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Fermentation issues (topic moved from introductions)


coop

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Hey Coop-

We had a tub fabricated with a screen at the bottom and a spigut. After we distill on the grain, we pump the spent mash into the tub and place the spigut over our floor drain. After a few days, the grain is dry enough to shovel out. You just have to make sure in the warm months to get it out quickly because it can turn to a science experiment overnight!

As far as your water/grain ratio goes: I've had success with 160 gallons of water, 300 pounds of grain and 50 pounds of malt. 1 kg of dry yeast (493-EDV) ferments 8 to 9% abv at 85-90 deg. F in 72 hours. I'd like to try some different yeasts for whiskey to get some different flavor profiles, but the 493 is neutral and efficient for vodka. It's also easy to use, store and relatively inexpensive.

Hope this helps.

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Hey Coop-

We had a tub fabricated with a screen at the bottom and a spigut. After we distill on the grain, we pump the spent mash into the tub and place the spigut over our floor drain. After a few days, the grain is dry enough to shovel out. You just have to make sure in the warm months to get it out quickly because it can turn to a science experiment overnight!

As far as your water/grain ratio goes: I've had success with 160 gallons of water, 300 pounds of grain and 50 pounds of malt. 1 kg of dry yeast (493-EDV) ferments 8 to 9% abv at 85-90 deg. F in 72 hours. I'd like to try some different yeasts for whiskey to get some different flavor profiles, but the 493 is neutral and efficient for vodka. It's also easy to use, store and relatively inexpensive.

Hope this helps.

Doug is right. He has a good recipe. Too bad he cannot spell.

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Where did you get your yeast from? And what is it called besides the #. Coop

493 is available from White Labs and it is just known by that number. But before you switch you might want to relook at your procedures because you should have had great success with the Danstil. I'm guessing something is missing that we haven't found in this discussion. Maybe give Doug or Thomas a call and walk through your procedure together. Doug is at... 414-431-8683.

PS to Doug: it's spigOt. :P

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493 is available from White Labs and it is just known by that number. But before you switch you might want to relook at your procedures because you should have had great success with the Danstil. I'm guessing something is missing that we haven't found in this discussion. Maybe give Doug or Thomas a call and walk through your procedure together. Doug is at... 414-431-8683.

PS to Doug: it's spigOt. :P

We were not using Danstil. We were using the SuperStart from White labs. We may have found a procedure problem. Our fermentation tanks will hold 3 mash runs each approx 200 gallons. We have been doing two runs to each tank. We think we are transferring first run at too high temp and before we get the second one done we can see where wild fermentation is starting already. This may be rendering useless the whole batch as we think the yeast we are adding in will not work with the other wild fermentation taking place. We are going to cool way down the first batch keeping it around 60F then when we add the second one around 80 F I think we will be ok. Coop

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We were not using Danstil. We were using the SuperStart from White labs. We may have found a procedure problem. Our fermentation tanks will hold 3 mash runs each approx 200 gallons. We have been doing two runs to each tank. We think we are transferring first run at too high temp and before we get the second one done we can see where wild fermentation is starting already. This may be rendering useless the whole batch as we think the yeast we are adding in will not work with the other wild fermentation taking place. We are going to cool way down the first batch keeping it around 60F then when we add the second one around 80 F I think we will be ok. Coop

That ain't the problem. If I could find a wild yeast that good, I would quit making whiskey and go in the yeast business.

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