How I Make Vodka with Bakers Yeast Pt.1 The Wash 

Hey Colin.... Thanks for the comments.... I try to give what I wasn't able to find while I was learning, the trouble is it takes so long to make each vid. This one took three weeks to make half of the Vid and I had to juggle it with work..... I am flabergasted to see over 1000 subs and will try my hardest to continue.....

Ho Farhad.... Cheers!

Thanks Toby

Good on ya Mike, I try to call it as I see it with no holes barred. I'm learning too.... Happy Brewing Mike

You are very welcome... Cheers

Thanks M8harry. I only make vids when I try something new. As of late it seems I have only been making BS Vodka and Cornflake Whiskey. I hope to be getting a new pot still soon so that will need a vid to go with it.

Hey Wingman.... What type of still do you use?

@@pauljacobs5390 I use a 5 gallon stainless steel pot still with a Liebig condenser. The rig cost me $350 back in the day but I've certainly got my $$ out of it. I buy the copper mesh online and stuff the head of it to help remove the sulfates. I know it works too because after a run it comes out almost black. I got mine years ago from here. shop.distillery-equipment.com/collections/stills/Moonshine-Stills

If you're doing sugar yeast wash you don't need to double the distil nor do you need to do cuts reflux

Thanks David.... Happy Brewing!

Cheers Coco

Good on ya Adam.... Cheers Paul

Thanks Nicole, I try to give the explanations I was not able to find when I started.....

Thanks, I found it hard to get advise when I started and just sharing what I worked out

Hey Sarah........ Cheers....

Thanks Oliver, I try to make sure it is easy to watch and absorb. Regards Paul

That recipe sounds interesting. Yes, I tend to prefer the Bakers Yeast and am prepared to throw away the tails and heads and be content with an end product of 2.5ltrs of 40%ABV - just my preference. I introduced my brother into this hobby and he only throws away the Heads....... His taste buds must be dead, but he is very happy with his end product and enjoying his journey.

Still Stuff I like to flavour my end product with all manner of commercial and homemade flavours, so a more naturally produced base spirit is what I'm aiming for. Of course, everyone's journey is different. It's an addictive hobby. So much detail to experiment with. It's super fun. I'm only a novice. Thanks for replying.

Hi Jim - I have used Raisins before successfully, let them soak in water to reconstitute then blitz them in a food processor. I shied away from them because I found that they were influencing the flavor. There are obviously many different types of Bakers Yeast and some may give better yields. I used 1/2 cup to give it a jump start, something similar to how Turbo Yeast does it. The only problem I have found is that for me the gap between Hearts and Tails does not give me too much product. Thanks for the comment, just trying to share what I have found.

I didn't know that about the raisins, thanks for letting me know. This is why I'm researching it. I don't know what part of the world you live in, but here in North America Fleischman's breast yeast seems quite popular. Clawhammer Supply has a really good article on it. You should Google them and give it a look. Cheers!

@@jimdent351 Breast yeast

Cheers Jonathan

Hey Bobo Fett.... Correct on all counts...... :-) Happy Brewing....

:-) :-) :-)

I agree Chuck, I enjoy watching George......

Gotta agree Edvin.... I throw away so much, but what I keep is the ultimate quality.... Many others add some of the lower quality tails but that will only offer you low grade tainted product.

Hey Rick, I use wine makers yeast nutrient DAP (Di Ammonium Phosphate) I plan to do a comparison vid between DAP and Tomato paste (birdwatchers).... Stay tuned...... :-)

@@pauljacobs5390 Sounds Good! I look forward to it.

Good on Ya Light9, glad you enjoyed it. I'm in Aus too!

@@pauljacobs5390 g'day mate hehe. Here's to plenty of cold brews this Summer! 🍺🍻👍

Hey Nathan..... I hear you on Lalvin.... I have just received 125mg Lalvin EC118 and plan doing a vid to extract the best result......

Good on ya TS..... Happy Distiling

Thing to remember is to not use more than a teaspoon. For some funny reason, if you double the quantity you actually slow the distill down a tad.

ooh, mmm. I just followed your reciepe for this wash, but i have a 60 L wash on as well. This one I might have added too much then. I wondered why it was slower than normal. Np patience will get there lol. Just one question, how long did you have to leave it to settle?

I use a flat teaspoon of DAP per 25 litres and bring up the temperature to 32 degrees C to kick start the yeast. I had to wait around 2 weeks on the barrel i put two heap teaspoons in, but it depends on your yeast and the quality of the water you used. Keep us updated Craig

Been thinking about this slow down problem and just tried some experiments using DAP in water in small increments. After each increment I checked the PH level and it rose somewhat. Using too much DAP will increase the Alkalinity and this will effect the yeast growth. Using Citric Acid as well as the DAP reduces the Alkalinity whilst leaving the nutrient capacity there. In the same test water I was able to slowly incrementally decrease the PH level. It is worth getting some Litmus PH test strips and monitor before adding the yeast. Ideally the wash should be tested at 4 to 5 PH before adding yeast.

Oh my, I think I might become an alcoholic. Stilling at the moment, amazing quality! Can you drink it straight? lol. Ty muchly, extremely happy with the end product.

Not personally, I use only refined Cane Sugar. I suppose that if you use unrefined Raw sugar there may be impurities in it.

champagne yeast or wine yeast is the best for it, thats what i use and i can get my sugar wash bumped upto 20% easy

I thought so too. Bakers yeast is good for CO2 not so good for alchohol. Probably why he had to use half a cup

Hey Grepadu, I hear you on this..... I released this vid with an alternative to Turbo Yeast. I plan using a Lalvin EC118 yeast in increased Quantities to get a better result.

"readily available"

@@wesleybowler8603 Yes, if there's not a brew shop near you then the internet has a multitude of places that will ship it to your door for next to nothing. bread yeast doesn't produce as much alcohol as turbo or champagne yeast and if you're going to go to all the trouble to make a wash you want it to have as much as possible.

Hey Uncle Owl... Don't overdo it.... Get one cup of Rasins, boil them and let them stand, when they have completely expanded to their fill size let them cool....blitz them with a food processor and use this for the nutrient..... Worked for me (DAP was easier and cleaner though)

Some people use Toatoe Paste as a nutrient.... I have yet to do a vid on this.....

@@pauljacobs5390 Thanks so much for your reply. I was wondering, is it normal for sugar wash to taste and smell sour after fermentation is done? or something has gone wrong in the process.

@@uncleowl8187 At the end of the day, does not matter what it smells like, when it is distilled it has little to no smell. Remember that when you are distilling, the first part is somewhat strong smelling and should be thrown away... the next bit is the hearts and should be saved.. the last bit smells somewhat strawey and nasty and should be discarded......

@@pauljacobs5390 Once again thanks so much for your advice and reply. I'll be happy to see more vids from you. Cheers

Hey Thomas, I have not used this as Yeast Nutrient as I have heaps of DAP. From what I have read I think you can use as much as you are game to use, it is dead yeast and if you use too much it will simply add to your sediment of the second brew that you will discard or use again.. Maybe someone else reading this can comment?

HELLO Still Stuff - so I kept looking. i found a lot about how to wash your old yeast to use it again but not so much on yeast nutrient. Then I found a bread baking page. They had a recipe on how to use yeast to make yeast extract. Then I started searching for how to make yeast extract. I found several methods - some use pressure cookers (similar to the pressurized vats that commercial yeast extract manufacturers use) - but the simplest one just took yeast put it in a pot with water put on the lid and cook for 24 hours. Now to make yeast extract, you just filter out the dead cell walls and you got yeast extract. But for fermenting, many of the yeast energizers use 'yeast hulls' which means yeast walls. I am cook a batch now. I will experiment with it for a while. I see no reason to filter the yeast extract and yeast hulls and will try to use the entire solution as yeast nutrient. I will let you know what I learn. Also from what I read, yes DAP is WONDERFUL however most say you need more nutrients like vitamin B and other minerals like magnesium and even some amino acids.

HELLO Still Stuff - OK I did my first experiment. First I sterilized everything I would use in bleach water and then sprayed with isopropyl alcohol. I made a 4 liter batch of sugar water (1 Kg white sugar) and then added a quarter teaspoon of citric acid to get the pH = 4.6. Then I oxygenated this sugar water by pouring it from one large tub to another for about 5 minutes. Next I placed one liter into 4 different soda bottles (#1 plastic). I then placed all four bottles in an ice bath to cool the temperature down to 27 C. Now I had let my yeast extract sit overnight and a sediment formed and on the top was a light yellow liquid that I will call yeast extract. On the bottom of these bottles was a almost white sediment which I will call yeast walls. In bottle #1 I put in 3 tablespoons of the light yellow yeast extract liquid. I then shook up one of my bottles of yeast extract and yeast walls. In bottle #2 I placed 1 tablespoon of the mixed extract & walls, in bottle # 3 I put in 3 tablespoons of the mixed extract & walls, while in bottle #4 I put in 5 tablespoons of the mixed extract & walls. Then I pitched my bread yeast, by placing 1 teaspoon of yeast with stirring in 100 ml of filtered water in 4 different measuring cups. I then poured the now activate yeast (one measuring cup per bottle) into the soda bottles. Next I placed balloons over the soda bottle openings and waited. Bottle #1 did not show any krausen forming while bottles 2, 3, and 4 had more and more krausen. I left them overnight and in the morning it was clear that the balloons were of different sizes. The bubbling was strongest in bottle #4 but all bottles had easy to see bubbling. To me it seems the yeast walls are good for making the yeast bud and increase the concentration of yeast in the sugar water (as show by the krausen). I still have to experiment more to find exactly how to use my extract & walls. I will try to filter out the extract and collect just the yeast walls. Then I will experiment to see how much of this yeast walls will give me the best results. I will let you know more as I learn more.

Great report, we think the same way. Have you thought about running your own RU-vid channel

Hello Still Stuff - Thank you very much. Before I retired I was a medical researcher at Ohio State University Medical Center, so I learned how to write reports. As for my own RU-vid channel, well I would want to get my technique worked out first than perhaps I could make a few videos - but I know it is a lot of work and you have to plan ahead. But it would be a challenge.

Hey.... Happy to help..... 1. PH is a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid and higher values more alkaline. The pH is equal to −log10 c, where c is the hydrogen ion concentration in moles per litreI keep the PH around 4 or 5 for best results..... 2.Hard water is water that contains an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals (like calcium and magnesium). Soft water is treated water in which the only ion is sodium........ 3. There are many different yeasts you can use, and all yeast will work. If you use Turbo Yeast you will get a fast result but there is a peculiar aftertaste in the result. Using this recipe with Bakers Yeast will give you a fast result with little to no aftertaste - Remember that you only keep the hearts and not the Head or Tails....... 4. Sugar has to be used, without it the yeast will not be able to work on the sugar to make the alcohol. In the perfect wash, there is absolutely no sugar left once the yeast has finished working, you balance this with the recipe you choose.

Thanks sir for the fast reply and such detailed explanation. I am very thankful. One thing to further clarify is that soft water is more alkaline (more than PH 7), right? Thank you.

Use Citric Acid and bring the PH down to 4 or 5

Hey John..... I have just purchased 125mg Lalvin EC118 yeast and plan making a "Turbo" yeast out of it..... Bakers yeast will allow nothing greater than 10% ABV...... Lalvin says 16% to 17% ABV but will take a fair bit longer than Bakers Yeast.

Unless there is sugar left in the wash after the bakers yeast has done its job, then there is no more alcohol to be had. You can't get more alcohol out of a fixed amount of sugar by using a different yeast if in the end all the sugar has been consumed. The higher the ABV in the wash during fermentation, the more stressed the yeast becomes, the more off flavours they produce, the greater the need to filter the spirit after distillation.

