Swedish style vodka kit problem

[Haggisathome]

hi , sorry if this is the wrong place ....

I have had a alcotech home vodka kit (25 lts ) , the brew was going very well and seems to have stopped ,I tasted a wee bit and it’s sweet . The instructions did say no more than 24’ and due to my daughter deciding it’s too cold and putting the heating on constant all day I thin’ it’s affected my brew . Do you think I could restart it with some yeast nutrient to try and burn off the remaining sugars or any other ways to save it ?

Thanks all

Scott

 

[LED_ZEP]

I've made a few vodka/sugar wines with alcotech and they tend to stop at about 18% (and that's with temp control). The only way you can get anywhere near the 20%+ is with sugar feeding (start with enough sugar to get around 14% then as this ferments out to near 1.000 add a little more every other day until it stops fermenting or you have used all your pre-weighed sugar.). It really is all about temp control as well, I keep it between 20c -21c in an insulated/heated box.

This is the box https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/temperature-control-solution.72860/

Can you restart? I've never got one to restart once it's stopped at the mid to high teens. After all the alchotech is pact with yeast nutrients and a very aggressive yeast so there's nothing much more you can add. If you've got any of the yeast and nutrient left you could try making a starter and then introduce this.

 

[Haggisathome]

Thanks dude .... I was a bit dubious if it could hit the magic 20% mark , the only real thing I kept picking up on was the temperature issues . Next time I will try what you did . Thanks for replying

 

[Drunkula]

How long does it say to hit 20%? I found a video that said 5 weeks. I tried to brew a 20% sugar wash about 3 years ago with turbo yeast and it took bloody ages. I did more research and saw that there's a real exponential slide as it gets more alcoholic and that's why moonshiners brew to a lower abv.

I love this guy:


Anyone else shriek when he poured all that star san away? Yes, I'm a tight gett.

Even when I was drinking sugar wash years ago it didn't look that filthy. My mrs. used to love it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

All that's missing is foggy mountain breakdown in the background.

 

[LED_ZEP]

How long does it say to hit 20%? I found a video that said 5 weeks.

Just use a E1118 or a champagne yeast and plenty of yeast nutrient. That'll get you to 15% in two week no problem (again with sugar feeding 18% after around 3 weeks) and it'll taste and smell much nicer. If you need a higher ABV then just add a little cheap vodka.

 

[Drunkula]

Sounds exactly like what we used to do to make the alco pop. Always went for the kilo.

https://www.yobrew.co.uk/students_brew.php