#4 IN OUR SERIES OF BEGINNER VIDEOS. This channel is designed to offer insight and background on the science, art and practice of making alcohol based products at home.
Oh so funny, George shares many good little clangers, but the ph call asking if they can use the can of tomato paste more than once was awesome, 😂😂🤣 oh so good.
Great video George and Happy Thanksgiving. That line "Can I use that can of tomato paste again?" really cracked me up. Usually 1 tablespoon of gypsum per 5 gallons of water is perfect and the same can be said for lemon juice. It takes 2 tablespoons of lime juice per 5 gallons of water. The lemon and lime juice is also good for batches that are way too sweet and need a little acid to calm the sweetness down. People have it backwards about turbo yeast if you ask me. I think it produces a much cleaner mash/wash which in turn makes a much cleaner and far better tasting alcohol versus the bread yeast that people often swear by.
I'm loving your videos. One small thing that you might want to add a disclaimer to - just before the 22 minute mark you state that Bleach is a strong acid that will lower the PH level - it's actually a super strong base that will raise the PH.
Well now you done it George. I came to your site to gather information to build a PID controller for an Electric Smoker. Now I seem to be stuck here learning the art of brewing and distilling. :) Just ordered a 3 gal. Mighty Mini from the folks in CO. Another adventure on this journey through life.
I started out making high ABV wine, using tap water. Then made beer, same water. Got my still and used the same water. Now, our water is not always great tasting, but usually it's ok... So, I began getting water from my refrigerator, after it was filtered, then also ran it thru the Brita filter. I honestly could not taste any difference in the final product, be it wine, beer or distillate. Perhaps some folks can, personally I could not. I've always paid close attention to PH and did my best to follow the suggested amount of yeast nutrient and other adds. I also ALWAYS let it sit for at least 24 hours before starting. Maybe it's just my old smokers palet, lol... I don't know. Anyway... Just for grins, for my next run, I am going to buy gallon jugs of spring water and give that a try. Time will tell ! Thanks again George. I love all the info and very much appreciate all the help you have given me on my journey 😁 Happy Thanksgiving Sir, to you and your family !!
Well sir just wanted to drop a line to say thank you. For the knowledge you've been sharing. I've been subscribed and listening to barley and hops for 4 months since then I built my own still I ran it last night and it worked flawlessly once again thank you p/s I also built My own fermentation chamber. Works great
By far the quickest full figured set of videos that also keep it simple and pretty much explains it all. In a 1 to 10 grading system I give it a definate 11.
Thank you Sir! I'm wanting to get into distilling. Your videos are the best I have found on RU-vid. And I've been researching for months before I jump in. I feel much more educated and feel confident now with what I have learned from you. Thank you again. Keep it up!!!!
Hey George, My son and his wife got me the "chinese still" for chirstmas. I've been watching your videos sense then trying to get educated. What a great resource for a total novice like me. Hopefully soon I'll get my first mash started. This looks like a fun hobby, and with your help it will be...Thx...Pete...Sedona, AZ
Hi George Love Love Love the way you explain things! Makes me feel kinda smart lol i myself haven't mashed in or made my first run. Coming soon tho! Thank you very much for the vedios. I have whatched alot, but not threw them all.
Thanks for the great videos. I'm sitting here in a country that has decided to ban the sale of alcohol during lockdown! Hopefully soon I'll be making my own!
Excellent info as usual. Investing in an inexpensive pH meter can be worthwhile. The test strips are usable on perfectly clear washes, but the readings can be hard to judge if there are some colourful ingredients, i.e. tomato paste, or rendered inaccurate if your fingers are not perfectly clean of all residue.
Love the vids George! I learn something in nearly every one I've watched so far. I've just got a little correction for you though. Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) has a pH of about 11.
I've been enjoying your videos for some time now and just now realized who you remind me of, Jim Backus, Thurston Howell III. I love your videos, keep them coming.
I have watched a LOT of your videos and have to thank you for ONE THING: turbo clear. NOW I won't have to worry aobut bottling my beer!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Okay maybe I came away with more than one thing. Time will tell. I am back to being happy about beer making!!!
