Alcotec Vodka Star

by **v4mpy** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:28 pm

I have just made up my first batch of Alcotec Vodka Star, up till now I\'ve always used bakers yeast.

All has gone well sg1093 ish, after 4 days it\'s down to 992 with a few bubbles still going, so impressed with it so far.

The only issue I\'ve got is it\'s turned a light pink colour, is this normal?

It smells ok and tastes like normal just a funny colour.
Thanks for any responses.

by **hoppinmad** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:14 am

hi v4mpy, yeah, dont worry thats completely normal, must be something in the mix but when its finished and you put finings in it goes fairly clear with a slight haze. should ferment dry to 0985-0980 so i\'d give it a coulpa days to finish unless you\'re in a rush to distill it. i\'m sure you\'ll be impressed with the finished spirit, i\'ve done quite a few vodkastar washes now and will never go back to ss,

p.s. i also do allinsons bakers yeast wash but put more yeast nutrient in, takes 3 weeks to finish and you need a heater to keep it to 30c but its cheap enough to make and is very nice spirit.
cheers, hoppin

by **v4mpy** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:28 am

Thanks hoppinmad
I\'ll hold out until it finishes fermenting.

I am trying vodka star as the remarks on this forum are so impresive for this yeast.

Now I have just got the Essencia carbon filter I can\'t wait to try this batch.

by **Andy** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:19 pm

I started using VS about 5 wash\'s ago.

I love the stuff, I will not use anything else for the foreseeable future.

by **Andy** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 3:55 am

I was thinking about the pink color today as I racked a wash.

Could this Vodka Star be a dehydrated tomato wash?

That would explain the color and the cleanness of the wash, would it not??

They don\'t list ingredients on the pack do they.

by **marc83** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 5:51 am

havent tried the VS before,among all the others i have tried,this isnt one of them.must give it a go to see what the fuss is about..

by **Phantom** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 4:01 pm

I\'ve only used Vodka Star the once, and didn\'t think to do any comparisons/testing/tastes.
As I normally just use SS triple distilled, is it normal to use the VS and a pack of liquid carbon or what

by **hoppinmad** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:09 am

is it normal to use the VS and a pack of liquid carbon or what

never used carbon in the vodka star wash and imo it dont need it
cheers, hoppin

by **Andy** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:12 am

I have never used the liquid carbon at all, even in the SS Classic wash.

The wash I just distilled I didnt even use Turbo Clear, I just left it sit for week longer than normal.

by **v4mpy** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:43 pm

I\'m using an SS airstill and I distill 3 times. I find this give me a much better taste using bakers yeast.

Has anyone else got an airstill who has used Vodka Star, if so how many times do you pass it through the still. I also filter it with the Essencia carbon filter afterwards.

by **hoppinmad** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:41 am

I\'m using an SS airstill and I distill 3 times. I find this give me a much better taste using bakers yeast.

Has anyone else got an airstill who has used Vodka Star, if so how many times do you pass it through the still. I also filter it with the Essencia carbon filter afterwards.

i have an airstill and i do vodka star washes all the time, i distill it once and filter once, doesnt need any more than that IMO.
cheers, hoppin

by **Phantom** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:58 am

i have an airstill and i do vodka star washes all the time, i distill it once and filter once, doesnt need any more than that IMO.

I seem to recall that the one time I tried it, it was then distilled in the smart still!
Actually, I run it twice through the table top one as watering down to 40% and then running it again, usually gives me like 80% ABV.......
Flavour is fine.....

by **Ronbo** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:47 pm

Just started my Vodka Star last night!

This morning it is fizzing away nicely with a wash temp of 28.8C (ambient is 21C)

Not much foam on top although it looks like it might have been about half an inch sometime in the night.

The bucket is singing and the top is dome shaped, lots of CO2 in there! Which is where it\'s staying, I,m not touching the lid for at least 5 days.

Reading this thread -- looks like I,m aiming for about 14% from the 6kG sugar, is that about right?

Ciao.

by **v4mpy** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 4:49 pm

14% is about right for the 3 bathces I\'ve made so far.

I haven\'t had any foam on any of the batches, which I was expecting to have.

I have done a couple of batches using 6.5kg of sugar with no problems.

I\'m mighty impressed with the Vodka Star.

by **Ronbo** » Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:39 am

Thanks v4mpy, I just had a look at the fermenter barrel 9:30 pm -- the wash temp is now 34.5C

The ambient is still 21C. The wash is very warm. There must be a lot going on in there. The bucket is singing loudly!

It might not break any records, but it\'s certainly entertaining!