Trufax. You'll notice in one thread or another that I had planned an applejack project for last year. I abandoned it because I didn't want to deal with the chance of methanol poisoning. Switching to yeast development and breeding, as well as beer brewing, come this summer.
Man, you make bandaid beer once, and suddenly you're the guy that makes bandaid beer. Doesn't matter that all the beer I've made after has been among the greatest mankind has ever tasted - nope, it's all bandaids.
I understand the risks. And right now I am only doing sugar wine. The main reason I want to freeze distill is that I've had some pretty low percentages before and wanted to get it up to wine strength. I'm probably just going to see how it tastes after I filter it and go from there. I'll probably buy a hydrometer in a few weeks so I can actually calculate the ABV on my next batch.
I understand the risks. And right now I am only doing sugar wine. The main reason I want to freeze distill is that I've had some pretty low percentages before and wanted to get it up to wine strength. I'm probably just going to see how it tastes after I filter it and go from there. I'll probably buy a hydrometer in a few weeks so I can actually calculate the ABV on my next batch.
Yeah, fix your primary process before you add further complications.
If you need a quick estimator, though, pure cane sugar is 46 points (of gravity) per pound per gallon. So a pound of sugar in a gallon of water will yield 46 points of gravity - a 1.046 OG. Two pounds per gallon? 92 points - 1.092 OG. And so on.
1.080+ is where you want to be for wine strength. Make sure you use a wine yeast - they attenuate far more completely than bread or brewer's yeast.
How easy would it be to just keep a yeast culture going so I don't have to keep buying more? I did have some Champagne yeast before but I ended up leaving it out of the fridge for a while so it went bad. I just bought some regular bread yeast for this batch, which is one reason I wanted to freeze distill.
How easy would it be to just keep a yeast culture going so I don't have to keep buying more? I did have some Champagne yeast before but I ended up leaving it out of the fridge for a while so it went bad. I just bought some regular bread yeast for this batch, which is one reason I wanted to freeze distill.
Bread yeast will never ever ever ever give you the alcohol content you want. Get some proper brewing yeast - it's really not much more expensive. Order the dry stuff online. Here, have some Red Star Champagne yeast. You're looking at $1.50 per satchet with shipping. Each satchet is good for 5 gallons and tolerates up to 18% ABV. That'll get you drunk.
Are you looking for something sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry, or dry? The fun thing about using sugar as your base is that you will wind up tasting only the character imparted by the yeast. Try mead or cider yeasts - they'll wind up tasting somewhat like meads and ciders!
You may want to look at getting some kind of nutrient into there - either yeast nutrient or some bits of fruit. It'll make a healthier fermentation, which will make your hooch more drinkable.
Wyeast has an Eau de Vie yeast that is tolerant up to 21% ABV.
How easy would it be to just keep a yeast culture going so I don't have to keep buying more?
Do you have a pressure cooker capable of a 15 psi pressure? Brew sanitation is pretty easy. Fungiculture involves rigorous sterilization and extreme post-sterilization sanitation; you'll need to get some lab glass, agar, and yeast nutrients to manufacture slants of yeast in the event that your mother gets contaminated, as well.
How easy would it be to just keep a yeast culture going so I don't have to keep buying more?
Do you have a pressure cooker capable of a 15 psi pressure? Brew sanitation is pretty easy. Fungiculture involves rigorous sterilization and extreme post-sterilization sanitation; you'll need to get some lab glass, agar, and yeast nutrients to manufacture slants of yeast in the event that your mother gets contaminated, as well.
That's the best way to do it. However, if you're really careful and have shitloads of yeast, serial re-pitching can work.
But you need, like, segregated facilities and literally gallons of yeast before this really becomes viable.
EDIT: Yeah, if you keep it in a mason jar and just feed it periodically, it'll get contaminated. Though, some homebrewers are successful in saving a yeast cake for later use. They usually pitch right on top of the old one.
Hmm, I might try pitching on top of the old batch.