I always thought it might be fun to make my own alcohol but I thought it's too complicated I'll never get it. I found my way here because my hobbies have me researching the hydrometer. now you really don't talk about the Brix scale on the hydrometer much but what I noticed while I was here yeast and the beneficial bacteria in my fish tanks are exactly the same but different. Lol what I mean by that is the differences are so small they almost don't matter. so I decided to stick around because well it seems I have a huge head start on learning this stuff. I'm even considering bending my first rule. I think most people with this little of understanding would think okay I need to keep my temperatures at 78 because that's what George says to do. And I thought well that falls on the smart side of fish tanks most fish can be kept from 77 to 80. I keep mine at 80 slightly stressed but I get a little more activity and pay for it with a slightly reduced lifespan. 80 is not very far from 78 so my thought is how much damage can it really do to work with a number that I'm already familiar with?
Hey thanks George again for the help on the learning curve your the best keep it up... oh ya and just like that other guy said when you make a book I need one lol
You sir are a blessing, I was literally looking for this information but your presentations are so well thought out and delivered I’m watching everything. Thanks again for the great work!
Completely agree, George is an excellent teacher, enthusiastic to share his knowledge, a veteran brewer/distiller and a good YT neighbor. Thank you George and God bless.
Dear George, thanks again for a great video! One question; the calcium i take out of my water by using a resin filter, can that effect my wash/mash? I will now try adding tomatopaste(no can) because my fermentation stopped also. I am using Safspirit USW-6 and nutriënts from vinoferm. Have a great one!
Hey George good stuff there and your enthusiasm is infectious. One common water salt you left out on your list was Calcium Chloride. You will often see this added to bottled water for taste and like Gypsum is a good source calcium for your yeast. Cheers.
Thank you sir.? wonder if I would gain anything from adding a touch of azomite to the mix..Did you get a chance to look at that video I emailed you about Nilered..
What are the reasons why turbo yeast doesn't work ? 7 to 10 days it took 20 days, my second one 15 days, and the new 23% is still going at 14 days. I follow everything to the letter even have a heater and blanket to make sure everything is correct. My last 5 gallon wash called for 10.5kg of sugar its now 14 days into the fermenting, a lot of sugar to go by taste and hydrometer, it has a strong taste but too much sugar to use, a lot of rising bubbles and this was 10 days, I have plus 4 days and going. 3 kits all 3 failed, any idea why ? Thank you
Thank you George. This is one area that I wanted to know more about to improve both the fermentation and flavour for my gin. But, any chance you can advise on what products to use to increase the vitamin, minerals and zinc? Also, the ph for ethanol (gin) did you suggest 5.4, what you you suggest as a range? Thanks again and these videos are fab, still learning from you and I have been distilling for a year now.... have fun
Aloha George as i understand it you want a water that has low to no iron content, which is a primary consideration for distillery location (hard water too) . whats your take on that ?
A couple of drops of pure hydrochloric acid in a glass of water tastes wonderful and sparkling without bubbles. (Stories from chemistry laboratory school )
As a plumber im most interested in this lol.this guy is so good. ive really interested in this series Edit: fuck me, i thought the purest of springs went into out beers. bloody marketing
I have a four stage filtration system that cleans out rust, biologicals, chlorine, parasites, and most hardness but leaves some of the minerals. My tap water tastes great. Don't know the ph but now I'm curious.
Great video! One question I have is do you adjust your pH before heating the water, before cooking the grain or right before fermentation? Thanks again
The water where I live is extremely hard. Over 300mg per litre of calcium! Even heating up a pan to boil an egg leaves calcium on the bottom of the pan. Our electric kettle has to be soaked in citric acid once a week! Using this water to cut spirits always leaves a white deposit!
Excellent video as usual and I will definitely be watching this 1 again. 1 question George, what about acid blend vs. citric acid? Thanks so much for all your information.
My cities water is disgusting. I use filtered water bought from Canadian Tire but like you said you can still never tell whats in it or how it was filtered. It does freeze clear unlike tap water. They have the option of water with minerals but I'm shy of using that as I worry about it being toxic to the wash.
do you have a list of things that we are looking for in water reports? you started the list with potassium chloride, sodium chloride, biotin, but unfortunately then halted.
George! Love your helpful tips! What about natural rain water, does God provide a good Moonshine base after filtration through sand and tar via roof shingles, or shall I collect it straight into a rain barrel? How clean could rain water be anyway in the environment we live? Just asking for your opinion?
Correct, you need to filter it out with a carbon cartridge, that goes inline to your tap. My water co add so much chloramine in the summer months, that I cannot even make bread with tap water.
What about iron? I'm on well water and we have a whole house filter but it still lets enough iron through to stain things like the washing machine. Any ideas? Thanks
A Katalox filtration system is the only means to remove that iron you have. Using this also removes magnesium and hydrogen sulfide from well water. Look into this and see if benefits your particular issue. George
