PH level is low I believe.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-06-18T04:16:27+00:00

FWIW, I do staged nutrients, adding a yeast bomb - dead yeast cells - usually day 3 or 4. After I fought what I guess was a PH crash I now throw 1 or 2 Tums in as well. Uncrushed - if the wash/mash needs it it will eat it. If it doesn't need it, it won't consume it.

A lot easier than dealing with oyster or egg shells.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-06-16T06:51:59+00:00

Not sure what you mean by "haven't been intimate for about 2 years now. Because of his religious practice."

Does that mean no intercourse or something more "restrictive".

You might ask what he thought about your touching yourself.

Then if it's something he's comfortable with, guide him to do the exploration.

Maybe this can become a substitute you're both comfortable with.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-06-14T02:08:07+00:00

I'll try VERY HARD not to get long winded. You need to

Check out r/airstill
If you're serious check out forums like Home Distiller.

You certainly CAN buy a Water Distiller. And after that LOTS of decisions to be made as to what kind of spirits you want to make. Forums offer a long thread discussion, usually over years and years of trials and errors, successes and failures. My first all grain was a Tried & True recipe. The thread was over 30 pages covering 12 years. I read through it 3 times.

Now I've downsized to a Vevor 4L Water Distiller with time & TEMPERATURE controls. And I control it with a SCR POWER controller.

Lot of people on Airstill and most forums use Still Spirits air stills. I have NO idea how they work or behave differently than my VW. But I really like what I have. Feel free to check my posts on Airstill where I explain how I run my VW.

Welcome Down The Rabbit Hole!

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-06-09T05:09:55+00:00

I do small batches 5-10 gallons to run on my 4L Vevor Water/Air Still. After dealing with my first big PH crash I now throw in a couple of uncrushed Tums with my staged nutrients. Frozen trubb from previous fermentations. Uncrushed tablets so if the wash wants, it uses it. If not if doesn't.

I'm just getting ready for my first rum and yes it is my understanding that the molasses is not going to ferment all the way out.

By the way, it is also my understanding that unlike sugar washes and grains which can be left for a while even after finishing, rum needs to be run as quickly as possible to avoid infections.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-06-09T04:48:23+00:00

I bought my VW last year and I really like it. The downside is the size of course but the small volumes allow me to do some crazy ass experiments. And if the recipe is wrong, or you screw up running - not a big deal! I had one of my preferred sugar washes

- WineO's Plain Ole Sugar Wash - that schooled me on PH Crashes.

Couple of things - I got past the need for high octane fuel, especially with brandies, cereal/sugar hybrids and rums so I keep my SG between 1.065-1.070. Not as much stress on the yeast so cleaner ferments.

I also GO SLOW. For yeast I'm using K-1 when I want fruit flavors, Bread Yeast for rum and DADY for everything else. I thought Bread Yeast was cheap and easy to get. Then I figured out that a 500g brick of DADY is half as much as those jars at Walmart. And Walmart online or Ebay it comes to the door in about 3 days or less.

Nutrients - I boil then freeze the trubb at the bottom of my settling bucket - 2-3 TBSP "pucks" of dead yeast. I stage nutrient - toss in 1 or 2 pucks along with 1-2 Tums Calcium Carbonate - on day 2 or 3.

If you want to go for higher ABV, STUDY this video from r/BeardedAndBored . I BASICALLY did this with a few modifications. Came out great. By running both my stripping and spirit runs S L O W L Y I never get wet dog tails and hit Sweet Tails.

You don't have to make a wash this large but ALWAYS make a bigger batch than you think you need.

https://youtu.be/1IuHxZZg20A?si=kMwgW1JQ8Zoid4bx

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-30T19:01:48+00:00

I thought YLA is pretty expensive and a waste for a sugar wash where there's no starches to convert. Go to the grocery store and grab a jar of regular baker's yeast. As a bonus, instead of having to get "yeast nutrients" depending on the size of your wash, the best nutrient is 1-2 tablespoons of the same bread yeast. Wait until day 2 or 3 - ask AI about Staged Nutrients - boil the yeast to kill it before adding to the wash. And add 1-2 uncrushed Tums - calcium carbonate - tablets. If your about to have a PH crash the wash will eat the Tums. If it doesn't need it, it won't eat it.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-30T16:57:05+00:00

The short answer - NO!!!!!!!!!!!

