If you want the "easy" answer. Follow these guidelines. They will work for almost all stills: 1 - Make sure fermentation is finished then wait a few more days 2 - Rack/syphon off the top of the fermenter avoiding the yeast cake 3 - Don't let any bits of grain into the pot 4 - Don't stress if the wash is a little murky 5 - Don't let the wash sit in the pot for a long period of time before distilling
About what I do. When I use grains, I do a sparge and only liquids go into the carbouy. The older I get, the lazier I get...and a little scortch ain't all that bad, as you say, a spectrum.
You know, whenever I look something up about this hobby on youtube, you show up. And while I could probably get my answer in print in 1/5 the time of your videos, I really enjoy the banter. Thank you for wasting my time in an enjoyable way.
Some distillers crank up the heat from the beginning to start producing as soon as possible. It's best to start with the heat very low and wait for the wash to get a little warm and only then begin to gradually raise the heat. Patience will save you from a scorch.
I generally sparge my grain in a bag, and remove it from the process after extracting all of the sugars I can. My spout in my fermentation bucket sits at a level just above where my barm and sediment lie. I then strain through a tripled layer of cheesecloth and I have never had a scorch. When it's a sugar wash, or something like molasses/rum wash, or agave/tequila wash, then I just use the cheesecloth and I again, have no problems. I find an agave/tequila wash is one of the cleanest, clearest washes I have encountered. Rock on Jesse and the rest of the Chaser's out there!!
Hi Jessie, Just in the middle of my first ever fermentation and I was talking yesterday to a mate yesterday about the fact that I didn’t buy the coagulation stuff from turbo because I have never seen you use it. Then today UA-cam puts up this video from years ago! It’s like being watched by big brother!! Thanks so much for this explanation, it has confirmed my uneducated assumptions!
Important to slowly ramp up the heat -- even on stripping runs. Completely agree with 100% of everything you talked about. Off flavors in a Boka reflux column from turbo yeast on a sugar wash trying for 20% ABV could never be filtered even with the best four foot rock based carbon filter, but racking and letting it clear an extra week made all the difference...but, this was because I used to try heating up the boiler as fast as I could on two gas burners, then turning it down. So, I stressed the yeast, didn't pick a yeast for flavor profile consistent to the intended end product, and heated it up too fast -- perfect beginner's isht-storm. Once I got better at using Riku's automatic reflux control (ARC) column, even with the same turbo yeast I got azeo with just the slightest taste of burnt sugar.
I've never distilled anything but I've made a fair amount of wine, and I agree too. If you're starting with a proper yeast to begin with, the yeast is not the problem. Somebody abused the yeast... operator error.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 In my case I discovered through some further research that the melon I was trying to ferment has a compound that acts as a yeast inhibitor. The culprit was the fruit pulp and the solution was to use only the juice. I did a few tests to confirm that Cantaloupe juice by itself fermented perfectly, but the pulp acted like a preservative.
@@BeardedBored That makes sense. Pulp causes various sorts of trouble in my experience, and melons in general have a bit of a reputation for being a pain to work with. Thanks for passing along the info. :)
@@BeardedBored I would *guess* that the inhibitor comes from a natural feature of the seeds themselves, so of course it's on the pulp too. Some plants, tomatoes and melons included, have that stuff on the seeds so they don't rot in the ground before they germinate, so they survive a winter and cool wet spring better before conditions are nice and warm the following summer. It inhibits not only rotting but germination itself if it's "fresh" and still on the seed. When you save seeds from heirloom tomatoes or melons, it's best to ferment them just in clean water and air to get that inhibitor off them (no yeast or anything needed), then let them dry off. Germination rates improve dramatically after that.
I've found once fermentation is done and the majority of solids have settled to the bottom, I filter the wash above this through a 400 micron 5 gallon bucket filter (available from Amazon in various microns). Once filtered, I pour directly into my boiler. At 400 microns the particles are pretty much so small no scorching will occur and off flavor particles have been filtered out.
Really appreciate it I followed all of what you said lower temperature, run through a mutton cloth to remove partials before I put in the stall. Cloudy from black first time after little bit of temperature fiddles I got it dripping clear bottle was at 40% on the dot. Potato vodka
Great stuff Jessie. I support everything you have said. People are getting too hung up on just what clarifying means. Also many just dont have the capacity to throttle down, but there is nothing wrong with solids in the pot.
I usually throw some gelatin in on Wednesday (always run the still on Saturday) and then I hang my hop spider in the still and put the end of my siphon hose in it when filling the still. Never had a problem.
Nice video man. I have learned to strain out all I can out of my mash but I dont worry about it. But always keep your still on low and stur it until it gets hot then turn up the heat. And then cap it off. I use a 5gal still and use gass.
Awesome vid as usual. The main issue I always see/hear about is trying to go too damn fast. I think most things in this hobby work better the slower you go and the minute you rush things you run into issues. I was always taught to put heat to the still the second you pour in the mash and set it to as low as it can go. Once some heat gets in it you then start turning it up from there. The slower you go, the better it is.
Awesome I think it depends of your end goals the flavours that you’re looking for! Again it’s not what you do but the way you doing it! I like to clear my vodka and and run my rum as soon that’s finished to ferment. We are on Camping trip I’ll safe your video for later! Cheers stay safe!
I like to clear the wash, so I just wait for everything to fall out of suspension. Cold crashing works great, but then I have to wait for my wash to come back up to room temperature to run it. I have found that my whiskey taste better if I don't use the Turbo Clear type products. Maybe too clear reduces the character a bit?
