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Lloyd

Please, please start a thread on yeast washing.
I know all about reusing yeast - 30+ generations of UJSSM without adding more yeast- but the term "yeast washing" has always confused me.
How to insure the yeast is clean and of the same original strain?
Surely it has been conditioned by a generation of fermentation and I don't view that as a bad thing, in fact I recon it's a very good thing when added to a ferment that it was meant for and being of the same wash/mash/must/whatever. I view a conditioned yeast, a yeast that has very successfully fermented a particular wash, as a very strong plus and well worth propagating to the next ferment.

If its just "collect in a jar and let it layer and collect the white looking middle stuff" then never mind. If that's the case then washing is a misnomer as settling might be more accurate?

Thanks in advance @Clickeral.

To this I must add that brewers and distillers differ widely. A distiller will often pitch damn near anything that has worked well for them, including trub from the previous batch, and let it work off for a few days and distill (sorry guys but you know I speak the truth as I have also done the same many times, and quite successfully) while beer guys are so paranoid they pitch fresh store-bought yeast for every ferment.

cunnyfunt

+1 @Lloyd, this comes up all the time by the purists. There is some validity. I had a german wheat yeast that lost all its wonderful banana..ery flavour after only 2-3 generations, back in the day when I was going yeast crazy. So the yeast mutating and losing its qualities is real like you say but in my very limited experience distilling I can see myself re-using the same yeast for years as it is not going to matter much.

punkin

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/3697-yeast-farming/

Lloyd

Thanks for the link Punkin. I could spend days with that thread with all the links that branch off to other links and all of them with great information.

Clickeral

I currently have one small jar of Lager yeast

2 jars that im cleaning up atm of amber ale yeast :p

Ill be doing a clean up of S04 by the end of next week

SOOOOOO today I kegged my Amber Ale chucked 20psi of C02 in it and am leaving it out of the kegerator till the 23rd of may. Also bottled 2L worth into 6 330ml bottles and put them away to carbonate.

Then I collected the yeast before I cleaned and sterilized my fermenter, put on a wheat beer which should be light so wanted to start fresh.

The Hybrid cider is probably done, I am of two minds on if I should leave it to clear or rack it off into a keg.

Will be taking a gravity reading tomorrow after work and if its the same Wednesday I will work out what I am going to do.

Would like the fermenter however :s

Ill pick up some cornflakes and sugar next week so I can do a CFW or two

The TPW is still going so Ill chuck a heater belt on it when the cider has finished

Only 24ish days till I get my still, only issue I will run into is going to be aging/storage vessels

I may just run one of the three TPW through the still at this stage so I can get some CFW and brandy aging in 1L jars

Clickeral

@Clickeral said: So my hybrid cider is currently sitting at and Specific G of 1006

It had an SG of 1050 so currently it's at 5.9% not sure why my last lot of cider stopped at 1010

Could be that the hybrid cider has more nutrients (better juice) or that I've kept it at between 24-28C by using a heater belt

Will let it go down as low as it wants (990? 8%) and see what its like, the flavour profile is different from the budget brand but I suspect I may need to back sweeten it with some lactose (50gram per Litre)

Id be happy with 8% :)

My other lot of Cider aka brandy wash/must (not sure if its a must due to be store brought juice :p) is still bubbling away at 18C which is probably slightly cold for EC1118 but i'll move the heater belt when the Cider is done, Also need to give the yeast washing another go and try save some S04 for my next cider run :)

Ok so Specific G is now 1004 so 6.1% just had a taste test and wow this stuff is good, tried it at fermenter temp (26C) and its cloudy with sediment.