Also, I heard that it doesn't matter all that much how much yeast you put in because it reproduces so quickly. Is there any truth to that?
Yes and no. Broadly speaking, you can underpitch (too little) or overpitch (too much).
Underpitching results in stressed yeast, and stressed yeast results in off-flavors. You also run a greater risk of spoilage with underpitching, as it takes longer for the yeast population to rise to a point where it can fend off bacteria. It's pretty easy to underpitch, and a lot of professional breweries feel that even those smack packs from Wyeast result in underpitching.
Overpitching is a lot harder to do. You have to put in a shitfuckton more yeast - like 4 times the amount of a good pitch - before it begins to do anything. And even then, what you mostly get is a yeasty flavor in the beverage.
Well the first bottle of this batch is ready. I figured it would be syrupy sweet like before because I just ended up using bread yeast. Surprisingly it basically just tastes like bitter water mixed with straight alcohol. Oh well I guess it will get the job done.
I'm starting to get back into it. I made a little batch of Cherry Apple Berry wine. I just used some cherry apple juice and some random mixed berries. I didn't have any wine yeast on hand so it was fairly week but after freeze concentration it seems pretty strong. For a setup that's one step up from prison hooch, its pretty good. I've got another gallon of it still going so hopefully that will go a little stronger.
Also, does anyone have any experience harvesting wild yeasts for use in homebrew?
So one of my homebrewing friends mentioned this book: Sacred Herbal and Healing Beers detailing old fermentable beverages and their history throughout the world. Very curious to buy this, but this sounded very much like a Peter book.
What entertained me the most about this my said friend mentioning recreating one of the recipe: I brewed a Gruit this winter that used Yarrow, Nettle, and Mugwort rather than hops, since hops make you drowsy. Yarrow was brewed in ale for weddings in ancient times because it "made the guests act crazy."
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If you need a quick estimator, though, pure cane sugar is 46 points (of gravity) per pound per gallon. So a pound of sugar in a gallon of water will yield 46 points of gravity - a 1.046 OG. Two pounds per gallon? 92 points - 1.092 OG. And so on.
1.080+ is where you want to be for wine strength. Make sure you use a wine yeast - they attenuate far more completely than bread or brewer's yeast.
Are you looking for something sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry, or dry? The fun thing about using sugar as your base is that you will wind up tasting only the character imparted by the yeast. Try mead or cider yeasts - they'll wind up tasting somewhat like meads and ciders!
You may want to look at getting some kind of nutrient into there - either yeast nutrient or some bits of fruit. It'll make a healthier fermentation, which will make your hooch more drinkable.
Wyeast has an Eau de Vie yeast that is tolerant up to 21% ABV.
But you need, like, segregated facilities and literally gallons of yeast before this really becomes viable.
EDIT: Yeah, if you keep it in a mason jar and just feed it periodically, it'll get contaminated. Though, some homebrewers are successful in saving a yeast cake for later use. They usually pitch right on top of the old one.
Also, I heard that it doesn't matter all that much how much yeast you put in because it reproduces so quickly. Is there any truth to that?
Underpitching results in stressed yeast, and stressed yeast results in off-flavors. You also run a greater risk of spoilage with underpitching, as it takes longer for the yeast population to rise to a point where it can fend off bacteria. It's pretty easy to underpitch, and a lot of professional breweries feel that even those smack packs from Wyeast result in underpitching.
Overpitching is a lot harder to do. You have to put in a shitfuckton more yeast - like 4 times the amount of a good pitch - before it begins to do anything. And even then, what you mostly get is a yeasty flavor in the beverage.
Yeasts don't reproduce that quickly.
Also, does anyone have any experience harvesting wild yeasts for use in homebrew?
What entertained me the most about this my said friend mentioning recreating one of the recipe: I brewed a Gruit this winter that used Yarrow, Nettle, and Mugwort rather than hops, since hops make you drowsy. Yarrow was brewed in ale for weddings in ancient times because it "made the guests act crazy."