Please tell me more. I've made several sugar washes with DAP, Epson's salts, agitation, etc. None of them will ferment.when i do sugar washes, i make a wheat germ tea. and add the liquid to the wash.
Thanks for the reply. What are these Seltzer things ?In contrast to beer wort, sugar doesn't have the yeast nutrients that yeast need. So starting from nothing, I think you'll probably need something like Propper Seltzer or SeltzerMax if you want a good fermentation.
Well, hard seltzer is basically fermented sugar water. Propper Seltzer and SeltzerMax are both yeast nutrient blends designed for hard seltzer fermentations.Thanks for the reply. What are these Seltzer things ?
Please tell me more. I've made several sugar washes with DAP, Epson's salts, agitation, etc. None of them will ferment.
Well, hard seltzer is basically fermented sugar water. Propper Seltzer and SeltzerMax are both yeast nutrient blends designed for hard seltzer fermentations.
Many thanks. I'll test it out tonight.had the same experience. but learned, wheat germ will ferment out. about as good as apple juice, maybe better even...
i just boil about a pound of wheat germ in enough water to keep it from burning, strain it, and add it to my sugar wash...will ferment to 16%....
for a sugar wash setup, i'd recomend buying in bulk, and not the little jars at the grocery...
something like this...
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Wheat Germ
www.bakersauthority.com
Organic/Inorganic Nitrogen, Vitamins, Minerals.What is in them that makes them work ?
Will Cream of Wheat work ? The real stuff, not the instant stuff ?
Just out of curiosity what is it your ultimately trying to make?
Umm... a flavorless beer ?![]()
I might have to boil it to make it taste good. Maybe flavor it with some berries.
I'll condense the vapor so it doesn't steam up my house.![]()
My vote for Post Of The Week!i hope you don't serve it to warm! (or cold?)
I tried that and it didn't work.You can use tomato paste and lemon juice for nutrient as well.
If Birdwatchers didn't ferment for you, something else is going on. Do other things ferment OK? Maybe your PH or temps are way, way out of whack? Is your yeast from yesteryear?I tried that and it didn't work.
If your fermentation smells, it means the yeast is not happy.The fermentation smells a lot more nasty than a nice beer fermentation
I've been using potassium carbonate, it seems to impart much less of a flavor.about two teaspoons of calcium carbonate to the 2 gal wash
It matters which one you use. I have always used a modified TOSNA + GoFerm to rehydrate my yeast when fermenting challenging liquids. Since trying a couple of BOMM batches, and because honey is a lot like plain sugar + water (if you make the sugar invert,) I'd recommend the OP have a look at that protocol along-side TOSNA.add a balanced yeast nutrient
Interesting What yeast did you use ?I did a few 2 gal sugar washes this year as part of an experiment to make my own hand sanitizer. I didn't use any grain or tomato paste and was able to ferment to completion in 10 days. @ ~13%.
Yeah, why is that ?The fermentation smells a lot more nasty than a nice beer fermentation, so pick a suitable place or the SWAMBO may not be very happy.
My fermentation is bubbling along nicely. I had the same thing happen, though fermentation seemed vigorous. pH was 3 ish the other day. I added some sodium carbonate (baking soda). Just checked and it was 3.1. I added more baking soda. I also added more pancake mix !Many sugar washes, including one of mine, experience a drastic pH crash (< 3) around the third day that effectively stops or slows the fermentation to a crawl. The solution to this problem was to add about two teaspoons of calcium carbonate to the 2 gal wash. Some folks use oyster shell for this. While the chalk is largely insoluble at the start, as the CO2 builds up from fermentation, the chalk will dissolve and keep the pH at a steady 4 until the last couple of days where it dropped to 3.5. I used pH strips like the kind for Kombucha to measure this.
I'll use the food grade chalk next time. Thanks for the tip.So use a sugar wash calculator for grams of sugar to water, add a balanced yeast nutrient ( I used Fermax, DAP is not that good by itself) and use some food grade chalk and it should work well for you.
You need a buffering agent, which normally means calcium carbonate. I have just had a stuck fermentation on a sugar wash (birdwatcher's) with a 3,21 pH (which is a pit below normal) and it woke up dramatically after adding 4 eggshells (without the pellicle).What do I need to ferment a 1.060 water and sugar mix ? Other than yeast, water and sugar...
i used DADY from RedStar which starts fast, ferments out dry, is fairly neutral and very cheap.Interesting What yeast did you use ?
Yeah, why is that ?
My fermentation is bubbling along nicely. I had the same thing happen, though fermentation seemed vigorous. pH was 3 ish the other day. I added some sodium carbonate (baking soda). Just checked and it was 3.1. I added more baking soda. I also added more pancake mix !
I'm feeding it more sugar every time the gravity drops below 1.030. I'm seeing how high I can take it.
I'll use the food grade chalk next time. Thanks for the tip.
I am interested. I don't know what you mean for "a wash or a base". I am making sugar washes to arrive to a neutral alcohol base, which I will use for mistrà, bitter, sambuca, gin etc.Again, it depends whether this is for a wash or for a base. Potassium Carbonate is a better choice for a buffer for a drink base.
A wash is what you are describing. A base would be someone making hard Selzer or something of the like, where the fermented beverage would be cleared and consumed.I am interested. I don't know what you mean for "a wash or a base". I am making sugar washes to arrive to a neutral alcohol base, which I will use for mistrà, bitter, sambuca, gin etc.
Calcium carbonate has a higher impact on taste, takes longer to clear, and will preferentially neutralize tartaric acid which may not be desirable in something that is to be consumed directly. If the fermented liquid is to be distilled, these are not as much a concern.Please elaborate. Specifically, what advantages would Potassium Carbonate have over Calcium Carbonate?