Lentil Wash

[Mash]

Here you go..

11 kgs sugar
1 tsp Epsom Salts
700g grams plain chicken Wheat (should have been malted wheat/barley)
50g Fermipan Bread Yeast (or Allinsons)
Make up to 50 litres.

Steep wheat in hot water 70° (ish), while you are getting everything ready - do not boil.
Water to 35° C , including wheat & its water
Get some air in.
Once the surface is smooth, Sprinkle yeast gently and slowly. Do not allow it to clump.
Leave the yeast to gently settle. Do not stir/move for 15 minutes at least.
Do not start the yeast separately.
Ferment at a steady 28° C
Once fermentation completes rack into another vessel. Leave for one week in the cold.

the rest you know....

[Almanac]

Malted grain instead of Lentils. I wouldn't have thought that small an amount of grain would provide much nutrient for a wash that size.

The Epsom Salts gets me because I don't understand what it contributes or how it affects the wash. Maybe you can enlighten me I'm always looking to learn and understand

AM

[Mash]

To be honest I just chucked it in.

It is one of many water modifiers. It will lowers pH by a bit. Which in theory makes the brew pH better and easier for the enzymes & yeasts.

As a brewer you need to get to know your water.
I have never used it before, because water modification is quite complex subject. PH & the buffering effect makes my mind bleed. And also falls into the category of - it ain't broke, so it don't need fixing.

I have good hard water, ideal for IPA. Minerally quite a rich. Benefits from carbon filtering and boiling away some of the temporary hardness the night before.

Which begs the question will use it again. Probably not.

[Almanac]

I posted a water treatment booklet under Resources. pH range, for our purposes not so critical. anywhere between 5.2 to 5.5 before pitching is fine.

AM

[chill]

Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) is a common ingredient in packaged yeast nutrients (e.g. Fermax). It definitely helps my fermentations, though your local water relative to mine is a factor in whether that holds true for you.

Chuck

[Mash]

Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) is a common ingredient in packaged yeast nutrients (e.g. Fermax). It definitely helps my fermentations, though your local water relative to mine is a factor in whether that holds true for you.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck I did not know that. Do the local water supply company provide a full analysis like they do in the UK? Do you know what you are getting?

[Easydrinker]

I have little idea of my local water make-up,other than it being very soft,and ph around a steady 7.
I routinely add 1/2 tsp of M.Sulphate to my washes,as I have been aware of it's use as a yeast nutrient for a while.
What it does I don't know.
We also have buckets of the stuff hanging around here,as it is used as a poultice for lame horses.
It may or may not help my washes,but the cost and effort is minimal,so I plan to continue.

These days I can test wash Ph,but I don't bother: I was surprised to find my Ph meter and Litmus strips the other day,I had forgotten that I owned them.
Just someone else thinking that if it ain't broke,don't try and fix it.

If it is any consolation,an old friend did once point out that I must have been dipped in snake P*ss at birth.

Robert.

[Mash]

If it is any consolation,an old friend did once point out that I must have been dipped in snake P*ss at birth.

Robert.

LOL .. never heard that

[Jaggie]

i've used this wash with great results the only thing i not liking about this wash is the cleaning of the fermenter afterwards. The lentils get everywhere would putting them in a muslin bag still work? something like a Lentil Tea Bag kind of thing

[Easydrinker]

Well I guess a "tea bag" type ferment might work,but am more curious about the difficulties that you seem to have cleaning your fermenter.
Is it not a wide mouthed bin that you can a hand and sponge into?

Robert.

[chill]

I just spray in some water, swish it around, and pour it down the toilet. A wipe, a rinse, and it is done.

Chuck

[Mash]

i've used this wash with great results the only thing i not liking about this wash is the cleaning of the fermenter afterwards. The lentils get everywhere would putting them in a muslin bag still work? something like a Lentil Tea Bag kind of thing

That's a good point the wheat wash was easier to clean up too.

[Easydrinker]

I'm still not seeing the problem with wiping out a plastic fermenter....

Robert.

[Mash]

Not a massive issue the lentils did seem to stick to fermenter a bit.

[rot_it_and_run_it]

Hi I'm newly registered, learned a lot from this site and this wash sounds great....Have done a quick and dirty no steralisation (and no washing actually) technique using 5L still water bottles with loose lids as fermenters and an electric blanket.

I just poured 2l of the 5l containers out into an empty water bottle, then added about 3/4 of the kilo of sugar, shook it till it was dissolved and then added some very hot water and the rest of the sugar to take the level up to about 4.5l, had the lentils sitting in a glass with boiling water for a while and spooned them in then, shook and then put the yeast in dry and shook. They were all vigourously on the go after an hour. After 24h: https://vid.me/RLDM The advantage of these containers is they can be shaken easily, and pack well into an insulated plastic box container lined with foil, bubblewrap and a cheap electric blanket. (Incidentally if anyone is trying this the morrisons bottles are the best shape for fitting in a box, squared off and a bit taller).. Next time I'll use one bottle as the mixer and just decant onto the vestiges.

I'm using waitrose essentials lentils, the packet isn't new and a bit stuck to each other, but doubt that will cause probs.... little bit less than the Aidenmac/Scarecrow original, about 3 heaped tablespoons per ~4.5l - half with tate and lyle cane granulated, and half with silver spoon beet granulated, to see if any difference in unintentional inversion at the factory makes a difference. I'm using allinsons. Lentils are soggy and breaking into bits that are surrounded by visible yeast, so looks great - lets see how it ferments out. very active. I'm shaking couple of times a day. They weren't all started at the same time, the first one is now at 3 days and still just as active as initially.

Have come across some discussion elsewhere of adding a drop of olive oil to the mix - anyone tried this with the lentil wash?