When I was doing neutral grain sugar spirits, I would just run it through cone coffee filters. If I needed to get rid of off flavors, I just added ground charcoal from water filters that I poured into the coffee filters. I would think that cheesecloth and cone coffee filters would be adequate after letting the sediment settle out.
I discovered that I am impatient and the temptation to turn the heat up to speed things up is just too much for me to handle. Several scorched boiler bottoms have made me adopt a new strategy. I always have a number of projects on the go at one time. This stops me being tempted to turn the heat up just to speed things up. I have a couple of beers and a couple of wines on the go and what ever spirit I am playing with at the time. I only make very small batches so I am not drowning in booze or spending money like a man with not pockets. This gives me the opportunity to be too busy to get fixated on turning what should be a relaxing hobby into a production run. I don't use anything that can be substituted by time and I would rather rack off rather than use finings to get crud out of my brews. The number of guys I know that have great looking booze with absolutely no taste is huge as all the taste has been stripped out as wel as the character. Keep it slow and steady save your money on finings and my cloudy beer is better than some bright shiny stuff you can read a book through.
When it's done fermenting it will settle, especially if it gets cold. However, I always rack it into the still and through a maple syrup cone filter. Comes out very clear.
Apart from gelatin, a bentonite clay makes wonders to clear the wash. Take about 1-2g of bentonite clay per liter of wash, mix it with water to make a thin slurry and leave overnight so it hydrates. In the meanwhile, de-gas the wash with vigorous mixing, as CO2 gas messes with the clarification process. Of course, you need to make sure that it stopped fermenting beforehand. Add bentonite slurry to the wash and mix well; put aside in a preferably cool place. Depending on your wash and clay used, the process will take from few hours to about two days. Overnight it cleared my murky sugar wash to crystal clear. I totally recommend it, also because it's cheap - it can be bought as a bentonite cat litter (make sure to buy unscented one) and a single bag will serve you for a very long time.
You are not the only one to say this, I am convinced you are correct, and yet it doesn't work for me, for interest's sake, have you tried this with an FFV?
@@vtbn53 I'm not familiar with FFV, but after googling it I guess you mean Teddy's Fast Fermenting Vodka recipe. Mine was even simpler: sugar (enough for about 19Blg), citric acid, baking yeasts and not sure if I added DAP. Usually I don't bother with additional clearing the washes I just let them sit until they look good enough. This batch was kinda failure, as I was afraid that yeasts sat in there for too long and yet it didn't want to clarify on its own. What your process looked like? What were your resources and actions? Maybe we'll be able to figure something out.
@@Tyresio12 I follow Teddy Sad's instructions to the letter. The only way I have been able to clear it to a degree that it doesn't leave a load of scum on the bottom of the boiler (and therefore burning on the element) is to cold crash it in a freezer.
@@vtbn53 Hm, I guess that cooked bran may be the reason for the overall murkiness. And I understand that you've tried bentonite, could you describe how exactly you did it? Maybe something was missing? Maybe the wash wasn't done fermenting yet. As CO2 is generated, it re-mixes the wash and prevents the sedimentation. But again, that's just my wild guess, as I know nothing how you used it.
@@Tyresio12 I judge the ferment finish by no change in the hydrometer for 2 days (but FFV invariably finishes in 4 days). I then remove the heat and allow the wash to come down to room temperature, I then rack off into another vessel through a cheese cloth filter which removes the bran and also de-gasses the wash - I then make a judgement call as to whether to do more de-gassing. Whilst that is happening I am hydrating the clay (I have tried 1 hour to 24+ hours). When everything is reading I stir the hydrated clay into the top layer of the wash and wait 24 hours. Alas, that process is not working anywhere nearly as cold crashing over night in the freezer, but I am told that freezing the wash can add off flavours.
I don't "force clear" washes. I rack them to another clean barrel, start with new ferment. Distill the cleared barrel, until gone. Clean barrel, repeat. Time is your friend in this hobby. If the wash HAS TO BE CLEAR... As Jesse said: "GELATIN". Cheap, easy, use more the bigger your barrel. Cheers Jesse.
8 gallon milk can still with a 1500 watt element running through a triclamp connection. Scorches like no other. Have racked to secondary, and used clarifying agents. Always scorched in the element where it comes through the triclamp fitting.
Are you using an ultra low watt density element? I know the shiny elements that you get for hot water heaters will scorch. I get ULWD elements from theelectricbrewery.
The cleaner it goes into the still, the cleaner it comes out. I always rack out of the fermentation bucket into a racking vessel and allow it to sit a few days before I run it through the still. None of my wines beers or meads have turned to vinegar and so far none of my spirits either.
Jess, Great information as always!! Just wanted to let you know, your podcasts are FANTASTIC also! LOL!!! Hope your not calling yourself a ranty MoFo....
I think that adding double the recommended Epsom Salts will aid in clarifying out the yeast: basically it gives the yeast more ionic nucleation points within the suspension to clump around and drop out. It does add some sulfur, but we're talking an extra 1/4 gram per liter. I found this out by a math error. I had @12 gallons of wort and split it in two fermentation vessels. The carboy that i screwed up on and added 6 tablespoons (which was the whole batch amount) was crystal clear after 5 days: while the other carboy still looked like mayonnaise. YMMV.
I was testing this, This make more sence than I was able to figure out. i use DADY and it seams too carry in to the run. I need to try different yeas. Love the kids. (LOL)
If i was using a T-500 column, would you suggest using something at the base to dissipate heat or starting slower by possibly using a cycle timer until she drips? Im loving this channel more after every video!