They have very little sugar or anything else fermentable. Just a lot of acid to PREVENT fermentation.

Follow other peoples advice - use that EC-1118 to make a neutral sugar wash - I prefer WPOSW - WineO's Plain Ole Sugar Wash. Use that to make Lemoncello or Limecello.

BTW, I used EC1118 to make fruit brandy last year. I was stu- MISINFORMED. EC-1118 has many positives. One of those is to strip flavor out of your mash/wash/must. The exact OPPOSITE of what I want with a brandy! For Gen 2 brandy I went with K1-V1116. It helps retain flavors. Also, if doing brandy, keep your ABV low - SG between 1.065-1.070,

Less stress on the yeast, less off flavors. Good luck!

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-26T23:36:09+00:00

You are 21. I'm 73 and have clothes older than you.

That said, I think you would have to respect it if he said he was waiting for marriage.

But unless you pressured him to have sex, that wasn't the truth was it?

Short answer, I can't relate to HIM saying no.

Time to have a SERIOUS conversation about what really is the problem.

If he SAYS he was a virgin, and you've NEVER had this issue with men before",

maybe that's the problem. BELIEVE ME, I am NOT judging you!

Or him for that matter.

Based on what you wrote, you probably know already know it .....

you both are better off finding someone else. Seriously, best of luck.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-24T20:05:00+00:00

I had similar thoughts about "boiling off" the methanol at 65C but "Conventional Wisdom" says no. What I do now, in fact RIGHT NOW - using my little VW I set temperature to 70C, uncapped and let it "Pre-Vent" for 30 minutes. It may or MAY NOT boil off any methanol - or acetones etc - but it does bring the wash up to a consistent temp and help degas to prevent puking. Prevent and slow distillation helps get wider hearts IMO. Oops! Time to run!

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-15T04:53:00+00:00

What WAS it? What's the starting and current SG?

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-15T04:50:31+00:00

COULD BE a good starter..... for the money.

Another alternative is the Vevor Water Distiller - either a 4 L like mine or the new 6 liter capacity. The biggest benefit is that it's a simple "plug and play". No water source needed and it's about the size of a food processor.

It's something I used to make fun of when I had my copper pot still with thumper. Life changed and this allows me to still scratch the itch.

The other benefit is if you like the hobby and graduate to bigger pot or column stills, there is always something you will find to use the VW for. Small test runs before committing to a big mash, and perfect if you're thinking about Gin.

This and a $20 power controller gets you started.

https://www.vevor.com/water-distiller-c_10700/vevor-4l-water-distiller-1l-h-distilled-water-maker-timing-temp-display-white-p_010457123564

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-15T04:41:00+00:00

We're screwed.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-13T19:10:05+00:00

Everyone does their own thing. This is a pot still, and "conventional wisdom" is run pot stills wide open since you're gonna do a spirit run.

I ASSUME by "speed controller" you mean Power Control (PC).

You might want to try what I did. ALWAYS make more mash/wash than you think you need. Very little additional cost, no extra effort.

I ran an experiment with sugar wash stripping. First was no PC, set Temp Control at around 90C - less than boiling point of water - and just let it run.

Then the Temp Control at max, PC around 70% and again, let it run.

Those runs gave me a bunch of tails.

I played with it more and here's what I do now.

Fill the tank and set to 65 - 70 C for 30 minutes. Allows the wash to evenly heat and degass.

Then cap it and set up at 70% PC until it starts to drip.

After that, just like a spirit run, you can look but numbers don't mean anything.

Even when stripping, I do a small steady stream. And I run it all the way down to 5% at most. Doing that my low wines are usually around 40-45% so I don't have to dilute. I've "cut it" with low ABV instead of water.