Poured it off the sediment and wow so much better I am tempted to kill the yeast and bottle/keg now but want to see how low it goes and if its better at 8%

Its a proper english cider and is fine still at room temp or I added ice which made it better

Has a sour taste with plenty of bite and you can't taste the alcohol

Ive got 27L in the fermenter atm so if the Gravity is the same on Wednesday ill rack it off into 3L bottles let it clear and settle then pour it off into a keg (19L) trying to leave as much sediment behind as I can

I'll fill up 12 330ml bottles (6 still and the rest to carb)

The last 4-6L will either be left in the 3L bottles or I'll drink it

The keg will be sitting out of the kegerator until the 23rd of may and then ill cool it down and carb it up to start being drank the weekend of the 31st

I know the longer I leave it the better

The first gen cider I am tempted to decarb it when my still arrives and run it through with the brandy wash (must?)

However it would be good to make snakebite out of, only issue is I have an amber ale and not a lager to mix with it :(

Only have one Pet bottle of lager left (and a 330ml stubbie which im saving)

Lloyd

You are killing me. I want to be your next door neighbor.

Clickeral

I haven't even met my current neighbors lol, Would be nice to have some people come over to sample.

I'm living in a back woods town and I don't know many people here either, but I always have a brew or 4 on haha.

Got to build up the stock, heaps of catching up with you pros

Clickeral

Just picked up some cornflakes, all bran, weet bix, corn kennels, malk extract and 2.5kg of sugar

Need to get another 18kg of sugar :p

Will be putting on a modified CFW (makers mark style)

1x 725g kelloggs cornflakes 1x 500g coles cornflakes 2x 400g canned corn kennels 1x 350g weet bix 1x 500g malt extract The yeast I used on my amber ale 2.5kg sugar and 30L of water

Also going to put on a CFW 2x800g coles cornflakes 75-80g bakers yeast 6kg sugar and 30L water

Weetbix vodka 4.5 cups allbran 4.5 cups weetbix 6kg sugar 1/4 cup bakers yeast teaspoon of lemon juice 30L water

oh and another tpw :p

just need to empty some fermenters

punkin

The weetbix vodka sounds good. I've got a new mate who drinks vodka, but he likes expensive stuff. I'd never give him any of my rough and ready neutral.

I was thinking yesterday that i may do a couple of runs of Wheatgerm Wash next summer and a real slow run through the plates with a packedsection and see what i can get for him with a little attention to detail.

FullySilenced

Try the lentil wash punkin you will like it i bet....

punkin

naaah. lentils should be abolished.

I spent too long in a hippy sharehouse as a teenager ala "The Young Ones" to have anything to do with the dirty mud. [-(

fadge

@clickeral your town will have no sugar left at this rate. You must be stripping shelves, spouse to be stripping grog with this hobby of ours ! :)) Kids may be missing out on breakfast as well soon the way ya going

fadge

Clickeral

Well last time I Brought apple juice coles had none left on the shelf :p

I just emailed Nudie this morning as there is a rumour that they will sell direct to the public at $2 a L with a minium order of $50 but free delivery

I feel I can easily do that :p

Can't strip grog if I have nothing made up

I mean I only have a keg a cider, keg of beer, 27-28L of bottled tpw, and 4 fermenters about to finish ;)

Got to do something when I am not working

Clickeral

Makers mark clone cfw thing is on uses 24 weet bix :p

I added the largest amount of yeast I had recycled from the amber ale in it (one jar) am still processing the other jars

I may have over pitched but ohwell

Will see if it starts bubbling, this mash will stay on until I run it in the still (24ish days)

Tpw is still bubbling away, both the wheat beer and cider/apple brandy have stopped

The cider/brandy I feel will be ready tomorrow so guess I am bottling it till I run it in the still and saving the yeast (hope I have enough jars :s

The hybrid cider is kegged and bottled

Just got to let it age more and I saved the s04 at the bottom for next time

It has come off weird though :S

Clickeral

Sooo tomorrow i'll probably put on a CFW

Though I am tempted to do the weetbix/allbran vodka :s

Clickeral

Brandy must is currently in some storage containers, and cfw is on :p No idea on SG due to it being so thick

punkin

You are gunna need some more fermenters.

What ones are you using mate?

