Vodka Yeast or Bakers Yeast?

[mattcoffs]

Ok.
What was the gravity when you started???
Has it moved at all?

You should have like said above, around 0.990 ish for tpw when it's finished.
How much yeast did you use? And how long ago?

If this were me, I'd chuck it and start again with the correct recipe. We're only talking a few bucks worth of supermarket ingredients here.

Or if you're desperate, split it 50/50 into a second fermenter, and top with water until around 1.070-1.080 and re-pitch some new yeast.

You'll get much easier and better results sticking to the recipe. There's a lot more that goes into it than "More sugar, more alcohol" Stressing yeast can give you off flavours. Probably end up making a bunch more heads and tails than they should too.

[mattcoffs]

Sorry I just read back a bit. Looks like you've only moved from 1.145 to 1.100 since pitching yeast...

Is the gravity at 1.000 or 1.100?

Has to be 1.100 Zak

1.145 to 1.010 would be 17.72% - bread yeast won't get you anywhere near that.

My guess is they're just pushed too hard.
As I said above, if this were me i'd tip it and follow the appropriate numbers.

[Sam.]

If it has alcohol in it I would run it for a learning experience :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Arismac]

LOL ... I do not think the yeast has been making rose water. It has been very actively munching on sugar for a week now. So, yes I will be proceeding until I have a stable SG and then leave it to settle, add some fining, wait a day and then send it to the still.

I will report back

[Wobblyboot]

LOL ... I do not think the yeast has been making rose water. It has been very actively munching on sugar for a week now. So, yes I will be proceeding until I have a stable SG and then leave it to settle, add some fining, wait a day and then send it to the still.

I will report back

Ok, I gotta ask, what's the finings for and why wait a day?

[Arismac]

Fining is, strictly speaking a process more applicable to beer and/or ale fermentation. When I first started making beer, over sixty years ago, I used isinglass which assisted in precipitating the solids remaining in suspension after fermentation to the bottom of the fermentor. This made it much easier to get a cloud free final product. I think there is a modern day Turbo version that applies in this case?

[Wobblyboot]

It's not needed :handgestures-thumbupleft: when it's ready, just siphon it and run it. It's waste of money and time :-B

[Arismac]

OK, thanks

[Arismac]

SG is 0.9 this morning and activity is obvious when listening with the stethoscope.

[Plumby]

If your s.g. is 0.9 I would say its done. The fizzing you are hearing is most likely trapped carbon dioxide escaping.

[Arismac]

Thankyou. I shall take another reading tomorrow and if it is the same ball park I will refer the wash to the still.

[Arismac]

SG is now 0.84 down from the beggining of 1.145. The yeast is still working.

[Plumby]

Something is definitely a miss here. According to the calculators you have a wash that's a touch over 39% abv

Screenshot_20170420-161432.png

.

[Zak Griffin]

Try using the same unit of measurement when you give us gravity readings mate, you're all over the shop :-B

Your wash is now at 1.084, yeah?

[Arismac]

I have an SG meter". It is graduated from 0.8 to 1.15 and you are quite right I did not read the SG correctly. I started at 1.045 and it is now 1.075. Does that sound right? Sorry about that but thats why they call this begginers corner.

[Plumby]

No that doesn't sound right it should start at the higher number and then get lower as the sugar gets turned into alcohol. So the higher the number means lots of sugar a lower number means less sugar and anything under 1.000 should be finished fermenting.

[Arismac]

OK I phoned the young bloke who took the readings for me (I can't reach from my wheelchair) and he said "No grandad, the start reading was 1.145".

[Plumby]

Maybe you got a dodgy hydrometer it can happen, I've put the amount of sugar and the total volume of 25 litres into the wash calculator and got this as the readings.

Screenshot_20170420-173600.png

[Arismac]

I think it is more likely to be dodgy user. :angry-banghead: I will battle on for another couple of days before asking how much heads and tails I need to throw away before I strat stilling.

[Plumby]

I follow this guide, its written for a pot still but the principal is the same. Link
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2859