Jimmy's Tomato Puree Wash

by **Jimmy** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:29 am

This is effectively Birdwatcher's recipe from Home Distiller, but I have to start somewhere and I've adjusted it for the UK - if you try it, post your experiences and drink a glass to Birdwatcher for the inspiration!
NOTE : in the USA, you would use tomato PASTE as puree is a different thing there.
25 litre recipe, reduce proportionally for less (but why bother, get yerself a big bucket!)
6 bags sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Half a tin of Allinsons bakers yeast (orange tin from the supermarket, or equivalent)

About 3/4 tin of tomato puree (those small tins, or the same amount from a tube)
Mix everything but the yeast up with about 4 kettles worth of hot water, then top up to 25 litres with cold and you should find the temp is around 30 odd C (make sure it's under 40, wait if not). Dump in the yeast, stir it up and you're good to go - you'll get a stronger brew with the tomato as food for the yeast, and the lemon helps it by altering the pH a little. It takes about 2 weeks to do but there's 25 litres there so it's not too bad as you can have it going while you're distilling another batch. Once it's done you need to let it settle for a few days and then siphon off before distilling - filtering wouldn't go amiss either but if you're good with the siphon you can get away without.
Works well for me thusfar, still fine tuning it - it has a different smell and taste to the ones you make with 'proper' yeast, but it's quite a pleasant one I think. If you double or triple distill it comes out great, but it's fine single distilled and carbon filtered. It's slightly weaker than a turbo, but I find if I put 4 litres into the still I get a litre of 40 - 45% out so that's good enough for me.
Things to try - different kinds of sugar (I've only used white as I got a load from the Asian supermarket for 52p a packet!), other ingredients for flavour, bit less tomato until I find the sweet spot... plenty of experimentation to be done!

by **alan** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:33 pm

Hi jimmy, Ive got a tomato paste wash but its stuck at 1020,ive tried to restart it but no luck, so i am going to run it through my pot still to get low wine then re run again in the smart still.Ive just run 3,ltrs of taters wheat germ recipe from home distillers,its very good, and very easy to make. I tossed the first 40ml then collected

750ml at 50%.and about1/3 ltr 20% which willgo in the next run, give it a try

by **alan** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:55 pm

Ishould have said this is deathwishs wheat germ recipe posted by tater

by **HangOver** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:31 pm

I just started a new batch today with this:
25L wash

1 Lemon - free from over the fence

250g tomato paste

5kg bag white sugar

pinch of epsom salts

75g active dried yeast(supermarket)
i got this from another site somewhere, I'll let you all know how it turns out.

by **pi55ed** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:11 pm

You started this off with already 25L of wash ? OR WATER ?

As your recipe states wash ??

by **umpa** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:16 pm

I'm sure he means its will make 25Ltrs of wash.
regards
Ian

by **HangOver** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:19 pm

LOL ooops, those where my instruction for a 25L wash, ingredients include 25L water not 25L wash.

btw its bubbling its but off

by **HangOver** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 6:22 pm

hi guys

i know a few have tried this tomato type wash just wondered how long the usually take to ferment and clear?

by **pi55ed** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:04 pm

Mine took 19 days, as per Jimmy's recipe,

But i added a lot more wine nutrients also to the recipe, my wash came out very sweet to taste stopped bubbling after 18 days, i cleared on 19th day and left 48 hours, came out a really diluted looking orange cordial but quite clear.......

I guess the added wine nutrients kept it going longer than expected, and i dont think it used all the suger, and i should have left longer..

I guess we all come out with different brews, but we are all getting spirit which is a good thing, as its only mainly sugar to loose if it goes wrong....

Perhaps Jimmy can set up a (sugar wash) page!!++ with all our results1

by **Jimmy** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:32 am

Hey, you can all post your own topics if you want to - I don't have to set them up!

With my recipe, I have a 25 litre fermenter so I put the other stuff in and add water to give a TOTAL of 25 litres - other recipes may be for 30 litre fermenters.

by **HangOver** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:08 pm

This wash finished a few days ago and cleared very well after about 3 days afters adding turbo-klar. It would have cleared quicker i think if had decanted the wash (minus the sediment) into another conatiner before stiring in the turbo-klar and disturbing the sediment, doh.
Anyhow ...... it all cleared and the first 4L just finished going through the still.

I got about 700ml @ 45%vol and a 100ml or so lower.

I took the heads off and I'll distill it all then run it through again.
Last wash I got about 9 bottles @ 37% vol from a turbo with 8Kg sugar.

This one uses much less sugar but the 700ml smells much cleaner probably about the same as the turbo after the 2nd distil.

I'll make a guess at about 6 bottles when finished but i'll let you know how it turns out.

by **pi55ed** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:59 pm

Just finnished a tomato wash, 10 litres, used approx 3.5 kg of sugar, i put some ginger in with the wash in the beginning which i strained before, took 14 days, used brewbelt, general purpose young's wine yeast, came out at 14% abv when i tested on my vin-o-meter, and very clear.......... will still sometime shortly.........

Wasnt hardly sweet at all on tasting quite nice.........

by **HangOver** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:22 pm

well i finished distilling/filtering tonight.

My findings re: tomatoe wash are that the Alch content is much lower so the resultant number of 37% bottles are less than with turbo. With the turbo i got about 9 750ml bottles. With the tomatoe wash i should have got about 5 or 6 but the still decided it didnt like the wash and vomited it across the wall lol

I'm real glad I use the still outside, (under cover though).

Anyhow I'm sipping the results now and the taste is a little different to the turbos, not better or worse, just different.

The big difference is the lack of odour while distilling and filtering.

I distilled it all twice and ran it through the carbon twice. Came out quite nice.

With the turbo I had to filter it about 4-5 times to remove any off odour.

So the big differences are less bottles but less filtering and a much quicker fermentation and clearing time.

Next time i do a tomatoe wash i will increase the sugar slightly, this might increase Alch content?
I have another wash on the go at the moment the guy in the HB shop said it finishes with less off tastes? It certainly smells less while it ferments. About the same as the tomatoe wash i would say.
I almost forgot to say that I can see now what some people got on about proper cuts.

The first 200ml or so after the heads on the tomatoe wash you could have prectically drunk as it was. I couldnt be bothered seperating it all though I have enough bottles lying around the place as it is. I think if you could be bothered the result of double distilling that first 200ml or so collected over several runs would take some beating.

by **pi55ed** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:21 pm

With regard to adding more sugar and increasing Alch content?......... have you thought of using a dessert high alcohol tolarent yeast, it may take the sugar to the max ( eat it all )??? with extra nutrients too.....

I have one going at moment.. results to come !!

by **Jimmy** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:43 pm

It all depends on your yeast - if it managed to eat up the sugar you put in, then yes you could try putting in some more and see if it gets stronger.
The real bonus for me is price and simplicity - half a tin of bakers yeast and some tomato paste is about a pound, whereas turbo yeast, turbo klar etc adds up to 5 or 6 and because of where I live I have to get them mail order which means about a tenner - yes you get less overall with tomato, but it's easier and ten times cheaper for me so it works out better in the long run. I also prefer the taste, it's a little less chemical. Everyone is different though!