.

[stmaus]

Can someone please tell me how many grams would be half a cup of instant yeast?

I intend to make up a 23L batch and so far have calculated 4kg sugar is about right (plus a pinch of epsom, 1 tbsp DAP, maybe 2 multivits). But 1/2cup yeast divided by 3.33333 is not that easy! Grams is easier. Thanks.

[Salt Must Flow]

Can someone please tell me how many grams would be half a cup of instant yeast?

I intend to make up a 23L batch and so far have calculated 4kg sugar is about right (plus a pinch of epsom, 1 tbsp DAP, maybe 2 multivits). But 1/2cup yeast divided by 3.33333 is not that easy! Grams is easier. Thanks.

Just weigh out ANY volume of yeast and just scale it just like any other ingredient for any size batch. Like just weigh out a tbsp. Now you know what the weight is of any volume.

[shadylane]

Can someone please tell me how many grams would be half a cup of instant yeast?

My 1/2 cup filled to the top holds 75.88 grams of yeast.

[Yummyrum]

Can someone please tell me how many grams would be half a cup of instant yeast?

My 1/2 cup filled to the top holds 75.88 grams of yeast.

Jezz you had be thinking hard with that one Shady .

Then I realised what a full 1/2cup was .

But got me curious

1/2 cup

Tared out

‘Tis this

You say around 76 g ,I got around 84g …. Sounds pretty much in same ball park to me . I do believe a US cup and an Aussie Cup ….. probably one of those pommy Cups are all bloody different but close enough to not matter a rats arse when it comes to putting a brew down

[stmaus]

Thanks! I'll call it 80g. But is a full 1/2 cup also half empty?

[Salt Must Flow]

It's 85g. Yummy didn't strike his cup flush I don't know what the hell Shady did with his cup

Seriously though, the ratios aren't absolutely critical.

[PoolGuy]

I am new to HD. Just joined today so that I could make this post in this thread. I have been making beer/wine/spirits on and off for over 40 years, and I have NEVER had a ferment leave the runway as fast as this crazy SSS. I set 15gal yesterday morning. I have an insulated box with heating and temperature control that I use for fermenting since my basement is usually on the cool side (70F at best). The wash started out at 1.070, 85F when I pitched. By evening I had to take the lid off the box as it had heated itself up (no other heat source) to 97F. Holy crap! I put a fan on it to avoid ignition. I have never seen a ferment take off like this, a bubblin' and spittin'. This morning it was still at 95F and already down to 1.035. I think my yeast is as happy as a hillbilly on the front porch couch watching the cars go by on the freeway. Very anxious to see how this turns out. From all indications, it will not be a long wait.

As a side note, I think that I accidentally used twice the amount of yeast in my yeast boil than Shady calls for. Extra chow for the critters I guess.

Thank you Shady!

My question: what will be the effect (if any) of letting my ferment temp accidentally climb into the mid-nineties?

[shadylane]

My question: what will be the effect (if any) of letting my ferment temp accidentally climb into the mid-nineties?

You will need to be careful with the cuts, because there will be more heads and tails.
Bakers yeast can take a lot of heat at the beginning when there isn't much alcohol present.
But the more alcohol made the lower it's heat tolerance.

[PoolGuy]

I knew that I would get an answer here, but did not expect it from the master. My wash is down to 1.003 after about 48 hours. Still going strong and still at 94F. Who needs Turbo yeast when we have SSS.

Thanks again Shady.

[shadylane]

I'm not the master, that's my wife's job title.

Next time try to keep the temp around 86'f
Let the wash settle for a day or two. The less spent yeast that gets in the boiler the better.
The spent yeast contributes to the wet-dog, cardboard tails.
Ya definitely want to keep that from contaminating the hearts.
So, watch close and use small jars towards the end of the run.

[Ducky]

Have been struggling to find information on inverted sugar and this particular recipe so I've taken it on myself to get two identical batches into two barrels, one made with regular cane sugar, and one with inverted.

Put em on last night, recipe adjusted to 6.5 gallons per barrel and crushed magnesium as I don't have any Epsom salt.. Seemed to work well on the last batch.


Only comment so far is that the inverted barrel temp is not as high as the control barrel, will update in a week.


On another note, is it advisable to siphon into another barrel to settle after the ferment finishes? Or best to avoid contamination and exposure to oxygen as much as possible?

