Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Just wondering, if I was to use a yeast nutrient such as Fermaid or Go-ferm which provides yeast with various vitamins in addition to nitrogen, would I need the DAP and the multivitamin tablet? Just interested as I already have a fair bit of fermaid and would prefer to use that if it is suitable.

DamageInc wrote:Just wondering, if I was to use a yeast nutrient such as Fermaid or Go-ferm which provides yeast with various vitamins in addition to nitrogen, would I need the DAP and the multivitamin tablet? Just interested as I already have a fair bit of fermaid and would prefer to use that if it is suitable.

The DAP and multivit is the more cost effective version of the fed aid. So in short yes.

Most recipes here are using readily available ingredients from supermarkets in order to save money and still make good quality licker!

This is my first FFV and I think its at the end of the ferment (SG = .900) and I have a few questions for those with more experience:

1) The wash is a milky white colour, should I wait for it to clear?
2) If it remains milky white, should I filter it?, and
3) If I distil whilst it is milky white, will the alcohol be milky as well?

TIA

Best to clarify it but not strictly necessary, it's more the effect on your boiler than the final product. You can use time to clarify, but cold crashing and or bentonite work faster.

Your spirits should always come out clear mate, wash colour should not have an effect on this.

Bundaboy wrote:Best to clarify it but not strictly necessary, it's more the effect on your boiler than the final product. You can use time to clarify, but cold crashing and or bentonite work faster.

Thanks Bundaboy :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Wellsy wrote:Your spirits should always come out clear mate, wash colour should not have an effect on this.

Cheers Wellsy, all my previous (not FFV) washes have been pretty clear so I wasn't sure.

Is it normal for the FFV wash to be milky?

Can’t help you there sorry as I have not run that wash, someone will online soon who has run it before so they can advise you. As was said the real issue with cloudy washes is the potential to scorch on exposed elements during distillation.

Stillworkin wrote:

Wellsy wrote:Your spirits should always come out clear mate, wash colour should not have an effect on this.

Cheers Wellsy, all my previous (not FFV) washes have been pretty clear so I wasn't sure.

Is it normal for the FFV wash to be milky?

I have run this recipe at least a hundred times now, and, at the end of fermentation, it has always been cloudy for me. My theory is, and it is just a theory, that the yeast love the environment so much that they propagate like crazy (there always seems to be much more yeast in the wash at the end of fermentation than I put in) and will remain in suspension for a long time.

Despite what Teddy Sad and others say, I have always found that, left to itself, at room temperature, that the wash remains cloudy for days and days, I can't say how long, because I don't have the patience for that LOL, so in the fridge it goes, and it clarifies significantly in 24 hours.

I always judge the degree of clarification by the amount of sludge in the boiler after the run - because even when there is no sludge at all the wash is not perfectly clear.

I have never noticed any difference in the quality of the final product, sludge or no sludge, I just don't like cleaning that sludge out LOL.

My recommendation is to let it be for a day or so after fermentation has finished, then rack off (syphon is best) to another container or two and again leave for a couple of days. Perfectly clear is not necessary but the best flavour comes from not too much suspended yeast etc.

Thanks Bundaboy and Teddysad, I will rack, refrigerate and then distil...I can't wait to try it :dance:

Teddysad wrote:My recommendation is to let it be for a day or so after fermentation has finished, then rack off (syphon is best) to another container or two and again leave for a couple of days. Perfectly clear is not necessary but the best flavour comes from not too much suspended yeast etc.

Yep, this.
Also I now put the simmered bran into a brew bag and pul it out a day or two before racking.
There is lots less sludge in the bottom.

Amberale wrote:
Yep, this.
Also I now put the simmered bran into a brew bag and pul it out a day or two before racking.
There is lots less sludge in the bottom.

Interesting idea, I assume that you have the mashing equipment that allows you do do that?

Bundaboy wrote:

Amberale wrote:
Yep, this.
Also I now put the simmered bran into a brew bag and pul it out a day or two before racking.
There is lots less sludge in the bottom.

Interesting idea, I assume that you have the mashing equipment that allows you do do that?

Nah mate.
I buy horse feed grade bran from my stock feed supplier in 25kg bags.
I get some of it before the Studmistress feeds it all to the cows.
I just simmer it for 45 minutes with about 250grams of cracked barleyadded(no idea if it does anything but it’s there so I stick it in, :O )
Then I pour it into a brew in a bag bag sitting in the top of my fermenter which has the sugar/vitamin/DAP/Epsomsalts mix ready to go.
Top it up, add bakers yeast give ii a swish or two the first couple of days and leave it for a couple of weeks, pull out the bag and let it rest for a couple of days before racking.

Ran my last batch through pot still to strip it. Got about 4.5L down to 10%.

Immediately made up a new batch. It's still going strong.... Which is odd. Because I put it down on the 29th of April.

Last batch took 5 days, this one is out of control.

Hi guys done 3 batches of the TFFV now.
50L
150L
200L
On my 3rd batch I let it clear for a few weeks like I had the previous times and when running it I was having issues flooding my bubble plates. Worked out I needed to degas it. Degassed it and run fine.
The next couple of runs on that batch I payed some attention and found it was fizzing when syphoning into the boiler. :think: I never had to degas the first 2 batches of TFFV and they all finished at the same .990 gravity reading. Anyone else have to degas before running? And what causes it?

Yup, I always degas before letting it settle out/ clear.

I prefer to rack off the wash from the trub and let it sit for 24 hours. By keeping the hose end out of the poured wash the splashing action also serves to degas the remaining CO2 .

“Houston, we have a problem”...well maybe not as serious as Apollo 13 but serious to me.

I pitched the yeast in my 8th FFV on 1 July at about 27deg, that evening it was bubbling away nicely as usual. Was bubbling nicely the next day too but on the morning of the 3rd, after a pretty cool night, it had stopped bubbling altogether. I presumed the cold had stalled the process and I checked the sg to make sure, it was around 1050. So, I assumed I needed to heat it a bit so I bought an aquarium heater and dropped it in (after modifying the lid of my pretty standard fermenter) at 28deg.. Still no life showing that night or the next morning so I thought that maybe the yeast had died so yesterday morning I pitched another 50gms of bakers yeast...fizzed like magic and I stirred it in.

But today, nothing!

Where to from here I wonder, does anyone have an ideas or do I just throw away and start again?

TIA

Check the PH of the wash mate.
I have never had an issue with stalled washes until 2 died a couple of months back.
Turns out the local water board were doing a pipe cleaning run that week and dumped a truck load of chlorine in the water.
Both washes restarted fine but only lasted 12 hours. If you dont have a ph meter you can always grab some ph testing paper from the home brew shop. It is usually a few dollars for about 100 strips so not expensive and always handy to have. I check the water now before I put it in the wash.