Filtering a Wash

[short2]

Any thoughts on filtering a cloudy wash before distilling. I ran some cloudy was through coffee filter and it came out as clear as water. Have not stilled it yet but does anyone think it will make a difference seeit could be taking out some of the nasties. Just a thought.

[MrCat]

I was thinking of filtering the last bits of a molasses wash as I lose perhaps as much as 10 to 20% (2 to 3 litres) on a 25 litre wash to yeast & corn etc.
If the wash looks cleaner going in then it can only be a good thing.

[short2]

Hi MrCat, I have just done a 25 litre wash with 6K of sugar and just got 3litre of 90% and it cut to seven at 40%. This is several times this has happened. Dont know iF I need more sugar or if the wash did not fully ferment but it had a week and had no activity. However this one did not fully make 990 shade off it. Anyhelp appreciated thx

[Phantom]

Hi MrCat, I have just done a 25 litre wash with 6K of sugar and just got 3litre of 90% and it cut to seven at 40%. This is several times this has happened. Dont know iF I need more sugar or if the wash did not fully ferment but it had a week and had no activity. However this one did not fully make 990 shade off it. Anyhelp appreciated thx

Well I\'d guess that it might be down to fermentation management. Constant temperature, daily monitoring, daily (or twice daily) aeration down to the 1/3 or possibly the 1/2 sugar break, then sealing under airlock until finished. I know that the turbo packs usually have the nutrient mixed in, so maybe it\'s a case of trial and error, using a wine yeast (something like EC-1118 or similar). Also, to get the 14% ABV of the wash (as the stated figure in various articles, advertising, etc that "turbo\'s" produce) the start gravity and finish gravity difference has to be about 103 to 104 points, so a start of 1.104 and finish of 1.000 will give you the correct level of alcohol. I\'ve often wondered about the actual gravity numbers quoted in the various turbo ad\'s/literature etc. Because last time I measured a wash, it gave me an SG of about 1.085 with 6kg of sugar, so to get the 104(ish) point drop is would have to reach 0.980 FG - managing to get it that dry is quite an art. You then have to presume accuracy of hydrometers to the "enth" degree, whereas in truth they\'re what ? + or - 2% or maybe more ? I don\'t know...... other than the more you pay for a hydrometer, the more accuracy your money seems to get you...... And I doubt whether any of us have the £$€\'s to pay for the machinery for high spec results (gas chromatagraphs and stuff like that).
As for the efficiency of the actual distillation equipment, well that\'s also gonna be subject to some inaccuracy isn\'t it........

[short2]

Thx Phantom, Think was down to fermentation.Took a day to Kick off then Bubbled for six stirred again got no activity Temp 20 to 22Deg.I think some of your figures are a bit above me at this stage buwill get there in the end no doubt thx

[MrCat]

What I do (to make things easy) is when I start a wash I write the date and gravity on a piece of masking tape and stick it onto the fermenter.
Then as the wash progresses I'll either ignore it until the airlock stops bubbling or I'll check the gravity every couple of days.
If I check the gravity I write a new piece of masking tape with the date and gravity, calculate the % alcohol at that time and stick it on the fermenter.
Here is a ginger ale I've got on the go at the moment.


It makes it nice and easy to see what the potential yield is from a wash. I\'ve seen different articles written about if you should check the gravity as the wash is fermenting. Some say that the wash gets a blanket of CO2 over the top of the wash which keeps oxygen away from the wash so if you check the gravity you disturb this. Other people seem to say check it daily. I think I probably fall somewhere between the two. On a fast ferment I usually don\'t bother but on a ferment lasting a month or so then I tend to check it maybe once a week.
(Original gravity - latest reading) / 7.36 = current % alcohol.
I also have some small cheap digital thermometers. I stick the sensor on the outside of the fermenter and rest the display on top of the fermenter so I can keep an eye on the (approx) current temp. Much quicker than trying to read one of those stick on temp strips.
And over the winter I've been using a homebrew immersion heater which keeps the wash temp pretty constant.
And last but not least I've currently got my fermenters wrapped in sleeping bags to keep the heat in.

[MrCat]

Hi MrCat, I have just done a 25 litre wash with 6K of sugar and just got 3litre of 90% and it cut to seven at 40%. This is several times this has happened. Dont know iF I need more sugar or if the wash did not fully ferment but it had a week and had no activity. However this one did not fully make 990 shade off it. Anyhelp appreciated thx

I've just done the sums on your wash.
6kg of sugar in 25 litres of wash should have an OG of 1092
You said it finished a shade above 990 so for the sake of argument lets call that 992.

1092 - 992 /7.36 = a potential yield of 13.58 %
You won't have got 25 litres out by the time it has been cleared etc. Lets call it 24 litres.
24*.1358 = 3.25 litres @ 100 % or about 3.5 litres at 90% assuming 100% recovery (which isn't going to happen)
Am I right in thinking you've got a T500 ? - the T500 (at best) is going to get you 95% of the alcohol that is in the wash (from the Still Spirits figures)
So 3.5 litres *.95 = a best case of 3.32 litres of 90%. Throw away 100ml of foreshots and your 3 litres at 90% ain't that far off.
Do those figures make sense ?
All the way through you are losing a bit here and there but when they are all added up they do mean you don't end up with what you thought you might have got.
You might get away with more sugar at the start but even adding a extra kilo of sugar will only get you between half a litre and .75 of a litre extra at 90% - if you can get it to ferment out fully.
I hope this helps

[short2]

Thx MrCat, I have been leaving the wash to ferment in the bedrroom until it stops gurgling leaving it a day or so and clearing it. This wash was below 990 not much but below. I would only get around 22 litres of wash after decanting it and putting it into the T500..This last one started to give me 93 dropping to 90 rather quickly. The problem is me not the kit.the woman on the video says you get 95 out of the wash and after diluting to 40% you get 10 litres should not believe everything you hear I guess. Spare room temp was 20 to 22 Degrees so was not overly hot or cold.Thx for the figures and reply. Take them on board for future ventures into the hobby which gets more tehnological and scientific as you progress. I will invest in a heater soon as pos and one or too other bits and bobs.Cheers

[MrCat]

For me the big loss is racking the wash into the urn - 3 litres from 25 is about 1/2 a litre at 90% - which is the same as an extra kilo of sugar.
In the flavouring section there was a discussion about straining fruits etc - and using biodiesel filtering bags to filter the fruit mass out. I don\'t know for sure but a 1 micron bag might be able to remove the solids from a wash giving you more liquid to put in the urn. They are only a couple of quid and I can reuse them. Ok, decision made - I\'m going to get some bags and going to try straining the last couple of litres of my next wash out
Don\'t worry about the numbers though - as long as the final product tastes good

[short2]

Cheers will try that also.

[short2]

strained htat last wash and this one makes big difference MrCat. It gets you the last couple of litres extra.Ikeep it back now and toss it into the next distilation. Cheers Short