Still very new to all of this, have the shell sitting in brewers socks but it's preventing a full seal on the lid, plan to tie the other end of the socks to some fishing line rather than have it wedged between lid and barrel so I can monitor progress with the air locks and reduce risk of contamination.


Day 2, took lids off to tie brew socks with fishing line, also checked ph. Did not check the weight.

The inverted sugar batch is a hell of a lot more active, whilst the regular sugar batch is still foamy at the top.

Inverted barrel airlock is bubbling away at 1.2 bubbles a second, while the regular batch is about 3-4 seconds between bubbles. PH sitting roughly at 5, same in both.

Temp of each is 30.5c.

Will take samples later tonight and check SG if I get time.

Would not be surprised if the inverted batch finishes up tomorrow or the following in all honestly.

[PoolGuy]

Newbie -to- newbie question for Ducky: What are you trying to achieve by using inverted sugar instead of regular sucrose "table sugar". What is your goal?

Also for what it is worth, I don't think that you need to be as meticulous with sanitation, air locks, crack between lid & barrel, fishing line, etc. when fermenting sugar wash as compared to wine and beer. Not that there is anything wrong with it, just not always necessary, especially if you keep your yeast happy (Rule #1). The yeast will win. I use air locks for wine, but not sugar wash. In my first exposure to "moonshine", a true old-timer used 30gal trash barrels with loose lids in his chicken coop with outstanding results (not my advise though).

I siphon my wash off the lees when fermentation is complete until I am ready to run if I know that it will be more that a few day sitting on the grub. This time of year I can keep it cool by storing it outside.

Let the professionals correct me if I am wrong.

[PoolGuy]

I am working on my first two 15gal batches of SSS. The first one went from 1.070 to 0.990 in four days (though my fermentation temperature was high... mid nineties F). My second batch is at 1.020 this morning after less than 48 hours at 86F and is lookin' grand.

So I ask myself, self, why are these two batches the best fastest and cleanest batches of sugar wash that I have ever made? A few notes and observations:

1. I FOLLOWED SHADY'S RECIPE.
2. I aeriated the crap out of the wash with a paint mixer until my battery went dead. "whip the fermenter into a tornado for aeration" as Shady instructed.
3. I did NOT fart around with a sock for the oyster shells. Just cleaned up the mess on the bottom when complete.
4. My well water starting pH is around 6.5. Hardness measure 3 grains. Good or bad? Don't know. But I am successful.
5. Second batch... no vitamins (per Shady's updated insight) and lookin' grand.

I do not see aeriation mentioned much in this long thread, but I believe it is one of the many keys to success.

I also have recent experience with Birdwatcher's TPW, and this recipe blows it away! Broken record: thanks Shady.

[Ducky]

Newbie -to- newbie question for Ducky: What are you trying to achieve by using inverted sugar instead of regular sucrose "table sugar". What is your goal?

Also for what it is worth, I don't think that you need to be as meticulous with sanitation, air locks, crack between lid & barrel, fishing line, etc. when fermenting sugar wash as compared to wine and beer. Not that there is anything wrong with it, just not always necessary, especially if you keep your yeast happy (Rule #1). The yeast will win. I use air locks for wine, but not sugar wash. In my first exposure to "moonshine", a true old-timer used 30gal trash barrels with loose lids in his chicken coop with outstanding results (not my advise though).

I siphon my wash off the lees when fermentation is complete until I am ready to run if I know that it will be more that a few day sitting on the grub. This time of year I can keep it cool by storing it outside.

Let the professionals correct me if I am wrong.

Hi mate,

For now it's a fun experiment, some people seem to swear by inversion. Thought I'm making two batches anyway, may as well use one as a control and slightly modify the other.

Less stress to the yeast along with a faster ferment would be ideal, it's no issues to do the sugar as it's marginally more effort compared to throwing the sugar into the fermenter and dissolving it that way.

More learning experience, and if some useful information comes out of it all the better.


Inverted batch has drastically slowed down to a bubble every 4 seconds, control batch bubbling at a rate of a bubble every 2 seconds. Cooled down slightly to 27.5c overnight but both are sitting on 25w heat pads. Will bring materials home tonight to insulate pads from concrete, considering building an insulated box as I deal a lot with poly foam.

[Ducky]

Inverted finished a full day earlier than the other batch.

I'll wait for things to settle, but unless there's a difference in taste its probably not worthwhile inverting, unless it's an issue keeping a stable temp for the additional day (electricity availability etc), or need it asap.

Keen to hear other experiences.

