Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

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Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

I normally get between 110 and 125 proof out of my pot still in the hearts. Is this the "typical" amount of proof or can/should I tweak it some to get higher proof content? Anything below 100 I save as tails (down to 80).
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by just-a-sip »

sltm1 wrote:I normally get between 110 and 125 proof out of my pot still in the hearts. Is this the "typical" amount of proof or can/should I tweak it some to get higher proof content? Anything below 100 I save as tails (down to 80).
your right on the money as far as proof, don't tweak anything. once you start trying to push the potential of your wash to get a higher proof you will start getting stalled washes, off flavors, and many other undesirables. if you want to get a higher proof on your runs just take that run as a first run, save a few of them and then dilute to 40% and run it again you should be upwards of 160-175 proof on the subsequent runs.

most here do stripping then spirit runs
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

just-a-sip, thank you....so many questions and so little time, especially when you're still learnin' what the questions are LOL !!
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

You are off to a good start by askin instead of tellin . Welcome and keep studying . Many of the questions will answer themselves by reading here .
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

A pot still is a pot still. So you get what you get. The output is dependent on the input. But as justasip said. Pushing a ferment to get a higher ABV out of the still. Isn't the answer. If you want to make a higher ABV product. Run it multiple times. Diluting it to 40% or lower for each run. Do multiple stripping runs. Combine them for a spirit run.

All this info can be found here. In much greater detail. If you take the time to read and research it.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

Prairepiss, Been reading, here, the parent site and any others I can find. If my questions bother you (which I gather from your tone), then don't answer them or at least point me in the direction of the alphabetical index so that I can answer my own questions as they come up without annoying you.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by USACelt »

Don't get snippy jack,
I you really read and take the time to comprehend what you said you read you wouldn't ask such a simple question. :crazy: :crazy:
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

Damn all I did was give a to the point answer to your question. And said the info is out there with greater detail. Maybe I should have added a :thumbup: . Or maybe a three page report spoon feeding you the info. I don't even know why I try anymore. :crazy:

Good luck dude. :wave:
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by slipsitter »

My little 10 gal. copper pot still can consistently give me 140 proof during the latter heads and through out the hearts run. However with that being said I do listen to my still and take a finger tip taste from the parrot through out the heads run... especially if I am doing fruit. The reason is I have observed that most of the fruit flavor is in the last half of the heads run... so.... If I want a grappa or fruit brandy I will carefully blend the heads with the hearts to get the flavor I desire.

Now if I am shooting for high octane abv... I do like the others have said and make several stripping runs, clean the still again and then combine those runs for a slower more carefully cut run... still retaining the heads to blend with the hearts... hope this helps...
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

sltm1 wrote:Prairepiss, Been reading, here, the parent site and any others I can find. If my questions bother you (which I gather from your tone), then don't answer them or at least point me in the direction of the alphabetical index so that I can answer my own questions as they come up without annoying you.
Golly ! That's a poor way to start what could have been a beautiful relationship .
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by drinkingdog »

I didn't catch a bad tone in prairepiss' s post either. One think I think contributes to short fuses on this forum is the fact that most people if not all on this forum like to drink. When do most get on that aren't retired? After work when they are having a few drinks. Elevated testosterone I guess Oh well :crazy:
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He also used to say. I didn't say it was your fault. I just said that I was blaming you.

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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

drinkingdog wrote:I didn't catch a bad tone in prairepiss' s post either. One think I think contributes to short fuses on this forum is the fact that most people if not all on this forum like to drink. When do most get on that aren't retired? After work when they are having a few drinks. Elevated testosterone I guess Oh well :crazy:
Well , I am retired and just naturally have always been a cranky old sonofabitch . Even though I have been trying to be nicer here I tend to lose patience with those who don't want to listen or want to be hand fed . Nobody here has an obligation to take in any stranger to raise .
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by drinkingdog »

I was talking about stlm1 not the old farts like you and me.
My Grandpa used to say. Don't argue with an idiot, because he will just drag you down to his level then beat you with experience.
He also used to say. I didn't say it was your fault. I just said that I was blaming you.

