How it all started.

[tissard]

Hi guys, I\'m totally new to all this and I\'d like to share with you \"how it all started\".
Having missed the sloe harvest yet again I started cruising the online homebrew shops for dried sloes when something called a T500 caught my eye.
Now seeing that I dont believe in doing anything by half, last Monday I went out and bought one, and given the impending festive season, enough supplies to get me through to the new year an beyond.
By Monday night I had 2 ss triple distilled washes on the go, and by Tuesday night another triple and a classic just to make sure. (well I did say I didn\'t do anything by half).
On Sunday morning the Classic looked like it had finished, nice and clear on top and a SG reading of 990, added the turbo clear and as I\'m typing this, the T500 is boiling away.
But how about the triple distilled? All 3 bubbled away until Friday then things started to slow. On Saturday morning they looked like they had just about done so I took a SG reading and they all came in at just over 1.000. By Saturday afternoon there was only an odd bubble from the air lock, so I gave them all a good stir which seemed to get things going again.
Sunday morning, nothing again and all reading more or less the same as last time.
I\'ve monitored the temp constantly and kept them around the 21-23 \'oc mark. There\'s still a little bit of fizz happening but the air locks aren\'t showing any signs of life.
Everything was steralized and I followed the instructions to the letter. The washes were 21 ltr water, 6kg sugar, ss carbon, and the water temp was 29-31 \'oc when the yeast went in.
Are they stuck or even dead? and has anyone else had any problems with the ss triple distilled or is it just me.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Cheers, tissard.

[Phantom]

Probably just need to be left a little longer.
I've found, generally, that "it does what it says on the tin", but occasionally get one that seems to take a bit longer. Though in truth, I'm not usually in any rush.......
You could, if it's available at a local HBS, try one of the quick ones that's around. Some of the Alcotec yeasts are quite quick, though I usually stick with the ones that use "quality" as a marketing point. I've no way of testing any different results from different yeasts etc, plus the local HBS to me only has the SS range, so any alcotec stuff has to come mail order.....
p.s. and yes, got 3 that are struggling to finish at the moment as I made them up and put them to ferment in the outhouse, just before the outside temperatures hit the deck. So I\'ve had one in the dining room to up the temp to the average 18C in there and there\'s a second one that\'s got a brew belt on. The 3rd one will have to wait in queue until I can see if the other two have finished or not (actually all of them are between 1.000 and 0.990 so not too far off).....

[tissard]

Cheers Phantom, Its good to know that I probably haven\'t lost 3 washes. Think ill go down to the local HBS and see what he has that I could turn round this side of Xmas.
I would prefer quality over a quick turn round, but having invested a tidy sum, I ain\'t going down to the local big in booze this Xmas.
This forum looks like a really good place for sound advice. I feel that as someone who\'s a total noobie, I can ask whats probably gonna seem like obvious questions to the experienced person and not get patronized in the answer.
Keep up the good work guys.

[MrCat]

I've used the triple distilled, the turbo classic, the 23% alcotec, the SS power etc etc and been slightly dissapointed (in terms of yield / ferment time etc) but these days I'd suggest the alcotec 48. If you follow the instructions and keep it warm it will do exactly what it says on the packet.
Once xmas has been and gone give this recipe a try
http://www.artisan-distiller.org/presentations/moonshine/MoonshineGuide.html
I use the modern day (MDM) recipe rather than the Basic wheat germ.
It's fantastic. It takes a little longer to ferment and the yield isn't as good but what you eventually get is really really nice
First time I did that recipe I ran it though my SS reflux in pot mode and then twice through in full reflux mode. If I was doing it again therough the SS reflux I\'d not run it two times in reflux mode as the second run really stripped all the flavour out and only added a couple of % ABV.
I'm not sure that will work the same with the T500 as you can't do a pot mode but I'll tell you what happens as I've got another MDM bubbling away in the fermenter and a T500 to run it through

[tissard]

Great minds think alike MrCat, I went out this lunch and bought some Alcotec 48. It\'s now sat nice and cosey in the back bedroom working it\'s magic(I hope).
I\'ll have a look at the recipe you suggested and give it a go in the new year, cheers MrCat.

[Phantom]

p.s. and yes, got 3 that are struggling to finish at the moment as I made them up and put them to ferment in the outhouse, just before the outside temperatures hit the deck. So I've had one in the dining room to up the temp to the average 18C in there and there's a second one that's got a brew belt on. The 3rd one will have to wait in queue until I can see if the other two have finished or not (actually all of them are between 1.000 and 0.990 so not too far off)

Well the one that was brought into the dining room a week ago has stopped at 0.990 which is good enough for me, the first of the two still out in the outhouse, I left with the heater belt on for 24 hours, then yesterday (when I degassed and fined the one in the dining room) the one under the heater belt had a bloody good stir/degassing, this morning it has given a few bubbles, so the yeast is still alive, if hibernating with the cold (Oh and they all seem to be sitting at about 1.000 so not far from being finished anyway...).
These are all 3, SS triple distilled turbo's.
I guess the moral of the story is, don't put anything down the sink until you're totally sure that there's no other way of finishing a ferment.
I suspect once I've run these three, I'll just stick to using the Vodka Stars that I got from Ellie-Claire (TVM for the postage free 15 packs Ellie-Claire)......

[tissard]

Two of the three ss triples look like there\'s still a little fizz, so ill be patient and just leave well enough alone. The other one though is just flat with no signs of life at all, nill, narda, nowt.
S.g reads 1.000, same for the last 36 hours. I\'ve tried stirring and the temp is a steady 21 \'0c. Would it be worth clearing it and then running it through the T500?

[alan]

its worth clearing and runing even at 1.000 i ran a wheat germ last week that was stuck at 1.000 through my air still, i finnished up with just over 5.ltrs 50% i never throw any wash away

[tissard]

Cheers alan, part A is in and 30 mins until part B hits the wash.
Will let you know what I get from it.
P.s. just took a reading on the other 2 and there both heading towards the 990 mark, \'patience IS a virtue\'.

[tissard]

Just to let you know all the washes finally fermented out.
The SS Triple\'s took around 11-12 days yet the Alcotec 48\'s came in at just over 36 hours.
Cheers to everyone for their advice,
Tissard.