Being very much a green horn I am still trying to figure this all out. I’ve only run my still 3 times (vinegar cleaning, sacrificial, and now my first keeper run). I have a pot still with a thumper.
I chose to use the bird watchers run for my sacrificial run. During the run, I found it to be pretty aromatic. I know it’s not a good idea but I took a little taste off the finger just trying to begin to understand the cuts from taste and texture. I thought it has a nice smooth taste. Being that run was meant to give the still one more good cleaning I opted against putting anything in the thumper, figuring the vapor was more important to clean it that putting anything in it.
Now fast forwarding to my first USJM, I put a little bit in the thumper and ran it. I noticed there was blurry little taste and not as smooth as the birdwatchers. Guess I’m wondering if I made a rookie mistake along the line or if maybe it’s normal on a 1st generation run. Thought?
Bird watchers vs 1st Gen UJSM
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still_stirrin
- Master of Distillation
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Re: Bird watchers vs 1st Gen UJSM
It’s to be expected.
With the sac run, you used a recipe with less flavors and you didn’t charge the thumper. So, the vapor produced was much cleaner and the product out the spout was purer with less flavors. What you tasted was just the alcohol (mostly).
With the UJ run, you put some of the wash in the thumper. First off, it was not the same wash as the BW, so you started with flavors. Then, with the thumper addition, you added back yet even more flavors from the wash. Since the vapors bubble up through the wash in the thumper, they’ll grab ahold of some of the flavors there (it’s what thumpers do). So, out of the spout you got a lot more flavors.
And how you run it (fast or slow) will tend to smear the front end to the back end, so collection becomes more critical as well (for separation).
What you got...is exactly what I’d expect. If you want something different...you’ve got to do something different!
ss
With the sac run, you used a recipe with less flavors and you didn’t charge the thumper. So, the vapor produced was much cleaner and the product out the spout was purer with less flavors. What you tasted was just the alcohol (mostly).
With the UJ run, you put some of the wash in the thumper. First off, it was not the same wash as the BW, so you started with flavors. Then, with the thumper addition, you added back yet even more flavors from the wash. Since the vapors bubble up through the wash in the thumper, they’ll grab ahold of some of the flavors there (it’s what thumpers do). So, out of the spout you got a lot more flavors.
And how you run it (fast or slow) will tend to smear the front end to the back end, so collection becomes more critical as well (for separation).
What you got...is exactly what I’d expect. If you want something different...you’ve got to do something different!
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
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
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FlintHills
- Novice
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Re: Bird watchers vs 1st Gen UJSM
I may have poorly written the beginning post as it was pretty late. What you said was what I expected, that UJ to have been more aromatic and flavorsome yet I experienced quite the opposite. I found the BW to have more of those two qualities