It's amazing for listening to while you are driving (most of it you don't need to see after the first 50 or so videos until you are coming back to actually learn that specific thing)
It sounds that to many people that watch your videos are to smart to watch your videos 2 to /3 times before contacting you. I personally enjoy watching your videos 2 to 3 times. It helps me to remember what you are saying better. To me, you help me understand why my grandfather did what he did it. When I was a kid. Now I am 73 plus and still love this hobby. God bless Wayne
3:40 To anyone wondering, the difference between corn sugar and table sugar is the surface area. Corn sugar is typically a powder so it dissolves easily in cold water. Table sugar is large granules which dissolves slowly in cold water but fast in warm water. It takes time for the water molecules to break apart the sugar molecules and with large surface area you can get away with lower temperatures but with low surface area you need higher temps to compensate.
Not quite right there. Table sugar is a 50/50 mix of Fructose and Glucose. Corn sugar should be, if labelled right, mostly glucose but with at least a 2% Fructose contaminant. Yeast prefers to eat Glucose. So the wash should take off quicker and have less "off flavours" with corn sugar than with sucrose table sugar. Also if pushing the limits (to make hand sanitizer) a sucrose wash can get stuck a lot easier than a corn sugar wash of the same gravity.
@@williamarmstrong7199 I agree. Corn sugar is Dextrose and it's awesome to use. It's got an extremely clean fermentation, almost no foreshots in a batch. Table sugar is usually processed 3 times while corn sugar is only processed once. The only bad thing about corn sugar is that it's expensive and kindly hard to get.
@@williamarmstrong7199spot on except the table sugar being a 50/50 mix. Table sugar is its own sugar, sucrose, which is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose chemically bonded. You can break the chemical bond in a process called hydrolysis by dissolving the sugar in water, adding an acid as a catalyst (citric acid usually) and heating, which produces a syrup commonly called "invert sugar". Just thought I'd add that.
Two things I've discovered in making a sugar wash: 1) Plain white sugar seems to be a better choice than Dextrose (corn sugar). In my experience, Dextrose leaves a tiny bit of sharpness in the neutral spirits which to me is not so good if you want a neutral spirit like Vodka. Sugar is also a lot cheaper than Dextrose. 2) Before I add yeast, I aerate the wash for several hours using an aquarium air pump and several bubble air stones. This gives the yeast lots of oxygen when they need it most, at startup.
Yes sir, it does bc table sugers has a conversion rate of 80/20 and corn sugers are 100% so yes u will get a sharper taste I also prefer table suger as well most of the time it just depends on what you're trying to achieve you know how it goes
10:48 Diammonium phosphate (yeast nutrient) and urea (controversial because of ethyl carbamate) not only accelerate the fermentation but also decreases fusel oil production because the yeast doesn't need to steal nitrogen from its own amino acids (the ammonia goes into the urea cycle to become amino acids vs the Erlich pathway in low nitrogen conditions). Which means higher ethanol yield (hearts). Happy distilling George!
Photon the Latios So if I just have yeaAt but no turbo Can I add mash up apple so it has nutrients And just to clarify if I add more that recommendamount of sugar it’ll just up the alcohol percentage?
WOW! That's some knowledge! I'll be honest, my organic chem is so rusty you could be blowing smoke up all our asses, but shit, I'll try some diamotium AD poosphate, whatever you said. Thanks!
I've also noticed that 1.070 - 1.090 gives the cleanest results. Anything higher really stresses the yeast and produces more esters (heads) and fusels (tails).
@@reddenw5501 Add water to your wash to dilute your SG ( specific gravity ) down to where you want it to be. This is where you need a hydrometer, and why you check your SG before you add your yeast.
Started a weird experiment. As an artisan cheesemaker, I have a lot of whey. So, I took 4 gal cow whey (post cheese and ricotta making), 2 pounds sugar, 1 gal distilled water, and 1 1/4 tsp DADY. Starting SG was 1.040 with a Brix of 10. That was yesterday afternoon, and this morning, it's bubbling away like crazy! My yeast nutrient was on back order, so did not use any, but I figure what the whey had (enzymes, minerals, lactose, fats) would help feed the yeast. My goal is to ferment into Blaand, but then continue on and distill into a vodka-like spirit. Fingers crossed!
Hello. I came across your video by chance. I followed what you said to do, and I was amazed at how it came out. Sugar wash is great if you don't have rubbing alcohol. I ran out and I decided after not finding any rubbing alcohol in the stores to make my own. I went to looking on here and came across you. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me and the public. This is an excellent cleaner. I just got threw doing my hole bathroom in about 30 to 45 minutes. Amazing stuff. Thank you and have a great day.
one of my best treats was to use 5 gal sugar wash and at time of cooking add a gal of grape sweet wine and pot still it slow, oak char and its a treat good stuff .
Thanks for another great video George why not use corn sugar it devolves without heating? Couple of years ago I bought a O2 concentrator at a garage sale really cheap since then I give my water 7l an hour for two hours then I add my ingredients for whatever I'm making it makes my yeast very very happy and I've never had a stuck fermentation just make sure to leave extra head space because it makes a extremely active fermentation. Also make sure to get a stainless steel air stone the ones for fish tanks should not be used their just glued together sand.
George you are so on point. When I was a kid in the Midwest my mom and aunts made Wine in the basement of our house from the grapes from our grapevine in the backyard. I remember the big glass bottles in the basement with the big balloons swelling up. I didn't know why but I do know now thanks for the videos and the information, simple honest and happy like when I was a kid. Don't stop George.