I am using a sugar wash in a AirStill, and it mentions using a turbo clear that comes with it; however i don't have it as i am just borrowing it from my father. I read that you can just let it sit longer, or use gelatin packets.
My main reason for running a cleared wash versus a not so cleared is the extrscamount heat it takes to run versus a cleared settled wash. It's night and day difference
Love it 😍 awesome subject and explaination. Would it be okay, with an all grain whiskey to dilute the wash say from 21 litres to 25 to top up the boiler. Would this effect the of the flavour spirit? The reason i though of this is, once wash the is racked off there will be likely less liquid after leaving the sediment behind.
@@titahibayflier3160 ok you will be fine at the 21L I wouldn't risk filling it any more than that, you want to leave room for head space or you'll risk having your still puke on you.
Of course Bourbon is 'not an issue'. It's how it's made and makes the flavour! Do i want a load of yeast in my beer? Of course not cos it flavours it - unless it's deliberately in there like some wheat bers and so on.
Popcorn Sutton never did it. Say dropping a copper plate in the bottom of the still spreads it evenly. Man I wish I could do a run with a still with you.
im wondering....can you over filter your wash pre distilling? asy you run a high pressure , 1 micron filter ..you would have crystal clear wash.....i wonder if the end product would lose flavor.....cheers!
hi m8 , so my question answered thanks , put my first wash through clear as any i have ever made , had a bad smell carbon filtering got rid of most of it , put one through this week hazy as hell loads of yeast in it and it was a mix of failed ginger beer and wine so looked terrible lol but ye quantity as a bit low in the end but was pushing 95 % proof and zero smell so , ye no clue lol
It wasn’t that Ranty! Lol 😂 you’re dead right, you get the feel for it with the equipment you’re using. Personally I mash, Boil and distill with the one piece of equipment (not too hard to guess what that would be)🧐 Haha. I reckon that helped a lot with realising what’s going to scorch and what’s plain sailing. Well said Jesse 👍
Good stuff! I don't think I have scorched anything yet. Fruit ferments are pretty clear, so shouldn't be a big problem if I don't put all the stuff inside the kettle. Do you think a stirring motor would prevent any of this? does it worth it? Thanks Jesse! :)
@Rodrigo Montefusco using an agitator/stirring motor prevents scorching (I use it). If you would have ever scorched something you would have known, believe me. I'm very surprised no one other came up with this in the comments. Greetings from Belgium
With the chinese pot still (just got one, getting started in the craft)... can you use a simple electric hotplate? Since it's a low temp, as you said, I feel like it would be ideal... especially in my situation. May also help prevent scorching, as you could upend a pot over the point the element makes contact as a sort of false bottom to keep things from contacting right there.
@Denny - did you arrive at a conclusion? I bought a single burner induction hob for my Chinese pot still (20litres) and it works a treat. It has 10 power settings which seems to be more than sufficient for anywhere between a gentle distillation right through to a proper belting stripping run.
So Jesse what is your indifference to fining base clearing agent. Does it impart a flavour or what is your thoughts on this. I use it but I'm wondering if it is leaving something behind.
Home brewer here. I will normally keep cycling water from gran back on top until clarified just after sparge. Then, rack off the primary fermenter and do a secondary. A cold crash could be performed after secondary prior to transfer. Would this be a good process or an overkill?
I have a keg still and cleaning is more of an issue. So I like a clear wash. When I do mashes or absinthe I will use a pot still that’ heats evenly, and is easier to clean. Then I run it all, and your right, no yeast flavor.
Forgive me, I'm a newb and dont have the lingo down. I've noticed in a lot of your videos, when you are tasting your alcohol at different pouring levels you get different flavours, some good some not so good that you discard. What if you want a neutral tasting alcohol for the purpose of absorbing flavours for extracts, how would you achieve that?
My old man distils his grappa with a lot of the fruit and other solids in the boiler, but has a mesh that keeps the solids off the bottom and doesn't get any scorch.
Once I run a stripping run can I save the product and add further runs to the product ? My goal is to gather enough product to fill my boiler for a slower final run.
So would you try and clear up a peach brandy before distilling? Running pot still planning on running super slow. Saw a Croatian brandy maker just drop the whole mash in his pot.
Yup ideally I would do just that, distill it all. I guess that was the point of this video. Trying to point out what you can and can not get away with based on your equipment. Then you can decided on what to do for any specific wash as a artistic choice.
I got an off topic question. I have a 15 gallon keg that I’ll be using for my boiler. I will be using 2 2000w heating elements (I can only use 120 volts). How should I position the ferrules that I’ll be using for heating element? I’ll have one about 3-4 inches from the bottom but where would be the best position for the second one? (IE: 90 degrees and 4 inches from bottom ferrule)
I put “dried” cherries in my wash and later realized sunflower oil was an ingredient in them. Is this something I need to worry about? I put a bunch (3 pounds) in a 3 gallon batch. It seems to be doing great bubbling like crazy. I’m worried about byproducts from the oil.
Hey Jesse, I have a Chinese pot still and I am still a little to the hobby. I heard that if you put glass marbles in the still during your run it will help with scorching. Is this true?
Hi j&l I also have a Chinese 30l still I have done A few Sugar molasses Runs already and have no scorching at all and Great Taste Now I'm going to try something with raisins in it I put Them To a juice centrifuge so I am Only using The juice from it and think there Won't be Anything That's going to scorch Any Toughs ??
