StillSmart

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-04-15T01:38:58+00:00

I\'ve tried a few different yeasts maybe 4 or 5 and for me the bakers yeast gives the least off smells and tastes.

For me the money does come into it or i wouldnt have started this in the first place but the cost difference between bakers and a turbo is at a guess about $5 per wash, over the amount of bottles you get that cost is insignificant really.
Anyhow for me tomatoe was gives best results and no residual tomatoe aftertaste.
I havent used a wine yeast yet, i will one day, i like the sound of using a desert wine yeast

I\'ve used both the "dessert/high alcohol" wine yeast and the Lalvin EC1118. I\'m not sure where the former actually falls in the category of wine yeasts (or whether you\'d get it outside the UK - it\'s produced/marketed by Youngs) whereas the Lalvin EC1118 is specifically a champagne yeast - though I\'d guess that it wouldn\'t be too hard to just use it in something to get the high alcohol and then backsweeten enough to make it like a dessert wine.
I haven\'t tried either for producing a wash yet (next batch ). I\'d guess that the trick would be getting the right nutrient/acid levels, to reduce the possibility of stuck ferments, reduced "lag phase", etc etc.
I can\'t see why it shouldn\'t do the trick though. The Lalvin one is tolerant to about 18% ABV, though I\'ve read that you can push it to 20% + if the ferment is managed correctly.
It\'s just a bit weird for me, thinking about comparing the use of yeasts like that for wash, I mean, if sugar has the right nutrients/acids etc, is it really any different from making a batch of fruit wine ?? Probably not.......
Definitely worth a try though. The turbo packs I get are about Â£3.50 and it\'s got me wondering, because I already have the nutrients and acids, for my wines/meads, so it would be a saving of about Â£2 to Â£2.50 (3 $US +).
If/when I try it, I\'ll post the exact recipe I use (and method of course).......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:38 am

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-04-14T17:32:01+00:00

I\'ve tried a few different yeasts maybe 4 or 5 and for me the bakers yeast gives the least off smells and tastes.

For me the money does come into it or i wouldnt have started this in the first place but the cost difference between bakers and a turbo is at a guess about $5 per wash, over the amount of bottles you get that cost is insignificant really.
Anyhow for me tomatoe was gives best results and no residual tomatoe aftertaste.
I havent used a wine yeast yet, i will one day, i like th shound of usung a desert wine yeast

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:32 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-04-14T02:45:30+00:00

Not sure if there\'s a point that\'s been missed here
I have no idea how long the tomato wash recipes\' been around, but I can understand why the lot over at home distiller use it.....Lots of them make big batches i.e. 50, or even 100 litres plus
So in that case, there\'s a cost imperative.....
I haven\'t done a test or different yeasts - it\'s something I\'ve been thinking about though.....
The point of using table sugar to produce a sugar/turbo wash is that it\'s supposed to produce \"neutral spirit\" to reduce the possibility of \"inherited flavours\", when used with commercial flavourings.
Personally, I\'m just into making as good a quality of neutral spirit as possible, so I can then try, and work out which of the commercial flavourings are (to my taste/opinion) the most enjoyable.
Yes, if like Jimmy says, there\'s no chance of getting locally sourced turbo\'s etc then it\'s a case of experimenting to work out what is best for you. Personally I\'m not quite so fussed about cutting the costs down as far as I can...
I don\'t like using bread yeasts, it tends to \"poop out\" when it\'s got as far as the alcohol tolerance (which is quite low). Hence I prefer either turbo\'s or decent wine yeasts (Lalvin ones by preference). That way it\'s easier to control the variables (nutrient, acidity, etc etc). Plus bread yeast doesn\'t flocculate very well, and it\'s too easy to disturb the sediment (whether finings have been used or not).
It\'s a bit like when I mix my batches of wash.....I try to make it so that it will convert directly to as near to the designed 14% as possible (in the case of the SS triple distilled yeast turbo pack) with a hydrometer. So I can retain maximum control of those variables.
Hence, I\'m guessing that unless you try to get as high a purity level as possible, there\'s always gonna be the likelyhood of having a small amount of residual flavour from the original wash, which would be tomato from the tomato wash......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:45 am

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-04-13T18:13:25+00:00

just an update, Essencia Ultra Pure its better than the 48hr turbo, but only just.

