gday and tpw problems

Say Hi and introduce yourself

gday and tpw problems

Postby Bents » Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:16 am

Hi All, First time poster. I made my first TPW last weekend with 7kg Caster Sugar, 250gm tomato paste and 75 gm Bakers yeast, all in at about 28 degrees. First day the wash was foaming up madly as it normally would in fermentation and slowly settled over the preceeding days. I have checked the SG with an Alcometer (shows Alcohol % not SG) and it has an alcohol content of 0, zero, meaning it hasn't fermented. Any help would be appreciated. I have previously used Dextrose, turbo yeast and turbo clear for good results. Cheers Bents
Bents
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:16 pm
equipment: Turbo 500

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Sam. » Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:58 am

Gday mate moved it here as it’s your first post, so welcome :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Your alcometer is useless in your wash it is only useful once you have distilled it into spirit.

You need to take a starting specific gravity with a hydrometer and then a final specific gravity with a hydrometer to work out alcohol content of your wash.

If you don’t have a hydrometer yet have a taste, if it’s sweet it isn’t done if it’s dry then close enough.

Also plain sugar will be cheaper than caster sugar normally. Caster sugar is white sugar ground finer.

Also congrats on ditching the turbos you won’t look back ;-)
Sam.
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 10405
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:19 pm
Location: South Oz Straya
equipment: Original FSD 5 plate 4 inch modular bubbler SSG with hand crafted plates and parrot by Mac.
18 Gal boiler.
2 x 2400W elements and power controller.
.

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Bents » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:47 pm

Thanks Sam.

My Alcometer has always been fine to use with previous washes (Turbo's) normally is about 15% when its finished fermenting, so thats what has me a little confused.
The Alcometer I'm guessing works on SG just has a scale that is in % instead of SG. It is the same process in terms of a Hydrometer (weighted glass floating scale)
Cheers
Bents
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:16 pm
equipment: Turbo 500

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby RC Al » Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:16 pm

i have only ever run 2 turbo's - but if it was a 20% turbo thats reading at 15% on the alc meter - its not accurate at the low end for our purposes?

What size wash did you throw the 7kgs at? the 1kg per 5 litres is about as far as you want to push the bakers yeast, otherwise undesirable flavours can creep in for a neutral, rum is a different story in that respect from what i have read
RC Al
Mentor
 
Posts: 1568
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast Area
equipment: 3 plate 4" glasser
2" Potty

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Bents » Fri Sep 13, 2019 5:38 pm

G'day RC, Thannks for the info. 21 litres of water went in but in the first couple days it was foaming up good and proper so assumed it was fermenting.
Bents
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:16 pm
equipment: Turbo 500

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby bluc » Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:05 pm

You cant use a alcometer to test a wash :handgestures-thumbdown: you need a hydrometer..
bluc
Site Donor
 
Posts: 8967
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: sunshine coast
equipment: 2" pot with 2" shotty 400mm long 5x 1/2" on a t500 boiler.
50l keg boiler 4" still mount 4" sight glass 1" drain..
4 plate 4" bubbler, 600mm packed section

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Sam. » Fri Sep 13, 2019 7:26 pm

Bents wrote:Thanks Sam.

My Alcometer has always been fine to use with previous washes (Turbo's) normally is about 15% when its finished fermenting, so thats what has me a little confused.
The Alcometer I'm guessing works on SG just has a scale that is in % instead of SG. It is the same process in terms of a Hydrometer (weighted glass floating scale)
Cheers


I am aware of how they work mate ;-)

Alcohol that is distilled is a lower SG than water, the higher alcohol content the lower it is.

Wash is generally higher SG than water until the point it is fermented dry and there is enough alcohol to drop the density below water where you can have a wash finish at 0.990

Therefore your alcometer is useless in a wash for determining alcohol content. You could theoretically make your own graduations on it but why bother if there is a tool already cheaply available to do the job?
Sam.
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 10405
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:19 pm
Location: South Oz Straya
equipment: Original FSD 5 plate 4 inch modular bubbler SSG with hand crafted plates and parrot by Mac.
18 Gal boiler.
2 x 2400W elements and power controller.
.

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby woodduck » Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:15 am

G'day mate welcome aboard :greetings-waveyellow:

If your going to rely on your alcometer for fermenting you may as well just use taste, it will be less confusing.
woodduck
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:54 pm
Location: Good old country SA
equipment: 4 plate 6" copper bubbler, 6 plate 4" glass bubbler with 500mm packed section three way thumper sitting on a 50 ltr keg boiler with 6000watts, 2" pot still and a 2" boka.

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Bents » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:41 am

Thanks for all the replies. Hydrometer it is then :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Bents
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:16 pm
equipment: Turbo 500

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby Professor Green » Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:29 am

Welcome to AD Bents.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.
Professor Green
 
Posts: 2483
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:10 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: FSD 100 litre milk can with 2 x 2400W elements
FSD Neutraliser
FSD Carter Head
12 litre double boiler with 2400W element

Re: gday and tpw problems

Postby db1979 » Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:52 am

Welcome, lots of great info on here. Check out the newbies corner. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.


Return to Welcome Centre



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests

x