Hello, Im new to this site but I could use some help. I have been following instructions from the internet but not sure that I am doing something right. My wash is not doing how I seem to think it should. I put 12lbs of suger to 7.5 gals of water. I heated the water to 100 degrees f as the yeast packet said ( I used bakers yeast) then poured it over the suger to dissolved it. Then put in 4 packets of the yeast. It activated like the packet said but after a few hours it dosent seem to be doing much . small bubbles around the inside of the bucket. I tried the same thing with another wash but I added 2 lbs of corn meal and the samething.I covred them and sealed with an airlock. The one with suger only, is about 4 days into it. The one with corn is 2 days in. They both still taste real sweet. please give advice. Is it a bust or is it doing as it should?

"Sugar, water & yeast just won't cut it.

Here's a recipe you can try:

Simple Sugar Wash - 6 gallon recipe (2 batches per run)

Ingredients
9 pounds of sugar
1 tsp of citric acid
1 tsp of DAP (Diamonium Phosphate - yeast nutrient)
1/8 tsp Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate - yeast nutrient)
1/2 cup of distiller's or bakers yeast (distiller's clears faster)
1 tsp Vegemite (B Complex - yeast nutrient)

Syrup
Dissolve the sugar and acid in a gallon of boiling water
Bring back to a boil and then cool for 10 minutes
Add the DAP, Epsom Salt, and Vegemite, then stir until its all dissolved

Concoction
Put 3 gallons of cool water in the fermenter
Pour syrup into the fermenter and add enough cool water to make 5 gallons
The starting SG should be 1.070 - 1.080, add sugar to achieve, but don't go over 1.080
Check the temp, it must be below 95f
Pitch the yeast on top
After 15 - 20 minutes give it a good stir
Cover the fermenter with a cloth. Airlock the next day
When fermentation slows start checking SG
When SG approaches 1.020 add sugar to bring SG back to 1.080 (7 - 9 lbs)
Pitch more yeast, this will work off in 11/2 - 2 weeks
Rack off, add citosan, metabisulfite, stir, and give it a week to clear

Add 3 - 4 tsp Soda Ash, per gallon, to the strip at final run

Should produce 1 1/2 gallons
90%"

Ratflinger, I find it hard to believe that bakers yest can do what you have just suggested a its strain usually has a tolerance of around 12%, Have you had success with bakers yeast every time with this? What is the tolerance of distillers yeast as I have never used that before. I have been making wine for many years now and have seen bakers yeast die off earlier then that without even chaptalizing (adding more sugar) as you have suggested.

that is very similar to wineos econowash. works great. you should check out masons universal mash aka mum.

7lbs sugar
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 multiviatamins
5tsp miracle gro
4tsp epsom salts
1 pack of bread yeast

melt your sugar in some hot water in your fermenter. when fully dissolved add the crushed vitamins,tomato paste,3tsp m gro,and 2tsp e salt. top to 4 gallons of cold water and sprinkle your yeast on top. after 15 minutes stir your wash. cover. 36 hours later add 1 tsp m gro and 1tsp of e salt. 24 hour later repeat. your wash will bubble like a soda. when you add the last 2 doses of esalt and m gro you will get a nice bubble going.
this is masons mum hybrid. this is a fast ferment. and it settles fast. you will get a lot of trub in this one. i cant tell you how many mums ive ran and never had one fail.

"wade - Can't say about the baker's yeast as I've always had distiller's on hand. It's Super Start & is supposed to tolerate up to 22%.

just_me - Yes, it started out as Wino's econowash, I've just modified it. Not trying to claim it as my own recipe."

I dont recommend anyone doing ratflingers econowash recip with bakers yeast as it will most likely stop very sweet with lots of residual sugar, I would use the distellers yeast or maybe sub. it with EC-1118 wine yeast.

Wade, I tried putting 2 bannas in the suger wash yesterday morning like you said, and this morning I checked, now I have all kinds of action in there. Im going to put some in the one with corn meal today to see what it does. I think instead of putting my turbo yeast in these I will make another wash for that and use it in it. now that I know I havent killed the first 2 I think I will nurse these along to see how they turn out. Maybe I have missed the whole idea of this hobbie, It not just running product through my still, that seems to be the easy part, but trying to get something worth running through my still, that seem to be the art of this hobbie. thanks all you guys an please keep the info comming. I will let yall know how it going.

I hope the marbles aren't from China as they might have lead in them?

"

Price mainly - 1lb of SuperStart is $10 & good for hundreds of gallons. One bag of turbo is $5 - $7 & good for 6 gal."

Yeah, the Miracle Grow is heavy on nitrates, etc. (I don't use it)

Tomato paste - vitamins, minerals, acidity. Adding citric aid to the sugar is to invert the sugar to a more usable form - does nothing as a nutrient.

Bananas - Phosphates. I use DAP (Diamonium Phosphate)

I know that for pot stilling the goal is flavor, whereas in refluxing we are looking for purity. The baking soda would greatly interfere with the flavors you are trying to achieve.