Stick to the tomatoe wash

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:13 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-19T23:45:04+00:00

I havnt used the yeast you mentioned....

The tomato wash i made does start off faster than a turbo as you said, pretty damn fast actually, but with me adding extra nutrients too as well as tomato, it goes some more, and i let it max out for two weeks or more.

Its probably done before that time, and the bubbling as virtually stopped, i like to leave it as long as i can, and the majority of the time its very clear so i dont use turbo klar, i just rack it to another container and shake the hell out of it to release the air left before i still it.....

You are right that the turbo sometimes is better tasting,but i seem to have less off tastes with the bakers yeast or wine yeast........

Either way whether we use cheap yeast or turbo yeast, its still cost effective on us all.......

As i said i have a tomato wash at moment going with a youngs dessert high tolerance yeast, interested to see what abv% i get on that.....

The last general wine yeast i used came out very clear and produced less sediment than the bakers yeast......
I wonder if i could make a demijohn of tomato puree wine, would this work? and i wonder how many tubes it would take at 200g per tube?
Could make a summer blush wine if i add some extra sugar what you all think????????

Statistics: Posted by pi55ed — Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:45 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-19T21:47:01+00:00

pi55ed : i'm suprised that your tomatoe wash is slower than the 48hr turbo. My tomatoe wash was days faster than the 48hr turbo.
Price is of course an issue, (or i probably wouldnt have started this to begin with)maybe stuff here costs different amounts as the cost between the turbo and the tomatoe works out at about 20 cents, (about 10p) a bottle, there are three HB shops within 20mins of where i live so availability is easy for me, i'm pretty lucky there.
I just want the one that tastes the best.

I just remembered the name of the yeast in the wash at the moment its the Essencia Ultra Pure. It was about $4 more than the turbo it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Anyone used it?????

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:47 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-18T22:28:57+00:00

Personally myself i agree with jimmy, the taste is slightly different than turbo, you do get less bottles, it is cheaper,..

But slower fermentation time....,

But if you are not in a hurry to get some spirit, again agreeing with jimmy the cheaper price and sometimes better quality product, then why buy turbo's

Since jimmy brought this recipe here i havnt made a turbo since, and it has saved money on postage etc,..

Agreed, i have put less litres through my still but i have got good 80% returns, that said! once i have cut the 80% down to 40% i am happy with the taste and product, and all that for the price of basically a little sugar and yeast on cost....

In the shops its all tax, you dont know whats in it when you buy cheap vodka..

When you make your own you know theres no rubbish added...

And if you cut it down even further to say 20% or even 10% on home made alcopops for summer etc (for the missus!) then basically it costs less than a bottle of the original cheap stuff, or free if you cut it all down to 10% alcopops...

Having said that, it would cost you more for a bag of alcotec 48........

Thats my theory anyway !!......... maybe iam wrong i have just done a 24 hour shift at work thats my excuse if iam not cost effective ideas.......
?????????????

Statistics: Posted by pi55ed — Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:28 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-18T21:43:48+00:00

It all depends on your yeast - if it managed to eat up the sugar you put in, then yes you could try putting in some more and see if it gets stronger.
The real bonus for me is price and simplicity - half a tin of bakers yeast and some tomato paste is about a pound, whereas turbo yeast, turbo klar etc adds up to 5 or 6 and because of where I live I have to get them mail order which means about a tenner - yes you get less overall with tomato, but it's easier and ten times cheaper for me so it works out better in the long run. I also prefer the taste, it's a little less chemical. Everyone is different though!

Statistics: Posted by Jimmy — Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:43 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-18T21:21:39+00:00

With regard to adding more sugar and increasing Alch content?......... have you thought of using a dessert high alcohol tolarent yeast, it may take the sugar to the max ( eat it all )??? with extra nutrients too.....

