StillSmart

Robbo12 wrote:Ok on my hydrometer reading it's on the low wines 70 can you put some light on this reading I'm still getting to grips with it.

Hopefully the picture uploaded

The markings indicate roughly where the starting gravity should be, so a strong beer will be about 1.060 then higher than that usually is where a wine should start, or in your case, a wash.
so your saying it is now 1.070 and it was 1.095? If so it's definitely fermenting.

Yes that's it 1.070 just abit confuseing with the numbers so now i have more of an idea yes i can hear it fizzing away have you got a recipe for a lentil wash? Thanks again.

Robbo12 wrote:Yes that's it 1.070 just abit confuseing with the numbers so now i have more of an idea yes i can hear it fizzing away have you got a recipe for a lentil wash? Thanks again.

Page 2 in the recipe's section

Thanks

Don't worry about it Robbo.. the reason I cut & pasted that bit from that site was just to let you read it...it explains it a lot better than me waffling on about it. no harm was done.

Back to your wash.....you think that it's slow to start, this could be a myriad of things....too cold, fluctuations in heat, PH, nutrients, etc etc.

As you only started it yesterday take a reading with your hydro again....jot that down, then take another reading tomorrow, that way you will be able to see if there's any difference in the two reading, and by how much. if there is then the wash is active...slow but active.

As long as it looks and smells ok...leave it alone and take a reading every couple of days this will show you what's going on.

If and it's a big If, it's stalled then you need to split it down into two buckets and try to kick-start both.....hopefully it won't come to this.

You may have read or been advised to but a refractometer...you may find this better than a hydro to sort out sugar levels.

If possible post a photo of the surface of the wash this may help the guys to sort out this problem.

Ice

Ok hear it is

Zooming in on the photo it does show signs of activity by the surface bubbles...as I said you need to take a couple of reading to put your mind at ease...as long as the sugar level keeps dropping it's working.

Ice

Ok their is activety their one thing i found was I've got a heater in their 1 off the suckers came off and was on the bottom of the bucket i will do a reading tomorrow and see how it getting on .

When you think its done, put somewhere cool
for a couple of days, no heater and it should
clear ready for stillin.

Ok i will do is anyone near Manchester UK on hear?

I’m about 20 miles south-ish of you, if that helps.

Having read this thread through, I think your best approach is to chill your beans, and let your yeasties do their thing. I run kale washes by preference, and rarely do they complete within 10 days or so - regularly it’s a fortnight. All sorts of factors can make a wash run weirdly - for me, a stabilising factor was a buffer agent, which I still use now. Others find that sort of thing unnecessary.

If you want rapid fermentation, try VodkaStar. If you want a cheap and clean result, stick with the kale, but give it time, give it time!

Cheers

Hampk

Ok thanks pal i will do.

hampk wrote: ... chill your beans and let your yeasties do their thing. I run kale washes by preference, and rarely do they complete within 10 days or so - regularly it’s a fortnight. All sorts of factors can make a wash run weirdly - for me, a stabilising factor was a buffer agent, which I still use now. Others find that sort of thing unnecessary.

If you want rapid fermentation, try VodkaStar. If you want a cheap and clean result, stick with the kale, but give it time, give it time!

Cheers

Hampk

Spot on.

Well it's definitely working just took a reading and it's 1.054

Patience, Grasshopper, patience.