Wheatgrass wash
I read a little about the benefits of wheatgrass juice It is meant to be very healthy and full of nutrients, so the yeasties should like it too. Off
experimenting I go
I soaked about 100g whole wheat (stockfood supplier sourced) in a 200ml jar for 3 days shaking each day and changing the water each day
Then I saw the wheat berries had started to sprout
I then spread them into a shallow tray with a 25mm layer of potting mix on the bottom ( Holes were already drilled in the base of the tray from the
other half's planting lettuce seedlings)
Covered with a couple of sheets of newspaper and gave a liberal soaking.
Watered each day for a week and I had a tray full of rich thick grass about 100mm high
Time to harvest so out with the scissors and cut back
When weighed at was about 50g not much weight to this grass!
The wash
50g fresh wheat grass mixed in the blender with a couple of litres of water.
4.5kg sugar dissolved in hot tap water
Water added to bring up to 25 litres
70g instant bakers yeast Rehydrated in warm water ( nothing else added)
Yeast was foaming well so poured into fermenter and well stirred to aerate
I now have a nice bright green wash
SG 1060
PH 5.4
Starting temp 30C
Lets see what happens
Update Half an hour later it is bubbling strongly through the airlock looks like a vigourous ferment
4 days later it has finished at FG 995
I let it sit for 3 days then racked into a carboy and allowed another couple of days to settle
A pale green wash - not crystal clear .
I did a strip run and am now repeating the exercise to build up for a spirit run. Target is a good neutral/vodka
The low wines have a faint grassy smell.
Several days later after continuing the watering, the wheatgrass has grown again to 100mm high so another haircut it is and a second wash goes on.
I will do 4 of these and spirit run the 20 litres or so
I will update as this experiment progresses.