Alcotec turbo 48

[marc83]

Hey put one of these on today,Used plain sugar but otherwise followed instructions as first time i have used it,will do the split in half trick next time,It says to have a start temp at 40degrees c,so yeah mixed and dissolved sugar,Brought up to 25 litres making sure i kept it at 40oC.Added yeast etc and sat lid on as it says not to use an airlock.After 4-5 hrs i couldnt see or hear any activity so sealed the lid to see if the airlock would bubble,Another hour later it bubbled for the first time,and is doing so very slowly,temp of the wash is just coming down to 30oC now.

Reckon i have stuffed it???Too hot initially???First yeast i have used that requires a start temp at 40.

Tell me im paronoid please

[Andy]

Marc, I thought I had stuffed up with the Vodka Star, seems the Alcotec stuff is slower coupled with the lower ambient temps of late.

The Vodka Star took 4 hours to get going and 9 days ferment out.

Should be good, just give it time.

[alan]

Hi Marc83, Ive never had any trouble with using alcotec 48. its some times slow to start i think 40 temp is to high i normally start mine at 30 also i never cover the brew bin other than with a peace of clean muslin, the more air it gets the better give it a good stir up. Alan

[marc83]

cheers guys,its slowly bubbling,maybe 2-3 times a minute,opened it up for a quick look inside and theres a little bit of action on the top.reckon a stir would be ok?Still at 30oC so far.I might let it go overnight and see what its up to in the morning.Il just leave the lid sitting on top unsealed.

[bluecap]

Hi Marc83 you read it wrong mate, it says add 6 kilo of sugar to 21L of 40c water the sugar would cool it down and make it up to 25L, ideally you need it between 25 and 30c to kick it of, I dissolve the sugar first with about 3 kettles of boiling water then fill it to 25L adjusting hot cold as I go.

[marc83]

Yeah have figured that i had,oops,and its stopped doing anything now,gave it a stir,and yip,i killed it.Oh well.I thought 40 was a bit much to start,should have looked in here before i started it.Down the drain she goes!Bloody HBS not open til tuesday round here,so cant quickly get another one on,could always go pick up some ingredients for a non turbo wash i guess...hmmm

[bluecap]

dont chuck it give it a couple of days if it was bubbling there is still live yeast

[Ronbo]

I used Alcotec 48 for the first time a couple of weeks ago -- very impressed.

I used 7kG of sugar and let it go for 6 days. The hydrometer nearly sank out of sight.

The 40 deg is just for dissolving the sugar, much too warm for the yeast. Let cool down to 25 or lower before pitching the yeast and carbon. The yeast will make the wash heat up quite a bit due to the exothermic reaction. I reckon you can get at least 20% with this stuff and I\'m just starting another 25 Litres with it.

[bluecap]

Ronbo you can ferment up to 8.5 kilo of sugar with a Turbo 48 the problem is the more sugar you put in the wash the less quality you get in the finished spirit, I use a third of a packet of Turbo 48 to 5 kilo of sugar per 25litre wash. I am trying the same at the moment with a Turbo 24 and its going like a rocket

[Ronbo]

Hi Bluecap,

I put in 7 kilo\'s just to see what would happen -- always trying to experiment. I should explain that I always double distill to get as pure a product as possible -- the downside of this is the extra electricity used.

One thing I did not mention last is that when I dissolve the sugar, I use an aquarium oxygenating ball which seems to hasten the dissolving process and gives the yeast a good start!

[marc83]

Hi Ronbo,yeah i have now realised the error i made,If i try this yeast again i will pitch the yeast at 30c.

Bluecap I had a look in the fermenter this morning and still slight bubbling going on.If there is still live yeast in there would it even be worth it letting it finish?surely what yeast is left wouldnt handle the amount of sugar that is in there.

Will give it a couple of days and see what happens.

[Phantom]

short of stating the obvious, isn\'t the start temperature what the water is supposed to be at, before you add the sugar and stir the bejesus out of it, which usually brings the temp down at least 10 degrees C, then yeasts like to be started with a temp of about 25 C at most.......
Though I suspect if its saying 40, then add sugar, stir and it then should be fine for 30C for the yeast (lalvin yeasts are rehydrated at 40 to 43 C according to the packs).
Of course, splitting a pack and the temp will affect the \"lag phase\" i.e. when the yeast is doing the multiplying thing before it starts it\'s ferment thing........

[marc83]

I thought i was following instructions to the letter,obviously not.my bad.

Well at least i learnt.I should have gone with my instinct,i thought it was too hot when i was miving it all up.

Anyway just a quick note,I covered the top of the fermenter with a clean piece of muslin and its still fizzing away,not as much as i would like though.Might get something out of my F up..We will see....

[bluecap]

Mark the yeast will or should multiply and you will end up with a normal fermentation (hopefully) make it airtight with a airlock on and you can see it progress, I have never had a Turbo 48 go over the top.

[marc83]

Ok,so seal the lid..done.will update as to what happens with it.