Parrot - dump at heart collection?

This hobby is fun & enjoyable, but it is not tiddlywinks. Be safe!

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
jambraun
Novice
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 8:59 am

Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by jambraun »

Just wanted to get a feel of peoples opinion of whether to use the parrot from start to finish, or do a dump when the hearts start to flow.

If I begin running the still with the parrot in place, collecting the foreshots and heads, doesn't the residual that still resides in the parrot get mixed in with the hearts as they start to come out of the still? Also assume the foreshots are not completely removed if used this way. It could be the percentage is so small some don't care, but I assumed the foreshots and heads don't just rest atop the hearts in the parrot and exit in a FirstInFirstOut way.

I've read about people deciding to start their heart collection when the parrots reads 90% (their prerogative and experience). At this point wouldn't it make sense to dump the parrot and start collecting fresh?
User avatar
still_stirrin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 10337
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by still_stirrin »

"Polly want a cracker?"

Such a dilema to contend with. So sorry. I don't use a parrot...never needed one.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by NZChris »

I wouldn't cut on the fly even if I had a parrot.
User avatar
dieselduo
Rumrunner
Posts: 714
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:36 am
Location: Florida

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by dieselduo »

quit using a parrot years ago. Just a refractometer now
Pikey
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2444
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:29 pm
Location: At the edge of the Wild Wood

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Pikey »

I do have a lovely stainless steel parrot - all nice and shiny.

Sometimes when I'm doing a run, I just take it out and look at it !

Never have used it though :lol:

[Edit - small jars, use the alcoholometer to measure each jar, cut by taste and smell ]
MontanaMule
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 4:54 pm
Location: Montana

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by MontanaMule »

I guess I'm weird as I do use a parrot to keep track of abv during a run. More so because I enjoy always knowing how it's running. I have a small needle valve before the actual parrot where I collect the fores. After that everything runs through it until the end.
The man bangin' on the door yelled "Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms!"....I just assumed it was more supplies.

HD GOOGLE SEARCH A distillers BEST friend besides yeast!
Antler24
Trainee
Posts: 979
Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2014 8:00 pm

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Antler24 »

I don't use a parrot and don't intend to. I don't even check the abv of any distillate coming off the still. Only time I pull the alcometer out is after cuts, after blending. Check the abv, dilute to 62% and into the aging jugs.
Swedish Pride wrote:
get a brix reading on said ball bearings and then you can find out how much fermentables are in there
User avatar
Truckinbutch
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Truckinbutch »

My parrot is part of my food chain on every run ; strip or spirit . If I'm getting smearing , at least it is consistent . I like to see that the results I'm getting are consistent with what I expected and what my feel , smell , and taste tell me .
That's what works for me .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
User avatar
Saltbush Bill
Site Mod
Posts: 9675
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:13 am
Location: Northern NSW Australia

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

MontanaMule wrote:I guess I'm weird as I do use a parrot to keep track of abv during a run.
Don't feel weird , from what I see around the different forums its quite normal to use a parrot. :thumbup:
Antler24 wrote: I don't even check the abv of any distillate coming off the still. Only time I pull the alcometer out is after cuts, after blending. Check the abv, dilute to 62% and into the aging jugs.
Thats pretty much me unless Im trying to make neutral, then I'll use a alcometer to keep proof as high as possible.
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by NZChris »

Truckinbutch wrote:My parrot is part of my food chain on every run ; strip or spirit . If I'm getting smearing , at least it is consistent . I like to see that the results I'm getting are consistent with what I expected and what my feel , smell , and taste tell me .
That's what works for me .
Do you cut 'on the fly' using your parrot?
User avatar
Yummyrum
Global moderator
Posts: 7653
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:23 am
Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?ui

Post by Yummyrum »

I don't use a parrot . If I want to check ABV I just stick a 100ml measuring cylinder under the spout and float the alc meter in it . I don't do "official cuts" on the fly but I like the opertunity to take a guess , approximation , call it what you like .... and compare it with the aired stuff ... maybe skill honeing , maybe deluding myself :oops: .... but its good fun :ebiggrin:
Seeing as I drink the stuff , I'm more into what it tastes like rather than what ABV it is .
( cuts priority here .... drinking strength is another matter )

But as far as parrott smearing is concerned ..... I'm gonna call bullshit on a keg full . :thumbdown: If you're doing a 5-10 Liter stove top run then fair enough :roll: ....it's all about relativity . Parrott smearing on a small run may be quite a valid point but on a larger boiler charge it becomes a mute point

On a pot still run I collect in 500ml jars and I'm not so tight I can't sacrifce a sus jar .
On a nuetral run again I'm going to be more than generous so I don't see a jar being a biggy .

