Running a small still

[Bigbob]

Running a small pot still

Almost everyday people come here asking about their stills. We have a policy recommending 5 gal or bigger, implying that small stills are as good as useless. I came to this forum having already purchased a 21/2 gal alembic. Having very little room to use a larger still, this was what I had. I feel that many are in the same boat as me, some have no room,others are not sure they want to commit to a large still as they may not like the hobby. I feel very lucky to have found this forum in my early stages and hope that this will help others. As has been posted, I have had the honor to join with other members in meet and greets across the country, being able to taste some of the spirits that members here have made is outstanding. Even better in my opinion, is others tasting my spirits and giving honest opinions. It was a total surprise that I got so many favorable reviews. I mean, I liked my sweet feed, thought it tasted pretty good, but having so many saying "you made this in a 2gal still in a single run?" That was where I felt like I knew what I was doing! So for better or worse, I feel compelled to try to explain how I do it. Some of the things I do ( such as using 1 collection jar) are not what is recomended. It is not unsafe, just not the norm. I have found that this works with a smaller still.

First of all.....YOU MUST READ WHAT IS RECOMMENDED!!!
Crankys great spoon feeding post was not available when I started, I had to struggle thru all the readings not organized. Reading Kiwis Stillers great post on cuts helped, but having to use baby food bottles for making cuts seemed daunting. One post that I found very helpful was Taters distilling advice. The part about using your senses just clicked with me. Touch, smell and taste are pretty easy with a little practice and this is what I use now.

So let's go and run some wash.....
Ok, so you have your still washed, vinegar and water run thru it and a sacrificial run done. You have your chosen recipe, your fermentation is done and your ready to go! Fill the boiler 3/4s full and set it on your heat source.
Run the heat on full or close to it, as you hear it starting to boil bring the heat down a touch, keep your eyes on the output and feel along the Lynne arm to see where the heat is. If you have a thermometer you can check the temperature but don't use it to run your still.
The product is starting to drip!! Sucess! Let it drip until it becomes a steady lead size stream. Then lower your heat and adjust so the stream is steady. If you are doing a stripping run, run it as fast as the still can go without vapor coming out. If your doing a single spirit run, you'll want to go as slow as possible, Keeping it a steady broken stream. Not drips, a steady stream.
I use a quart mason jar with measurements on the side. This is where it gets tricky and only experience will help. I have found with my sweet feed wash that running about 300 mils will take the fores and most of the heads out. This is where your senses come out.
Smell the product: can you smell the sharp odor of acetone? You should. Feel it, does it feel oily? Again it should.
Continue to feel and smell until it is pretty much gone. As I said before this is usually around 300 mils in my wash. Your results might be different.
This is when I change to a 2 quart jar. Start filling, continue to feel and smell. It should be almost odorless. This is also where taste comes in. Taste the product using a small spoon. Be carefull! Too much and your getting drunk! Small tastes maybe diluted with a little water. When the jar is about half full, I'll check the ABV. Experinance has taught me that I can figure the final ABV here. Again, your results may vary. As the run is going you'll notice that it might be slowing, raise the heat a little to keep the flow steady. As the jar fills you'll notice that the taste is getting watery and you'll notice the product getting a kind of cloudy oily film coming out. This is the tails coming in. Now most will tell you to continue running, and if your doing a stripping run I agree, but if your doing your spirit run, I've found this is the cut off. On my sweet feed runs this will be just around 2 qts. Sometimes a little more sometimes less. This is the end of the run. Cut the heat get the full jar out of the way and clean up! Now I check the ABV, pour into two one qt jars and let it air out. Your run is done!
As stated above this is a general guide, different washes, mashes and musts will be different and your results may vary.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY STILLING!!