Lentil Wash

[Duffer26]

So what's the problem with starting at 7-8 pH?

Do I need to lower it with some citric acid or other such stuff?

Would the TWP be better for my water?

I'm sorry but I'm struggling to find any definitive information on this matter
and I'm a slave to the 'whys?' in life.

Marc.

[packapoo]

Might save shagging around if you get some 5.2 pH stabiliser and throw in (in the recommended dosage of course

Keeps your wash pH stable throughout the ferment, therefore the yeasties happy.

[Easydrinker]

So what's the problem with starting at 7-8 pH?

Do I need to lower it with some citric acid or other such stuff?

Would the TWP be better for my water?

I'm sorry but I'm struggling to find any definitive information on this matter
and I'm a slave to the 'whys?' in life.

Marc.

Yeasties like to start work at a Ph of around 5.4
When they have done their work the wash could be down to 3 or 4
Citric acid would be the wrong way to go, it is acid, to lower Ph use Sodium Bicarbonate.
Buy some cheap Litmus strips from the net, and figure it out.

Robert.

[Duffer26]

I'm sorry Robert, but I wonder if you've been drinking acetone tonight.

Acid lowers pH. Bicarbonate of soda raises it.

I could be wrong. But it's rare.

Marc.

[Easydrinker]

Yup,you got me there.
Got you too.


Robert.

[Curmudgeon]

LOL. Fair play to you Robert. I wiser man would have edited his post. Your meaning is clear.

[Mash]

Would the TWP be better for my water?

What is your water? Water correction isn't complex and is normally gypsum.

[Duffer26]

My water is really wet. It tastes good. It's soft with a pH of 8.

I've discovered that temperature is my problem with stalling washes.
Where I keep my stash is stable at 16c.

I have a cunning plan to deal with this. When I've done it I'll post it here
for you all to marvel at my genius.

I'm degassing my first VS tonight. I finally have a handle on degassing.

Talking of handles, does anyone find the handles on fermenter buckets annoying?
I never use them and all they do is get in my way.

Thanks, Marc.

[hampk]

My water is really wet. It tastes good. It's soft with a pH of 8.

I've discovered that temperature is my problem with stalling washes.
Where I keep my stash is stable at 16c.

I have a cunning plan to deal with this. When I've done it I'll post it here
for you all to marvel at my genius.

Aquarium heater plus towels to insulate the wash container works well for me. A pH buffer (say 50g citric acid/50g sodium bicarbonate) will fix your wash pH between 3 and 6, which is ideal for the newly growing yeasties.

Cheers

Hampk

[Mash]

My water is really wet. It tastes good. It's soft with a pH of 8.

I've discovered that temperature is my problem with stalling washes.
Where I keep my stash is stable at 16c.

I have a cunning plan to deal with this. When I've done it I'll post it here
for you all to marvel at my genius.

I'm degassing my first VS tonight. I finally have a handle on degassing.

Talking of handles, does anyone find the handles on fermenter buckets annoying?
I never use them and all they do is get in my way.

Thanks, Marc.

soft. Soft.... SOFT - get some gypsum too. Any HBS will have - couple of quid. Lack of calcium will cause a ferment to struggle.
Cool won't help - particularly if thats daytime temp and it gets cooooooler still at night.
Get the heater upto about a steady 27/28c. Yeasties don't like fluctuation. Drop (smallest) of olive oil will help too

[Chubbs]

My water is really wet. It tastes good. It's soft with a pH of 8.

I've discovered that temperature is my problem with stalling washes.
Where I keep my stash is stable at 16c.

I have a cunning plan to deal with this. When I've done it I'll post it here
for you all to marvel at my genius.

I'm degassing my first VS tonight. I finally have a handle on degassing.

Talking of handles, does anyone find the handles on fermenter buckets annoying?
I never use them and all they do is get in my way.

Thanks, Marc.

soft. Soft.... SOFT - get some gypsum too. Any HBS will have - couple of quid. Lack of calcium will cause a ferment to struggle.
Cool won't help - particularly if thats daytime temp and it gets cooooooler still at night.
Get the heater upto about a steady 27/28c. Yeasties don't like fluctuation. Drop (smallest) of olive oil will help too

I actually bought some gypsum for the exact same reason. Our water down here in the South West is also very soft and read a recipe somewhere that suggested it. Just tested the water and it comes out at 7.9 according to the big yellow pen.

Will be using the few kilo of lentils I have left in the store cupboard before trying a different recipe but will add some as a matter of course.

[gaza the instructor]

Very lucky with my water here in south London.
Steady 6 or so,. for me its temp thats important.
Nothing seams to like below 20c, bread yeast needs
lots more 28- 30. I do a lot of Kale washes, but
keep temp up and they love it.Let it drop near
20c and they take 4 weeks or so.

[Chubbs]

Well that's two Lentil washes on this evening, and hopefully the first of many more to come over the next few months.

Mislaid my notes that I made for previous Lentil washes which explained my slightly different method. It was just a way where I put the sugar in a pan with a certain amount of water and boiled until dissolved. Once I topped up with cold water and the soaking lentils it was bang on 30 degrees every time.

I wasn't that far away at 25 degrees doing it this evening so I just pitched the yeast, waited 15 minutes and gave it a good thrashing about. This is the first time I have made them in wine fermenters and there isn't that much of a headspace to the top, maybe 5 inches at most. Yeast was pitched two hours ago and the krausen is an inch thick already.

As it was getting late I just put in a couple of thermostats at 28 and 30 degrees and put a towel over the top for tonight. Got a feeling that I might wake up to a foam party in the morning, but hey ho its my own fault for not starting earlier and setting up properly.

[Mash]

Hang on there just a minute.

PH is a measure of acidity/alkalinity
not hardness.

GH is the measure for general harness.
KH is the measure for carbonate hardness. Both measured easily with aquarium test strips.

Also easily measured by looking in the kettle. If its nice and clean you need gypsum.

[Duffer26]

Yeah, a combination of citric acid and gypsum should do the trick.

I am still constructing my fermenting cabinet.

Thanks for all the reply's people.

Marc.