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...on the shoulders of giants. Sharing an experience with a nod to the amazing knowledge around here. I have been running neutrals on a boka for a few years now and I am very happy with results. I then read everything I could find in the forums on detuning a boka to try and run a colored spirit. I d...

So by running it first to get rid of all the nutrients and almost everything else, then you can add the baking soda (at the rate mentioned above) and that second run will benefit from that treatment and get rid of that typical sweetish smell and taste and make it more of a true neutral?

I have been reading about making neutrals through the forums and it seems like many people have had success collecting low wines, then adding baking soda (or caustic soda for the more extreme folk) to cut the sweet taste and smell (different opinions on what how this is described) from a neutral. I ...

This seems like the dumbest question to ask, but my thermometer hole in my boka seems to always leak vapor! As so many posts suggest, I try to lovingly tape it with teffy tape then jam it into the hole, and it pushes most of the tape back. As I push it in and I think I have a good seal so I start, b...

Thanks for the feedback. I thought that a neutral had such a high % that it wouldn't carry the flavors of anything else - so you could get the same tasting product with a sweetfeed as an allbran. Likely more true if I keep output at 190 proof (not rushed to 180-185). As recommend, I will tighten up ...

Method: learning opportunity, neutrals on a boka, wash abv calculated using gravity. I completed a sweetfeed batch (~6%abv wash) and it was about 190 proof on the parrot (codename: Sweet). I completed an allbran batch (~11%abv wash, smelled like white wine) and it came out at 180-185 on the parrot. ...

Done and done. Thanks!

I have seen this discussed here and there, but I never found myself in this situation. I was running a 40L batch of 10.5%abv AllBran and I have taken 8 pint jars at 190proof on a boka. I had to run to a fire call so I tuned off the burner and left. Now mathematically there is not much left in that w...

Mixing units as well as water.

Hopefully the full run tomorrow. (and I can easily use degC, eh?) I do run both the head coil and the liebeg in series typically. The pool pump will be more then enough power for both. I'm excited about the idea of as much conservation as possible. The pool is 78000L so it should be a good enough bo...

:idea: if it works... thermodynamics anyone? My pool has a pump running circulating water to filter and return. I have a garden hose fitting on the return after the filter and valves to control the flow (ever so slightly gate back the main and it will force more water through the hose) so... I could...

sailor al - thanks for the lee valley suggestion on copper mesh. its perfect! i am filling the column tomorrow so i will add back in here how much i use for a 48" col if i remember.

cheers

I bought some copper scrubbers for my boka at the dollar store which I believed were pure. I used them for a run, washed them off after and tossed them in a bucket for next time. A week or so later, they appeared to be all brown and rusty - so apparently not pure copper. I am now looking at purchasi...

Thanks rad. Fair enough. I just figured this would have been debated and discussed so I was looking for the threads and to read people's arguments...

I will take your answer on this and go look for something else to learn about.

Newbie question... I have been searching for this answer in the forums, but not turned up much due to small words in the searches! Sorry. Can someone point me in the right direction to find the answer? When making craft beer, I do a final boil for a 8 minutes, then drop the temperature quickly befor...

Thought I would share some experiences on my first batch from my lovingly crafted boka. After reading and reading and reading I decided to embark on a boka construction project. It has taken months to get all the parts just right, a tig welder, etc. The end result of the project is wonderful and I w...

I do listen and read... always willing to learn.

Thank you all. And rad, based on this, I am going to try not doing anything except dilute and skip the carbon and glycerine. What I think I will do, it portion off a small amount, dilute it and run through some combinations to see what those actually do to the final product... consider it a lesson l...

Thanks. I have a boka with about 48" of copper packing. I just wanted to see what I could do with this batch as an experiment to see what I could come up with. I was reading the parent site on smoothing and they suggested the glycol as a smoothing agent... which I think is about sugar anyway? P...

Well my first run with the newly crafted reflux seems to have been a success. The highest reading I got on the proof n tralle floating in the parrot was 190pf so I was very very happy. I tried to make judicious cuts and I am left with a batch I would like to try and clean up and finish as best I can...

Thanks rad - so much to learn when starting to do it well... I have tried reading, on this, but I have found different opinions. It I rerun what I have, cutting it to 30-40% with water, can I also add in the growler of heads/tails I saved from the first run (again cut to 30-40%)? And do I need to to...

MitchyBourbon thanks - I got 6 jars at the end, that were cut to 55%. I got 4 of 8 uncut. Yes, each pint tasted slightly different - and now that I am thinking about it with these comments, I think smearing is exactly what happened. There are jars that taste much better to me then others. Although t...

Cleaning runs... check. (I left out a lot in my explanations) too fast - absolutely I did! When it first started, it surprised me and ran out fast. I quickly adjusted the temp down and got it to a few drops per second then I started my fores (I didn't count the 50ml of flow I got). However, I am usi...

I thought after a months of reading, a few torch burns, some covert operations and a first batch finally completed, I would post up the final result for comment (ahem... critique ). I am hoping for comment with the taste section at the bottom. The Still : SS Keg pot, 2' column, to a coiled condenser...

Nice design. I'm still in planning. Couple questions on this...

What is the result difference between using a 1" riser like de5m0mike nice one here VS a 2" riser like "The East Pot Still" plans in terms of the final product?

Hanging head... I'll go back to reading. I was thinking since it was made for brewing beer and handling the high temps... But I didn't consider the higher % of this. Il post onward what I come up with.

As I introduced in a previous post, I have been lurking here, and while still learning, I am about ready for an experimental construction. Pot Design: I have a copper condenser coil that is in a flowing water bath (tube in a tube coiled with hose fittings) all ready which is used for cooling in beer...

Hello, I am new here and reading and learning. VERY interesting hobby. I wanted to start a discussion that I haven't seen (or couldn't find in the search) about flavoring shine. Question: There are a lot of recipes for making liquers and other copies of retail products, but I was wondering about ide...