@@killerbanjo as long as you scrub it very well i only use it as a still though best and easyest to buy and mod the lid gasket is there you can find them in second hand stores allot of the time un used some bad wedding present that was donated
@@dannoonan7094 I don't get any scorching, I use an induction plate for mine. I have removed the safety valve and machined a piece of copper that holds a thermometer to go into that hole instead, there the weighted valve goes I've just unbolted that and bolted on a simple worm condenser that I got off of ebay. It works a treat but I wish I got a ten litre one instead of a 5 litre one. I think I might have to upgrade.
How do you run 2 gals of wash when it doesn't cover your heating element? It takes 2 1/2 gal to cover my 1500 watt heating element. Do I add more water to the wash?
Asked a distiller about avoiding scorching a few years ago at a tour. So this isn't from some "enthusiast amateur" that's is over thinking things. They drop the yeast and a bit more and send the rest to one of 2 kettles and distill immediately. 1 has no paddle and one has a paddle to stir the wash while being distilled. Neither has scorched because they don't run that hot
So, for a sugar wash, how about after filtering, freeze the water out of the alcohol. The way I understand it, sugar wash has no methanol, so no danger there. The only problem I can see, once the solids have settled, it only 40 proof, if I'm not mistaken. Given enough time in the freezer, most of the water will be unbound from the alcohol, and the water will freeze, leaving only the alcohol.
Eeeehh... Well. Before distilling you should definately get rid of everything that you don't want flavours from in your product, and that goes for yeast as well. Let's give an example: When making gin, you add botanicals to your spirit, and then distill it again, and whatever you put in your still will definately flavour your product. Agree so far? It should go without a saying that whatever it is inside the still, will come out in a distilled form, and give taste and smell to the product, as long as the temperature range is right. It doesn't matter if it is spices, botanicals, flower petals (perfume), or other junk; they will all make their mark on the product. The conclusion is: Make sure that your wash is as clear as possible. Take the extra days to let fining agents do their part. Your wash will have a hue from whatever you are making it from (sugar makes it slightly yellow). Apart from that, it should be clear as water.
The only problem with waiting for the wash to ferment out is that it never does entirely, or at least it could take months, it is hyperbolic in it's nature, it continues to approach zero but never quite gets there.
Okay everyone like, comment, subscribe get that bell on and share the videos we all need to help Jesse's channel out so he can afford a nother bike to stop his kids fighting lol. love your work bro!!!
It's all fun and games until you scorch a wash. So much time and money down the drain (unless you have a reflux still to turn it into vodka). My anti scorching protocol is a very methodical heat up. 1kw to 35 deg then 1.5kw to 50 deg then 2kw to 75 deg and then full power. Takes an hour, works every time.
If you want the "easy" answer. Follow these guidelines. They will work for almost all stills:
1 - Make sure fermentation is finished then wait a few more days
2 - Rack/syphon off the top of the fermenter avoiding the yeast cake
3 - Don't let any bits of grain into the pot
4 - Don't stress if the wash is a little murky
5 - Don't let the wash sit in the pot for a long period of time before distilling
Do you leave the grain in the fermenter during fermentation?
Your channel is awesome too
Thanks for all the knowledge
About what I do. When I use grains, I do a sparge and only liquids go into the carbouy. The older I get, the lazier I get...and a little scortch ain't all that bad, as you say, a spectrum.
I also, always, do two runs. Two stripping runs combined to make a final run. I've been doing it for decades, it gives me what I want.
How else would you ferment it?
These focused beginner topics are awesome, thanks Jessie!
Glad someone is enjoying them :)
You know, whenever I look something up about this hobby on youtube, you show up. And while I could probably get my answer in print in 1/5 the time of your videos, I really enjoy the banter. Thank you for wasting my time in an enjoyable way.
Some distillers crank up the heat from the beginning to start producing as soon as possible. It's best to start with the heat very low and wait for the wash to get a little warm and only then begin to gradually raise the heat. Patience will save you from a scorch.
I generally sparge my grain in a bag, and remove it from the process after extracting all of the sugars I can. My spout in my fermentation bucket sits at a level just above where my barm and sediment lie. I then strain through a tripled layer of cheesecloth and I have never had a scorch. When it's a sugar wash, or something like molasses/rum wash, or agave/tequila wash, then I just use the cheesecloth and I again, have no problems. I find an agave/tequila wash is one of the cleanest, clearest washes I have encountered. Rock on Jesse and the rest of the Chaser's out there!!
Yes, Tiguila is so easy to make and has a really clear wash.
Hey wise guy I use agave with corn sugar clean wash and great flavor
Hi Jessie,
Just in the middle of my first ever fermentation and I was talking yesterday to a mate yesterday about the fact that I didn’t buy the coagulation stuff from turbo because I have never seen you use it. Then today UA-cam puts up this video from years ago! It’s like being watched by big brother!!
Thanks so much for this explanation, it has confirmed my uneducated assumptions!
Important to slowly ramp up the heat -- even on stripping runs.
Completely agree with 100% of everything you talked about. Off flavors in a Boka reflux column from turbo yeast on a sugar wash trying for 20% ABV could never be filtered even with the best four foot rock based carbon filter, but racking and letting it clear an extra week made all the difference...but, this was because I used to try heating up the boiler as fast as I could on two gas burners, then turning it down. So, I stressed the yeast, didn't pick a yeast for flavor profile consistent to the intended end product, and heated it up too fast -- perfect beginner's isht-storm. Once I got better at using Riku's automatic reflux control (ARC) column, even with the same turbo yeast I got azeo with just the slightest taste of burnt sugar.
Oldie but a goody. Just refreshing. Its getting into the season for me!
Thank you for clarifying this subject matter for all the new distillers.
