Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Zak Griffin wrote:I'd use 2 boxes for the first 50L generation, then replace about 2L of slop with 2/3rds of a box for each gen after.

I'm a bit confused Zak, in the original recipe you say 2 litres of cornflakes, now you're saying 2 X 750g boxes. That's a big difference considering I got 2 litres of crushed cornflakes out one 750g box.

Just add more, use the 2 boxes, its not going to hurt as your going for generations

Consider a tin of liquid malt extract too - I have stopped doing the cereal washes now, but thats where i will be heading now with grain sugar washes

:text-+1: on the malt extract in this wash

I have used it in every generation, but the day I put gen 7 on the HBS was closed so I had to leave it out. The difference in smell coming off the still on the strip was chalk and cheese compared to #6 which had LME in it. The backset was significantly less aromatic after the strip also
Once again yesterday the HBS was closed when I put on gen 8, but I snuck a bag in tonight before the ferment got too far.
Totally worth it

What did I do wrong, SG at 1.022 after 19 days & no action in the airlock, temp at 25C?

2nd gen CFW started on the 18th of November but I forgot to check the SG. I assume it was probably the same as gen 1 which started at 1.065
2 x 30 litre fermenters with 23 litres in each.

Gen 1 was 375g cornflakes,2 TBS lemon juice, 4KG sugar & 2.5 TBS of Lowans yeast in each fermenter.

Gen 2 was just 200g of cornflakes & 4kg of sugar disolved in about 7 litres of hot backset and added to the fermenter when it cooled to 30C. I scooped about half a litre of the gen 1 cornflakes out before replacing with new stuff. Gen 2s airlocks took about 2 hours to start bubbling where as gen 1 started after about 5 minutes. The temp in my garage has been between 23 & 30 degrees.

I just added 1 TBS of Lowans to each fermenter & gave them a gentle stir & both airlocks are bubbling away nicely again.
+

Unless your tracking temps, it may have got much hotter than you think?

If it stops again, you put 7l backset in 23 fermenter? Might have pushed your ph down a bit too far.

Bgs sells 100% organic lime in the garden section (calcium carbonate), small amounts of that added will let it start up again if that's the problem, it won't affect the wash if it is not the problem.

RC Al wrote:Unless your tracking temps, it may have got much hotter than you think?

If it stops again, you put 7l backset in 23 fermenter? Might have pushed your ph down a bit too far.

Bgs sells 100% organic lime in the garden section (calcium carbonate), small amounts of that added will let it start up again if that's the problem, it won't affect the wash if it is not the problem.

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a ph tester so have no idea what level it is. I'll have to grab one.
I was checking the temp most days, it more than likely got under 20C a couple of times overnight but only by 1 or 2 degrees.

I agree with RC, more than likely stalled due to a pH crash than a temp issue.

I'd get a pH tester if you're going to be using backset. I don't use any more than 25% backset - 6L in a 25L fermenter seems to work well for me. I also add bicarb of soda (sodium bicarbonate) to up the pH. It's cheap and easy and you can get it from the supermarket.

What sort of ph tester does everyone use, cheap digital off fleabay or testing strips?

Five star have one mate for$20:00 in the odds and ends section

Cheap ebay one that i stopped using cause i didnt get one with cailibration stuff 8-}

So, what ph reading should I be aiming for & do I check the water before I add it to the wash or check the wash after all ingredients have been added?

5-5.2 if I recall correctly.

It will drop as the yeast do their thing but this is generally the happy range for lowans yeast.
Above or below this the yeast will get stressed and produce esters or just stop working as quickly.

scythe wrote:5-5.2 if I recall correctly.

It will drop as the yeast do their thing but this is generally the happy range for lowans yeast.
Above or below this the yeast will get stressed and produce esters or just stop working as quickly.

So it's the ph level of the wash once all the ingredients have been added, not the water you put into the wash that I need to check?

FilthyPhil wrote:

scythe wrote:5-5.2 if I recall correctly.

It will drop as the yeast do their thing but this is generally the happy range for lowans yeast.
Above or below this the yeast will get stressed and produce esters or just stop working as quickly.

So it's the ph level of the wash once all the ingredients have been added, not the water you put into the wash that I need to check?

Yeah mate once it’s all together, ph of water can change real fast as there is nothing to buffer it

:text-thankyoublue:

Apparently blowflys like the smell of my CFW. 500ml into a stripping run & I get 2 of them having a swim in my 5 litre demijohn.[list=][/list]

Fucking flys are getting in to my tffv as its coming off the still tight now. They even get under the paper towels I have on the collection jars. But hey what's an aussie distiller without the odd fly in the distillate. Maybe we should market it as our special secret spice.

Black wasps are my bane :twisted: always get at least 2..

So roughly how much bicarb soda or other options would I need to put into a 55 litre wash which has a ph level of 3.7?
It's a 2nd generation CFW with no backset, just the leftovers out of the first ferment, 450g of fresh cornflakes & 10kgs of sugar.
it's been down for about 15 hours with no action in the airlock.

I use 1 tsp of bicarb of soda at a time in a 25L wash. That will generally raise the pH by about 0.5 or so. Then I repeat the next day if necessary.

If using bicarb of soda just be careful not to use too much at once otherwise it will fizz over. May possibly also stress the yeast too much.