StillSmart

Freshly back from holiday, three weeks ago I decided to try Mashy's Wonderful Wheat Wash. I waited and waited. And waited! It finally finished at 1.00 SG on Sunday. On the way, it stalled twice thanks to crashing pH, and I had to rescue it with baking powder. It got there in the end.

So I started another on Monday, but this time having done a bit of reading, thought I'd try a pH buffer - so in went a 50g citric acid / 50g backing powder mix dissolved in a litre of water. Boy did it fizz! Gave me a starting pH of around 6.5 and off it went. Three days later it's already down to just over 1.01 SG and pH of 4 and a bit. Result!

I will definitely be trying this next wash, and thought I'd share the results as it might help soneone else. Any comments from the experts out there also welcome..

Cheers

Hampk

Soz mate,
There are NO experts out here.
Just folk with a little bit of experience.
Glad that you have joined us.
And are eager to share.
Just what we need.
All of this pooled knowledge adds up to something worth keeping.

Robert.

My standard buffer is 192 g of Citric Acid and 252 g of Baking Soda. Those should be equal molecular weights. I mix them dry and let them sit to blend. The moisture in the air will turn then to near rock. So don't leave a whole bunch in one container. I split it after mixing into four parts, one part for each 23-25 L wash. About 110 g each. That might be too much, I don't know. I should experiment.

If you get your wash pH near 5, this should hold it between 4.5 and 5 for the duration of the ferment. I had problems recently as my wash had too high of a pH when I added it and that seemed to over power the buffer.

I will be giving this a go myself.
If we get it fizzing along well perhaps we could add a bit more sugar.

Hmm....

Well it's now dropped to 0.996 and still fizzing.. Only bakers yeast, so I guess it will give up at some point in the near future.

It looks as though all my slow wash woes may be at an end - the proof of the pudding will be in the next one, which looks like I might be able to start imminently!

Cheers

Hampk

This second, buffered wash was a Wheat Wash too right?

Identical ingredients apart from the buffer solution.. I've tested my tapwater pH which is about 5.5 (I've only got access to litmus strips at the minute - meter arrives early next week) which strikes me as a bit low, but the difference the buffer has made is nothing short of spectacular.

First wash (no buffer) : time to complete in excess of 20 days
Second wash (buffer) : time to complete.. well 4 days to get to where it currently is.

NB - instead of the B1 and Epsom salts in Mashy's recipe, I have used the recommended amount of Trono as I happened to have some handy.

Cheers

Hampk

That is much faster than my buffered washes take, but I am using lentils, DAP, and what might be Trono (unlabelled "yeast nutrient" from my local supplier). I usually add 1 Tbsp of DAP, Tbsp of yeast nutrient, and 1 tsp of Epsom salts, followed by a further 1 Tbsp of DAP when fermentation slows after 4-5 days. It finishes in about 7-8 days usually. The wheat sounds worth a try. I wonder if I am "over medicating" my washes.

Chuck

Well it's only my first experiment so I can't really comment - but I've suffered with dreadfully slow lentil washes as well.

Both recipes I stuck with the originator's ingredients, but as my background is home-made wine, I figured yeast + nutrient + sugar = alcohol - hence the Trono really. I might just try yeast nutrient as it's almost certainly cheaper.

I think the diving pH has been my downfall - hopefully I've found a fix, and I'll report back on my next wash!

To those out there with more experience - I'm aware of the whole turbo thing - but can a more refined ferment go too quickly, and if so, what are the things to watch for?

Cheers

Hampk

@ chill - trono has a very distinctive smell; you may have noticed?
My old lady doesn't complain about any of my brewing pongs, but she does when the trono comes out.

It is not Trono then, I have not noticed it to have any odour at all. Which given my wife's olfactory sensitivities is a blessing!

Sometimes my grey matter lets me down,and I have to admit a buffer is one of those occasions.One of these days I will try and wrap some thought around it....
Until then,I get excellent results from testing Ph and adding Bicarbonate of Soda,or very rarely citric acid,as needed.
This seems a simple Ph workaround for me,and a Lentil wash is normally done in 5 days.
I will admit to adding to almost all my washes,because I can,and because it is minimal expense and seems to work,the following-
Chopped dried fruit,usually Sultanas
Dap
Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate).

A word of caution on testing for Ph for anyone not aware.
Cheap litmus strips work fine.Give or take.
Cheap Ph meters,without a reliable calibration liquid,may cause you to shit enough bricks to start your own Great Wall........
Don't be dazzled by a shiney Yellow box,just because it has a digital readout.
And especially if it came on a slow boat from China and cost less than a tenner.
Calibrate.
Did I mention calibrate?
Just Sayin'

Robert.

Don't have any to hand presently, but defo Trono pongs.

Came, from memory, in a green and white box, bit like the colour scheme Ritchies (English company) use for their brewing products. Came across it when I got into wine making around 2007. Seemed to work well but strange thing was I never came across anyone else who put up their hand and admitted to using it, so I decided I must be the odd one.

Tronozymol. I have had a box for a while. I have to say the graphic design of the box is a little dated - it is still green and white.

Its a better pong than the one it remedies (hydrogen sulphide)

I keep it as a remedy in case I have nutient issues. I recently used to load up trialling a Tronozymol & sugar only wash - worked okay but not as neutral as the wheat wash.

It's reached 0.990. Think it's ready for clearing now I'm going to kick another off exactly the same and I'll report back in due course.

EasyDrinker the meter I've ordered is a decent one and I have calibration solutions coming with it

Mashy I wondered how the Trono wash turned out - I guess I know to stick with the wheat recipe now!

Cheers

Hampk