 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
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I am new to the home brewing scene and am in need of help from some of the seasoned veterans. My setup is a standard 15.5 gallon keg with the PSII collumn. I have the hose pack, copper mesh and raschig rings for packing. My cooling medium is a small submersible pump in one of those kiddy pools. My first run is an agave wash, cause I love tequila, and once the temp got to the 175 mark I saw no results for about an hour. My keg is sitting on a turkey fryer burner so I increased the gas a little and before I knew it the temp had shot up to 200 degrees. I got that under control and brought the temp back to around 180. Have been watching it for over an hour now with not so much as a drip. I have read several posts where guys are getting consistent product starting around the mid 170 range, so I can only assume I am doing something wrong. I really appreciate any assistance I can get. Sincerely, Sober in Fl.
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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"Describe your wash and fermentation indepth and that will make it easier for most to reply..
If your wash was a flop that might be the reason for no likker."
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/4/2013(UTC)
Posts: 5
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The recipe I used came from a friend and it was 7 jars of the agave nectar, 8 gallons of distilled water, and one packet of yeast. I had the wash in a new 30 gallon plastic can and let it sit for about 8 days. The drum is not air tight either. the packet of yeast I used was just that rapid rise stuff and not brewers yeast. Could that be the problem? Thanks in advance.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/12/2012(UTC) Posts: 463   Was thanked: 3 time(s) in 3 post(s)
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Hi Redfisher. You gave us the ingredients but not the method. Which is equally important. How many ounces per jar of nectar? Was the wash heated to dissolve the nectar? do you know the temperature of the wash at the time you added the yeast. Do you have a hydrometer? and did you take specific gravity readings before adding yeast and then after fermenting was finished? The yeast is not the problem if handled correctly and the rest of it was done properly.
Also I think your ingredients should have included some nutrients for the yeast. I don't think agave nectar has enough or any and yeast needs them. They do not live on sugar alone.
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/4/2013(UTC)
Posts: 5
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I heated four gallons to 100 degrees, then added the nectar. Added the other four gallons and then added the yeast. No hydrometer, but its already on order as I see this is an essential tool. There was a bit of a cold front here the first three days and I didnt really see anything happening with the wash. Once the temps got back into the upper 70's I saw the fermentation happening.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Hi Redfisher, how much of the Agave nectar did you use?
When haveing a problem it's always a good idea to give us the whole recipe, with amounts, how it's heated and to what temps, and when/what temp different ingredients are added. You have'nt given us much to work with here.
Just a guess but from what info I do have it sounds like you did'nt have enough sugar based material for a good batch.
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/4/2013(UTC)
Posts: 5
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Each jar of the nectar was 23.5 oz. and I used 7 jars.
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 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/7/2013(UTC)
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Did you taste the wash before you put it in the keg? It should have been low wines or beer and if you didn't have any alcohol in it, which is where they are going, that is one source of your problem. The other is operation of the still. I'd like to see what happens in the opt still mode. Tequila is usually pot distilled I think.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/17/2012(UTC)
Posts: 118
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Dear Sober, I see several potential problems here, but the end result is there wasn't enough ETOH to produce anything.
First, I'd spend some time (actually a lot of time) reading the website "Home Distillation of Alcohol" by Tony Ackland. It took me about a month and I treated it like a class and took notes to refresh myself.
Next, although you love Tequila (hell who doesn't), I would recommend a simple sugar wash for your first few runs until you get your feet...and your tongue wet!
Go to a restaurant supply, or be cheap like me and beg some food grade 5 gallon plastic buckets from your local eatery, school, jail, etc. Don't forget the lid, then clean it like you going to eat out of it. You can work your way up to 30 gallon fermenters...or not.
Heat 2 gallons of tap water (distilled water is mostly a waste of money) to around 100F and add 10lbs of sugar and a can of tomato paste, stir like mad, then fill bucket almost full with garden hose and nozzle (think aeration).
Take its temp, if its hotter than 79F let it cool. Anything over 93F will kill the yeast. Add your yeast; I think 1 packet isn't enough, I used a single packet once and it took a month to ferment. Buy the bakers yeast in the glass jar, add 1/3 of it. Stir again.
Seal it up, fill your airlock (oh yeah get a couple of them, drill small hole in lid and install.) No peeking, you can watch the bubbles in the lock after a day. When it stops taste it, it should be like a semi sweet wine. Siphon it off into your keg, leave the dregs in bucket.
Another thing comes to mind, absent of a hydrometer use established recipes...there's a whole section here to look over.
Now all that being said, if your beer taste sugar sweet, you may need to use some food grade containers with a tight lid and airlock, heat it back up and re-pitch the yeast. You don't want too much space in the bucket for air...its not good on the ferment.
I'm sure I left something out...so someone else jump in and help me out.
Regards,
Farmin
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
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" Originally Posted by: Redfisher  The recipe I used came from a friend and it was 7 jars of the agave nectar, 8 gallons of distilled water, and one packet of yeast. I had the wash in a new 30 gallon plastic can and let it sit for about 8 days. The drum is not air tight either. the packet of yeast I used was just that rapid rise stuff and not brewers yeast. Could that be the problem? Thanks in advance. ----WHAT---you cook in is not as important as ---whats---in the cooker!!!! All the info about your cooker and how you utilized it is good but the recipe is the problem in my humble opinion. By that I mean its very lacking in really important items, like -- nutrients for happy yeast ---fermentable sugars and enzymes for conversion. With the addition of a few more goodies you can still use that recipe so dont give up just modify what you have and it should work. There's nothing wrong with that yeast either it just needs to be nurished and fed."
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