PoInt being a bit of smearing in a typically 100ml parrott is stuff all compared to a 500ml jar cut .
Last edited by Yummyrum on Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Truckinbutch
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Truckinbutch »

NZChris wrote:
Truckinbutch wrote:My parrot is part of my food chain on every run ; strip or spirit . If I'm getting smearing , at least it is consistent . I like to see that the results I'm getting are consistent with what I expected and what my feel , smell , and taste tell me .
That's what works for me .
Do you cut 'on the fly' using your parrot?
No . I collect in half pint jars and cut and blend from there .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
googe
retired
Posts: 3848
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:53 pm
Location: awwstralian in new zealund

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by googe »

The amount you loose between cuts is minimal IMO, the best booze comes from being tight with cuts. Parrots are good IMO, lots here disagree though, mainly from never having used one.
Here's to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all life's problems.
"Homer J Simpson"
User avatar
LWTCS
Site Mod
Posts: 12836
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: North Palm Beach

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by LWTCS »

If your parrot is fully integrated and you have a heads dump valve,,,it can be handy getting some additional on the fly data. No extra energy futzing around.
Would be a pita if ya had to futz.
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
User avatar
still_stirrin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 10337
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by still_stirrin »

LWTCS wrote:....Would be a pita if ya had to futz.
....Futz???... Is that a verb? I don't know "futz", but I do know "putz". So, maybe...."futz da' putz"??? :lol:
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
sltm1
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1059
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:12 am

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by sltm1 »

I agree that tight cut's are the most important thing to making a good drop, but I still use my parrot every run so I can monitor the proof even though my still and method are consistent, I just like to look. Sort like looking at the speedometer in your vehicle just to be sure even when you're on cruise control.
A Paraphrase of a Joe Walsh Album Title, "The Drinkier I get, The Smokier I Play!!"
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
User avatar
still_stirrin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 10337
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by still_stirrin »

Some do...some don't. I'm in the "don't" camp...because I don't "need" to. I don't "need" to build or buy a parrot. Here's why:

My process is to collect in at least 12 (more likely 24, or more) jars. I usually use 1/2 pint Ball jars (400 ml) to collect at first, then switch to pint jars (800 ml) mid-run, before switching back to 1/2 pints towards the tails. The sequence (number and size) of the jars depends on the wash, ie - strip vs spirit run, %ABV of the wash, and volume of the wash, all which helps me estimate the quantity of collected spirit.

I measure the collected jar's %ABV and temperature and record those along with the jar sequence number and wash composition (and date of distillation) on a piece of masking tape which I place on each individual jar. This gives me a record of what is in the jar.

Then, I cover each jar with a coffee filter and store the jar(s) for 24 to 36 hours before attempting to make cuts. No need to make cuts on low wines however, but the records do help me anticipate what will go back into the still for the spirit run. Also, I don't usually cover with coffee filters either for a stripping run.

Since I collect in smaller jars (even for the strip run), using a parrot which would give me a "running average" of the %ABV is unnecessary. I can easily measure the proof of the small jars in my test cylinder and record the data as the jars are produced (keeps me busy during the long runs).

All this to say...this is MY process. Others use different methods...and different equipment. "Right" or "wrong" really doesn't apply for the use of a parrot.

YMMV.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by NZChris »

For stripping, I always have a target abv for the product I'm making, so the hydrometer goes into the collection jug. For spirit runs, I write the abv on each jar to make it easier to guestimate dilution ratios when making samples at blending time. I've found that the most reliable indicator of change is the boiling point of the charge, so there has never been any incentive to build a parrot to watch.

I was going to build one for my new Bokakob, but the thermometer changes at the exact same time as the abv, so it looks like the materials I have collected for parrots will stay in the rack for a few more years.
The Baker
Master of Distillation
Posts: 4659
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am
Location: Northern Victoria, Australia

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by The Baker »

Alex Bokakob should have been proud.

Geoff
The Baker
jambraun
Novice
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 8:59 am

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by jambraun »

Lots of good info, thanks everyone!

Just to address my original question, let's just say smearing is more apparent with smaller batch runs. Should you toss out as the heads end...Probably? Most people seem to have their own methods of making cuts and variations between stripping / spirit runs, and not everyone uses or needs to use a parrot (cool, good on you). Use whatever method is most comfortable. [Thumbs up emoji]
User avatar
Smeg
Novice
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:25 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by Smeg »

Theres more than one kind of parrot, I use one that I can empty on every cut and I wouldn't do a run without it.
8.jpg
sltm1
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1059
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:12 am

Re: Parrot - dump at heart collection?

Post by sltm1 »

Nice parrot build Smeg.
A Paraphrase of a Joe Walsh Album Title, "The Drinkier I get, The Smokier I Play!!"
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
Post Reply