StillSmart

Went to the homebrew shop to buy all the ingredients for my first wash. He wanted to sell me SS triple yeast but I insisted on Vodka Star because I'd learned that much from reading this forum. He reluctantly substituted his original offering but failed to tell me that I no longer required the Turbo Carbon, in fact gave me instruction on it's use. Started the wash yesterday and it's going along nicely.....but.....you guessed it, I have made it up including the carbon.

Wasn't until I re-read some of the stuff on here today I realised that, unless I am mistaken, the only ingredient needed when using VS is sugar....DOH! Does this mean I must throw everything away and start again or is this wash still salvageable?

No fool like an old fool!

Regards
Egg

No need to worry the wash will still turn out fine,guess the guy in the HB shop didnt want to miss out on selling the turbo carbon.

Thanks Optic - very reassuring.

Egg

Yup won't do any harm it will settle out when finings added don't worry just save your dosh next time

Hi Egg, when everyone starts distilling they go through exactly what you have done there. Got worried about not following something to the letter, and wondering if they should pour it down the drain.
As time goes on you'll realise, as long as there is alcohol in the wash, then its probably worth distilling.

What will probably change as you go on, is you'll become a better brewer and be picker about what you put in to the boiler.

I've gone from putting fairly high ABV washes to get the most alcohol out, to now fermenting things I want to taste in the product like corn, potatoes, malt and molasses.
I still use sugar for neutral to make gin, but even that wash rarely goes beyond 11% as I think it makes a taster product. Once you learn to run your still the best you can, I believe the easiest way to make better drinks is to make better washes. The next best way to them improve these drinks is to make more than you drink, so you can aged them well.

I'm sure you'll have lots of fun in the hobby.

Thanks Captain - appreciate the encouragement.
Egg

Carbon is crack cocaine, and your HBS is the dealer.

Quicker you get off it the happier your wallet will be.

The guy is either mercenary or uneducated about vodka star. Educate him.

Well done getting out early.

A problem for the HBS is that once you've got say an airstill and a couple of fermenters, there isn't much that needs to be bought from them. So maybe they hustle to pay the rent.

20 years ago I'd pick up the freebie mags from the HBS that urged you to replace your fermenters etc every couple of years to avoid infection but 2 of my fermenters are over 30 years old and I've never lost a batch to infection. I've got sterilised milk bottles of a similar age which do fine for beer.

My HBS spend way back when was 2 or 3 beer kits a year plus a quid or so a week on pectalase, sodium metabisulphate and small packets of yeast. I made lots of 16%vol peach wine Maybe siphon tube every 3 or 4 years. Everything else came from the supermarket. Compared to my neighbours, I was an avid homebrewer and yet the HBS made very little from me.

Now I'm using Vodka Star and have a kilo of sodium metabisulphate both courtesy of the bay and the HBS only gets a visit if I want another fermenter and Wilkos are out of them.