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VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 4:26 pm
by Anavrin
Hi Guys

I've decided to use up a 1.5kg tin of liquid malt extract that I've had on the shelf for almost a year, I wasn't sure how much only 1 tin would add to the SG and I didn't have enough to do a pure malt wash so I decided to mix it in with a vodkastar wash.


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I figured try adding the tin with 4kg of sugar to start with and check the SG


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Reminded me of the good old days when I started making beer kits!


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The gravity was 1.070 so I added another bag of sugar just to boost it up a bit, hopefully a hint of malt will help get a more tasty, less harsh neutral

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 4:47 am
by Easydrinker
Inventiveness and experimentation.
I'm loving it.
Hope it gives you a good result.
Robert.

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:31 am
by packapoo
I'm looking forward to updates here.
Had a similar plan with one I've underway presently....my local (slack) HBS forgot to order :-\

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:35 am
by packapoo
Just occurred...that was unhopped gear, eh?
Lead to believe possibly the last thing you want in your boiler is hops.

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:48 am
by Anavrin
Funny you should ask as I just stripped it last night, it didn't clear though :-(

It finished fermenting and stayed very cloudy, I racked it into a new bucket and added a turbo clear but only the top two inches cleared. It also didn't ferment fully dry but I put that down to some of the sugars in the LME being some of those boring, non-fermentable types.

Being impatient at times, I decided to run it anyway and it's now turned into 5 liters at 50% in a demijohn, I did think I might have collected a little more from the strip, maybe almost 6 litres but I'm happy with what I've got so far.

EDIT yes it was pure malt extract, no hops

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:14 am
by John51
A guy I knew used to use malt extract for his large volume sugar washes. That was pre internet so no knowledge of tomato paste washes.

Really good for adding nutrients, which VS already has enough of. Flavour? If it's going through a reflux, there shouldn't be any.

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:00 pm
by Anavrin
Hi John51

Most of my strips will get mixed for a big reflux spirit run BUT....(and this will become a post)

I'm doing a little experiment to see what effect the balance of sugar/malt has on the harshness of the unfiltered taste / smell of a neutral, some say that this is caused by pure sugar washes,

I will soon have four 5 litres strips at 50% made from the following
1, wash made of 6kg malt (mashed for 90mins) + 3kg sugar and bread yeast
2, wash made of 1.5kg liquid malt extract + 5kg sugar and vodkastar
3, wash made of 6kg sugar + vodkastar
4, wash made of 6kg sugar + triple still with the active carbon

I'm going to take a bit of each strip separately and run then through my airstill making identical cuts and compare the neutral, both before and after filtering.

Might be a useful and informative exercise, I may need to involve a few friends for a second or third impartial opinion, might prove rather pointless but either way, I'll get drunk, enjoy myself in the process and let you guys know the results >:D

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:17 pm
by Easydrinker
Anavrin wrote:....................

Might be a useful and informative exercise, I may need to involve a few friends for a second or third impartial opinion, might prove rather pointless but either way, I'll get drunk, enjoy myself in the process and let you guys know the results >:D
..


Wow! I admire such dedication and thorough experimentation.
I,along with many others I am sure,await your results with great interest.
Robert.

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 7:08 pm
by packapoo
LOL
It never hurts to have a plan...

Re: VodkaStar with a malt twist

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:12 pm
by Anavrin
Just started with the first wash, the one made with the mashed grain, binned the first 100ml, then collected in 200ml jars for the first 6 jars, then collected 3 jars of 100ml, all jars are now airing out over night


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I'm gonna keep 500ml of the unfiltered neutral once I've decided on my cuts, put the rest through the filter and keep 500ml of the filtered neutral, the left over can go back towards my big run on the reflux