George, I like all of your videos. If it was not for you, I may never have gotten into this hobby. I've known about this hobby for some time was kinda off put by all of the science behind it. Then you basically took me on the journey from beginning to end. Showing the gray areas where I could customize it a bit. George you took this polysaccharide and went yeast on it for me. I thank you very much sir!!! I'm grateful for your videos !!!!!
I have GOT to say George, you crack me up!! Here I am, sitting in the doctors office, watching your video and I ( just sitting all by myself) laughing!! Thank George, laughter is so good for the soul!! I am learning lots from you and enjoying your videos!! Thank you George, you really add positivity to my day!! Happy Distilling!! Hope your ribs are feeling better these days too. 💜🌷
Great videos! Fun fact: some people drink plain fermented but undistilled sugar wash in Finland. Used to be quite common during the 90's when we had a serious economic depression. Not so common anymore, but some still do it, mostly teenagers and those who are less well off. Distillation is unfortunately illegal here.
This is one of the best vids you've made George.....very straight to the point and I live on a sugar wash.....that neutral spirit is what I'm after...... Happy Distilling 😁
Man, I have to say, your comment on do it this way or that but no explanation hits home. I really love your no bullshit and full transparency explanations. If I could shake your hand I would. I've made wine since 2000 and made exactly zero whiskey. Thanks for all your help. I'm starting with 4lbs flaked corn and 1 lb of malt barley. Cheers
Happy Distilling George. In Australia sugar is $1.80/kg Dextrose is $1.90/kg You never mention dextrose, but it is the recommended sugar to use here. I like this video, it is a no BS guide to getting things happening and getting results. The Turbo500 has been my friend for nearly a year now, such a GREAT device, idiot proof.
Hey George, love your stuff. I learn so much from you and the community about distilling. I must say, my sugar washes are on the higher alcohol end of the scale, however most of the time I am using a very efficient reflux still which provides me a consistent 95% ABV product. When I ferment I use charcoal solution in the ferment and clearing agents before distillation and then do another carbon filter when I have proofed down to 40% and it is a very clean easy drinking neutral spirit. In fact most of the people who consume my spirit like it in straight 'shine' form. I also mess around with aging with oak etc cause I like a tenessee whiskey style myself. Although it misses some of the mash characteristics and other characteristics imparted by a pot still process, it still comes out as a very drinkable drop..... I guess my point being that although I produce a Fuel consistent ABV was, my use of carbon and filtering certainly produces a very workable easy product when proofed down.
Hi Dave, how tall is your still and how long do you take to distill say a 20 l batch to hit 95%? the is a very impresseve efficeny for a home set up, do you have a packed column and if so what do you pack it with
Hi Alan it's about 2.5foot alcoengine reflux head while it stainless steel wool packed. I've added another foot of stainless column packed with stainless steel wool. I run the .6mm flow restrictor rather than the .9mm stripping flow restrictor. I run it on top of a 65ltr boiler. Usually run 23ltr batches but occasionally run doubles if I start early. It takes about 6 hours for a run to finish with 23ltrs but its so set and not forget but not have to babysit that I can go and do other things just checking up on it every hour or so.
Thanks, George, for explaining that in a detailed. I currently have a wash stalling as we speak and was going to write in and ask what should I do. Cheers
I've been a bottle baby 43yrs old no.7 i had my time of quantity not quality I've had a few buddys shine over the yrs and I wanted to make my own so I picked up a 16qrt pressure cooker at the thrift store 4$ 20'roll 3/8 copper pipe and a couple of thermometer s about 6mo ago and I done my homework and I would say that your tutorial is the best I could get so I'll have to call you SHINEING GURU GEORGE MY FIRST TIME IT WENT PERFECT I USED A THUMPER and I used it the second time and got distracted by the lil woman and I didn't strain my mash good enough and my line plugged up and blew the relief valve I had and I had a gyser and mash all over my ceiling and floor managed to save half and learn a valuable lesson DON'T GET DISTRACTED BY ANYTHING .................... So I didn't use. Thumper for months then I reconfigured it and made another thumper and gave it a whirl and I was pleased with the results although the temp wasn't too stable up and down yet I had good product so I played with a couple more weeks and then I found 3 aluminum storage cans world 7gal and watched video on myths about it and THANKS GEORU And I put it together and it was a great deal different I filled it with 5gl first and temp was high in kettle but thumper was stable and I'm pleased with able to process more than 3.5 to get the. Max so now I have aprox20 to of wash and fill kettle to bout top and my entire cycle flows with the readings as for my setup is ideally comparable with the scale and I worked out the bugs and I am a happy hooker my last run I yeilded 1gl hearts half to tails and I go 10 min168 twice kettle then thumper to separate and my temp was at peak 203 kettle and started to produce at 175 and it didn't fluctuate as it slowly cooked and I monitor it was the best run in all my 6mon I spent 12 hrs in kitchen and filled all my bottles with joy it was like THE ANGELS WERE SHINNING ON ME 😁LOL I AM ATTACHED MY VIDEO FOR YOUR ANALYSIS AND I MIGHT ADD BETWEEN PURCHASED PARTS AND INGREDIENTS IAM ABOUT 200$ FOR LAST SIX MON I HAVENT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE LIQUOR STORE AND I STILL HAVE A COUPLE HEINEKEN S IN FRIDGE FROM MY POST STILL PHASE MY PALLET HAS EVOLVED AND I HAVE FOUND MY HAPPY PLACE IN MY HEARTS THANKS AGAIN GOEURU P.S JUST PLAYING WITH THE NAME AT MOMENT YA KNOW IM SHOOTIN FOR LIKE GHANDI OR BUDDA I COULD SAY A GOD PRAISE GEOURU LOL
Whow Thank you George,we in lockdown in South Africa and not allowed to buy any alcohol and this helps alot to brew my own, talking about the leak of CO2 switched my light bulb on.
