Yeast

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lance
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Yeast

Post by lance »

hi i have just changed over to bakers yeast was using turbo i make rum with 4.5 kg raw sugar 1.5lt mollases it took 3 days to start bubbling and went for 22 days just checked it and it has no sediment and still tastes sweet can i pitch some turbo in it or throw it away have made 3 with bakers 1 week apart will stick to the tubo after these 3
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Yeast

Post by Saltbush Bill »

You've obviously done something wrong if it's taken 22 days.
No good blaming the yeast, it would be be more benifical to learn what you have done wrong.
Turbo is garbage that makes garbage.
Looking back through your posts I see that you are in FNQLD.
It won't or shouldn't be the ferment temprature.....something else is holding it back.
Living in that part of the country it should be easy enough to access plenty of cheap molasses.
If you were to use 100% molasses.....you would probably negate any problems.
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Jstroke
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Re: Yeast

Post by Jstroke »

My suspicion is you have had a ph drop and your yeast have gone to sleep, unless you are using something for a ph buffer. We need more details. Turbo is trash and will not help you.

My advice is to go learn how to make UJSSM, or Sweetfeed whiskey from the tried and true recipes. Go practice on those. Get those down pat. Know how to finish them dry so they work every time. Once you do, you can flavor a sugarhead anyway you like and experiment.
If in doubt leave it out.
lance
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Re: Yeast

Post by lance »

its funny i have made lots of corn flake whiskey rye whiskey with the bakers and never had a problem it just wont do it for the rum might be to much alcohol maybe anyway do i chuck or not??????
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Yeast

Post by Saltbush Bill »

If it went for 22 days it must have created some alcohol, strip it and see what happens.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Yeast

Post by still_stirrin »

lance wrote: Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:42 pm… it took 3 days to start bubbling and went for 22 days …
Did you properly rehydrate your dry yeast before pitching it into a syrupy molasses wash? And what was your original gravity?

You had an extremely long lag, that is - the time between pitching the yeast and the onset of (noticeable) fermentation. Did you properly aerate your wash?

When you have a long lag, it is because you haven’t provided the proper conditions for yeast to thrive. Pitching dry yeast into a high gravity wash will kill yeast because their cell structure is brittle and the osmotic pressure will crush the single-celled organism. Rehydration fills the cell with water and softens the cell membrane, making it much more pliable. Always rehydrate dry yeast in warm water, not hot or cold, but “body temperature” warm. And you don’t need to “feed it” sugar when rehydrating, just use warm water.

Also, when you rehydrate the yeast, smell it. It should smell like fresh bread dough. If it smells like cardboard, then the yeast is not healthy and may not be viable. You need to get some fresher yeast. I always keep a few packages on hand (it’s inexpensive) to ensure I have some backup yeast if one packet is not fresh enough.

Next, the initial life phase of yeast is reproduction (budding of cells), and that is an aerobic cycle, meaning - it needs oxygen. Aerate your wash proper and introduce air/oxygen by stirring vigorously (be aware that a molly wash will foam up a lot when you do this). You could also bubble oxygen into the wash using a bubble stone as well. Again, caution for the foam.

Most molasses has plenty of nutrients for the yeast to begin fermentation quickly and aggressively, so you shouldn’t need additional nutrients. However, magnesium is helpful for the aerobic phase, so some epsom salts is helpful. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon is plenty of magnesium sulfate (epsom salts).

Finally, be careful with the OG. As noted previously, too much sugar will inhibit reproduction, so don’t try to push your gravity into the stratosphere. With a molasses wash it is not always easy to measure the OG, so don’t add too much syrup to the hot water. It is better to start with a slightly lower OG and a bigger fermenter than a small fermenter filled with a high gravity wash.

Make the conditions right for the yeast and you’ll have a healthy (& robust) fermentation.
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Renhoekk
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Re: Yeast

Post by Renhoekk »

It's a lack of nutrients. You've got 4.5kg of sugar in there plus 1.5 litres of molasses - which overall is a very low nutrient wash and it will never ferment by itself. It's lacking things like nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, and zinc to make the baker's yeast happy. Simply add a commercial nutrient mix or use one of the DIY blends from this forum.

Turbo yeast is actually a blend of yeast + nutrients, so that's why it worked for you in the past without having to add anything else.
Bradster68
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Re: Yeast

Post by Bradster68 »

I believe aeration is key for all molasses rum. Ph may have dropped but I'm guessing aeration
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Newtothis
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Re: Yeast

Post by Newtothis »

What were the temps of the mash and the location of the mash. If it’s too cold things slow down.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Yeast

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Newtothis wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 6:23 am What were the temps of the mash and the location of the mash. If it’s too cold things slow down.
still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 7:09 am Sometimes you actually have to READ the threads
Newtothis wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:28 am Sometimes i don't want to or need to go through all the posts on a particular subject, as it seems you will do the research for me, thank you.
If you learned to read you would have seen that lack of temp has already been ruled out and that the Rum wash is situated in the tropics of Australia. " Far North Queensland."
Newtothis
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Re: Yeast

Post by Newtothis »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 11:13 am
Newtothis wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 6:23 am What were the temps of the mash and the location of the mash. If it’s too cold things slow down.
still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 7:09 am Sometimes you actually have to READ the threads
Newtothis wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:28 am Sometimes i don't want to or need to go through all the posts on a particular subject, as it seems you will do the research for me, thank you.
If you learned to read you would have seen that lack of temp has already been ruled out and that the Rum wash is situated in the tropics of Australia. " Far North Queensland."
Show me on the stuffed animal where I hurt you. Lol. No But really if I have somehow offended you I apologize, seems like you get easily hurt or upset, which is fine. Not everyone on the inter web is geared to be able to handle things when they don’t get their way and might start popping a gasket, and that’s okay. No shits given really. I’m on here for fun, and I enjoy it. I hope you are as well.
Newtothis
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Re: Yeast

Post by Newtothis »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:07 am FNQLD.
Oh you are referring to that. No idea what that means. Still don’t. Something about Pricilla queen of the desert I thought. People abbreviate way to much these days. Here what does this mean, EABODYPTGFOTA. Yeah I forgot as I was typing it so just made a bunch of gibberish. Might say something though.
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NZChris
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Re: Yeast

Post by NZChris »

I will admit to chucking turbo into a stuck rum wash after trying everything else I could think of to get it started. It worked.

I kept it separate from my other rum strips and started over with fresh bakers yeast, no dunder, a sterilized fermenter, and didn't have any more problems.
lance
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Re: Yeast

Post by lance »

well run 2 today with no problem might have been panicking a bit good bed of spent yeast on bottom of fermenters abv not the best around 45% normally 65% happy days thanks all have a happy easter
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