StillSmart

Hi again.

I have just made a wash of Alcotec 23% Turbo Yeast with Dextrose and the activated carbon that comes with it, kept at a constant 22 Deg C until fermentation was over, Then syphoned off into a new container, avoiding the carbon & left over sediment, Then used Turbo Klar to clear it, But it does not seem to be clearing it.

I made a wash of Still Spirits - Triple Distilled Turbo Yeast with Dextrose and Carbon he same time again same temp and roughly same length of time, Also use turbo klar, this has cleared well, but the 23% has not.

I ensured I had De-gassed both washes before adding the Turbo klar’s, but the 23% is still very black/grey looking?

Any ideas, because with 10.5Kg of dextrose and over £5\'s worth of yeast- it’s not exactly cheap?
Can it be run through activated carbon, or paper based filter to clear up before it can be used.
As always any help- appreciated.

I would just let it sit for a week or 2 in the cold and it should clear itself.

My first alcotec 23% did exactly the same - I left it to clear for four days, left 2 litres of sediment behind, it wasn\'t 100% clear but I ran the wash anyway as the instructions say \"the wash does not have to be completely clear for distilling\". The output was fine though
I had nothing really to compare it to as I\'d never run a yeast with the active carbon in during fermentation so given the alcotec instructions I thought it was normal for that kind of wash to be cloudy.
Just fermented a SS triple distilled (SS3D) and SS turbo cleared it and I\'m amazed at the difference. The SS3D is clear. I\'ve got another alcotec 23% on the go now so I\'m going to try a SS turbo clear (instead of the alcotec Turbo Klar) and see if it\'s any clearer. I\'m not expecting it to be 100% clear, I\'ll give it four days and then run the wash anyway.

I would just leave it for a few days to clear then run it.All of mine sit to clear for about a week.

Just make sure it has completely fermented out. It should have done if your temp was maintained. Also the de-gassing is important. Sounds like you have done everything right. I\'d agree with the other guys that leaving it somewhere cold is best and another dose of turboklar after another good battering should do the job. If you have a pot still and its not totally clear make certain you add some conditioner to each batch of wash.

The very fine carbon doesn\'t filter out with coffee papers so don\'t waste your time - I did that on my very first batch and after several hours I admitted defeat, it worked fine anyway.

hi aidan i bought mine from wine works co.uk £1.79 a bottle its still spiriits distilling conditioner (silicone propylene glycol.)

alan

Hi to everyone new member herw so hope I am doing this right. Re: Alcotec 23% Turbo Yeast wont clear having this problem as well plus getting clumps of grey/ black stuff floating to the top. Has anyone else had this problem.

Dan

Only ever used classic and vodka star sorry to sound smug latest classic finished at 982 happy days >:D

Welcome danseven1, can't say I ever had the problem you've encountered. Seem to remember I did a 23% Turbo once - a long time ago.

We all go through that learning curve. 23% ABV sounds attractive - it'll never get to 23% but it looks good on the pack! 17-18% is more likely.

There's a very good reason why most of the more experienced distillers here don't use those high promise turbos. They're just bad news.

As the Admiral said Classic or Vodka Star - slightly lower yield but infinitely cleaner to make and to drink, no nasty surprises and they cost less.

Good luck with it, hope it works out for you and look forward to you becoming an active member. Don't be afraid to ask if you need anything at all!

AM

Yeah as AM says unless you do your own yeast cultures classic and vodkastar perform consistently well. I brew with 8kg in classic and 7kg in vs and often get a finish in the low 980s, so giving a pretty good yield that produces good alcohol.
Keep watching Bobnots posts about a new finings might be a better and cheaper solution for clearing as well.

Thank you for your welcome and help.Going to leave it a bit longer as when I checked it was starting to clear. ordered another turbo clear just in case.

Dan

H1 there could anyone tell if you need to use carbon with Vodka Star if your not going to distilling it ?. I have made the Alcotec 23% Turbo Yeast i had great problems getting to clear had to do it twice and only ended up with a 10% cloudy spirit.any advice most welcome.

Many thanks

Dan

Vodka star doesn't require liquid carbon

All the old hands here will be going, "here he goes again" and they're not wrong. I've said it before and here I go again - High yield turbo yeasts are rubbish and there's good reason why most experienced hands here don't use them. But 10% - ouch! bet that hurt

Vodka Star (VS) says turbo on the label but it's not. VS will return a consistent 13-14% even if you mess it up and it will take 4-5 days to ferment dry and a few more to clear. VS does not require carbon in the wash.

As for not distilling it !!! Don't go there - seriously!

Any wash intended for distilling, including Vodka Star or Classic and especially those high yield turbo yeasts, are not fit for human consumption without distilling, in fact most require double distilling unless very careful cuts are made. This is because there are some very nasty substances in the wash, which are safely removed during the distillation process, and you really don't want to consume those substances.

Drinking a distillers wash will, in all probability, make you very ill and may have lasting effects.

The alcohol content of a distiller's wash will often be about 12-14% and if you're not distilling you can easily get that in a decent homemade drinkable wine in about the same time but without the nasty side effects.

This can be a great hobby if you follow the basics and be safe whatever you do.

AM