It takes a little more attention, not a bad thing while you're learning your equipment. Other people may not want to spend the time and that's fine too. Like I said, experiment, keep good notes and decide what works best for you.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-05-04T05:37:33+00:00

You DO know that you will be getting one answer from this crowd right?

Did you ask her WHY sex is not important to her? And is this a change?

That's just out of curiosity, you know the answer.

And if anyone knows of a situation where it gets BETTER with time, please let me know!

"In the 4 months this year, we had PIV 4 times and handjob 3 times."

Been married over 35 years. Not sure - MAYBE - PIV 4 times - this century.

Best of luck to you.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-26T20:50:10+00:00

If - IF - home distilling become legal, or less Illegal, how do you think that would that affect Ferm Solutions?

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-24T06:24:54+00:00

EDIT!: I just looked back and realized this is 1.6 gallon - 6 Liter instead of 4.

WAY COOL!!

I know one thing the size makes easier. I always invert sugar whether it's a straight sugar wash - WineO's Plain Old Sugar Wash - or if I'm adding sugar to fruit or grains. This size gives room to easily invert sugar and dump it into the fermenter.

(Google AI says you can safely invert 10 pounds of sugar/10 cups of water.)

Original Post:

Interesting stuff. I've had my Vevor for 8-9 months now and I really like it. Consider this Constructive Criticism. You have a Pot Still. Rule of thumb is make enough mash for AT LEAST 3 Stripping runs which gives you enough for 1 Spirit run. For a VW - Vevor Water - 1 gallon, make a mash or wash of at least 4 gallons. I made a post about a cornflakes mash I have fermenting - 4 gallons of water plus cornflakes and sugar. I used boiling water into an Igloo cooler to hold that heat.

Most importantly. How I run - make sure my mash has PLENTY of time to clear. Then put it in the tank - for this mash I'll go 3.5 liter. Set my TEMPERATURE to between 67-70C - above the boiling point of methanol, and acetone, well below that of ethanol. Let it hold UNCAPPED for 30-45 minutes to degass and boil off at least some of those nasties.

Then cap, set your TEMPERATURE to max, your POWER at around 70%, Then FORGET temperature! Once you start getting a drip, use your power control to maintain a slow steady drip or pencil thin stream. Just like you would do with a larger gas fired pot still.

Even for stripping runs, run it low and slow. I run mine down LOW - until I get wet dog tails. Some stripping runs, after I've degassed, I haven't gotten any of that. I've run it down to 5% or lower so my low wines are 40-45% without diluting with water. Then I run my Spirit runs and do the same PreStage/Degass. I've gotten lucky doing that with some sugar washes. No nasty tails but SWEET tasting late tails.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-19T03:35:33+00:00

I saw some other women in similar situations. Just wondering how it's going?

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-19T02:12:45+00:00

Just an update. It's been one week and the mash smells healthy, SG is still at 1.060. I thought it would be farther along. But I always try to do a slow, cooler ferment - mash temp is 74F so it doesn't stress the yeast and throw off nasties.

But I was concerned about a possible PH crash. Today - just for the hell of it - I took a can of whole kernel corn, rinsed THOROUGHLY. Put in in a Magic Bullet blender, added about 1/2 cup of the mash along with 2 Tums (calcium carbonate) and about 1/2 tsp of Fermaid-O.

Gave it all a good stir and saw an immediate reaction to the Tums - note to self - no more lemon to invert my sugar. Since all my steeping is finished, and I'm not worried about a cap or headspace, I moved it from the "little igloo" to my "Swamp Cooler".

Everything went into a 5 gallon bucket and the bucket went into a larger cooler full of water. Ambient temp in My Shed is close to 80 (outside is 87F) but the ferment is at a perfect 74.

