StillSmart

tried to edit the above post, but my mobile phone was too slow apparently
any way i have spoke to the very helpful people at wineworks, and they suggested to give it 24hours and check the SG again, if its the same just still it, or give it more time if its any different. which was my plan, if i am honest i just wanted reassurance that i had not done something stupid lol

Ahhhh back to the good ol forum,been away for a couple of days..........

Anyway,right down to it,heya bundy,i dont think it will affect the stillin,maybe if you potstilled it the flavour may come through but i reckon you wont notice.interesting though.

Those stick on thermometers are spot on,double checked mine compared to your average glass thermometer and even a infrared themometer(my new favourite),and both read exactly what the stick on says,usually it is a case of people not knowing how to read them correctly that puts people off.

and forum warrior,i personally dont think adding carbon before or after the yeast affects the outcome or how the wash ferments but results will tell.And i would just run the first one through the still,does it taste sweet?????Just run it,you will still get a good quality but maybe a little down on the quantity,but thats not we are here for right people?its all about the quality for me!

hey marc, well i checked the sg today, no change. So the turbo clear has gone in (if i am honest it looked like it was seperating at the top anyway) . It did taste slightly sweet though.
On a side note i am mega impressed with how fast it seems to be clearing

Also the second wash has finished its rapid bubbling, and its going strong

Great,yes the first one may still have a bit of sugar in it still,but if there was a natural clearing starting and sediment at the bottom there was probably no more you could do.A good idea would have been to stir/degas and leave for a couple of days,then decant into another container and add clearing then,gets rid of alot of sediment and unwanted bits and pieces alot better IMO.I would leave the turbo clear in for a few days more than recomended,then distill,remembering to add the distilling conditioner before stillin.
I usually leave my washes until they are just starting to clear naturally-like yours was starting to do-before using the turbo clear.

yeah mate i gave it a very good stir/degas before i added the clear

This is a good thread, thanks for sharing the info - it\'s great for new people!
One point about yeast though - it only produces ethanol in the absence of oxygen, otherwise it uses the sugar to make more yeast. Normally this is taken care of by the airlock, all the oxygen in the bucket is converted and the space is filled with carbon dioxide. Even in a bucket without an airlock, fast fermenting yeast will leave a \'blanket\' of CO2 over the top of the liquid which allows it to produce ethanol. When you took the lid off and stirred the bucket, you probably removed the carbon dioxide and introduced oxygen, which will promote yeast multiplication rather than ethanol production.
In other words, it takes a while to use up the oxygen and start bubbling out CO2 again, and also your final yield will probably be a little lower. Best practise is to leave only as much \'headroom\' in the fermenter as you need to stop it bubbling over, and not to disturb the CO2 on the top if you can help it - it\'s not the end of the world or anything, and some recipes do specify a stir, but thought it might help people to understand the process.

exelent info there jimmy, i never knew that

Hey... Nice t thread. Just a tip on the sticky thermometer. I have my brew in the basement and I also find it had to read. If you use a flash light and shine it on the thermometer, I find it a lot easier to read. The temperature just lights up.

well today i have started the distilling ceramic saddles and conditioner are in
The first few drops are dripping, gunna dump the first 50ml. Kinda smells like very strong cider, quite acidic (might just smell like that to me though). I hope the carbon shifts the smell lol

How clear did it end up before stilling?When i first used the triple i used the turbo carbon,after adding the turbo clear and leaving it to clear,it ended up like water,excedpt for the smell of course.Clearest wash i have had.

hey marc, yeah it is like water mate
Well i have transfared the wash to another bucket (all cleaned and stirile etc). I can not believe the carbon in the bottom of the original bucket, some of it is like sand!
At the minute i am getting 100ml per 10minutes out of my still

little update, i collected 700ml at 55% added 300ml of water to bring it to 1000ml at 40%. The low % must be due to the wash only being 12%.

I activated the carbon, and started filtering, the spirit smelled really clean now, but wow is the filter slow haha

i have worked out what the smell of distillate is like, it smells like vinegar good thing the carbon sorts it out

YaY first essences mixed this morning, carnt wait to taste
had a quick look at the 2nd wash, it kinda dosnt look as black any more, like the carbon is falling out or something ...... should it do this?? i dont remember my first wash doing this. it was kinda a \"dude where is my carbon!\" moment

wouldnt worry about it.Probabaly just spent nutrient??