New to distillation, or simply new to the HD forums.
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I just finished my first batch of "shine", it is reading at 70 proof.
My ingredients were 1 pound of cane sugar, 1 pound of corn mash, 2 ½ tsp of turbo yeast and filled whatever was left of the 1 gallon pale with water. I let it ferment in the pale until it stopped. I then put it in the still, it never started to drain off until 200F where i then disposed of the first shot. I managed to get 2 mason jars of good clear liquid, the 3rd started to cloud up, i assume thats the "tail" of the batch. Ive made lots of beer and wine before this and wanted to try something new.
Could anyone tell me why my shine came out so weak or maybe give me some pointers on what i can do better or maybe even give me a better recipe? i have another gallon fermenting to try it again, but any input would help!
You're going to be dragged over the coals a bit for using turbo yeast. General consensus is that if you're looking make fuel alcohol then that's ok but for drinking almost any other yeast does better. The trick is not to stress them.
You've not given any details about your still but if you're only running a gallon at a time it's going to be hard to make good cuts and separate the product you do want from the product you don't. 35% sounds ok for a stripping run on a pot still without a thumper. Distill again to get up to strength. You might need to do several stripping runs to get enough low wines for the spirit run though and collect in many small containers to separate good from bad.
Using an hydrometer will give you a much better indication of whether the ferment has finished properly or just stalled. If you do use one then posting the start and end specific gravity will help diagnose any problems you are having.
We have a recipe section called Tried and True. Use one of those for consistently good results.
Finally. And most importantly. All these points are covered in the Novice Distillers section, so the fact that you need to ask means you've not read up enough on the basics. Given the inherent dangerous nature of this hobby, racing off without doing the homework will not win you many friends here and will actually piss some of the more experienced members off. They're a mine of information, but they're not going to share it if you come across as either reckless or lazy.
If you really want to improve then tell us the details of your still and take the mostly constructive feedback on board to improve.
Above all though - BE SAFE!
Best place to start for newbies - click here - Courtesy of Cranky :-)
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Welcome to HD!! (You need it!)
Stop everything ...Start fresh on the Parent Site ..
Don't do anything until you can answer all the questions you asked here ..
Also, start with at least a 5gal still ..Read, study, LEARN.
You'll be ok, just need to understand and learn some basics.
Good Luck and "When in doubt, check it out ".
*Spend it all, Use it up, Wear it out*
Beware of sheet-sniffers and dime-droppers!
You've already been informed about turbo yeast so I'll forgo that... Turbo yeast should never be used with anything but sugar which means it should not be used with grains or cereals... A wash with 1 pound of sugar per gallon equates to a 7% ABV "potential"... The corn adds no significant amount to that because it's just nutrients for the yeast without having the starches converted to fermentable sugars... And, as mentioned, you have much research to do before proceeding...
