VODKA KIT HELP 0 reading on hydrometer

[Yuri_Rage]

If you want to be taken seriously, stop apologizing for your poor grammar and spelling. Start using capital letters, punctuation, and a spell checker.

These kits will never make any kind of spirit. Spirits are distilled after fermentation. They appear to be "hooch" kits that aren't likely to make a very drinkable end product.

Lastly, if you can post some pictures of your readings, we may be able to help you make sense of them. Regardless of the readings, you have not created vodka, you have fermented some sugar "wine."

 

[Picobrew]

Go ahead and give it a little taste and report back on what's going on with the taste/smell/color. We can help you figure this out!

Yes or just ship it to me and I'll tell you if it is alcohol or not.

 

[matt3360]

yeah they are different i am floating it in a tube it come with and the first batch it sunk to 18% this one doesnt even drop

 

[Picobrew]

yeah they are different i am floating it in a tube it come with and the first batch it sunk to 18% this one doesnt even drop

Does it taste like it has alcohol in it or not? how do the two compare? At this point, given our unfamiliarity with fermenting hooch, I don't know what to tell you. If it tastes like the vodka kit you made before, perhaps its fine and there is just something else awry (did you add sugar to it just now?), otherwise, if it tastes very sweet and unlike spirits, it probably didn't ferment. In either case, regardless of the readings, after tasting it, don't you know what you want to do with it?

Worst case you dump it out and move on to the beer kit. This hooch isn't good drinking even if it did ferment properly.

 

[matt3360]

well it tates ok bit sweeter but its def not sugar water gues ill just drink it thanks for your help anyway i am going to steer well clear of these and just use beer

cheers guys

 

[Picobrew]

well it tates ok bit sweeter but its def not sugar water gues ill just drink it thanks for your help anyway i am going to steer well clear of these and just use beer

cheers guys

Good luck! Come back and tell us about the beers you brew. There are a lot of good recipes on this site.

 

[heyvail]

I have two possible answers:

1. Your fermentation isn't complete or stuck

2. Your ALCOMETER is broken.

* The Alcometer is floated in the spirit to measure the alcohol content. As alcohol is thinner than water, the higher in strength the alcohol is, the further down the hydrometer floats. The reading is taken where the surface of the spirit cuts the scale of the hydrometer.


It is weighted to measure the difference in alcohol and water, beer hydrometers are weighted to measure the difference in sugar levels. Hydrometers are more accurate at low alcohol %, but Alcometers are typically measuring alcohol levels in the 20% or more.

To test if your alcometer is broken put it in some cheap wine of known alcohol percentage and see if you are close. To test your "vodka" buy a hydrometer and measure it and if it is reading close to 1.00 you have your "hooch".

Hope the helps!!!!

 

[Yooper]

well it tates ok bit sweeter but its def not sugar water gues ill just drink it thanks for your help anyway i am going to steer well clear of these and just use beer

cheers guys

Well, you can wait a bit longer, and keep it at fermentation temperatures and it may well finish up for you. Yeast are living creatures, and susceptible to environmental changes and other things. I know it's been 4 weeks, but sometimes the yeast just take longer than expected. Instead of going by a time frame, go by when the yeast are done working. Check it again in a few days (or a week) to see if there are any changes. You may have had a temperature drop or something that affected the yeast, so keep it at room temperature and try to keep waiting it out.

 

[matt3360]

yeah i floted hydro was like 1.100 but i drained the yeast away after the 2 and a half weeks

but it did buble and thigs gues it may have failed as i am a noob i am doing a nice lager beer kit for bennginers as i am only 20 i am def into this as a hooby and hope ot prgress further once again thanks guys sorry for my poor typing and the way i cam across

happy brewing to u all

 

[ChshreCat]

I'm kinda disappointed that this thread is ending on a civil note. I was expecting another "EAC" blowout.

 

[bull8042]

I'm kinda disappointed that this thread is ending on a civil note. I was expecting another "EAC" blowout.

I clicked in here expecting the exact same thing. Oh well, I guess you can't win 'em all!

 

[Yooper]

yeah i floted hydro was like 1.100 but i drained the yeast away after the 2 and a half weeks

but it did buble and thigs gues it may have failed as i am a noob i am doing a nice lager beer kit for bennginers as i am only 20 i am def into this as a hooby and hope ot prgress further once again thanks guys sorry for my poor typing and the way i cam across

happy brewing to u all

ok, well, you can buy and pitch some more yeast. It's no super cheap, but it'll finish the brew for you. Next time, check the SG before draining off the yeast.

It's ok- just so you know that many of us are older and have trouble reading and understanding bad grammar and spelling. That's why we gave you some ****.

I especially have trouble with "text speak", like u 2 h8 2 fail. I can't read that at all! I can't even respond if the letter u is substituted for "you" so I'm pretty good here!

 

[matt3360]

why should it not end on a civil note then

 

[matt3360]

sorry yeah i should have made myself come across better sorry about that i am looking forward to making some beers

 

[Kickass]

Using only the indications you continue to give us I’d have to say your vodka kit turned out just fine…and is now empty.

 

[Q2XL]

Using only the indications you continue to give us I’d have to say your vodka kit turned out just fine…and is now empty.

Now that's funny. It was a good read while it lasted.

