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Stainless pot with 2” of copper tube about 4’ in length. 2 rolls of copper scrubbers. Copper tube into the thumper and copper Liebig condenser. Think you’re right. Doesn’t smell like sulphur so much but it’s violent to the nose. About 6 jars in I can’t smell it anymore. Would the stuff that doesn’t ...

Looks like potassium metabisulfite is in wine kits. Wasn’t thinking this thru I suppose. Should have left all that out huh? What will that do to the distillate??

I’ll look up the ingredients for the wine kit. What would SO2 make it smell like?

Made 12 gallons of Riesling wine. Turned out great smells and looks normal. Running it thru the pot still w thumper right now and it smells like ammonia. I’m on the 3rd quart jar and smell still there. It’s coming out at 142 proof which is right at what my still produces. What could be the cause of ...

I’m the midst of a ujssm stripping run I got an idear. I snagged 2 cups of hearts at 70% abv and set aside. Brewed up 1.25 cups of espresso. Mixed em together and threw half a vanilla bean, about 10 espresso beans and about 1/2 ounce of chocolate mint essence. Not to shabby at all. The mint and coff...

Butch27 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:21 pm What would be the downside to checking specific gravity with a hydrometer?

Non, will check in the morning

Ok good info. The lid on these buckets seals about as good as humanly possible. What would the downside be to pitching more yeast?

Recipe for AG 12 gallon boiling water 15 lb flaked corn added After temp dropped to 153 added 4lb 6-row and 5lb malted red wheat, insulated and sat for 4 hours. Time was running out for the night so I hydrated 3 packages of ec1118 and pitched it in at 105 F. 5 days later and haven’t had any signs of...

Excellent thanks all

I’m starting to doubt my recipe. Am I adding too much malted grains? What happens if you have to much malt? Recipe 14 gallon water 15 lb flaked corn At 150 degrees adding 7 lb 6-row 3 lb malted rye 3 lb malted wheat 2 teaspoon alpha Was doing reading and saw the 80/20 rule. So now concerned too much...

The idea is to keep it off the bottom so it won’t scorch and also to push up against to press and drain grains

I have a 14 gallon brew kettle. I did a batch of all grains with plans to leave the straining screen in the bottom of the kettle to strain water out of the grains. Problem is the water isn’t above the screen until it has more than three gallons in it. My plan was to use 7 gallons of water. After I p...

Sorry another question. I have a 14 gallon brew pot. I put the bottom straining screen in just like the OP. Problem is the screen comes up to the 3 gallon mark. So I used 7 gallons of water and after adding the corn I was worried about the quantity of water above the screen vs the amount of grains s...

Ok so it sat 3 hrs after boil and once at 150 threw in grains. Kept at 140-150 for 2.5 hrs. Cooled and pitched. Got a reading of 1.063 which sounds the same as original recipe. 7 hrs total time. So ya maybe I let things sit longer than I shoulda but seems like turned out ok. 7 gallons of water got ...

Ok so it sat 3 hrs after boil and once at 150 threw in grains. Kept at 140-150 for 2.5 hrs. Cooled and pitched. Got a reading of 1.063 which sounds the same as original recipe. 7 hrs total time. So ya maybe I let things sit longer than I shoulda but seems like turned out ok. 7 gallons of water got 6...

Old post but I like it. Doing my first run at it. Couple questions. At first I read that after you boil for 10-15 minutes you slowly bring it down to 140-150 (took you about 3 hrs). I did this using a blanket. Then I read it again and I think it says to keep it at 140-150 for 3 hrs and then after it...

1.5 gallons

Grains at bottom, it fizzed/tiny bubbles when I stirred it.
Humm ok. After I run this batch should I start with new corn and bakers yeast with backseat?

Made my first batch of this. Followed recipe and instructions completely. Using EC-1118. First run went good, out of 5 gallons got about 3/4 gallon low wines stopped at 30%abv outa spout. Less than I thought I’d get. Let backset cool after sugar added and put back into bucket. Again following direct...

Thanks for the help still_stirrin. That’s the info I was hoping for. Impatience nope. Us “newbies” are here to learn. So what’s wrong with using the sparkolloid other than “that’s what we “learned” from YouTube or tv?” Does it change flavor or mess up the mash? Or is it just offending to some to use...

Sweet feed mash has been sitting for 10 days. Measured .990. Smells awesome. My plan was to start a ujssm with the lees. Wasn’t thinking much and threw in some sparkolloid to help clear it up. Have I screwed up by adding this and killed the yeast bed for making a sour mash? Should I keep the lees an...

So if not completely fermented that will cause cloudy distillate?

It stopped bubbling in airlock, hydrometer reading remained the same for 2 days, a bit under 1.0

...My plan is to do 3 sugar wash stripping runs and take all the low wines diluted to 80% and do a spirit run ... Started out at 77%abv and stopped at 40% . Got a gallon of lows averaged 123 proof... You’re not making sense. How can you dilute the low wines to 80%ABV when your stripping run collect...

Hey guys My 4th sugar wash run, 12 pounds sugar and turbo yeast. 5 gallon still with a thumper My plan is to do 3 sugar wash stripping runs and take all the low wines diluted to 80% and do a spirit run. This run I did the exact same thing as last three runs. Electric element full energy until get pr...

Thank you sir great advice! I know I have much more to read on all subjects, Didn’t mean to offend with that sentence about not saying to just read more!

Howdy, new distiller here with a couple questions and hoping for suggestions. First off my setup. I have a 5 gallon pot still with a thumper and worm. I have done a vinegar wash and a sacrificial run with sugar wash. I then did a sugar wash that I made into some amazing apple pie shine. Since then I...

Howdy from up North. Brand new to this game. Have most everything on order, but many questions I have. I love Bourbon and that is my end game. Brewed beer for years but this will be my first go at the clear liquids. Excited and trying to gather all the info I need. This seems like a great place to d...