I completely agree about the yeast. I can guarantee that this is not an issue. That melon wash was still fermenting when it went in the Genio.
I've never distilled anything but I've made a fair amount of wine, and I agree too. If you're starting with a proper yeast to begin with, the yeast is not the problem. Somebody abused the yeast... operator error.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 In my case I discovered through some further research that the melon I was trying to ferment has a compound that acts as a yeast inhibitor. The culprit was the fruit pulp and the solution was to use only the juice. I did a few tests to confirm that Cantaloupe juice by itself fermented perfectly, but the pulp acted like a preservative.
@@BeardedBored That makes sense. Pulp causes various sorts of trouble in my experience, and melons in general have a bit of a reputation for being a pain to work with. Thanks for passing along the info. :)
@@BeardedBored I would *guess* that the inhibitor comes from a natural feature of the seeds themselves, so of course it's on the pulp too. Some plants, tomatoes and melons included, have that stuff on the seeds so they don't rot in the ground before they germinate, so they survive a winter and cool wet spring better before conditions are nice and warm the following summer. It inhibits not only rotting but germination itself if it's "fresh" and still on the seed. When you save seeds from heirloom tomatoes or melons, it's best to ferment them just in clean water and air to get that inhibitor off them (no yeast or anything needed), then let them dry off. Germination rates improve dramatically after that.
I've found once fermentation is done and the majority of solids have settled to the bottom, I filter the wash above this through a 400 micron 5 gallon bucket filter (available from Amazon in various microns). Once filtered, I pour directly into my boiler. At 400 microns the particles are pretty much so small no scorching will occur and off flavor particles have been filtered out.
I’m a beginner and find your tips extremely helpful as I learn my way. Thank you! ♥️✨🤪✌🏽
Jess!! THANK YOU!! Not "Ranty" at all!!!
Really appreciate it I followed all of what you said lower temperature, run through a mutton cloth to remove partials before I put in the stall. Cloudy from black first time after little bit of temperature fiddles I got it dripping clear bottle was at 40% on the dot. Potato vodka
Great stuff Jessie. I support everything you have said. People are getting too hung up on just what clarifying means. Also many just dont have the capacity to throttle down, but there is nothing wrong with solids in the pot.
That last 2 seconds of the video cracked me up man... made my day sir! Keep them coming friend
I usually throw some gelatin in on Wednesday (always run the still on Saturday) and then I hang my hop spider in the still and put the end of my siphon hose in it when filling the still. Never had a problem.
Nice video man. I have learned to strain out all I can out of my mash but I dont worry about it. But always keep your still on low and stur it until it gets hot then turn up the heat. And then cap it off. I use a 5gal still and use gass.
Great idea
Awesome vid as usual. The main issue I always see/hear about is trying to go too damn fast. I think most things in this hobby work better the slower you go and the minute you rush things you run into issues. I was always taught to put heat to the still the second you pour in the mash and set it to as low as it can go. Once some heat gets in it you then start turning it up from there. The slower you go, the better it is.
Awesome I think it depends of your end goals the flavours that you’re looking for! Again it’s not what you do but the way you doing it! I like to clear my vodka and and run my rum as soon that’s finished to ferment. We are on Camping trip I’ll safe your video for later! Cheers stay safe!
Stay safe mate. Enjoy getting the hell away from everything!
That is excellent advice. I wish somebody had done this video a long time ago.
Hey Jesse I deff strain it.
I like to clear the wash, so I just wait for everything to fall out of suspension. Cold crashing works great, but then I have to wait for my wash to come back up to room temperature to run it. I have found that my whiskey taste better if I don't use the Turbo Clear type products. Maybe too clear reduces the character a bit?
When I was doing neutral grain sugar spirits, I would just run it through cone coffee filters. If I needed to get rid of off flavors, I just added ground charcoal from water filters that I poured into the coffee filters.
I would think that cheesecloth and cone coffee filters would be adequate after letting the sediment settle out.
the T500 has the element under the base so havent had any probs
I discovered that I am impatient and the temptation to turn the heat up to speed things up is just too much for me to handle. Several scorched boiler bottoms have made me adopt a new strategy. I always have a number of projects on the go at one time. This stops me being tempted to turn the heat up just to speed things up. I have a couple of beers and a couple of wines on the go and what ever spirit I am playing with at the time. I only make very small batches so I am not drowning in booze or spending money like a man with not pockets. This gives me the opportunity to be too busy to get fixated on turning what should be a relaxing hobby into a production run. I don't use anything that can be substituted by time and I would rather rack off rather than use finings to get crud out of my brews. The number of guys I know that have great looking booze with absolutely no taste is huge as all the taste has been stripped out as wel as the character. Keep it slow and steady save your money on finings and my cloudy beer is better than some bright shiny stuff you can read a book through.
When it's done fermenting it will settle, especially if it gets cold. However, I always rack it into the still and through a maple syrup cone filter. Comes out very clear.
Apart from gelatin, a bentonite clay makes wonders to clear the wash. Take about 1-2g of bentonite clay per liter of wash, mix it with water to make a thin slurry and leave overnight so it hydrates. In the meanwhile, de-gas the wash with vigorous mixing, as CO2 gas messes with the clarification process. Of course, you need to make sure that it stopped fermenting beforehand. Add bentonite slurry to the wash and mix well; put aside in a preferably cool place. Depending on your wash and clay used, the process will take from few hours to about two days. Overnight it cleared my murky sugar wash to crystal clear. I totally recommend it, also because it's cheap - it can be bought as a bentonite cat litter (make sure to buy unscented one) and a single bag will serve you for a very long time.
