 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/18/2013(UTC)
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I will start with I am new to distilling but have been making beer for quite a while. I made up my second round of wash with Corn sugar. I made a 20 gallon wash and have it in 4 6 gallon fermenters. All four buckets got the same turbo yeast. All four buckets set in the same spot in the same surrounding conditions. I did my math wrong when I got the 50lb bag of sugar and ended up having to use 10lbs of cane sugar in one of the buckets. the sg on all bukcets was exactly the same. 1.150 and was planning on a 20% wash. Here is where the problem starts. I noticed right away they did not start bubbling. After about 24 hours only one bucket was bubbling and it was the bucket with the cane sugar in it. it stopped bubbling hard after rougly 24 hours. One of the other buckets started bubbling then and it bubbled lightly for about 12 hours. then no more bubbling from any bucket. I have had them all in one place for 10 days now. each bucket is at a different gravity the highest is 1.040 and the lowest is at .98 so its done. I guess my question is should I pitch the buckets that have not finished yet? If I should what sort of yeast and quanity should I use? One other thing all the all three buckets that are not at .98 are still fermenting from what I can tell. If I listen close they sound like a glass of freshly poored sprite.
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 11/15/2012(UTC)
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1st - are those fermenters airtight and not leaking? That could be a reason you are not seeing bubbles in an airlock.. If you are sure that it's sealed tight, and there isn't any activity ( check today and agin tomorrow - no gravity change, no activity), then simply put, pitch again -- I'd pitch the same amount as before in those that are above 1.030 - It will not hurt any thing, you can't overdo badly with two pitches like that... but.. Before you repitch, aerate the snot outa those buckets to make sure there's plenty of Oxygen in the wash.
As for yeast type, I think I'd do some regular Fleischmanns on that corn sugar.. I'm not a turbo expert, but I had really spotty results on any thing but cane with the Turbo's I bought . |
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/18/2013(UTC)
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First off thanks for taking the time to respond. They do not truely seal. I blew back into the hoses to see and they leak fairly easy. I am using beer buckets with a lid that does not have a gasket. I do have activity in as far as I can hear it and see tiny bubbles in the wash its self if you look at it in the right light, but my gravity fall is very minimal. I am thinking the turbo yeast was not the right move with the corn sugar. I am in love with the corn sugar though. It made a much beter tasting and better looking wash before I pitched it. Was actually pretty blue water. I had considered putting a cup of cane sugar in one of the buckets to see if it would kick it off since I still have activity but the one bucket that is down to .98 had cane sugar in it. I will try to get that yeast you mentioned tomorrow.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
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HOW did you aerate before pitching?
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/18/2013(UTC)
Posts: 5
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I have been simply stirring the turbo yeast in. The wash had 0 foam on top. I stirred it hard but with a metal spoon which did not really oxygenate the wash. This does have me thinking though. It could explain how the three buckets are all at a different gravity.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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Good Mornin' and Season's greetings.... [ATTACH=CONFIG]938[/ATTACH] We need to consider a few things - Yeast doesn't live on sugar alone - The need nutrients along with sugar to prosper. I did not see if you used tomato paste, beano tabs, or good ol'e Wal Mart Equate wimmens vitamins, but one or da udder is necessary... The yeast I am referring to is simple bakers yeast one gets at the grocery store. At this point, my recommend is that you create a small yeast starter for each and then pitch that into each bucket. Take some wash from each bucket for each bucket's starter - don't mix them up - Lets' say Buckets 2, 3, an 4 are your targets;
- Get yourself 3 jars, sterilize and label them according to the wash buckets so you know what came from where
- Take about 2 cups from each inactive wash into each labelled jar using a sterilized ladle
- Microwave each jar to bring the temp to about 88f (31.1 c) - NO HIGHER than 92f, ok?
- Add a tablespoon of cane sugar to each jar and stir to melt good
- Pitch a packet of yeast into each jar - leave it sit on the surface for 15 mins or so to rehydrate Then stir it up in the jar - Give it about 30m to an hour - should be foaming and going to town by then
- While you are waiting on your yeast starter - grind up some beano or equate tabs (2 per wash tun) or (add a 3 oz dollop of 'mater paste to each wash tun) and stir it in well. I use a cordless drill with a paint stirrer attachment that I sanitize and then whip the wash up well.
- Once each yeast jar is really foaming and such, dump each back to it's numbered mash tun and again, stir that sucker in well.
- If you cannot get a good seal the airlocks prolly will not show a lot of activity. I'd recommend getting some 5gal paint buckets from Home Creepo or Lowes - cheap, they seal great and it's easy to cut a airlock hole in the lids with a drill bit... The lids have to be replaced every now an agin, but that's a buck and a half for a lid and two mins with the drill
 From my chair it's better to have a tight seal....
Hope that helps some :) |
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
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I was under the impression that the turbo yeast contained those nutrients. I have read about doing the yeast start with the sugar but have never tried it yet. With my beer brewing I simply hydrate the yeast in 90 ish degree water and then pitch.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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Aye, Most turbo's do... But something has happened here and I suspect yeast distress...So, I was just suggesting the basics to try and get it rolling again for you.
How old was the Turbo? Was it older, was it kept in a cool spot or out in the barn? What brand and size was it? One sachet per ferment container or all in a 20 gal container?
Yep, in most cases just hydrating and pitching is enough. I was suggesting a bit more ummph by culturing a starter and pitching it and to have some additional nutrients in there... |
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/18/2013(UTC)
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I am going to use your above mentioned method on my next round of wash. Now that I have been thinking about what happened here, I think my buckets got below that 70 degree mark the first night I had them out. We do not keep our house very warm but had them in front of one of those quartz heaters. The two buckets that were the closest were the two that finished first. I am still losing gravity and at my current rate I think I will be over 20% wash by Saturday. On the bright side I went ahead and ran the two buckets that finished first. I averaged 22.4% between the two. I am doing a stripping run right now and am thrilled with what I am getting. First sample came from the head and was 154 proof. Very good from what I have read out of a single stage pot. I am over half way through the run now and still running 135 proof. Hopefully I can run the other two buckets saturday and a spirit run late Saturday or Sunday. The corn sugar by the way makes some very good stuff. The stuff from this stripping run is tasting cleaner than my spirit run that I did last from a more traditional run of sweet feed and cane sugar. My next round is going to be a combo of honey and corn sugar.
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