Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Just put down my first batch of TPW. Decided to skip the turbo pack that came with the T500 kit and go straight for something a lot better from the get go.

I followed the T&P TPW recipe exactly, OG weighed in at 1.081. Pitched the yeast at 29C and gave it a really good stir. The room the fermenter is in sits at around 22C this time of year so it'll probably take a bit longer to dry, unless we get a few hot days. Even so, it won't go over about 28C.

Mrs Tesla loves her vodka, lime & soda so she'll be the chief tester in a few weeks. I'm more of a bourban man so I'll go for the cordial until I'm confident enough to do a WBAB. End goal is to do an AG bourbon, but that's a while off yet.

Thanks to everyone that that did this and helped other stillers along the way. I've read about the first 20 pages of this thread, only about another 45 to go :dance: This forum rocks!

Cheers, T.

Wrap your fermenter in a blanket and you'll probably find it'll keep its temp up above room temp with the activity of the yeast, giving you a faster ferment. Or you can get aquarium heaters to do the job. Use a blanket either way. Oh and wbab is easy as, I just use straight weetbix and skip the boiling. Weetbix makes a greatly vodka.

Thanks db, I'll see if Mrs T wants to sow me up a coat for the fermenter from an old doona or something.

I checked this morning and it was bubbling away like mad and still sitting at 27C, so it looks like I didn't fjook it up :)

I used to have a fermenter with an aquarium heater that I used years ago for beer, but I lent it to a mate and that was the last I saw of it. Looks like I might have to get onto flea bay and order another one.

RC Al wrote:Fool proof is probably going a bit far...
I have seen plenty of recipes say ferments in 3-4 days. This is with ideal conditions, there are soo many variables, i think ive had it happen twice out of many batches. Get a hydrometer, when its stops dropping for a few days, its done, a wash can degass/bubble for weeks.

On a side note, i know your keen and in a hurry, but it really wont hurt to let it clear for a while, less yeast in the boiler means less esters produced

Yep the Hydrometer will let me know, I have plenty of grog on standby, not going thirsty in any hurry :))

Wow, just got through reading all 66 pages of the thread. Got heaps of little tidbits from here and there :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Just one question I couldn't find covered off:

Is it better to air the stripping run for a day or so before doing the spirit run? Will it make any difference, or just run them back to back after diluting down to 40% ABV?

Just do the airing on the spirit run.

Awesome, thanks db :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Back 2 back it is then :happy-partydance:

Do you still use ceramic blocks and conditioner with this recipe

No need unless you want to use them.
The boiling chips just help create the bubbles. Conditioner can be replaced by olive oil, only really needed with grain brewing and rums.
But not needed if you keep an eye on your still.

I’m also “down south”.
I use cheap car windscreen shades as insulators.
They wrap perfectly around a 60ltr fermenter.

I drop an aquarium heater through a rubber bung(table leg tip) in the lid and into the wash.
I just “got a sparky” to rewire a cheap plug onto the heater after squeezing the wire through a small hole.
This time of year I don't need the heater so I just plug the hole with a spare rubber tip,

Hey DB if I don’t need to boil I suppose I don’t need to split the sugar either?

Amberale wrote:Hey DB if I don’t need to boil I suppose I don’t need to split the sugar either?

It depends on whether you are in a hurry or not. If you boil as per the recipe it'll invert the sugar and your fermentation will go faster. The yeast inverts the sugar anyway but it takes them a bit of time to do that, which causes the ferment to lose some momentum. They'll still get there in the end. If you're not in a hurry, why spend more time putting a new wash on? I'm limited to how often I can run my still so if I plan ahead I can whack a wash on quickly with no boil and by the time I'm able to run it, it's finished fermenting.

Kool, thanks DB.
I generally cook a new wash while running the still so I have something to do.
OTOH boiling everything means that I have to wait for it to cool down before adding yeast.
I’m still experimenting with this and FFVW.

With the FFVW i was using one pack of ?1018 yeast on a 45 litre/9kg wash and it was taking forever to finish.
Last couple with 180g of Lowans went off like a frog in a sock.

I've never used ec1118 but I know it's a slow yeast. It's used when you want to ferments dry. Go for lowans with TPW.

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hey guys sorry to hijack post.
I’m new to the whole scene and need some advice.
My first wash was a turbo wash as it came with my kit but I’d read and heard a lot of backlash about using the turbo yeast so for my next washes I’ve used the tomato paste wash.
I’ve made two tomato paste washes roughly 4 days apart and have them both fermentating away but the first wash of the two is concerning me. It has seemed to have a sediment build up in the bottom awfully fast and while it’s still ferminting whereas I read once it’s finished fermenting you need to let it sit for like a week for the sediment to settle.
I’m hoping it’s not the case but has my first tomato paste wash gone bad?
Wash on the right is the concerning wash.

Nope its not bad you always get sediment during fermentation. The amount will peak once it finishs and everything falls to bottom.. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Looks spot on to me. Same as mine have over the last few years. You will enjoy the outcome!

How long do you ferment this wash for?

Lordy wrote:How long do you ferment this wash for?

I'm no pro but mine are generally all done and settled ready to distil in 14 or so days. Just watch it for the sediment to drop and the top 5/6th or so to go a clearish pink

Lordy wrote:How long do you ferment this wash for?

Hey mate, see this is your first post, how about dropping into the welcome centre and introducing yourself :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Also many variables that will determine how long a ferment will take, temperature, yeast quality and pitch rate, water composition etc. Like said wait for it to start clearing is a good visual indication but using a hydrometer to take specific gravity readings at the start and end of fermentation are the best indicators :handgestures-thumbupleft: