StillSmart

Hi All, sorry if this is elsewhere and I have missed it but am a little confused over do I stir the wash when I pitch the yeast or do I sprinkle it on and walk away. Have read both in posts so was wondering what others do.
Cheers Goog

I just sprinkle it on others stire it but i prefer to just sprinkle.

There's a number of ways of adding yeast, giving the wash a good stir before adding the yeast will aerate the wash and by adding oxygen will help.

Then sprinkle on top and leave well alone.

Ice

@ Goog. Congratulations on asking a question that has about as many opinions on how it should be done as there are actual methods of doing it. As with most aspects of distilling, you will arrive at a point where your technique comes together to best suit your style. Having said that, lets cover a few points.

Once your yeast is pitched, the temp of the wash will increase. Significantly in a warm climate, imperceptable in a cold climate. Point being, if in a warm climate start below 30 deg, e.g. 27 or 28. Your wash should be well aerated at this stage. Once the yeast starts working the environment changes from an aerobic state to an anaerobic state. An active stir post yeast pitching is counter productive and ill advised.

I sprinkle the yeast on the surface. With a well prepared wash where all is balanced, fermentation will begin. There are other ways of doing it but I dont utilize other methods.

I hope this has answered your question without causing any further confusion. Cheers.

LOL. Like your opening RJ. Spot on.

I sprinkle. Leave alone for 15 and then stir lightly.
Aeration should be done separately if required.
There are also variations on the wash and the yeast.

You can do both.
I personally just sprinkle for small fermentation.

For big ones I make up a starter in a separate jar that I then dump into the main fermenter 24 hours later

If you sprinkle when you tinkle,
be sweet and lift the seat.
I am with Mash on this one, but dont think
it matters.

Thanks for all the reply’s, think I will go with the sprinkle and leave. That’s what I have been doing so all good but handy to get other opinions. I put another 25lt kale wash on last night as just finish doing the strip runs on the last one. Ended up with 6 lt at 42% which will give me 2 spirit runs so happy with that. I also put on a 10 lt TPW to try out mash’s freezing strip run to see how that goes. Am really learning a lot on here best site for air stills on the net.
Cheers Goog

If you ferment with a lot of solids in the fermenter - fruit for example - then chances are that for the first few days at least you need to stir anyway.

The solids get pushed up into a thick layer and for the first few days I always stir it back in.

Myles - try it with grapes sometime. Ain't no stirred you gotta ram them back down

Mash wrote:Myles - try it with grapes sometime. Ain't no stirred you gotta ram them back down

You could seal and rotate the fermenter or make a heading down board to hold the cap under the liquid. Anyway to keep the cap wet really. Grapes/wine are not to bad as I work in a winery but this distilling is a different game and I’m not fermenting 50 ton at a time lol. Would like to think that I am slowly learning though.

I'm a stirer, can't help myself! Even if it fermenting fine, I have to stir it and watch the bubbles lol.

You say Banana, and I say Banana..

The only important thing here is that the yeast is wet and alive, going into a wash with some dissolved O2, although a loose lidded bucket will serve that purpose.

Robert.

Goog wrote:

Mash wrote:Myles - try it with grapes sometime. Ain't no stirred you gotta ram them back down

You could seal and rotate the fermenter or make a heading down board to hold the cap under the liquid. Anyway to keep the cap wet really. Grapes/wine are not to bad as I work in a winery but this distilling is a different game and I’m not fermenting 50 ton at a time lol. Would like to think that I am slowly learning though.

I thought pumping over was pretty much the standard. Do many wineries board them? I end up visiting my FV's 3 times a day.