I have a bunch of the bunnings square 30l drums i use for beer. They work very well with glad wrap over the top instead of using the lids. I also have a stack of 30l round ones, but i use them for grain storage.

Clickeral

Yeah atm I have 4 30L fermentors and a crap load of soft drink/juice bottles which I am using to store low percentage brew before I run it though the still

I am trying to get some 220L steel drums from work (used to have coconut cream in them) but I feel I need to hit masters up for some food grade 30L drums to hold stuff before I put it into the still

Really considering getting 4 220L drums and having a vodka, bourbon. brandy (maybe rum) and whiskey going all the time

Dam might need 5 :s lol

Then just using the 30L fermenters for beer and cider, sigh it takes time to collect things haha

punkin

You are very much better off finding some used olive drums for your larger fermenters than steel ones.

I had some 200l food grade lined drums, but the acidity of the ferments started the lining flaking away. The plastic ones are also much easier to handle and pretty cheap.

You see them in the bush at feed shops, but i've seen them a lot on ebay etc for under $50.

Add a water tank fitting from the irrigation shop (or bunnings i spose) and a ball valve and you are good to go.

Clickeral

Yeah my main issue is to get big containers delivered :p

Maybe you should start selling them haha

punkin

No reason i couldn't pick one up for you and pack the Dash in it.

Clickeral

:p there is an option :), let me know what the extra cost is and ill sort you out when I pay the balance for the still gear haha

fadge

@clickeral what part of the country are you located ? I know a few places to get food grade drums. Heck even my bush town has a monthly market that sells drums like punkin showed for cheap. 60-80LT under 30 bucks, bigger a bit more and food grade 15 or 20 lt buckets with lids l think 3 or 5 bucks each.

Fadge

Clickeral

Im in wendouree ballarat :p

So im disappointed Australian makers mark is 40% not 45% :(

punkin

I reckon LoO will sniff out some bargains for you. He can't resist those sort of challenges.

Clickeral

Currently waiting on my wheat beer to finish, had to up the Gravity with some more dextrose as I started it slightly to low

Its sitting at 1024 atm it got down to 1012 (I think) and I orginally started at 1034 so it may end up being crap but ohwell

The CFW had a cap on it so ive given it a stir up, it smells sour but still tastes alittle sweet, will leave it until I run the still

The makers mark I've left alone

TPW is at 1020 so still ages left :(

Have no extra fermentors so can't put on a Weetbix/allbran vodka or another TPW

Might need to stop into masters for some cheap fermenters

Clickeral

TPW down to 1010 CFW no idea but smells sour and bubbling so all good haha Modified CFW is at 1012 so got awhile yet Wheat beer is finished and kegged think its about 4.5-5% ish

Got a sugar head weetbix/all bran vodka on now

Fucked up and measured 2 cups instead of 1 didnt realize my measuring cup was a 2cup one

So instead of 4.5cups it has 9.5 cups (40weetbix 750G) and 350 gram of all bran (about 4.5cups)

Will see how it goes

I may have to run it though my 4 plates twice because I want a light wheat vodka that that has just that back flavor and a full mouth feel

I don't want it to taste like a whiskey

Really need a packed coloum on top of my plates or a plater to get that from what I can tell

May have to buy 2 more plates come June/July :p

Lloyd

I have a very strong feeling that you will like it without buying the extra plates.
The hearts will be your favorite, of course, and the rest you have to decide how to best use. (Second run through 4 plates ain't bad).
My, you are a go-getter... I really think you'll be very happy with 4 plates and center cut.

Clickeral

Yeah all going well ill have my setup by the weekend of the 23rd and can work out the best way to run it

Ive read up on how to get good flavour on a single run off the 4 plates for things like whiskey and bourbon

A neutral I should be able to get with one pass if I make hard cuts but may need to run lots of reflux or add a packed column/more plates later

The vodka I'm not 100% sure on yet I guess ill need to play with reflux till I find what I like

Really cant wait to do a run and work out how to achieve the results im after :)

Really grateful for all the feed back