I have one going at moment.. results to come !!

Statistics: Posted by pi55ed — Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:21 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-18T20:22:04+00:00

well i finished distilling/filtering tonight.

My findings re: tomatoe wash are that the Alch content is much lower so the resultant number of 37% bottles are less than with turbo. With the turbo i got about 9 750ml bottles. With the tomatoe wash i should have got about 5 or 6 but the still decided it didnt like the wash and vomited it across the wall lol

I'm real glad I use the still outside, (under cover though).

Anyhow I'm sipping the results now and the taste is a little different to the turbos, not better or worse, just different.

The big difference is the lack of odour while distilling and filtering.

I distilled it all twice and ran it through the carbon twice. Came out quite nice.

With the turbo I had to filter it about 4-5 times to remove any off odour.

So the big differences are less bottles but less filtering and a much quicker fermentation and clearing time.

Next time i do a tomatoe wash i will increase the sugar slightly, this might increase Alch content?
I have another wash on the go at the moment the guy in the HB shop said it finishes with less off tastes? It certainly smells less while it ferments. About the same as the tomatoe wash i would say.
I almost forgot to say that I can see now what some people got on about proper cuts.

The first 200ml or so after the heads on the tomatoe wash you could have prectically drunk as it was. I couldnt be bothered seperating it all though I have enough bottles lying around the place as it is. I think if you could be bothered the result of double distilling that first 200ml or so collected over several runs would take some beating.

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:22 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-17T19:59:09+00:00

Just finnished a tomato wash, 10 litres, used approx 3.5 kg of sugar, i put some ginger in with the wash in the beginning which i strained before, took 14 days, used brewbelt, general purpose young's wine yeast, came out at 14% abv when i tested on my vin-o-meter, and very clear.......... will still sometime shortly.........

Wasnt hardly sweet at all on tasting quite nice.........

Statistics: Posted by pi55ed — Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:59 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2009-01-12T19:08:00+00:00

This wash finished a few days ago and cleared very well after about 3 days afters adding turbo-klar. It would have cleared quicker i think if had decanted the wash (minus the sediment) into another conatiner before stiring in the turbo-klar and disturbing the sediment, doh.
Anyhow ...... it all cleared and the first 4L just finished going through the still.

I got about 700ml @ 45%vol and a 100ml or so lower.

I took the heads off and I'll distill it all then run it through again.
Last wash I got about 9 bottles @ 37% vol from a turbo with 8Kg sugar.

This one uses much less sugar but the 700ml smells much cleaner probably about the same as the turbo after the 2nd distil.

I'll make a guess at about 6 bottles when finished but i'll let you know how it turns out.

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:08 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2008-12-29T00:32:14+00:00

Hey, you can all post your own topics if you want to - I don't have to set them up!
With my recipe, I have a 25 litre fermenter so I put the other stuff in and add water to give a TOTAL of 25 litres - other recipes may be for 30 litre fermenters.

Statistics: Posted by Jimmy — Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:32 am

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2008-12-28T20:04:02+00:00

Mine took 19 days, as per Jimmy's recipe,

But i added a lot more wine nutrients also to the recipe, my wash came out very sweet to taste stopped bubbling after 18 days, i cleared on 19th day and left 48 hours, came out a really diluted looking orange cordial but quite clear.......

I guess the added wine nutrients kept it going longer than expected, and i dont think it used all the suger, and i should have left longer..

I guess we all come out with different brews, but we are all getting spirit which is a good thing, as its only mainly sugar to loose if it goes wrong....

Perhaps Jimmy can set up a (sugar wash) page!!++ with all our results1

Statistics: Posted by pi55ed — Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:04 pm

Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

2008-12-28T18:22:51+00:00

hi guys

i know a few have tried this tomato type wash just wondered how long the usually take to ferment and clear?

Statistics: Posted by HangOver — Sun Dec 28, 2008 6:22 pm