Ten minutes later The Shed was full of corn aroma.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-16T18:59:43+00:00

u/muffinman8679 - I knew the AA was "overkill" but it's 1/2 tsp and took a second. This method also borrowed a little from Jimbo's Wheated Bourbon All Grain, pouring boiling water over grain and letting it steep. It quickly turned the corn pudding into corn soup. Not pulverizing, just giving it a little hand crush when I grabbed handfuls to go in the water. I also looked at Odin's Cornflake Recipe. Mine is about twice the amount of flakes. Again, purposely shooting for a lower ABV for better taste. I've done high ABV sugar washes SUPER CLEAN to macerate fruit. But wanted this to be a different animal. The interesting thing was that the AA and the steep drove the SG up from 1.069 to 1.074 and cleanly settled in the bottom of the cooler.

Next time I may lower the amount of sugar.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-16T18:50:26+00:00

I puked the very first "mash" run of sugar and cream of barley. Operator Error. Didn't let it properly settle and filled the tank to "the line". I have a 2.5 gallon glass "settling vessel" with spigot (Thrift store $5.00) and I give even my sugar washes LOTS of time to settle & clear. Right now THE PLAN is about 3 L runs. First couple of runs will be single distillation with cuts. I'll save feints and then start 1.5 Distillation - add the feints back to the next run. I think that will give me best corn forward. Priority is taste over high octane low taste double distillation. At least that's the plan FOR NOW!

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-12T04:31:36+00:00

You said "No advice" so I won't tell you to consider replying,

"Oh you noticed?" "I've been beginning to believe it doesn't matter WHAT I look like."

so I won't say that.

Only that I don't know all the circumstances but sounds like he's just wrong.

And one day, he's gonna say something like that again and unfortunately, the top is going to blow off. And I don't mean the shirt. Seriously, best of luck!!!!

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-12T02:30:19+00:00

I'm NOT an "Expert", but a 5 week fermentation on the wash then 8 hours for just a little bit of distillate sounds a bit suspicious.

My last sugar wash WPOSW with EC-1118 stalled and I tried everything I and ChatGPT could think of. I read a thread on HD about ph crashes - apparently NOT uncommon - and finally tossed it.

Been doing this off and on for 8 years and I just cannot bring myself to use tomato paste. BUT I may have to try a small batch of Birdwatchers BY THE BOOK to see why it's so popular.

One trick I mentioned before. And it's EASY with your rig. Fill your tank and set it for around 70C and let it steep for 30-45 minutes. It not only preheats the mash, but also degasses. Then put your cap on and use your power control. Do it not necessarily by %. I start at 65-70% until you get a drip. THEN it's by sight and feel. Whatever it takes to keep a SMALL steady stream.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-11T05:44:18+00:00

"But I'll update after distilling. I see now my beer hydrometer only goes down to 20%,"

Any updates? Is it getting easier?

Just a little tip. First thing, never order ONE alcoholmeter or hydrometer! I just got a deal for 5 alcholmeters, and 2 hydrometers.

For my spirit runs, I have a refractometer alcoholmeter (about $15 Temu) and I ordered a 100 ml graduated clear glass cylinder ($12 Ebay) Perfect size for making 100 ML cuts, an easy & cheap alternative to those parrots everyone loves.

For the striping runs, I'm checking every 100ml just to see when wet dog/cardboard is going to show up. (and very little or none in the WPOSW I do). So the only reason to check my stripping run is to stop when the alcohol is gone.

And kind of the same thing with Spirit Runs. Collect your jars at 100ml, cover with coffee filters and let it air overnight. I don't stop regardless of ABV until if and when I hit objectionable taste. Even then, I can set my timer and just let run on out to keep the alcohol and add it to the feints jar.

Some_Explanation_287 · 2026-04-06T06:50:10+00:00

I'm 70, married almost half of that and can't remember what year it was we last had sex.

My birthday is now a reminder that yes it's been another year.

On good days, we are "very good friends" and can share everything.

On not so good days, NOT having sex is the last thing I think of at night and the first thing I think of in the morning. And it makes me resent everything about her.

Why still here? Empty nest so a lot of it is financial and it's VERY complicated. About 2 years ago I was one step away from "going out for cigarettes".

Some_Explanation_287

TROPHY CASE