I did have to crank up the oil heater, the two 25w pads under the 30l barrels weren't sufficient to keep things at 30c, despite entering summer it's been a horrid couple of days.

Will wrap some building insulation around things for the next batch and sit things on 50mm poly foam, likely will build a box next week to sit everything inside, and soon as we buy a house I'll do a 150w heated tile pad or shelf w/thermostat and temp control (benefits to being a tile installer who does this stuff for a living).

[NZChris]

... likely will build a box next week to sit everything inside, and soon as we buy a house I'll do a 150w heated tile pad or shelf w/thermostat and temp control (benefits to being a tile installer who does this stuff for a living).

Old fridges and freezers save building something, come with doors and insulation and sometime a working compressor if you want chill your fermenter, a beer, a pig, whatever. Put the word out at the pub. I've been given them and given them away. Check out your local recycler. There is a suitable cheap fridge on Facebook near me at the moment.

[shadylane]

Figuring out a water jacket around the fermenter will let you heat or cool it as needed.

[drmiller100]

Awesome recipe!!!! Thank you!!!

So it sounds like a sock of shells in the bottom gets covered by gunk.
Could you put something that floats in the sock to keep it near the top? Maybe a small glass jar empty with the lid on it????
Respectfully
D

[Opdog]

I poked a small hole in the lid of my fermenter and hang a
Paint strainer bag full of shells by a bit of para cord. I try to keep it more or less in the middle of the volume of liquid. It seems to work pretty well.

[shadylane]

Awesome recipe!!!! Thank you!!!

So it sounds like a sock of shells in the bottom gets covered by gunk.
Could you put something that floats in the sock to keep it near the top? Maybe a small glass jar empty with the lid on it????
Respectfully
D

A sock full of shells works best when its suspended just above the bottom of the fermenter.
That looks like the best way to enhance the natural convection currents to keep a wash stirred up.
If one sock isn't enough, use several more or make the best use of a single sock by raising and dropping it to the bottom of the fermenter occasionally to stir up the wash.

[NZChris]

I chuck in a couple of large shells from my local beach, turn my brain off and let them do their job.

[shadylane]

I chuck in a couple of large shells from my local beach, turn my brain off and let them do their job.

What's needed, depends on the water that's used.
When I hear "from my local beach" hard, mineral rich water and possibly sugar cane comes to mind.
Not picking on you NZ, just green with envy.

[Archee72]

I’ve made Birdwatchers and Wineos and they were ok except Wineos had a tendency to stall. My last batches have been SSS.
It has been so easy to make, finishes and is clear in less than 2 weeks, is bombproof and makes a very clean Neutral.
I tip my hat to you Shady, a wee SSS toast to you too

[kandzaman]

Can someone tell me if this is as expected?

I have made this recipe several times, however this time i have this strange behavior: It is bubbling hard where the oyster shells are.
Here is the video after 24hours:

[shadylane]

I wouldn't panic, but that's bubbling over the shell a little more than I'm used to.
What temp and size is the fermenter?

[Bradster68]

Can someone tell me if this is as expected?

I have made this recipe several times, however this time i have this strange behavior: It is bubbling hard where the oyster shells are.
Here is the video after 24hours:

Not to derail this thread....but my last Bills rum did the same thing. Bubbled quite a bit around the marble hanging in the fermenter. This was a 35 gallon ferment.
Imma about to do a larger batch soon. Interested to see what happens.

[NZChris]

As long as the pH is somewhere around where you want it, it's nothing to worry about.

[Yummyrum]

Not to derail this thread....but my last Bills rum did the same thing. Bubbled quite a bit around the marble hanging in the fermenter. This was a 35 gallon ferment.
Imma about to do a larger batch soon. Interested to see what happens.

Bills Rum doesn’t call for marble and no pH compensation is needed as the Molasses and Dunder set the pH .The usual pH drop that you get from a sugar wash fermentation is insignificant compared to the initial “clamped pH “ .The Addition of shells or marble to Bills Rum has close to no effect on the final pH …. unless you dumped a bucket of the stuff in there .

But yes , extra fizzing around a calcium carbonate source is due to the gas released as it reacts with the acidic environment in the fermentation .Finer Shell grit will release a lot more gas than say a few whole shells due to the significantly higher surface to volume of the Calcium Carbonate used .

[Bradster68]

Yes I used to use dunder. But I was worried mine was bad so tossed it. Started fresh and was worried so added for saftey. Never seen it in my other rum ferments.
Good to know