And the benefit is that you get some hand sanitizer at the same time. Not had a dop for 6 weeks now. Can’t wait for this lockdown to finish so i can get out to buy some. Forget checkers running out of toilet paper after this video they are going to run out of sugar. Glad to see a coffee urn being put to good use.
@@lwandlendamane9572 Lucky bread yeast is still available. I have a few 3 litre bottles of red Grape juice fermenting as an intro to home brewing. Only another 2 weeks until I can try them. I gotta try Georges video on Corn Flakes Whiskey as soon as I can get a few of the basics. See Paw Paw's videos on making a simple wine. Quiet a character. Very entertaining.
I do as well. The possibilities are endless. One of my favorite things to do with this neutral spirit is do my version of Sambuca. Very simple. One pack of Anise stars from Walmart. Leave them in for 2-4 days. It will turn yellow/brown. Can either leave it that way, or redistill if you want it clear. Add 3 Tablespoons of sugar to each jar. Very Tasty!
We miss you out here bro! Hope life is treating you as you have treated all your followers! ... With kindness, Love and Grace. ;) ... and a dash of sarcasm and comedy! :)
Hey George, about to give this a shot! On another note, what branch of the service did you serve in? 35 years is a looooong time and it looks like you're really enjoying your retirement in the best way!
My Favorite usage for Sugar Wash Spirit is Fruit Liqueur, which is basically adding alcohol to ripen fruit in a jug (+some sugar to taste and depending on the sweetness of the fruit) and letting it macerate. 1-3 weeks and you get a heavenly product. Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Pineapple, you name it, they all go well macerated with alcohol and a bit of sugar
do you need to de-gas a sugar wash in the same way a wine must or mead needs it? I usually go into a wine or mead during the first 1/3 of the ferment and stir it up to release excess Co2 and aerate the batch. I find i get a cleaner final product than when I don't and the yeast seems to be very happy.
George do you need to use the wire on the probe wire when hooking up the pid from the pid to the plug was watching a video where the guy cut a length of wire off the thermal couple an ran it from the pid to the female end of the plug on the box then he stripped the end on the thermal couple put the Male end on the thermal couple, because he said regular wire wouldn't work on a thermal couple.
George, you are brilliant. Just starting out learning about distilling and your narrative is really informative. Thank you... fully inspired to make my first rum! (Paul, Sheffield, England).
@@billarmstrong2411 I'm still not sure what it is, but I gotta try it. Hahaha Thank you for a little more info. I'll have a little easier time doing my homework now that I have the correct name for it.
@@davidrogers6262 I'm gonna try it very soon. Thanks for tell'n me about "Still It".. more info the better. I'm really impressed by the help I'm getting from y'all. Never had constructive responses at any other channels. Thanks again...
I like to use stuff I can get at a grocery store because I live in the boonies. For the sugar wash I use tomato paste, lemon, cream of tarter and Epsom salt with bakers yeast. I usually get 7 to 10 % not sure if I have the proper ratios of ingredients.
Thank you, just started today with a simple air still, and was wondering how their fermenting container work since there's no true airlock. it just has a simple carbon block breathing through small hole. AKA a breeze wont disturb that CO2 layer
I solved my leaky lid problem on my fermentation bucket by lining the top edge of the bucket with plumbers tape or otherwise known as teflon tape by wrapping it around several times. After that the airlock was producing bubbles.
I find fermentation buckets don't always seal the greatest. I use cling wrap and go around the lid a couple of times. Works perfectly and quick to put on and take off
The rubber glove technique is what I used while deployed to Iraq. The difference being that I was using 1 litre bottles and using fingers from surgical gloves with a pin prick. Same sugar wash but had to use packets of sugar. Whatever was available.
Ok, do you have a recipe for the turbo yeast? Sounds easier to make than buy . Maybe a video on flavorings, the wife loves fruity stuff. cordials if that's spelled correctly. Keep up the great work George!
Why use Turbo yeast if you're shooting for ~12-14% alcohol? Most of the turbo yeast brands I've tried yield ~20%+. You've been teaching me for 2 years now George. Many thanks!
Right around 7:50 hit the mail on the head for me. Found this channel looking for info on thumpers (which I don’t use, yet…) but I agree. Most of the runs I’ve done so far were so bare bones, as I get better and dial in what I want it gets pretty in depth, but for the most part the thing isn’t difficult and doesn’t take just a whole lot of know how. Started with grapes and sugar and water and just some Ol’ bread yeast in a bucket. Couple weeks later it smelled and tasted like a sweet wine so we cooked it! The first couple ounces soaked up some fire starting material to save, everything else made booze! Bubbles went away in a few seconds and the stuff burned blue. Didn’t even use a hydrometer or anything “fancy.” Folks tend to over-complicate a pretty simple thing.
