Easy Weetbix / All Bran Wash Recipe Discussion

[TheRealMrMessy]

Won't kill you to do once Dennis.
I had a paint mixer but kept damaging my fermenters with it... got a kegland job and haven't had an issue.
https://kegland.com.au/products/premium ... -hex-drive

These days I use the paint mixer for my grain mash, gets a goopy mash circulating at low speed until the enzymes thin it out enough that water recirc alone does enough.

[Dfer]

Thanks Mr Messy- off to Kegland! I was more worried about it murdering my yeast than me. It started out great then backed off a bit - I was up at 3am checking !
Need some demijohns as well so not a wasted trip to KL.
Cheers
Dennis

[RobMichelle]

Congratulations Dfer I wonder how long it will be before you get more fermenters lol I still use the stirrr from Bunnings hasn’t been an issue that I’ve noticed :roll:

[WoodyD40]

i agree with Rob - this hobby is a rabbit hole. I started with one 60 litre fermenter - now i have 3 of them. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I am probably off to my local HBS to pick up a few more 5 litre demi's today - i seem to constantly run out of storage, not sure why :laughing-rolling:

I did go past bunnings on the way home from work on friday and picked up a pH meter for under $18 - so no excuse for me to not check the pH any more.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/brunnings-3-in-1-soil-meter_p0246660?store=6461&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23022021534&gbraid=0AAAAADtbEB8fyOkGBATbAg9LvufyZJenO&gclid=CjwKCAjw6vHHBhBwEiwAq4zvAyrLc7RbHw_WB1iWzfLDReeInmHDbLG--qW6ZQ1ZQxpyBDtxo0XXMhoCpXwQAvD_BwE

[TheRealMrMessy]

Hahaha like Woody, mine grew too. Got away from the HDPE fermenters and gave em all away to move into stainless, then too-late learned that conicals are worth it despite the price. These days I've got a solitary HDPE 60L that hasn't seen active use in years (though might make it the transfer hose storage solution soon).

Got 2x 60L bucket buddys, a 30L bucket buddy - all inbuilt heaters and nice stainless easily cleaned etc. Added a 30L conical I can pressure ferment in (mostly used for beers ciders etc), and my single non-stainless fermenter I actually use is a 60L PET I can pressure ferment in (but I don't). The last two are what live in the 2x fermenter fridges - with the former for beer cider etc with precise temp control. Latter mostly to crash solids out before stripping runs. Also got a 35L brewzilla, regret buying it... should have got the 65. 70L boiler is the perfect match to all that, without taking everything next level like 200L boilers and fermenters (not doing that... then I'd want an 8" column or something).

Now got an FFV batch almost ready to spirit run later this week, and a TPW batch underway for essences (will carbon filter this one - don't normally but got about 8kg of carbon doing nothing... might as well use some!). Gonna run a WBAB after that and compare them all to see which will be my go-to neutral from here :handgestures-thumbupleft: . FFV is nice, smooth as with making very clean cuts into hearts and avoiding hints of tails, keen to see how it compares to WBAB.

Edit: Woody - I just bought 6 more demi's yesterday myself haha. Gotta find another option that is less fragile... I like the 4L mini kegs from kegland and have 15 of em, but damn if they don't add up on cost.

[The Stig]

I got one of these
https://ebay.us/m/CvYajf
Works a treat, I call it the outboard blender :teasing-tease:

[Professor Green]

That's a ripper Stig.

[The Stig]

Does the trick :laughing-rolling:

[Dfer]

ok boys( sirry Carol +)
Complete newb and i think my 1st wash has stalled. Ive attached a couple of photos . Plus temp is 26 ( and has been regulated around that) . Started a week ago and stopped bubbling 2 days ago.
I think my ph may be the problem as my reading is 2.24?
Photo show sample wash and hydro reading.
Any advice appreciated
Cheers
Dennis

[The Stig]

Start with a dozen oysters :laughing-rolling:

[Dfer]

With a nice glass of Veuve? :-D
How many oysters to a tablespoon of bicab :teasing-tease: presuming ph is my problem. I need to raise 54 litres 2.5 points from 2.5 to 5 i think?

[howard]

ok boys( sirry Carol +)
Complete newb and i think my 1st wash has stalled. Ive attached a couple of photos . Plus temp is 26 ( and has been regulated around that) . Started a week ago and stopped bubbling 2 days ago.
I think my ph may be the problem as my reading is 2.24?
Photo show sample wash and hydro reading.
Any advice appreciated
Cheers
Dennis

i noticed that (if a post of yours recently) you posted a picture of an 'original recipe' & 'adjusted recipe'
putting 2.86 teaspoons of citric acid in?
it's best to adjust PH on a case by case basis (or wash by wash :smile: ) and not blindly follow citric quantities in recipes.
i usually test the PH prior to pitching yeast, when all the ingredients are in the bucket.

you might need to test the PH of the water you're using to give you an idea first (my tapwater is around PH 8)
but even in an FFV, the PH comes down to 5.5 - 6 without any citric, so i usually just leave it at that.
not had an FFV stall yet (famous last words :-D )

edit citric quantities in recipes annoy me, it should be like food, season to taste
edit 2 :smile: it's not that far off done, personally i would run it if the SG doesn't change over the next 4 days, rather than stat messing around with PH adjusting stuff.

[TheRealMrMessy]

Agree with howard.
Adjust ph to start with to something like 5.5 or so. Recipe can't take into consideration any factors like water hardness etc. 2.68 tsp of citric? In a 30L batch? I use 1tsp in a 60L.

If this is a sacrificial run for any reason, just run it. If not, calcium carbonate (what the shells are made of!) is least likely to affect flavour (vs bicarb). Just know that anything like this you add does in some way affect it.

[Dfer]

Thanks guys. Looks like I wasn’t smart enough to worry about ph at the start.
Hoping to only use about 25 litres of my 110 l for a cleaning run and then get some drinkable stuff.
Anyway, i hit both 60l s with a tablespoon of bi carb ( before i read the replies ) and 1 is bubbling contently again.
I will leave them both for the next 3-4 days and then take sh again .
Hopefully at least 1 will be cooked. If the non bubbling one misses the mark ill just run it for practice and process the other.
Thanks for help guys.
Dennis
PS Stig, no oysters but we had a bottle of Veuve anyway :-D

[Wellsy]

Hey dfer
If you run the half cooked batch a sacrificial run, be aware the extra sugar still in the wash will mean lots of frothing a a likely puke so leave lots of head room and run a bit slower.

Don’t ask me how I know that :angry-banghead:

[The Stig]

Can we please please stop using the term “cook” it sounds like your making cR4cK
Please use “run” instead
Thank you :romance-kisscheek:

[Wellsy]

Roger mate, won’t do it again, it will avoid confusion for the new guys, and some of us slower ones :)

[Dfer]

Roger mate, won’t do it again, it will avoid confusion for the new guys, and some of us slower ones :)

Yep, you got me. on both counts. :shifty: