HELP!!

[Chucker236]

Hi new to this site wondered if anyone could shed a bit of light on a slight problem I’ve got (no I don’t need a doctor ) currently making some strong let’s say wine . Used 4.5kg crushed crystal malt, bag of whiskey yeast and the correct water quantity. Got my water to 70 degrees, poured in my malt and kept it at 65 degrees for 90mins stirring every 10mins. Cooled down as quick as I could to 25 degrees and added my yeast. Stirred again added. Put the lid on and added the airlock. It’s been sat in our dark bedroom now since Saturday night and it’s bubbling away nicely out the airlock and the temperature is a steady 22 degrees. Dropped my hydrometer In it today 3rd day of fermentation and there is apparently no alcohol content at all so says my hydrometer. Any help would be great thanks in advance

 

[hilts]

Hi new to this site wondered if anyone could shed a bit of light on a slight problem I’ve got (no I don’t need a doctor ) currently making some strong let’s say wine . Used 4.5kg crushed crystal malt, bag of whiskey yeast and the correct water quantity. Got my water to 70 degrees, poured in my malt and kept it at 65 degrees for 90mins stirring every 10mins. Cooled down as quick as I could to 25 degrees and added my yeast. Stirred again added. Put the lid on and added the airlock. It’s been sat in our dark bedroom now since Saturday night and it’s bubbling away nicely out the airlock and the temperature is a steady 22 degrees. Dropped my hydrometer In it today 3rd day of fermentation and there is apparently no alcohol content at all so says my hydrometer. Any help would be great thanks in advance

Did you boil the wort? Did you take a hydrometer reading before pitching yeast? What does the hydrometer read currently?

 

[Chucker236]

Yes the water was boiled prior to mashing. And the hydrometer isn’t dropping/sinking at all it’s literally staying on 0. I would have thought or hoped that after a few days I would get some form of reading. The mash is still bubbling from the airlock also. Thanks

 

[Velnerj]

Uff, you've got problems... I'll try to help.

Firstly it's best if you boil the wort AFTER you mash. The grain usually carries a number of bacteria (lactobacilis being one) and in order to sterilize your wort you should bring it up to at least pasteurization temperatures for 5 min at least.

When you say the hydrometer reads 0. I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying rust the hydrometer is reading 1.000? If so, what was the reading BEFORE you pitched the yeast but after the mash? It's possible that the bacteria in the grains have already consumed the sugars... Does it taste sour?

The only way to calculate alcohol is to compare the before and after fermentation readings.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to make here wort without hops, how do you plan to package it?

 

[day_trippr]

If the OP made a mash for fermenting for distillation purposes is it actually necessary to boil the wort?
If not the steps listed seem rational enough.
What doesn't make sense is how a mash could produce wort literally as thin as water.
Makes one wonder if the hydrometer is for beer/wine or something quite different...

Cheers!

 

[Jtvann]

It's not illegal to distill at home. Let's not be vague in the details on what were trying to do if any real help is to be useful.

 

[deadwolfbones]

If it's been bubbling for 3 days and now reads 1.000, that means it's basically fermented out. @Chucker236, that doesn't mean zero alcohol, it means zero sugar—as in the yeast ate all of it and made alcohol.

 

[505-Brewer]

It's not illegal to distill at home. Let's not be vague in the details on what were trying to do if any real help is to be useful.

Its not illegal to distill but it is illegal to distill spirits for consumption.

 

[RM-MN]

Used 4.5kg crushed crystal malt, bag of whiskey yeast and the correct water quantity.

Unless the OP left something out in the description, there was no mash as he didn't mention any base malt, only Crystal which has already go through the conversion of starch to sugars in it process.

Without a hydrometer reading of the OG, we can't predict how much alcohol this concotion has but assuming that the sugars in the Crystal malt were extracted and the final gravity is zero there will be some. The formula for determining the ABV of beer is (OG-FG)x.131.

 

[charger]

Is your mash just crystal malt, or is there a base malt (2-row, Pilsner, etc.) in it as well?

 

[mullet6577]

Is it possible OP is reading the potential alcohol scale on a hydrometer, in which case it should be 0 if there are no more sugars to convert to alcohol?

OP...post a pic of your hydrometer reading please

 

[dx250]

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