I'm a new home distiller from NZ and George really explains things well for a beginner like myself to understand and follow. Emphasizes the critical points in the process but doesn't stress how you get there as long as you achieve that point. Awesome videos and content! By the way I do have 1 question. Does the yeast fermentation in a sugar wash care about ambient light? Ie. Can I leave the fermentation bucket on a kitchen bench? Thanks in advance!
PMSL this is the cream of UA-cam. in this time where we are immersed in BS, this isn't just a breath of fresh air but more of a 'Honey there is a twister in the back yard...' Sir I applaud you...
Always great and simple George. I have some high-fructose corn syrup and I really don't know what to do with that. Anyone know if it can be used to make a vodka wash or a rum wash? Or any other use?
Hi George A super fan from South Africa. Found your channel and loving it I started my first sugar wash, gravity 1.095 after almost a month gravity is on 1.015 Smells like champagne and taste sweet. But have to say a very nice taste. Leaving it for 3 cause I am going away on leave and will still it once back Looking forward to it
he is the science teacher we didnt ask for but we all needed. I wish my science prof tought science and chemistry like this. Also, does your tap water come out the ph that you want or do you condition it after the fact. What does the 12% wash taste like after the fermenting process? Could I just drink it from there maybe with some other flavoring or does it not taste that good and you need to do other stuff with the wash to make it poatable
Hi George. Would a basic sugar wash be used commercially to make a neutral spirit? Or is there another method used for a commercial grade product? Cheers.
Just wanna thank you I just about ruined my crab apple cider until you told how much sugar I needed. Learned more from you in 30 sec than all other videos combined lol thanks.
I prefer open fermentation to a airlock fermentation, especially with grains as they build a top crust in fermenter and keeps out the unwanted wild yeasts ect.
For awhile I did open fermentation and had no problems, probably because I put a brewer's net bag over the fermenter top. Ultimately, I have returned to closed fermentation mainly because I found no difference in the end results.
I have a starting PH of 7 ish. did a sugar wash 13lb to 5 gal. With a free hand of nutrient. Maybe too much. I got a stall. Watched your show that 5.2ph is on the money. I checked. My stall reading is mid 2!! Yikes. So I added baking soda until it got back up to 5.2. Looks like we are rocking and rolling again. Anything I should be thinking of doing at the beginning to stop the ph crash? Maybe I added a little too much fertilizer. I just guessed and grabbed a handful. Maybe a little too much. Thoughts?
Tried Norwegian Kveik (ale yeast)? It ferment superfast ;) And it ferment on temperature up to 42 celsius (depend on type, there are several!) Great channel by the way :)
Man I love the way this guy approaches things. He doesn't try to overcomplicate anything or try to get you to but fancy equipment.
I'm not saying George never gets to the point, but he does take the scenic route.
I like the pace of his videos
For sure. 😅
I have not got the patience to watch because of that lol
It's amazing for listening to while you are driving (most of it you don't need to see after the first 50 or so videos until you are coming back to actually learn that specific thing)
LOL
It sounds that to many people that watch your videos are to smart to watch your videos 2 to /3 times before contacting you. I personally enjoy watching your videos 2 to 3 times. It helps me to remember what you are saying better. To me, you help me understand why my grandfather did what he did it. When I was a kid. Now I am 73 plus and still love this hobby. God bless Wayne
George: You're my new instructor. I love this class.
haha...I said the same thing on another of George's videos
I know right he has 2 semesters worth of info and you can ask questions not that I have needed to best instructor btw I really want to buy big blue
My new goal in life is to know as much as George and approach life in the same manner. Thank you for all you have done for the neighborhood.
3:40 To anyone wondering, the difference between corn sugar and table sugar is the surface area. Corn sugar is typically a powder so it dissolves easily in cold water. Table sugar is large granules which dissolves slowly in cold water but fast in warm water. It takes time for the water molecules to break apart the sugar molecules and with large surface area you can get away with lower temperatures but with low surface area you need higher temps to compensate.
Not quite right there. Table sugar is a 50/50 mix of Fructose and Glucose. Corn sugar should be, if labelled right, mostly glucose but with at least a 2% Fructose contaminant. Yeast prefers to eat Glucose. So the wash should take off quicker and have less "off flavours" with corn sugar than with sucrose table sugar. Also if pushing the limits (to make hand sanitizer) a sucrose wash can get stuck a lot easier than a corn sugar wash of the same gravity.
@@williamarmstrong7199 I agree. Corn sugar is Dextrose and it's awesome to use. It's got an extremely clean fermentation, almost no foreshots in a batch. Table sugar is usually processed 3 times while corn sugar is only processed once. The only bad thing about corn sugar is that it's expensive and kindly hard to get.
@@williamarmstrong7199spot on except the table sugar being a 50/50 mix. Table sugar is its own sugar, sucrose, which is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose chemically bonded. You can break the chemical bond in a process called hydrolysis by dissolving the sugar in water, adding an acid as a catalyst (citric acid usually) and heating, which produces a syrup commonly called "invert sugar". Just thought I'd add that.
Two things I've discovered in making a sugar wash: 1) Plain white sugar seems to be a better choice than Dextrose (corn sugar). In my experience, Dextrose leaves a tiny bit of sharpness in the neutral spirits which to me is not so good if you want a neutral spirit like Vodka. Sugar is also a lot cheaper than Dextrose. 2) Before I add yeast, I aerate the wash for several hours using an aquarium air pump and several bubble air stones. This gives the yeast lots of oxygen when they need it most, at startup.