Hi Mohammad If you take out all the bad stuff, every day will be a party. I discard a bit from the front, and a fair bit from the back. It is only the Hearts I want. Alcohol distills at different temperatures, I want only the best Ethanol Hearts.... Once you establish getting the Hearts, put them into small jars and decide when to stop distilling by the odor. Here is a list of the different temperatures you liberate Alcohol. I am more fussy than most, I want only the best low odor Hearts then Carbon filter it to make it nearly odorless and then I add my flavoring. The first alcohol liberated is Acetone, Methanol and Ethyl Acetate, you want to get rid of this. Most people find it easy to discard the first 50 to 100 ml. Here is a list of the different alcohols, obviously if you want only Ethanol, you do not let the temperature rise above 78 to 80 degrees C Acetone 56.5C (134F) Methanol (wood alcohol) 64C (147F) Ethyl acetate 77.1C (171F) Ethanol 78C (172F) 2-Propanol (rubbing alcohol) 82C (180F) 1-Propanol 97C (207F) Water 100C (212F) Butanol 116C (241F) Amyl alcohol 137.8C (280F) Furfural 161C (322F)

Interesting, but what happens if you do not rinse out the Peroxide properly before pitching?

@@pauljacobs5390 not sure what effect it would have with you Vodka but just a rinse with water is sufficient. People who grow micro greens actually spritz the crops with ot to prevent mold on the leaves and clean their trays before germination. I would say at 3% it is a very mild solution any way

Yep, problem with having un-scripted audio..... I do everything in one take with no script.......

What happened to it?

They're coming... Presently working on a Corn Whiskey Vid.....

I always play the SG game. It is important to balance out the sugar for the required result. Balancing the SG to the end ferment is important, I try to make sure there is no sugar left in ant of my washes.

Yes, still use the same precautions by using PH test strips to bring the wash down to the required PH level

You sure can daan, I have just made a video on Watermelon Brandy and put in a kg of chopped Raisins

@@pauljacobs5390 thanks a lot

I don't know why they would ban Turbo Carbon, but it is basically fine ground up activated carbon in water. You could try that.

Hi Ruchan, you are very right. When I first started this hobby I was still learning and relied heavily on what I could find on the Internet. There was so much misleading information and this is partially what motivated me to start making these vids. I ended up following a Recipe for Wineo's Plain "Ol Sugar Wash (link in the description) where it simply said to put in a pinch of Epsom's Salts without any explanation. After reading through Wikipedia I see that Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) is used to permanently increase the hardness (does not boil out). The main reason I now see for using it is to slightly harden filtered bottled soft water - Makes sense..... I have found this info on two sites - Here is the Wikipedia link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water - Good pick up Ruchan.... Happy Brewing :-)

So do we still add the salts? Or can we leave it out and not have any difference?

Hi there... I use Citric Acid to lower the PH level of the water to around 4....... If you test your bottled water PH level and it is around 4, by all means skip the Citric Acid....... (get a PH tester strip from E Bay for around $2.50 delivered) I use the DAP to offer Nutrient to the yeast action. You can skip using DAP but I would use some other nutrient..... When I started I found it very slow to poor not using a Yeast Nutrient. If you do not have access to DAP, try using Sultanas - Boil them to increase their volume, cool them and then blend them into a liquid mush and add to the Ferment barrel when you pitch your yeast. This worked for me but I found it better using Di-Amonium Phosphate (DAP)

@@pauljacobs5390 can we use veniger or apple viniger instead of citric acid Thanks a lot.

From what I understand, there are two things that regulate the alcohol percentage... 1. The volume of sugar you have in your Wash. Always go by your Hydrometer Reading to add more..... and 2. The type of yeast you use will have limitations as to the percentage possible. I learned this the hard way with Bakers yeast - One of my first batches I added enough sugar so as to make 16% ABV to standard Baking Yeast and it stalled before using all the sugar. I then checked and found out that different yeasts have some better and some worse results. What happened with my batch is that it struck 9% ABV and then the alcohol killed the active yeast. To be completely honest, since starting my Distiller journey, even though it does not give me a high volume, Bakers Yeast offers the purest result as long as you make the Tails Cut early enough.

Hey Paul, sorry about it not being there.... have put it in the comments......

Hey Johne - I use more yeast and nutrient and it sort of Turbo's the wash. I find that it is starting to settle in 4 days and I use Turbo Klar to finish it in 24 hours. You are better off waiting a few days more if you want a perfectly clear result or you could distill it as soon as the majority of the sediment has settled.

