Oops wash not cleared

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Oops wash not cleared

Postby trelliS » Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:38 pm

Hi All
My triple distilled wash hasn't cleared ...is it a bin job or can I just try another turbo clear.Leaving it to clear itself is not an option (space and time issues).
Thanks in advance
Mark
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby chill » Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:23 pm

Or run it as is. I have had several batches this year not clear due to some kind of infection / secondary fermentation. I ran them cloudy, most came out OK once carbon filtered. The ones that did not come out OK…. uh, you will know.

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby RumJohn » Thu Dec 05, 2013 5:20 am

Attn: TrelliS

I am a little unclear on: "My triple distilled wash hasn't cleared ." If indeed you have already distilled 3x and reduced a high wine back to say 40%ABV and that is cloudy - that will be due to a high concentration of fusil alcohols.

In that case you could redistill as high a %age as you can get to remove all flavour and smell, finishing with a neutral.

Shoot for QUALITY NOY QUANTITY.
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby vino-tinto » Thu Dec 05, 2013 5:58 am

RumJohn, a "triple distilled wash" is made from a turbo yeast by Still Spirits for use in their stills, it normally consists of yeast,carbon and finings and works out at about 14%. I used to use it, but the black carbon made a mess, if I need to use a turbo it's Vodka Star nowadays, a lot better end product.

TrelliS, as chill said, run it, just don't fill it to the max in case it puks
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby chill » Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:17 am

Good point VT, I always use distiller's conditioner in my stripping runs. I have it on hand and better safe than puked on.

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby trelliS » Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:54 am

Thanks for the input folks.The triple distilled was a still spirits yeast with carbon added.It is starting to settle slightly so will give it a couple of days and run it through the t500,dilute down to 20% then run it through again.I always use conditioner in the still as a precaution.
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby RumJohn » Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:09 am

Attn: vinio-tinto. Thanks for the explanation. Still not sure how a wash can be referred to as 3x distilled before it is distilled.
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby Easydrinker » Fri Dec 06, 2013 2:35 am

RumJohn wrote:Attn: vinio-tinto. Thanks for the explanation. Still not sure how a wash can be referred to as 3x distilled before it is distilled.


That will be marketing RumJohn,it allows all sorts of claims.
Not necessarily true ones.
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby Almanac » Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:09 am

Occasionally you get a wash that will not clear using conventional clearing agents but there is an alternative. Sparkolloid will clear a foggy day and I've never come across a wash it couldn't make crystal clear.

You don't say if you had degassed the wash, also have you racked off to a clean fermenter leaving most of the grunge behind.

Beat the gas out of it and leave it outside overnight and you should get a good improvement but get yourself some Sparkolloid for backup for future use.

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby chill » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:11 pm

I have had washes that Sparkolloid would not clear! I am pretty sure they had an infection as they kept producing more gas (a LOT more) and it was not possible to stir it out. This went on for weeks after it hit 0.090! I have no idea what it it was. On a couple of the batches it consumed ALL of the alcohol before I got it into the still. >:(

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby Admiral Toad » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:37 pm

My latest whisky wash produced by the Breumaister is odd too

Used some turbo clear last time which was ok ish

Back to normal sparkaloid and it has cleared but there must still be a bit of fermenting going on as there are slow moving globules of yeast majestically going up and down making a scene reminiscent of an old Yes Roger Dean album cover crossed with Avatar wierd :o
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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby Almanac » Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:41 pm

You must have pitched the sparky without racking off first you bold boy :D I usually beat hell out of the wash then let it settle for twenty four hours then rack off to another bucket leaving the yeast cake etc behind before preparing the sparky and tossing it into the wash. After another 24 hours crystal wash ;D unless, as Chuck said, you have an infection in which case you're wasting your time ::)

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby Easydrinker » Sat Dec 07, 2013 12:30 am

Old yeasties never really die.
They just seem to fall to the bottom of the fermenter and rootle around looking for the last bits of sugars.
I have a couple of very slow,not stuck washes at the moment that are doing my head in.
If they start digesting the alcohol,as in Chucks case,well really what can be said?
Maybe time to throw them out and start again?
I hate waste.

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Re: Oops wash not cleared

Postby chill » Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:09 am

If it is just slow, you can wait. I'd rack it off to get most of the yeast out. Mine were infected and it was very clear that something was very, very wrong.
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What about baking soda?

Postby Cherry Yidaki » Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:12 pm

I see mention of people adding honking amounts of baking soda to their wash when it's finished to absorb some bad odors and flavors. If you put it in your slow/almost finished wash wouldn't it change the ph enough to stun/kill/cramp-the-style-of your yeast so the batch would clear and you could move on?

Just wondering.
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