StillSmart

Thanks very much for your help,
It is a classic sugar wash, and has consistantly sat at 22 - 24 degrees.
I have a hydrometer, is it best to fill up the test tube and test from there or put the hydrometer directly into the wash.
Im not sure if it will stuff it up by opening the lid if its nots ready.
sorry about all these basic questions, only way to learn i guess.

just filled the test tube from the tap and the reading was 992. will test again tomorrow to see if its the same.
keep ya posted!

Just dip the Hydrometer in the wash you wont do any harm. Thats how I do it. Tkake it out and give the wash a good stir and bang the lid on again until you reach 990. If mine stops for awhile I test it and then stir it upand that kicks it off again. just nudge it along if need be.

thanks short2,
much appreciated.

I know this is boring and I keep saying it all over the place but........

I am not a super brewer, I brew to forget, what was it I was saying?

I am a couple of years in, started with an airstil and SS turbo products with all that messy carbon!

Kept looking at this forum and eventually found Vodka Star. It east, reliable, quick (about a week), strong, and none of that nasty carbon.

Produced the sweetest smelling smelling spirit I had got out of the still so far.

Next step was a basic sugar wash - lots on info elsewhere in the forum, sometimes all under tomato wash - which was cheaper but took about 4 weeks to brew out and was a weaker wash BUT even cleaner and sweeter than the Vodka*

Then I bought the T500 and now I do basic sugar washes most of the time which produces about 3L of 94% sweet spirit per 25L wash and keep a couple of Vodka*'s for emergencies where I need a quick wash.

Try the sugar wash - it's cheap, easy, and sweet

If you are after neutral\vodka - it makes sense that a mild unoffensive tasting wash in the still produces a product that tastes better coming out the still (most of the time )

I'm a big fan of sugar washes - no turbo basher here - I just like the price the way I do it - I have used turbos recently to finish a stuck wash, they are handy to have on hand.

I currently use 3 x 5g packets of yeast started in a large jar 3 days before putting the wash down to breed them up - this costs around £3 so comparable to a turbo - I pitch this into a 50-55L wash along with a "yeast bomb" nutrient which cost about £1 and half an hour of your time to make up.

At this I'm already ahead money wise, as my wash is twice the size and only 1.5 times the cost of a turbo.
I when i strip the wash I scoop out a large jar of the yeast and add some water to it (to keep the yeast happy)- this will be my starter for the next 50l wash - i scoop out half the lees from the bottom of the fermenter and chuck it, I then add the hot backset from the still to the fermeter\lees melt the sugar, top up with water, add a little vitamin B, top up with water and pitch the starter when cool. (yes it stinks like sugar strip - but tastes fine - the smell dies down when it get fermenting again)

Now I have 100+L for a little over £4 of yeast\nuits.

I repeat this process, adding another yeast bomb - and 2 fresh packs of yeast for the 3rd wash.

I do 4 washes in total before starting again. I basically get 200-220L wash from £5 yeast and £2 of additives - its recession proof stilling.


EDIT: I forgot to mention - when using a lot of backset as I do it is necessary to adjust the PH with something like calcium carbonate - as it gets very acidic and will stick. I use a benchtop PH meter and shoot for 4.5-5PH before adding the sugar - indicator strips are fine too.

Hi captain do you know how much calcium carbonate is required in a 25 ltr wash to raise the ph by 1.0
Cheers

I have never measured it, I take a pint of warm backset with a Pyrex jug, add a couple of table spoons and stir it in - calcium carbonate isn't brilliantly soluble so it takes some stirring.

I then stir this in a little at a time into the 35+ litres of backset testing with the meter, I often chuck about 1-3 to 1/2 of the jug away. I've got a big 10kg bag of the stuff, so haven't been exacting with it's use.

One bloop a minute max mate or even longer if u can stand it x

Put in the turbo clear yesterday and it came up nice and clean today.
Loaded up the still with just under 25 litres of clean wash.
Cranked up the T500, exactly 1 hour to boil. About 1 hour in now and collected 2 lites. Temperature has not budged from the start, its sitting between 58 and 60 degrees.
Glad I changed my mind and upgraded to the T500!!

Wait until it stops bubbling and test it. If it reads 990 give ti a good stir then add you clearing agent as instructe on the packet. Once clear fire up and dont drink the lot in one go.

Well, glad i found this place.

Thanks to you guys I ended up with just under 10 litres of chrystal clear alcohol at 40%.
I made up some smokey malt whiskey (not bad, gave it a fair nudge last night) some vodka (wife was impressed) and some dark jamacain rum which I havnt tried yet. Added some oak chips to 4 litres and will leave for a couple of weeks.
Have my next wash bubbling away!
The T500 is a piece of cake to use, was absolutely stoked with it.
Didnt have to alter the water flow once! The temp didnt go over 60 or under 57. I nearly bought the airstill, so glad I didnt!!!!

Well done mate, glad you got it sorted!

i dont drink wrote:

if its a wash your putting on like a triple distilled, it needs to start off at about 30ºc like IT SAYS ON THE PACKET...

Hi

Like the thread starter I am a beginner and also like him I've got the Still Spirits Turbo 500 kit and am also watching my first Triple Distilled Turbo that came with the kit fermenting, made up exactly as per instructions, wash starting temp just less than 22C, air temp fairly constant 20C . Mine started slowly as well maybe 14 to 16 hours before any action at all and then maybe one bubble every couple of seconds for the past 8 days, now slowing a little. Ive watched uTube vids with washes blowing out the water from the airlocks, mines not come close to that. Ive not checked SG yet as I wasn't sure about lifting the lid while still fermenting, letting oxygen in.

Your advice confuses me, please dont take me wrong I am a self confessed beginner and have no experience whatever. I am not disagreeing with you but the packet clearly states

Triple Distilled Turbo should be used where ultimate alcohol quality is of primary importance. Only use where cool air temperature (between 18-24°C) can be maintained

Still Spirits website says that above 24C its likely to stick. Have I mis-understood your post. I'm getting worried that I've buggered it up.

Ethan

Don't worry about taking lid off but observe basic common sense hygiene. a bit off fresh air and a stir with a sterilised paddle often helps the ferment
After all the wash backs (fermenting vessels) in distilleries arn't exactly airtight!
All washes vary from wash to wash and yeast to yeast. I find classic very fast maybe 3 or 4 days blowing continuously through airlock while vodka star is much more gentle normally a week plus the cooler the room the slower
I suspect the videos on u tube are showing 24 or 48hr yeasts