Yes sir, it does bc table sugers has a conversion rate of 80/20 and corn sugers are 100% so yes u will get a sharper taste I also prefer table suger as well most of the time it just depends on what you're trying to achieve you know how it goes
Thank you for your videos, sir. I'm just getting started in distilling and your channel is a treasure trove of knowledge.
10:48 Diammonium phosphate (yeast nutrient) and urea (controversial because of ethyl carbamate) not only accelerate the fermentation but also decreases fusel oil production because the yeast doesn't need to steal nitrogen from its own amino acids (the ammonia goes into the urea cycle to become amino acids vs the Erlich pathway in low nitrogen conditions). Which means higher ethanol yield (hearts). Happy distilling George!
Photon the Latios
So if I just have yeaAt but no turbo
Can I add mash up apple so it has nutrients
And just to clarify if I add more that recommendamount of sugar it’ll just up the alcohol percentage?
WOW! That's some knowledge! I'll be honest, my organic chem is so rusty you could be blowing smoke up all our asses, but shit, I'll try some diamotium AD poosphate, whatever you said. Thanks!
Youre telling me to piss in my wash?
George, you must have one helluva storage building to store all of your fermenters, stills, and all the other stuff you use.
I've also noticed that 1.070 - 1.090 gives the cleanest results. Anything higher really stresses the yeast and produces more esters (heads) and fusels (tails).
If the reading is too high, what should be done? More citric acid? (lemon juice)
More filtering probably...
@@reddenw5501 Add water to your wash to dilute your SG ( specific gravity ) down to where you want it to be. This is where you need a hydrometer, and why you check your SG before you add your yeast.
22:53 Yeast need oxygen to build lipids for their cell membrane to resist ethanol (with high pitching rates this is less crucial).
I never heard of sugar wash before today and I'm glad George explained it and his process so thoroughly. Thanks sir
I'm glad I found this guy. Thanks so much.
I followed your instructions to the letter. And produced a quality product on the first run. I never comprised the process. It worked perfect.
Started a weird experiment. As an artisan cheesemaker, I have a lot of whey. So, I took 4 gal cow whey (post cheese and ricotta making), 2 pounds sugar, 1 gal distilled water, and 1 1/4 tsp DADY. Starting SG was 1.040 with a Brix of 10. That was yesterday afternoon, and this morning, it's bubbling away like crazy! My yeast nutrient was on back order, so did not use any, but I figure what the whey had (enzymes, minerals, lactose, fats) would help feed the yeast. My goal is to ferment into Blaand, but then continue on and distill into a vodka-like spirit. Fingers crossed!
Another great informational video. Will you do a "Make your own Turbo yeast" video or post a recipe? Thanks again George.
were have you been all my life. im 32 and been trying to learn this for 5 years. now i come across your channel and make a good mash!
Hello. I came across your video by chance. I followed what you said to do, and I was amazed at how it came out. Sugar wash is great if you don't have rubbing alcohol. I ran out and I decided after not finding any rubbing alcohol in the stores to make my own. I went to looking on here and came across you. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me and the public. This is an excellent cleaner. I just got threw doing my hole bathroom in about 30 to 45 minutes. Amazing stuff. Thank you and have a great day.
George please please please do a video on how to make your own turbo yeast 😁
He already has go back and look for it I think the video is called The introduction of yeast
@@tomhunter1982 thanks, man.
I love this introduction well done you keep it so easy to understand bug thank you.
one of my best treats was to use 5 gal sugar wash and at time of cooking add a gal of grape sweet wine and pot still it slow, oak char and its a treat good stuff .
Great video George! I love your long and proper explanations.
Much thanks from Australia.
your videos sure are pleasurable
This guy is my Mr. Rogers. Thank you Sir. You are a gentleman, a scholar and I can tell a swell guy to know in person. Cheers!
Very informative vid George. Can't wait to see the run. I understand there is no need to take a heads cut with the wash.
Great video George who else besides me in the last 2 minutes just watched the gloves lol happy distilling everyone
Thanks for another great video George why not use corn sugar it devolves without heating? Couple of years ago I bought a O2 concentrator at a garage sale really cheap since then I give my water 7l an hour for two hours then I add my ingredients for whatever I'm making it makes my yeast very very happy and I've never had a stuck fermentation just make sure to leave extra head space because it makes a extremely active fermentation. Also make sure to get a stainless steel air stone the ones for fish tanks should not be used their just glued together sand.
Why not? Price?
George you are so on point. When I was a kid in the Midwest my mom and aunts made Wine in the basement of our house from the grapes from our grapevine in the backyard. I remember the big glass bottles in the basement with the big balloons swelling up. I didn't know why but I do know now thanks for the videos and the information, simple honest and happy like when I was a kid. Don't stop George.
By the time George is finished talking it's bound to be 40% proof.
There is no such thing as 40% proof. It is either ABV (40%) or 40 proof. Just saying.
@@SomeTechGuy666 how many degrees kelvin will it be tho?
@@dsteere2303 Whatever.
You gotta listen to George more with a sentence like that
@@dsteere2303 It is just Kelvin not degrees kelvin, a common error when referring to this scale.
What a GREAT video.
I like the glove. My grandfather used them with his wine and when they deflated he knew the wine was ready.
Love this guy. Very knowledgeable and speaks common sense. You can bin watch George and be a pro without ever producing one drop of booze
You could but it's more fun to join in.
George, I like all of your videos. If it was not for you, I may never have gotten into this hobby. I've known about this hobby for some time was kinda off put by all of the science behind it.
