Stalled wash

[Wingmanalive]

Hello all. New to the forum. I wouldn’t call myself a newbie in this arena but I’m no expert and still learning every day. I brew my own beer and have tried wine. Now I’m into shine. Made many batches thus far and I have been experimenting with grains. I usually use cracked corn or straight sugar washes and lately have tried sweet feed. I run a simple pot still that I have made and it runs very well. I usually get a solid 3/4 gallon of 80-120 proof off my first 5 gallon run and a good 150-160 proof on a 2nd. I enjoy spirit runs as I like to add my own extracts to make my own kick ass cordials.

My question and frequent problem however is dealing with a stalled wash. I currently have 10 gallons of sweet feed wash that for the first 24 hours fermented like nuts. Airlock was screaming, like 2 bubbles a second. Then after 24 hours one 5 gallon wash stalled, dead. The second stalled after 3 days. I stir it up and it gives a few minutes of activity then dead again. Without a turbo yeast it couldn’t possibly finish fermenting that fast can it? I’ve had this problem once or twice before and it’s frustrating having to toss all my work down the drain. I use Red Star champagne yeast and I pitch it at 100 degrees or less. I add one lb of sugar for each gallon of wash. My yeast bomb I make activates strong using the same water as what’s in the wash. What could my problems be? It’s at room temperature around 70 degrees and sealed tight. I thoroughly aerate the mixture before I pitch too. I’ve had corn washes stall, sugar shine washes fail all together and now this. If it were my water I’m using then why do some batches sing and others fail? I’ve tried distilled water on my sugar shine but due to lack of nutrients it does nothing. Tap water works fine most of the time but if that were the problem here then why would my wash ferment like crazy BEFORE it stalls?

As you can see I’m at a loss here. I have probably a good 200 gallons of brewing/distilling under my belt thus far and would like to get to the bottom of what my problem(s) may be. Much appreciated for any input!

[BeverageCommander]

Do you know what the starting gravity of the wash was?

Do you know what the gravity was when it stalled?

[Wingmanalive]

I did not check my starting gravity but I sighed a little when I checked afterwards. It was at or a tad above 1.00. That to me tells me it’s done. Yet after only 24 hrs? Regardless I just ran both 5 gallons batches I made through a stripping run on my still and sure enough I got a solid 3/4 gallon of low wines. Holds a flame too. Amazingly I have 2 other corn washes that are still fermenting after 5 weeks! It should NEVER take that long but both started out strong and have taken this long to finally start settling down. I don’t see much settled yeast at the bottom of my carboy either. Yet it’s been active the whole time. I find it ironic that 2 washes of sweet feed fermented in 24 hours yet I have 2 corn washes going on a month and a half. Talk about a wide spectrum!

[BeverageCommander]

Did you use the same yeast on everything? That is pretty crazy!

[Wingmanalive]

Sure did. Some things just elude me. I am currently fermenting 10 gallons of sugar wash using a turbo yeast and boy when they say NOT to use an airlock with turbo yeast they weren’t kidding. Within an hour I had yeast head all over my table. I’d love to use turbo yeast all the time but the $10 price tag my brew store charges for it is too high. It sure does the job however. As for the stalled washes I’ve been experiencing I’m still at a loss. I’ve given up using baker’s yeast as this only yields me a paltry 5%-8% max. Champagne yeast will get me 10%-13% and I’m hoping to get a solid 15%-18% off my turbo yeast this go around. I hate running my still so hot with low % washes just to get the ethanol out. It’s such a pleasure running my 2nd run shine though. Still produces at 180 degrees and my condenser keeps up nicely. Even my tails are crystal clear and still 120 proof. Leaves me with a solid 3/4 gallon of 155 proof spirit on a 3 gallon run, perfect for my extracts and essence. I’m in no need to run a 3rd time. Carbon filter it and she’s ready for the shelf. Good stuff.

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