3 to 4 days and the yeast has stopped - rack off the mix and put in Turbo Klar and within 4 to 6 days you are ready to distill

@@pauljacobs5390 Does it take 3 to 4 days for the fermentation of the sugar to finish or is this 3 to 4 day for the settlement of the yeast and clearing the solution?

Hey Snappingbear... Stay tuned for a Vid using Lalvin EC118 yeast

Yep, tried it with less yeast and it took longer to do. I tried 1/4 cup and the result is sitting in my laundry. I did a second 25 ltr barrel and it finished days before. Whatever works for you is the right thing to do. Cheers Paul

That would surprise me now - get to the farm supply and look for 18-67-0 NPK fertilizer. We bought this back in the day in big bags.

@@Sideshowbobx Why would I lie?

The nearest feed store is about half a mile from my place. I will ask them. They have an order for barley and cracked corn in for me at present.

Hi, if you do not have a Home Brew Shop handy, try e-bay. Search for distilling heater strip or brewing heater belt

Hey Richard I add enough water to the fermenter to make 25 litres.

You are right Stewart, I am still learning as I go and recording videos as I do it.

That is fine as long as you convert the corn starch to sugar first. I have a video on doing just that.

@@pauljacobs5390 thanks a lot you have been very helpful. But you mean that I have to use sugar? And another question, Is it safe to drink? maybe I won't be able to control the temperate at the distillation. It won't be toxic right?

Convert the Corn Starch to Corn Sugar and you have a better taste than just using table sugar. Regular Table sugar gives me plain Vodka. Control the temp to only distill the Ethanol at a higher ABV. Higher temp gives you lower ABV with more water and impurities, make it strong and pure then water it down to the required %

@@pauljacobs5390 and about filtering it: 1)it has to be filtered? 2)dose a regular charcoal work?

If you want to take only the BEST Hearts, there will be little need to Filter. If you want to take a little more, you need to take a little more of the questionable stuff on either side. I am prepared to filter through activated charcoal three to four times to increase my volume. General rule of thumb is to filtr as much as possible to make sure the Ethanol has no odour or repugnant taste.

Cheers Robert

Hi Tlinga Bakers yeast is OK for distillation where you try to take out all the yeast beforehand. I have never made ricewine, but I would expect that you leave the yeast in to make it. Would suggest something that is a little slower and you would use considerably less than I do with Bakers Yeast. I am sure there is a heap of information and recipes out there, but I would think something like Lalvin 118 would be more suitable.

Hey Ray As per Wikipedia, Vodka is described as Ethanol, Water and a few impurities. There is a long list of the different commercial grain Vodka's here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vodkas Using a Reflux column will strip any flavor from a grain or potato run leaving just Ethanol ready for flavoring. I have grown very fond of completely neutral flavored Vodka and prefer it to the store bought bottles. Each to their own, this suits me and thought I would share it with others.

@@pauljacobs5390 What you are making is a diluted ethanol. It is not vodka. You rather cynically did not quote the very next sentence in the Wikipedia description "Traditionally it is made by distilling the liquid from cereal grains that have been fermented, with potatoes arising as a substitute in more recent times, and some modern brands using fruits or sugar as the base."

@@RayThackeray sooo... he's making vodka then... "some modern brands using fruits or sugar as the base."

Hi there, it is an amazingly simple recipe using Bakers Yeast and Sugar. I might suggest that you wait another week after it stops then take a Specific Gravity reading. If the reading is 1.00 or .095 you have used all the sugar up. If it is higher than 1.000 try putting less sugar in the next time.

@@pauljacobs5390 e

Hi twerking world hot videos. Honey will last for millennia without degrading, but it is not a sterilizing agent. If you use it in your barrels, the yeast will be happy for the extra sugar, but any bad bacteria will not be eliminated.... Use a sterilizing agent.

You can use it to make high proof alcohol of at least 60% for a good sanitizer

Hey Llewellyn Lamb. Happy to answer, but need a little more info please.

Still Stuff How much water did you have in your bucket before you added your sugar?

Hey Mahlatse Sathekge, sorry if it is not made clear but here we use Celcius. I will make a point of clarifying it in future videos.

@@pauljacobs5390 thanks a million.

I did it and it works .

