Jump to content

Vexed by rye fermentation/distillation issues


Malcontent

Recommended Posts

11 minutes ago, Sudzie said:

PRCDC - Why 1.082?  Give 1.054-1.058 a try. 

That is our new option. We get maybe 1 in 5 mashes that actually go close to dry (1.008). Can't seem to figure out why this happens. We do the same process. We do however have a crazy amount of fruit fly's this time of year which is probably why the stall happens. I thought possibly strong yeast could help, but maybe not. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/11/2021 at 11:05 AM, prcdc said:

We get maybe 1 in 5 mashes that actually go close to dry (1.008

What is the ph throughout the ferments? Since the ferments do finish out better sometimes, I'd guess your problem is more likely too much bacteria, than too much alcohol, or incomplete conversion. I've found bakers yeast to actually be pretty alcohol tolerant when doing high % hand sanitizer batches last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What temperature are you letting your ferments get to? The only time we have had a rye ferment (~90% unmalted rye) not finish out was when the ferment got too hot. I found myself mashing on a Friday and wasn't around to click the glycol jackets on at all over the weekend. These ferments ended up between 1.005 and 1.010 SG, and though that may seem relatively good, it's really not. Our low wines yield from the ferments was about 15% less, which is significant. From my understanding, if you get the yeast doing its thing quickly enough, bacterial competition shouldn't be an issue. That's why I'm thinking the temp of the ferments may be the culprit. 

I also have to echo @Sudzie's sentiment that your starting gravity is higher than it should be. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...