You are not the only one to say this, I am convinced you are correct, and yet it doesn't work for me, for interest's sake, have you tried this with an FFV?
@@vtbn53 I'm not familiar with FFV, but after googling it I guess you mean Teddy's Fast Fermenting Vodka recipe. Mine was even simpler: sugar (enough for about 19Blg), citric acid, baking yeasts and not sure if I added DAP. Usually I don't bother with additional clearing the washes I just let them sit until they look good enough. This batch was kinda failure, as I was afraid that yeasts sat in there for too long and yet it didn't want to clarify on its own. What your process looked like? What were your resources and actions? Maybe we'll be able to figure something out.
@@Tyresio12 I follow Teddy Sad's instructions to the letter. The only way I have been able to clear it to a degree that it doesn't leave a load of scum on the bottom of the boiler (and therefore burning on the element) is to cold crash it in a freezer.
@@vtbn53 Hm, I guess that cooked bran may be the reason for the overall murkiness. And I understand that you've tried bentonite, could you describe how exactly you did it? Maybe something was missing? Maybe the wash wasn't done fermenting yet. As CO2 is generated, it re-mixes the wash and prevents the sedimentation. But again, that's just my wild guess, as I know nothing how you used it.
@@Tyresio12 I judge the ferment finish by no change in the hydrometer for 2 days (but FFV invariably finishes in 4 days). I then remove the heat and allow the wash to come down to room temperature, I then rack off into another vessel through a cheese cloth filter which removes the bran and also de-gasses the wash - I then make a judgement call as to whether to do more de-gassing. Whilst that is happening I am hydrating the clay (I have tried 1 hour to 24+ hours). When everything is reading I stir the hydrated clay into the top layer of the wash and wait 24 hours. Alas, that process is not working anywhere nearly as cold crashing over night in the freezer, but I am told that freezing the wash can add off flavours.
I don't "force clear" washes. I rack them to another clean barrel, start with new ferment.
Distill the cleared barrel, until gone. Clean barrel, repeat. Time is your friend in this hobby.
If the wash HAS TO BE CLEAR... As Jesse said: "GELATIN". Cheap, easy, use more the bigger your barrel.
Cheers Jesse.
Great info as always mate!
LOL.... "pfffft... that was a rantey mother f#&Ker..."
Hahahahahaha someone watched the whole thing;)
@@StillIt and then i went back and watched the end again haha
Straight to the end of video I went...lol
@@StillIt always watch the whole thing
@@StillIt always waiting for a bit more of fun :)
8 gallon milk can still with a 1500 watt element running through a triclamp connection. Scorches like no other. Have racked to secondary, and used clarifying agents. Always scorched in the element where it comes through the triclamp fitting.
Are you using an ultra low watt density element? I know the shiny elements that you get for hot water heaters will scorch. I get ULWD elements from theelectricbrewery.
The cleaner it goes into the still, the cleaner it comes out. I always rack out of the fermentation bucket into a racking vessel and allow it to sit a few days before I run it through the still. None of my wines beers or meads have turned to vinegar and so far none of my spirits either.
Jess, Great information as always!! Just wanted to let you know, your podcasts are FANTASTIC also! LOL!!! Hope your not calling yourself a ranty MoFo....
Love the ending of that one
I think that adding double the recommended Epsom Salts will aid in clarifying out the yeast: basically it gives the yeast more ionic nucleation points within the suspension to clump around and drop out. It does add some sulfur, but we're talking an extra 1/4 gram per liter.
I found this out by a math error. I had @12 gallons of wort and split it in two fermentation vessels. The carboy that i screwed up on and added 6 tablespoons (which was the whole batch amount) was crystal clear after 5 days: while the other carboy still looked like mayonnaise.
YMMV.
Dude...love your stuff.... Great content especially at 16 minutes and 25 seconds! 😂😂 We'd be great neighbors!
I was testing this, This make more sence than I was able to figure out. i use DADY and it seams too carry in to the run. I need to try different yeas. Love the kids. (LOL)
Keep up the good work- informative and humorous at the same time- and why were the kids fighting over the bike?
If i was using a T-500 column, would you suggest using something at the base to dissipate heat or starting slower by possibly using a cycle timer until she drips?
Im loving this channel more after every video!
I am using a sugar wash in a AirStill, and it mentions using a turbo clear that comes with it; however i don't have it as i am just borrowing it from my father. I read that you can just let it sit longer, or use gelatin packets.
This is my first ever wash I'll try to give an update in 5 days and what i did. Hope it goes well.
You did answer some of my suspicions, making 1200L of rum wash coming up... For science of course.
Gotta love science
How about starting out low heat and slow. Increase temp as you go depending on your still setup.
Yes, I was thinking the same. Also don't think you need to do a stripping run at full on power, even if you can.
Do you have a vid with the clawhammer still?
Brown colored wash ok...kind of tan.. cracked corn and distilled water...sugar and yeast...
My main reason for running a cleared wash versus a not so cleared is the extrscamount heat it takes to run versus a cleared settled wash. It's night and day difference
new (?) question on this old topic... what's up with unfermented sugars in the wash? Will they fall out as well with using a flocculating agent?
Will clearing the wash before going into the boiler help to stop puking?
Love it 😍 awesome subject and explaination. Would it be okay, with an all grain whiskey to dilute the wash say from 21 litres to 25 to top up the boiler. Would this effect the of the flavour spirit? The reason i though of this is, once wash the is racked off there will be likely less liquid after leaving the sediment behind.
