"Hi, I have used Turbo 48 for several years. I have always used the maximum amount of sugar; 17 pounds with 25 liters of H2O. The package says it will take 5-7 days to complete at an air temperature of 86 degrees fahrenheit. As achieving 86 degrees air temp was difficult, it often took quite a bit longer. Recently I started using a water bath kept at 86 degrees in a rope handled tub using an external Eheim Hobby pump and a Hydor ETH In-Line Heater. Fermentation now takes 60 hours to get to 16% ETOH. That is half the minimum time that package says it should take! I have found no downside to this process. I don't know that the results are any less clean then a slower fermentation as I always do the oils float/flick trick and properly soaked carbon filtration.

I find this to be a wonderful advancement in the fermentation process."

"You probably could use a barrel heater, but I think a key aspect to what I am doing is the circulation of the warm water around the fermentation vessel. I had tried using immersed heaters in both the bath and in the vessel itself, and neither worked really well or at all. A key consideration is the avoidance of hot spots. Any hot spots kill yeast. I am glad I was helpful.

Alan"