 

[Shonuff]

Those kits sounded like you just added sugar, water, and yeast. Then flavoring was added before bottling.

I'm assuming the headache is free.

 

[brian_g]

He's making liquors. They have stuff for this at my home brew store. (I've never done it but I tell you what I know). Basically you are adding a bottle of flavoring and maybe some glycerin to alcohol. You can either use Vodka (or everclear or whatever) or make your own.

To make your own alcohol, you basically use sugar water and a high alcohol tolerant yeast. They've got yeast that can get to 40+ proof without distilling.

My home brew store has some info here.
Liquor making - Liquor Quick - Super yeast - Winemakeri - Wine making supplies

The store owner told me that the alcohol comes out tasting like dish water. So to get it to taste right, you have to run it through activated carbon to remove the "off" flavors.

Getting yeast to ferment to 20% or more requires the right conditions:
1) air temperature

2) water temperature

3) amount of sugar.

Matt, did you use the right amount of sugar? what about temperature? My guess is that you got a stuck fermentation. If you've already poured off the alcohol from the yeast, it's probably too late. If you still have the bottle of flavoring you can add it to some vodka, or you can get another pack of turbo yeast. The yeast sells for about $5 US. I'd start with fresh sugar water and follow the instruction carefully. Your asking the yeast to do a lot and they need the right conditions.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You mean liqueur, which this is not. It's really a matter of semantics, but liqueurs are made from distilled spirits. If you infuse vodka, you have a liqueur. If you ferment sugar water, you have hooch.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I'm assuming the headache is free.

I've been following this crazy thread from post #1, and that's the word that keeps popping into my mind: HEADACHE!!

 

[brian_g]

You guys can poke fun all you want, but I think it would be fun to try. I'd like to see what those yeasties can really do. What percent alcohol can be reached without technically breaking the law?
What about this:
1) Turbo yeast on sugar water
2) Freeze distilling (a misnomer)
3) molecular sieve

 

[RayInUT]

Jesus...just go and buy a bottle of vodka already! For what that kit cost you could have bought two gallons of $hit vodka.

 

[Picobrew]

matt3360: let us know about the headache

 

[SOB]

I hate to be the first to say it, but...isn't this the "Beginners Beer Brewing" Forum?

 

[bull8042]

why should it not end on a civil note then

Please don't take that the wrong way, as it was nothing personal towards you at all. There have been a few threads on here where kids come in wanting to make hooch, then get really pissed and defensive when they didn't immediately get the help and direction they thought they deserved.
As you know by now, we don't and won't discuss distilling to increase alcohol content since it is illegal here in the states. We also don't normally care to discuss the average "hooch" process since we are interested in crafting a quality beer, not just some off-the-wall alcoholic liquid that tastes like $hit just for a cheap buzz. However, you persevered and finally gave us enough information to get you a little help, or at least pointed in the right direction.
That is what we were referring to... you didn't go off the deep end and end up getting verbally abusive because you felt like we were making fun of you and didn't want to help.

 

[SeamusMac]

I just finished one of these kits using a "turbo" yeast strain that comes packaged with a mixture of nutrients to help it reach a high ABV.

My kit didn't take anywhere near 4 weeks, and I don't think yours should have either. For the yeast to eat its way through 8kg of sugar it should have only taken 7-8 days on top of an additional day for clearing using the two-part clearing agent often called K/C.

I couldn't determine the final ABV of my alcohol using my beer hydrometer as it dropped below the bottom end of my scale. The package said that 0.992-0.990 is where it usually finishes, which means my batch finished at about 17.5% ABV. The final product looks like white wine, a fairly clear liquid with a greenish-yellow colour. Smells like a really dirty white wine mixed with some vodka and old bread. After putting it through an activated carbon filter it came out super clear, colourless and for the most part scentless. It smells like weak vodka and tastes like it smells, although there is an unpleasant bready kind of taste that appears in the after-taste.

Having said that I can buy a canned it of IPA and a kg of dextrose for about the same price and get a significantly more palatable end product, even if it takes 7 weeks instead of 9 days. I wouldn't make this stuff to drink on its own, but as far as alcohol for mixing it's a great remedy for the financial woes of students like me Half/half turbo yeast juice and orange juice is fantastic, this product is great way for anyone throwing a party to make a lot of spiked punch without breaking the bank.

 

[APendejo]

For all the folks who answered this kid, I think ya all just got played.
Sounds like he made up some sugar water and turbo yeast. Liquid Crack.
AP

 

[ScottyT]

I guess they don't have shift keys or periods on their keyboards across the pond?

Enjoy your hooch, and the headache.

 

[malkore]

I have made a hazelnut 'brandy' kit like this. It comes with large bags of glucose, hazelnut flavoring, a huge sachet of yeast, and some charcoal finings.

it makes a gallon of non-descript 'booze'...not bad, but not something to write home about. They get close to 18% ABV (if I remember it used EC-1118 yeast , 2 packs for 1 gallon).

easier to buy real vodka, which is 40% abv and properly distilled by professionals.

 

[HSM]

Too bad distilling is taboo in many parts of the world. I'm sure there are plenty of dumb a$$es out there that would prove it should be illegal after a few houses are blown up.

I'm not sure if links to other forums are allowed, but if you google "home distillation of alcohol" the #1 page and forum within will help you along the way to being a "dukes of hazzard".