Then you basically took me on the journey from beginning to end.
Showing the gray areas where I could customize it a bit.
George you took this polysaccharide and went yeast on it for me. I thank you very much sir!!! I'm grateful for your videos !!!!!
So at the beginning you said you can turn it into a Tennessee whiskey can you make a video on that???
I have GOT to say George, you crack me up!! Here I am, sitting in the doctors office, watching your video and I ( just sitting all by myself) laughing!! Thank George, laughter is so good for the soul!! I am learning lots from you and enjoying your videos!! Thank you George, you really add positivity to my day!! Happy Distilling!! Hope your ribs are feeling better these days too. 💜🌷
I think he does a Great Job this is the second time to watch
Great videos!
Fun fact: some people drink plain fermented but undistilled sugar wash in Finland.
Used to be quite common during the 90's when we had a serious economic depression. Not so common anymore, but some still do it, mostly teenagers and those who are less well off.
Distillation is unfortunately illegal here.
love how exited you look when you broke out the turbo yeast
You are a joy to watch. Thank you for putting your own spinn on 'it'
This is one of the best vids you've made George.....very straight to the point and I live on a sugar wash.....that neutral spirit is what I'm after...... Happy Distilling 😁
Man, I have to say, your comment on do it this way or that but no explanation hits home. I really love your no bullshit and full transparency explanations. If I could shake your hand I would.
I've made wine since 2000 and made exactly zero whiskey. Thanks for all your help. I'm starting with 4lbs flaked corn and 1 lb of malt barley.
Cheers
Happy Distilling George.
In Australia sugar is $1.80/kg
Dextrose is $1.90/kg
You never mention dextrose, but it is the recommended sugar to use here.
I like this video, it is a no BS guide to getting things happening and getting results.
The Turbo500 has been my friend for nearly a year now, such a GREAT device, idiot proof.
George.... I have always wanted to make some real moonshine... you are inspiring me to take the next step and jump right in. Thank You!!
Nice new intro graphics👍 As always good video.
Hey George, love your stuff. I learn so much from you and the community about distilling. I must say, my sugar washes are on the higher alcohol end of the scale, however most of the time I am using a very efficient reflux still which provides me a consistent 95% ABV product. When I ferment I use charcoal solution in the ferment and clearing agents before distillation and then do another carbon filter when I have proofed down to 40% and it is a very clean easy drinking neutral spirit. In fact most of the people who consume my spirit like it in straight 'shine' form. I also mess around with aging with oak etc cause I like a tenessee whiskey style myself. Although it misses some of the mash characteristics and other characteristics imparted by a pot still process, it still comes out as a very drinkable drop..... I guess my point being that although I produce a Fuel consistent ABV was, my use of carbon and filtering certainly produces a very workable easy product when proofed down.
David - Do you have any links to info. related to charcoal solution in the ferment and links to practical/cheap carbon filter? Thanks
Hi Dave, how tall is your still and how long do you take to distill say a 20 l batch to hit 95%? the is a very impresseve efficeny for a home set up, do you have a packed column and if so what do you pack it with
Hi Alan it's about 2.5foot alcoengine reflux head while it stainless steel wool packed. I've added another foot of stainless column packed with stainless steel wool. I run the .6mm flow restrictor rather than the .9mm stripping flow restrictor. I run it on top of a 65ltr boiler. Usually run 23ltr batches but occasionally run doubles if I start early. It takes about 6 hours for a run to finish with 23ltrs but its so set and not forget but not have to babysit that I can go and do other things just checking up on it every hour or so.
Thanks, George, for explaining that in a detailed. I currently have a wash stalling as we speak and was going to write in and ask what should I do. Cheers
Whack it with a ton of yeast.
Hi, If I use sugarcane juice instead of raw sugar will it taste different than sugar vodka? better or not?
@@whocares3132 Much better
I've been a bottle baby 43yrs old no.7 i had my time of quantity not quality I've had a few buddys shine over the yrs and I wanted to make my own so I picked up a 16qrt pressure cooker at the thrift store 4$ 20'roll 3/8 copper pipe and a couple of thermometer s about 6mo ago and I done my homework and I would say that your tutorial is the best I could get so I'll have to call you
SHINEING GURU GEORGE
MY FIRST TIME IT WENT PERFECT I USED A THUMPER and I used it the second time and got distracted by the lil woman and I didn't strain my mash good enough and my line plugged up and blew the relief valve I had and I had a gyser and mash all over my ceiling and floor managed to save half and learn a valuable lesson
DON'T GET DISTRACTED BY ANYTHING ....................
