first corn meal sugar wash

[twisted_times]

Made a sugar and corn meal mash. Very unsientific and no measuring. Was broke and had stuff laying around. Fermented for two weeks. Ran about 5 gallons of mash through copper pot still. I am very new to this so making cuts did not work to well on the heads and hearts I got about 2 qrts heads@ 69%. 1 qrt heart at 55-65% and a quart and half of tails shutting down at 30%, the tails seemed very easy to spot and pull the hearts jars out, all feints will be ran through again, not sure if this is around average or if I ran heads longer than needed. No real questions just throwing out my experience. And big note: turbo yeast makes it taste like a**. Listen to the guys saying to use the right yeast. Will be my last time with any turbo

[der wo]

Does it feel good to have something to blame for?
And what's if the next one with bakers yeast has the same taste? And if not, will you have only changed the yeast or other mistakes you perhaps made too?

Anyway, your numbers sound like high abv wash and single run with a potstill. At least this is no method for a clean taste. Maximum it is a method for a strong taste with a little hope, that aging will cure the downsides of this method.

With no measurings too many things are imaginable what could have went wrong.

[still_stirrin]

I agree with der wo.

Your product numbers compared to the initial wash tell me you had a very high strength ferment, which combined with a turbo yeast, produces many congeners. Both rookie mistakes.

So, have a look at the Tried & True recipes, choose one, and follow it exactly (proportioned to your ferment capacity) and you'll get much more predictable results.

As for making cuts, have a good study of Kiwi's guide to cuts for an explanation of how to make them. Practice will make it easier. I also suggest taking notes of your perceptions when making the cuts. It'll give you feedback of where your paradigms are as you go through the process. Be critical of the differences in smell and taste as you go through the samples too. Relate perceptions to benchmarks you know.
ss

[twisted_times]

I am fully aware of "MY" mistakes on this run. I had this mash going when I first got on the Web site, I used what I had laying around in a sugar wash And not knowing better used the turbo yeast. I do not "blame" the taste on just the yeast. I do have wine making experience so I do know that different yeast taste different in the end product.

A 4:1 ratio puts me on a high abv and a high abv leads to inferior taste, again just like wine. If it is not balanced it will taste bad. but as previously stated when I made it this is what I had,.

I have read the tried and true recipes and pick jimbo s.m. AG. Once payday passes I will be doing my first AG, do not worry I do own measuring devices and know how to follow directions. I have hydrometer thermometer and alcohol meters and yes I know how to use them.

As for the still yes it is a 5 gallon copper pot still. It is what I want to run till I build a bigger one.

[der wo]

I see, you won't need something to blame for soon.