Fermentation of Wash
Careful attention to producing a clean and high quality wash will reward you with higher quality finished spirits and liqueurs. The Distillation process is where most of the impurities are removed, but care and effort to make a clean wash makes a very satisfying difference to the Alcohol produced.
To produce a wash most suited to the T500 Distillation System, we recommend you ferment 6kg white sugar in 25 litres clean water using a Still Spirits Classic Turbo Yeast. Still Spirits Turbo Yeasts are carefully developed and premixed with the optimum nutrients to give high levels of Alcohol fermentation with minimal impurities.
Adding Still Spirits Liquid Carbon to the fermenting wash absorbs a significant portion of the undesirable flavours. The carbon makes the wash into a black liquid. The carbon does not harm the fermentation process, and is removed when the wash is cleared. Ensure the fermentation is allowed to run until all sugar is converted to Alcohol. A specific gravity reading on a Hydrometer of 990, or less, indicates the fermentation is complete.
Clear the wash of yeast, and other fermentation by-products. These will contain undesirable flavours and odours. Use Still Spirits Turbo Clear following the instructions on the pack, and carefully siphon off the clear clean wash leaving the fermentation sediment in the fermenting vessel. Actual steps to produce the cleared wash ready for distilling:
- Clean and sterilise your fermenter.
- Add 21 litres of water to your fermenter at 40°C
- Add 6KGs white sugar and stir well to dissolve.
- Add Classic yeast and Turbo Carbon and stir well.
- Leave fermenter at 20°C room temperature to ferment
- The wash has finished fermenting when SG reading is at 990 or below and wash has stopped fizzing
- Add Turbo Clear; first stir vigorously to remove all gas, then add part A and stir well. 1 hour later, evenly and gently mix part B in the top of the wash. Leave for 24 hours to clear.
- Carefully siphon contents of wash into boiler, leaving behind as much sediment as possible.
- Add 3ml (capful) of distilling conditioner and ceramic boil enhancers supplied, to help prevent frothing and surge boiling.