So I didn't use. Thumper for months then I reconfigured it and made another thumper and gave it a whirl and I was pleased with the results although the temp wasn't too stable up and down yet I had good product so I played with a couple more weeks and then I found 3 aluminum storage cans world 7gal and watched video on myths about it and THANKS GEORU
And I put it together and it was a great deal different I filled it with 5gl first and temp was high in kettle but thumper was stable and I'm pleased with able to process more than 3.5 to get the. Max so now I have aprox20 to of wash and fill kettle to bout top and my entire cycle flows with the readings as for my setup is ideally comparable with the scale and I worked out the bugs and I am a happy hooker my last run I yeilded 1gl hearts half to tails and I go 10 min168 twice kettle then thumper to separate and my temp was at peak 203 kettle and started to produce at 175 and it didn't fluctuate as it slowly cooked and I monitor it was the best run in all my 6mon
I spent 12 hrs in kitchen and filled all my bottles with joy it was like
THE ANGELS WERE SHINNING ON ME 😁LOL I AM ATTACHED MY VIDEO FOR YOUR ANALYSIS AND I MIGHT ADD BETWEEN PURCHASED PARTS AND INGREDIENTS
IAM ABOUT 200$ FOR LAST SIX MON I HAVENT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE LIQUOR STORE AND I STILL HAVE A COUPLE HEINEKEN S IN FRIDGE FROM MY POST STILL PHASE MY PALLET HAS EVOLVED AND I HAVE FOUND MY HAPPY PLACE IN MY HEARTS THANKS AGAIN GOEURU P.S JUST PLAYING WITH THE NAME AT MOMENT YA KNOW IM SHOOTIN FOR LIKE GHANDI OR BUDDA I COULD SAY A GOD PRAISE GEOURU LOL
Whow Thank you George,we in lockdown in South Africa and not allowed to buy any alcohol and this helps alot to brew my own, talking about the leak of CO2 switched my light bulb on.
And the benefit is that you get some hand sanitizer at the same time. Not had a dop for 6 weeks now. Can’t wait for this lockdown to finish so i can get out to buy some. Forget checkers running out of toilet paper after this video they are going to run out of sugar. Glad to see a coffee urn being put to good use.
@@markal3023 for im gonna buy yeast
@@lwandlendamane9572 Lucky bread yeast is still available. I have a few 3 litre bottles of red Grape juice fermenting as an intro to home brewing. Only another 2 weeks until I can try them. I gotta try Georges video on Corn Flakes Whiskey as soon as I can get a few of the basics. See Paw Paw's videos on making a simple wine. Quiet a character. Very entertaining.
After it’s distilled I use almost all of mine for lemon cello and orange cello makes great Christmas presents .
I do as well. The possibilities are endless. One of my favorite things to do with this neutral spirit is do my version of Sambuca. Very simple. One pack of Anise stars from Walmart. Leave them in for 2-4 days. It will turn yellow/brown. Can either leave it that way, or redistill if you want it clear. Add 3 Tablespoons of sugar to each jar. Very Tasty!
Best still man I seen for a while I could end up going to AA if i keep watching lol
Hey George, love the entire channel. Would be interested in seeing you run this through a still with a thumper and impart peanut butter flavor.
We miss you out here bro! Hope life is treating you as you have treated all your followers! ... With kindness, Love and Grace. ;) ... and a dash of sarcasm and comedy! :)
You definitely love what you're doing 👍👍👍
Hey George, about to give this a shot! On another note, what branch of the service did you serve in? 35 years is a looooong time and it looks like you're really enjoying your retirement in the best way!
Good lessons
You are amazing 👍
Thank you so much 😀
My Favorite usage for Sugar Wash Spirit is Fruit Liqueur, which is basically adding alcohol to ripen fruit in a jug (+some sugar to taste and depending on the sweetness of the fruit) and letting it macerate. 1-3 weeks and you get a heavenly product. Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Pineapple, you name it, they all go well macerated with alcohol and a bit of sugar
Awesome Channel! You're the Best, George! Happy Distilling!
I do like the extra info. Thanks George this is very helpful!
do you need to de-gas a sugar wash in the same way a wine must or mead needs it? I usually go into a wine or mead during the first 1/3 of the ferment and stir it up to release excess Co2 and aerate the batch. I find i get a cleaner final product than when I don't and the yeast seems to be very happy.
George do you need to use the wire on the probe wire when hooking up the pid from the pid to the plug was watching a video where the guy cut a length of wire off the thermal couple an ran it from the pid to the female end of the plug on the box then he stripped the end on the thermal couple put the Male end on the thermal couple, because he said regular wire wouldn't work on a thermal couple.
Yep.. or it can bubble up in when distilling and puke out into end product
George, you are brilliant. Just starting out learning about distilling and your narrative is really informative. Thank you... fully inspired to make my first rum! (Paul, Sheffield, England).
I love how you break it down for noobs like me. Thanks
Lemon jello?
Never heard of that. Look'n forward to hearing more about it.
Thank you for your time.
He's talking about the drink limoncello! very tasty!
@@billarmstrong2411 I'm still not sure what it is, but I gotta try it. Hahaha
Thank you for a little more info. I'll have a little easier time doing my homework now that I have the correct name for it.
Hey Alan,
There's a how to on making lemon cello on the "Still It" channel with Jessie. Tastes like liquid lemons 😋
@@davidrogers6262 I'm gonna try it very soon. Thanks for tell'n me about "Still It".. more info the better.
I'm really impressed by the help I'm getting from y'all. Never had constructive responses at any other channels.
Thanks again...
I like to use stuff I can get at a grocery store because I live in the boonies. For the sugar wash I use tomato paste, lemon, cream of tarter and Epsom salt with bakers yeast. I usually get 7 to 10 % not sure if I have the proper ratios of ingredients.
Thank you, just started today with a simple air still, and was wondering how their fermenting container work since there's no true airlock. it just has a simple carbon block breathing through small hole. AKA a breeze wont disturb that CO2 layer
I solved my leaky lid problem on my fermentation bucket by lining the top edge of the bucket with plumbers tape or otherwise known as teflon tape by wrapping it around several times. After that the airlock was producing bubbles.
Yes
@@coreyblackburn9289 Thanks!
@@FishOnIsMyHandle I meant teflon tape not silicone.
@@coreyblackburn9289 I meant teflon tape not silicone.
