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Advice Needed: How to Move Forward with TTFV Stalling
I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction please. I have tried 4 runs of TTFV now and for the life of me I can’t get the OG below 1.021I have tried to utilise the best information I have gotten from this forum, so: Every time, I have followed the recipe to the letter. I use standard fast action dried yeast, so for this last run I pitched it at 34 deg C I use an immersion and insulation to keep the temperature constant between 29 – 30 deg CThe starting SG is always between 1.060 – 1.070. It was 1.065 this timeI start the pH around 5.2 adjusting with Citric AcidIn this last batch, after 8 hours I checked the pH (which was 2.96) so increased it back to 4.21 using Calcium Carbonate. This pH held steady after 24 hours, and the final pH after 8 days when fermentation stopped was 4.54The final OG was 1.021I normally run the distillation anyway, and the vodka I get is absolutely fine. The thing is, am I losing volume though by not getting it down to 0.990 which seems to be the norm.To stop the stall, do I add more yeast in the process? More multivitamin or other nutrient? I’m not sure which direction to take.Any advice will be greatly appreciated
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7 Replies
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I would hang a sack of some source of Calcium Carbonate in the fermenter and leave it in there until it is finished fermenting. If you don’t you’ll get a ph crash just like you experienced. I understand you treated it with Calcium Carbonate after the initial crash, but that wouldn’t have happened if you had Calcium Carbonate from the start and it will continue to buffer the wash throughout the fermentation. I’ve never tried TFFV, but Shady’s Sugar Shine recipe has always worked out great.4″ VM Build
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Without agitation, immersion heaters can fail to heat the bottom of the fermenter, so check that.Check your hydrometer.
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Are you using a refractometer?🎱 The struggle is real and this rabbit hole just got interesting. Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
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Have you tried tossing in oyster shells in the beginning of the ferment to have a consistent buffer in the wash? What you are describing is pretty typical of these washes if you don’t have a ph buffet.I’ve stopped fighting my inner demons. We are on the same side now.
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+1 on the oyster shells.If you are using a refractometer to measure Original Gravity and Final Gravity (OG, FG) then you are not far off. When you measure FG with a refractometer, the reading is skewed by the alcohol and you need to use a calculator to get the actual FG.https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/ Using this correction calculator shows that a 1.065 wash (16p) finishing at 1.021 (5.25p) has an actual FG of approx 0.996.HigginsFlute buildSteamer build4 methods experimentAging proof experimentNext batch: Malt Whiskey (60 barley/30 corn/10 wheat)
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I’ve made that mistake also.
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Hi everyone,Many thanks for those useful replies.To cover a few things:I’m in the UK and have no idea how to source oyster shells. Calcium carbonate is easy to obtain, and I’ve also sourced Potassium carbonate which apparently is better.Higgins seems to have nailed it.I do use a refractometer, and had no idea the reading was skewed like this.So in effect, I seem to have been moderately successful every time … I just didn’t know it lolThank you all for taking the time to reply
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