I made my first ever "run" tonight using a pressure cooker. I had a 23L 2kg sugar and corn meal mash fermenting for about 5 days in a glass carboy. I used bakers yeast. The fermentation lock had stopped bubbling.
I placed about 1/3 of the mash into the pot and brought up the temp to about 85C. I tossed the first shot glass full and collected the rest until the temp in the pot reached about 95C. I ran 2 runs, totaling about 2/3 of my mash and collected about 750ML of product.
Here is the O-Oh part. When I went to measure the alcohol content with a hydrometer, IT SUNK. It did not float at all. I then tested it with tap water and it read 0% alcohol. I tested the product again and again the hydrometer sunk.
Whatever I collected does have what I would describe as a whiskey odour and has a kick when tasted. It does appear slightly cloudy in the jar. But since I'm not at all sure what I actually made I'm a little leary about taking any more than a finger dips worth.
Can anyone enlighten me as to what I may have produced, and perhaps where I may have went wrong?
What Went Wrong?
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DavidWatkins
- Bootlegger
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- Location: Western PA
Re: What Went Wrong?
What did you do wrong?
#1 You cannot measure distilled spirit strength with a regular hydrometer. You need an alcohol meter, aka proof and tralles hydrometer. It's a common mistake that is easy to remedy.
#2 Pressure cookers make very poor stills, the rubber seals will leach unpleasant and possibly harmful chemicals into your alcohol. A lot of us here, whether we admit it or not, started with pressure cooker stills and moved away from them once we learned better.
#3 Only discarding the first shot is less than the usual recommended amount. From a 5 gallon batch, most discard about 6 oz as foreshots (200mL from a 20L wash). There probably isn't that much methanol in your wash, so it isn't too terribly dangerous, but it tastes bad so why keep it?
#4 "Collected the rest until the temp reached 95C" That right there tells me you either didn't make cuts, or just don't know how to make cuts. Go to the must read section of the new distillers forum and look for the thread about making cuts, it is stickied right near the top.
#5 You will get "cleaner" alcohol that isn't as rough around the edges if you re-distill the stuff you have now and make cuts. So far, you've only done one run (two pots full, one run each), most spirits are distilled twice. There are some single run examples out there but they are the exception rather than the rule. On the first run, the distiller discards foreshots and collects everything together, much like you have done, but collecting until the alcohol percentage reaches a certain point rather than relying on the temperature. On the second run, the distiller uses the alcohol from the first run instead of wash and makes his cuts.
So, over all you've made some basic beginner mistakes but that is no great sin. Learn from them and keep going. In your case, I'd say the best thing you can do is run the rest of your wash, combine everything together and do a second run so you can make good cuts.
At least you had the common sense to ask for help...
#1 You cannot measure distilled spirit strength with a regular hydrometer. You need an alcohol meter, aka proof and tralles hydrometer. It's a common mistake that is easy to remedy.
#2 Pressure cookers make very poor stills, the rubber seals will leach unpleasant and possibly harmful chemicals into your alcohol. A lot of us here, whether we admit it or not, started with pressure cooker stills and moved away from them once we learned better.
#3 Only discarding the first shot is less than the usual recommended amount. From a 5 gallon batch, most discard about 6 oz as foreshots (200mL from a 20L wash). There probably isn't that much methanol in your wash, so it isn't too terribly dangerous, but it tastes bad so why keep it?
#4 "Collected the rest until the temp reached 95C" That right there tells me you either didn't make cuts, or just don't know how to make cuts. Go to the must read section of the new distillers forum and look for the thread about making cuts, it is stickied right near the top.
#5 You will get "cleaner" alcohol that isn't as rough around the edges if you re-distill the stuff you have now and make cuts. So far, you've only done one run (two pots full, one run each), most spirits are distilled twice. There are some single run examples out there but they are the exception rather than the rule. On the first run, the distiller discards foreshots and collects everything together, much like you have done, but collecting until the alcohol percentage reaches a certain point rather than relying on the temperature. On the second run, the distiller uses the alcohol from the first run instead of wash and makes his cuts.
So, over all you've made some basic beginner mistakes but that is no great sin. Learn from them and keep going. In your case, I'd say the best thing you can do is run the rest of your wash, combine everything together and do a second run so you can make good cuts.
At least you had the common sense to ask for help...
Pot stiller, 15.5 gal and 7.5 gal, in hardcore research mode for future projects, rum lover
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Panhandephillips
- Novice
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- Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:29 am
Re: What Went Wrong?
Thank you for the reply! I am using some of my father in laws wine making equipment (carboy, fermentation lock and hydrometer) and thought it would suffice.
Lesson learned.
Lesson learned.
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OBX Phantom
- Trainee
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- Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Re: What Went Wrong?
The hydrometer you are using is good for making your wash, it reads the sugar levels in your wash therefore telling you your potential alcohol percentage in the wash. You take a reading before you add your yeast, then take another reading when it is done fermenting. Then subtract the finished gravity "FG" from the starting gravity "SG"
and that would be the % ABV. of your wash.
You need a different hydrometer, called a "proof/ trailles" hydrometer to read the ABV% of your spirits.
and that would be the % ABV. of your wash.
You need a different hydrometer, called a "proof/ trailles" hydrometer to read the ABV% of your spirits.
If you are not living on the "Edge", then you are taking up too much space!!!
Re: What Went Wrong?
How did you do that mash? Have you used malt or enzymes ?Panhandephillips wrote:I made my first ever "run" tonight using a pressure cooker. I had a 23L 2kg sugar and corn meal mash
Re: What Went Wrong?
Dont forget to dilute these low wines before the second run. Unexpected fires are not fun......I'd say the best thing you can do is run the rest of your wash, combine everything together and do a second run so you can make good cuts.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13263