I have not tried it but from what I read in the Forums it will work

Still Stuff thanks, where did you get your DAP for so cheap?

@@danielm5171 It is an Australian company but you can ask them if they send OS www.grapeworks.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=77_109&product_id=219

Still Stuff cheers, I’m in Australia too.

Every liquid is either acidic or alkaline and the combination of both gives them a PH rating out of 14. If you are into Aquariums you will need to control the PH, if you have a pool you also need to do the same. Let's say that you prepare a wash and it has a PH rating of 7, it is half of the allowable full rating of 14. If you wanted to reduce the alkaline rating to 4 or 5 which is the desired PH rating for fermenting, you would add an acid that would lower the PH level. Do it in small steps and test after each addition of Citric Acid to allow you to reach your exact PH level. If you want a full explination, here is the Wickapedia web page simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH

Hey Kiran, welcome to the Channel. Sorry, but I do not understand the question..... Paul

Right on all counts Geoff. This was literally the first video I recorded 4 years ago even though it is the 4th on my channel. I was learning as I went and never use a script trying to do everything in one take.

Hey, it is starting to settle in around 4 days and you can either wait a week more for it to settle completely or you can use Turbo Klar to speed it up to 24 hours more.

Hey there NZKid3.... I started off without following any PH level and I had about 70% fails in my washes. After researching on the internet I saw a recommended PH of 4 to 5 and started doing that and have not had one wash fail. It has now got to the point where using the same water and ingredients I do not need to check, I just put in a teaspoon of Citric Acid in my wash and it works perfect every time...... I know the water ph has a lot to do with it and may vary in different areas, but using the litmus paper or other testing methods may allow people to accomodate different PH water...... With me this recipe works and I am simply sharing...... If you can contribute NzKid3 please do.... I am still learning and my viewers can share in your knowledge..... (Edit)..... You raise an interesting point NzKid3, I might investigate this and make a vid comparing PH 4 to 5 along with PH7 being Neutral - I will run a side together test and compare the outcomes....

Acidic wash means bacteria or mold can’t infect your wash only the yeast will be alive in there tho it’s not necessary you can do it without this step if you sterilize all your equipments and hands before doing it

Hey Progressive News, where I live the cheapest bottle of vodka is $40 for 700ml and nothing cheaper. I really wish I could buy Vodka at $10 for 1.75 mls

@@pauljacobs5390 heres where i get it ........... its a cheap but drinkable vodka as opposed to all the poisonous cheap vodkas out there liquorbarn.com/order-now/?product-id=56eba03e69702d5654192100#StoreFrontLocationHash=%23%2Fwidget%2F5adf7ac297465763655f58cd%2Fproduct%2F56eba03e69702d5654192100%3Fnav_path%3D%255B%255D

Hey Spicyspice.... This is a problem I have with doing the vid take in one shot with no script.... I prefer to do it this way.....

I agree, but the intentions of this was to give an alternative to Turbo Yeast

Bakers yeast is and will allways be 3 to 5 grams per liter! You will never succeed with just 5 grams Bakers yeast. And a sugar wash is NOT rum! It's the easy and cheap version for a clear spirit closest to Vodka.

Sorry, I did not understand your message

@@pauljacobs5390 I think he is already drunk and will say that you should show a recipe for a 40% Wash?! Yeah, people like asking dump questions ;)

Hi Ausiewood,. What you say is very interesting, what is the brand of your Bakers Yeast? I use Lowan Yeast and it always falls flat on its face around 10% ABV. I have tried more sugar but always to no avail. I must admit that I am a bit over critical about making the Tails Cut, but would really love to get more good stuff from the distill.

ausiewood .... How much yeast quantity ?

He is talking about the abv of the wash aussiewood, not the distillate.

Way too much sugar for the kind of yeast. Go no higher than 20 Brix. Use only a teaspoon of yeast. You are wasting money.

Do u use bakers yeast? What % is your wash pre distilling?

With 30,000 L, the party will be on at my place for a couple of years........

Yep Steven. The problem with doing all my vid audio in one go unscripted.

I didn't mean to nitpick I'm a newbie and putting the finishing touches on a small pot still. Love your work great to see another Aussie having a go.