I find fermentation buckets don't always seal the greatest. I use cling wrap and go around the lid a couple of times. Works perfectly and quick to put on and take off
The rubber glove technique is what I used while deployed to Iraq. The difference being that I was using 1 litre bottles and using fingers from surgical gloves with a pin prick. Same sugar wash but had to use packets of sugar. Whatever was available.
Ok, do you have a recipe for the turbo yeast?
Sounds easier to make than buy . Maybe a video on flavorings, the wife loves fruity stuff. cordials if that's spelled correctly. Keep up the great work George!
Thanks George
Where do you purchase the 22 LTR clear containers from?
He just had to say "bat shit crazy" while making a sweet and sour mash soup..... love it!
Awe foook 🙈
Great name !
Brand new at distilling! I am going to do this on my next run.
Good luck and welcome to our thing
Why use Turbo yeast if you're shooting for ~12-14% alcohol? Most of the turbo yeast brands I've tried yield ~20%+. You've been teaching me for 2 years now George. Many thanks!
This video makes me feel very happy and unique!..,,
Right around 7:50 hit the mail on the head for me. Found this channel looking for info on thumpers (which I don’t use, yet…) but I agree. Most of the runs I’ve done so far were so bare bones, as I get better and dial in what I want it gets pretty in depth, but for the most part the thing isn’t difficult and doesn’t take just a whole lot of know how. Started with grapes and sugar and water and just some Ol’ bread yeast in a bucket. Couple weeks later it smelled and tasted like a sweet wine so we cooked it! The first couple ounces soaked up some fire starting material to save, everything else made booze! Bubbles went away in a few seconds and the stuff burned blue. Didn’t even use a hydrometer or anything “fancy.” Folks tend to over-complicate a pretty simple thing.
By the way, stick to that middle finger, Mr. Duncan. Don’t worry about it one bit.
Is the middle finger prick a subtle dig? Glad I found your channel.
I'm a new home distiller from NZ and George really explains things well for a beginner like myself to understand and follow. Emphasizes the critical points in the process but doesn't stress how you get there as long as you achieve that point. Awesome videos and content! By the way I do have 1 question. Does the yeast fermentation in a sugar wash care about ambient light? Ie. Can I leave the fermentation bucket on a kitchen bench? Thanks in advance!
Light is not a problem and should have no influence other than temperature swings. Yeast prefers a steady temp.
PMSL this is the cream of UA-cam. in this time where we are immersed in BS, this isn't just a breath of fresh air but more of a 'Honey there is a twister in the back yard...' Sir I applaud you...
Nice
Always great and simple George.
I have some high-fructose corn syrup and I really don't know what to do with that. Anyone know if it can be used to make a vodka wash or a rum wash? Or any other use?
Yes it ferments great I use it all the time just make sure it doesn't have any preservatives in it that will kill your yeast.
@@chuckdontknowdoya6100 thanks! So lets try!
Some darn good stuff in the back catalog.
Thank you, Teacherman!
Hi George
A super fan from South Africa.
Found your channel and loving it
I started my first sugar wash, gravity 1.095 after almost a month gravity is on 1.015
Smells like champagne and taste sweet. But have to say a very nice taste.
Leaving it for 3 cause I am going away on leave and will still it once back
Looking forward to it
he is the science teacher we didnt ask for but we all needed. I wish my science prof tought science and chemistry like this. Also, does your tap water come out the ph that you want or do you condition it after the fact. What does the 12% wash taste like after the fermenting process? Could I just drink it from there maybe with some other flavoring or does it not taste that good and you need to do other stuff with the wash to make it poatable
thank you for your information sir.
what is the ideal temp to ferment/age wash?
Hi George. Would a basic sugar wash be used commercially to make a neutral spirit? Or is there another method used for a commercial grade product? Cheers.
Just wanna thank you I just about ruined my crab apple cider until you told how much sugar I needed. Learned more from you in 30 sec than all other videos combined lol thanks.
I prefer open fermentation to a airlock fermentation, especially with grains as they build a top crust in fermenter and keeps out the unwanted wild yeasts ect.
They don't keep the bugs or the bug poop out.
For awhile I did open fermentation and had no problems, probably because I put a brewer's net bag over the fermenter top. Ultimately, I have returned to closed fermentation mainly because I found no difference in the end results.
well made vid thanks
I have a starting PH of 7 ish. did a sugar wash 13lb to 5 gal. With a free hand of nutrient. Maybe too much. I got a stall. Watched your show that 5.2ph is on the money. I checked. My stall reading is mid 2!! Yikes. So I added baking soda until it got back up to 5.2. Looks like we are rocking and rolling again. Anything I should be thinking of doing at the beginning to stop the ph crash? Maybe I added a little too much fertilizer. I just guessed and grabbed a handful. Maybe a little too much. Thoughts?
Thank god he does. Learn a lot more his way
I use a long paint stirrer on a cordless drill for stirring the sugar in which also oxygenates the wash
Did I miss something about acidifying water before about 8:47? A pH of 5.2 is not normal unless you are using rainwater. Curious.
Great video as usual George; just wanting to know if your "points" of 1.090 is after you made the adjustments for temperature?
Yes it was after temp adj. It's was his true reading.
Thanks George. So much info!!
Love these videos. Funny and smart.
Tried Norwegian Kveik (ale yeast)? It ferment superfast ;) And it ferment on temperature up to 42 celsius (depend on type, there are several!) Great channel by the way :)