Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

If your second starter didn’t froth after 20 minutes it didn’t work. Although I don’t know why the original yeast didn’t keep working. Did you sort your pH out? Add more yeast, preferably ec but lowans will work but may effect the taste.

Dig Brinker wrote:If your second starter didn’t froth after 20 minutes it didn’t work. Although I don’t know why the original yeast didn’t keep working. Did you sort your pH out? Add more yeast, preferably ec but lowans will work but may effect the taste.

Yeah i added calcium carbonate to raise the PH, then added Nutrient and finally more yeast

Latest up date

I was thinking on Friday to ditch the wash, grab some more lemons and start over again, I went to the fermentation fridge this morning to clear out the wash and bugger me the eeffing this is now bubbling away 8-}

Lol :D

The fermentation finally finished with a reading just a smidge above.990, I cold crashed the fermentation and siphoned off the wash into the keg boiler, I thought at that stage I will grab an alcohol reading and it was low like 5 or 6 %, does that sound right?

Wash was 50 liters that had 10% sugar

Alcometer won't work in wash, only in clear spirits. If you want a alc % of the wash you will need starting gravity and finishing gravity then use the calculator in the newbies corner to work it out. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hey looking to buy some calcium carbonate as my wash PH is a little low (4.5), Its still running and pumping out in 3 days (rum) but i want to have the calcium just in case
Most new gens im only getting 4L dunder in 100L of wash i barely got 6L in my 200L 5th gen and it was on 4.7 so i didnt want to push it any lower and have it stall without the calcium

what i want to know is if these links are suitable calcium carbonate i think im leaning more towards the second link as its 2kg for the same price as 1kg

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Calcium-Car ... rk:20:pf:0


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Calcium-Car ... rk:35:pf:0

I would look for something that states “food grade” on it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Stuck ferments are the pits! I had a 3rd gen rum wash that just would not re-start. I tried everything as recommended, even pulled my hair out and dropped a bit of dog spit in for good measure. Ended up ditching the bastard. sometimes, it's just not going to happen and it's time to cut your losses, :sad:

Lowie wrote:Stuck ferments are the pits! I had a 3rd gen rum wash that just would not re-start. I tried everything as recommended, even pulled my hair out and dropped a bit of dog spit in for good measure. Ended up ditching the bastard. sometimes, it's just not going to happen and it's time to cut your losses, :sad:

yeh i havent had that happen to me yet but im trying to get some calcium carbonate so im prepared if it happens

what i need to know if some one can tell me if the links i posted above are suitable to use calcium carbonate

effque wrote: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Calcium-Car ... rk:20:pf:0


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Calcium-Car ... rk:35:pf:0

Sam. wrote:I would look for something that states “food grade” on it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:whistle:

It's possible it is "ok" but there's no way to know without the producer giving you a full break down. If they had that available and it was safe for human consumption they'd say it and charge accordingly.
Go buy a dozen oysters and treat the Mrs to a romantic evening and use the shells instead!
I've had the same dozen shells for a cpl yrs now, the pH is easily manageable but adjusting the amount of dunder that goes into the next wash. If a wash finishes around 3.5 put less dunder into the next wash.

coffe addict wrote:Go buy a dozen oysters and treat the Mrs to a romantic evening and use the shells instead!
I've had the same dozen shells for a cpl yrs now.

Well at least you got lucky a couple of years ago :teasing-tease:
How do you guys use oyster shells? I’ve got some from tonight’s dinner.

Edit: and I was talking about how to use them in a wash, not in the bedroom :laughing-rolling:

what about this

https://www.petandgarden.com.au/bird-ca ... grade.html

????

Man thats cheap 25kg for $49... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bluc wrote:Man thats cheap 25kg for $49... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

does it look like the kind of calcium carbonate i want ? was thinking of buying like 3kg or 5kg cant see any info on any extras being added in and theyre supplier mentioned it is in the category to be sold as "food grade"

Its calcium carbonate and food grade I cant see anything wrong with it...I just use shell grit for chickens but may switch to that..

Question is, what's the other 60% ¿¿

If you can find 99% purity, the food grade bit shouldn't matter? It's going through the still anyways?

People, stop relying on the internet to buy stuff!
My local chemicals shop has been fantastic, these places supply local food manufacturers through to cleaners and have stronger concentrated stuff than you will generally buy elsewhere
Make some phone calls!

Doubleuj I've been putting them straight into the wash but I think they'd be better hung in a mesh bag or similar.

Some seem to dissolve quickly and others barely touched but washes never seem to go below 4.5ish when using them even when using 30% dunder or more.

coffe addict wrote:Doubleuj I've been putting them straight into the wash but I think they'd be better hung in a mesh bag or similar.

Some seem to dissolve quickly and others barely touched but washes never seem to go below 4.5ish when using them even when using 30% dunder or more.

Cheers, I bought these from Kmart just now for $3, fits 6 shells easily in one bag :happy-partydance:


Do you bake the shells or something before use? I boiled them then gave a bit of a scrub but they still smell like oyster... funnily enough 8-}