You didn't say how many litres your still is. So just a question, does the 21 litres cover your heating elements? If your using internal electric.
@@rayfox212 its almost full at about 25 to 26 litres. The element is about 35mm to 40mm off the bottom or 1.5 inches.
@@titahibayflier3160 ok you will be fine at the 21L I wouldn't risk filling it any more than that, you want to leave room for head space or you'll risk having your still puke on you.
@@rayfox212 okay thanks... Thats a good point. Never have a problem with sugar washes but with all grain could be risky.
So ineed your help how can I fix it
I've definitely distilled 1000L of pure yeast slurry and it turned out fine.
Should be noted this is with a stream jacket... I'd be worried about scorching with an electric element.
I let it settle a little and decant so i have more room in my still, more space=less boil over
@@hugedickerinokripperino5299 I just don't avoid it. It's all got to be stripped anyways lol.
Is there a way to fix the alcohol from a scorched run?
It's like George always said your product in has direct correlation to your product out.
Of course Bourbon is 'not an issue'. It's how it's made and makes the flavour! Do i want a load of yeast in my beer? Of course not cos it flavours it - unless it's deliberately in there like some wheat bers and so on.
Popcorn Sutton never did it. Say dropping a copper plate in the bottom of the still spreads it evenly. Man I wish I could do a run with a still with you.
im wondering....can you over filter your wash pre distilling? asy you run a high pressure , 1 micron filter ..you would have crystal clear wash.....i wonder if the end product would lose flavor.....cheers!
Can I ask when you use the genio? and also have you ever looked at the istill? If you have looked at the istill, what are your thoughts on it?
I ran my first Rye batch without it being very clear...and it scorched really easy. The end product smelled like a burnt pretzel.
The last five seconds of this was amazing. Just you commenting on yourself.
When you say how you treat your yeast what exactly do you mean? Like using yeast nutrients? Thank you! I love the videos
nutrients and fermentation tempreture, having a large variation in temp can produce off flavors
I leave the wash for 2 weeks after it stops fermenting and then carefully siphon the it out leaving the settlement relatively unndisturbed
Jesse did you buy the genio still?
Do you normally separate grains before or after fermentation. Are there any benefits fermenting with grains and separate just before destination?
hi m8 , so my question answered thanks , put my first wash through clear as any i have ever made , had a bad smell carbon filtering got rid of most of it , put one through this week hazy as hell loads of yeast in it and it was a mix of failed ginger beer and wine so looked terrible lol but ye quantity as a bit low in the end but was pushing 95 % proof and zero smell so , ye no clue lol
I generally wait two weeks after all activity, rack it off, then wait two days, rack it into the pot.
Yes, professional pot with aluminum bottom, filtered mash and slow heating. :)
Nice way to end the chat Jessie 😂🤣
Can you recommend a micron filter? 5 micron?
It wasn’t that Ranty! Lol 😂 you’re dead right, you get the feel for it with the equipment you’re using. Personally I mash, Boil and distill with the one piece of equipment (not too hard to guess what that would be)🧐 Haha. I reckon that helped a lot with realising what’s going to scorch and what’s plain sailing. Well said Jesse 👍
How about the turbo t500 still is it bad for scorching
If I clear with any agent would I still be able to save my yeast if I find one I want to keep?
Or does it ruin the yeast?
Yeast harvest ideas? natural vegan thought on organics?
Do you use a secondary fermentation to clear or is it not worth it? Would using a clearing agent like gelatin be better.
Good stuff! I don't think I have scorched anything yet. Fruit ferments are pretty clear, so shouldn't be a big problem if I don't put all the stuff inside the kettle. Do you think a stirring motor would prevent any of this? does it worth it? Thanks Jesse! :)
@Rodrigo Montefusco using an agitator/stirring motor prevents scorching (I use it). If you would have ever scorched something you would have known, believe me. I'm very surprised no one other came up with this in the comments. Greetings from Belgium
With the chinese pot still (just got one, getting started in the craft)... can you use a simple electric hotplate? Since it's a low temp, as you said, I feel like it would be ideal... especially in my situation. May also help prevent scorching, as you could upend a pot over the point the element makes contact as a sort of false bottom to keep things from contacting right there.
@Denny - did you arrive at a conclusion? I bought a single burner induction hob for my Chinese pot still (20litres) and it works a treat. It has 10 power settings which seems to be more than sufficient for anywhere between a gentle distillation right through to a proper belting stripping run.
@@robsalvv5853 yeah, the resistance coil burners work fine. My 10 gal needs a double set though, but it works.
So Jesse what is your indifference to fining base clearing agent. Does it impart a flavour or what is your thoughts on this. I use it but I'm wondering if it is leaving something behind.
Home brewer here. I will normally keep cycling water from gran back on top until clarified just after sparge. Then, rack off the primary fermenter and do a secondary. A cold crash could be performed after secondary prior to transfer. Would this be a good process or an overkill?
I have a keg still and cleaning is more of an issue.
So I like a clear wash.
When I do mashes or absinthe I will use a pot still that’ heats evenly, and is easier to clean. Then I run it all, and your right, no yeast flavor.
Forgive me, I'm a newb and dont have the lingo down. I've noticed in a lot of your videos, when you are tasting your alcohol at different pouring levels you get different flavours, some good some not so good that you discard. What if you want a neutral tasting alcohol for the purpose of absorbing flavours for extracts, how would you achieve that?
Any alternatives to gelatin for the vegans out here? Will pectinase work?
My old man distils his grappa with a lot of the fruit and other solids in the boiler, but has a mesh that keeps the solids off the bottom and doesn't get any scorch.
I set my five gal alembic still in a double boiler and not a bit of scorch
Once I run a stripping run can I save the product and add further runs to the product ? My goal is to gather enough product to fill my boiler for a slower final run.
Yes absolutely
I strip almost everything I run and then do a second larger liquor run.
So would you try and clear up a peach brandy before distilling? Running pot still planning on running super slow. Saw a Croatian brandy maker just drop the whole mash in his pot.
Yup ideally I would do just that, distill it all. I guess that was the point of this video. Trying to point out what you can and can not get away with based on your equipment. Then you can decided on what to do for any specific wash as a artistic choice.
Thanks love the channel keep it up! The botanical rum video was very cool.
Is the burnt flavor something that would come out in a spirt run? Or is this one of those things that once you have it there is no turning back?
It depends. Treating with activated carbon before the next rectification surely helps.
I got an off topic question. I have a 15 gallon keg that I’ll be using for my boiler. I will be using 2 2000w heating elements (I can only use 120 volts). How should I position the ferrules that I’ll be using for heating element? I’ll have one about 3-4 inches from the bottom but where would be the best position for the second one? (IE: 90 degrees and 4 inches from bottom ferrule)
How low and slow do you "normally" do the second run?
I put “dried” cherries in my wash and later realized sunflower oil was an ingredient in them. Is this something I need to worry about? I put a bunch (3 pounds) in a 3 gallon batch. It seems to be doing great bubbling like crazy. I’m worried about byproducts from the oil.
Hey Jesse, I have a Chinese pot still and I am still a little to the hobby. I heard that if you put glass marbles in the still during your run it will help with scorching. Is this true?
Hi j&l
I also have a Chinese 30l still
I have done A few Sugar molasses Runs already and have no scorching at all and Great Taste Now I'm going to try something with raisins in it
I put Them To a juice centrifuge so I am Only using The juice from it and think there Won't be Anything That's going to scorch Any Toughs ??
I made my mash Ii cook my mash and iput my surgerso it bin set about two week so It done so idid a little bit and there it tast about 20 perfect
Is your pot a pressure cooker witch doubles as your pot still👍😉
That's exactly what mine is. I'll cook a curry in it then give it a good wash and make some booze. Not tasted any curry in my vodka or gin yet!
@@killerbanjo it doesn't scorch the vodka or gin
@@killerbanjo does it ?
@@killerbanjo as long as you scrub it very well i only use it as a still though best and easyest to buy and mod the lid gasket is there you can find them in second hand stores allot of the time un used some bad wedding present that was donated
@@dannoonan7094 I don't get any scorching, I use an induction plate for mine. I have removed the safety valve and machined a piece of copper that holds a thermometer to go into that hole instead, there the weighted valve goes I've just unbolted that and bolted on a simple worm condenser that I got off of ebay. It works a treat but I wish I got a ten litre one instead of a 5 litre one. I think I might have to upgrade.
How do you run 2 gals of wash when it doesn't cover your heating element? It takes 2 1/2 gal to cover my 1500 watt heating element. Do I add more water to the wash?
@morse Thanks
As soon as it's done it's ready if you cook it off at a low enough temperature it will only cook off the alcohol and should have no scorching
Asked a distiller about avoiding scorching a few years ago at a tour. So this isn't from some "enthusiast amateur" that's is over thinking things. They drop the yeast and a bit more and send the rest to one of 2 kettles and distill immediately. 1 has no paddle and one has a paddle to stir the wash while being distilled. Neither has scorched because they don't run that hot
So, for a sugar wash, how about after filtering, freeze the water out of the alcohol. The way I understand it, sugar wash has no methanol, so no danger there. The only problem I can see, once the solids have settled, it only 40 proof, if I'm not mistaken. Given enough time in the freezer, most of the water will be unbound from the alcohol, and the water will freeze, leaving only the alcohol.
Eeeehh... Well. Before distilling you should definately get rid of everything that you don't want flavours from in your product, and that goes for yeast as well.
Let's give an example: When making gin, you add botanicals to your spirit, and then distill it again, and whatever you put in your still will definately flavour your product. Agree so far?
It should go without a saying that whatever it is inside the still, will come out in a distilled form, and give taste and smell to the product, as long as the temperature range is right. It doesn't matter if it is spices, botanicals, flower petals (perfume), or other junk; they will all make their mark on the product.
The conclusion is: Make sure that your wash is as clear as possible. Take the extra days to let fining agents do their part. Your wash will have a hue from whatever you are making it from (sugar makes it slightly yellow). Apart from that, it should be clear as water.
The only problem with waiting for the wash to ferment out is that it never does entirely, or at least it could take months, it is hyperbolic in it's nature, it continues to approach zero but never quite gets there.
cold crash for the win.
lol yup. I just dont actively chill it any more.
Especially if you have cold weather. Free fridge/freezer from fall to spring.
Okay everyone like, comment, subscribe get that bell on and share the videos we all need to help Jesse's channel out so he can afford a nother bike to stop his kids fighting lol. love your work bro!!!
Cheers mate. Oh there is more bikes than kids out there. But you know . . .. . . .kids!
@@StillIt hahahaha yeah man!!!!!
heat distribution is pproportinial to the intensity of the source.......i just made that up to help u explain the heat thing lol
It's all fun and games until you scorch a wash. So much time and money down the drain (unless you have a reflux still to turn it into vodka). My anti scorching protocol is a very methodical heat up. 1kw to 35 deg then 1.5kw to 50 deg then 2kw to 75 deg and then full power. Takes an hour, works every time.