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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by corene1 »

drinkingdog wrote:I didn't catch a bad tone in prairepiss' s post either. One think I think contributes to short fuses on this forum is the fact that most people if not all on this forum like to drink. When do most get on that aren't retired? After work when they are having a few drinks. Elevated testosterone I guess Oh well :crazy:
Hey! no testosterone problem here, AND I do appreciate all the good information that you all have bestowed on me. Sometimes I wonder how all of you Older gentlemen put up with some of these people. My guess is that you have learned a lot the hard way and want to help. I myself saw no bad tone in PP's post, he just made a very simple statement. Personally I like point blank and direct. Then there are no doubts !
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

drinkingdog wrote:I was talking about stlm1 not the old farts like you and me.
Understood :D and a point well made for those that want to take the hint .
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

At 26 yrs old I entered a old school European style apprenticeship to become a jeweler. This meant that all knowledge was treated like a secret until one of the master jewelers would dane to teach you the the proper way to do something, and I mean they would literally stop working and cover their project till I passed by. Since then I have become a master jeweler, a passable blacksmith and a damn fine antique gunsmith and I've never found any question I've been asked by a newbie to be so trivial as to answer with the response "look it up". Now maybe it's because I'm older than some here (65) and have a different perspective on knowledge freely given because of my history, or maybe it's because I feel it's important to pass on knowledge inorder for someone new in the field not to have to make the same mistakes I had to make to learn a thing or two. But what ever my underlying reasoning is I find it a condecending slap in the face to be told basically "if you want to know how to spell it, go look it up in the dictionary" like a parent would say to a child. And oh-by-the-way, did you all miss my second post on this thread where I thanked "just-a-sip" for his concise answer? That should have ended the thread right there.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

Sory for thinking you would gain more knowledge about the subject. Then what can be put into this one thread. That has been covered extensively in many other threads. In much greater detail. And heaven forbid you go research it and learn a great amount of information about other things along the way.

I need to shut up now before I do become an ass. Enjoy your spoon feeding.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

I couldn't just shut up.
That was my way of saying. You do need to go research it better. And that this lonely little answer is not all you need to know. And no I didn't want to type out a 3 page post to tell you all you need to know. When that info has been typed out way to many times already. Call me lazy call me an ASSHOLE what ever. I was just trying to get you to better your knowledge. I have you the info you needed. If you don't like it. To bad.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

Let's talk about this, I'm PMing you my ph# cause you seem to be missing the point and there's no reason to belabor it on a public forum.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by just-a-sip »

sltm1

let me try and help here. the reason i gave you the answer just like that wasn't because im nicer the PP or a better member it was simply that it was a quick easy answer and from there many members would then go find the reasoning behind why you don't push a wash

one thing you as a newer member do need to understand though is that pp is a mentor and is full of knowledge and his ways are often misconstrued as rude, but believe me wait til you meet rad if you don't like the way he came off rad may make you run the other way, as he is very a matter of fact.

also you should understand that s a mentor he spends most of his time answering the same questions over and over and over, so often to the more basic questions they will simply just say read and do a search because it is covered so extensively.

last thing i wanted to point out is you made a comment about how you had so many questions and your not even sure yet what all the questions are. to this I often give what i have found to be a great piece of advice. i tend to tell newer members to read a whole bunch, and as you come up with a question write it down in a word doc or on some paper. then keep reading and searching your questions. I promise that as you find the answer to some of your more basic questions you will read enough that you come up with 100 more questions. these to you write down and research. by time you fill the page and start getting the answer you will have 1 gained a plethora of knowledge, and 2. have created a searchable document for your records for refreshing your memory in the future. now after you have searched all your questions and found many answers you will inevitably have questions left unanswered. THESE are the ones you bring to the mentors and moderators. these are most likely the ones that will get answered and also help other members who didn't even know to ask the question.

i wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and always feel free to PM anyone you think will have the answer to your questions
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

Justasip I'm no longer a mentor. So I don't have to answer any questions. I do however still answer gobs of them. Just to try and help others. Some like my help. Some don't. Just erks me when someone says. If you didn't want to answer the question. Why didn't you move on. Because I did want to answer the question. And I give the best advice I can. Just not always what some want to hear.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by wv_cooker »

I cannot believe the amount of people that want everything searched out for them. No where did I see a snippy answer from PP either. I'll apologise for him PP, sorry. There are thousands of post's on this forum pertaining to about any subject that has to do with the Hobby of Home Distilling, how would you think that since they come from thousands of people all over the world that there would be an alphabetical index of anything. It's a forum not a book. There is however more information on the hobby here than any encyclopedia could have in it's pages. The problem is people don't seem to want to search for themselves they just want it answered by folks like PP and Rad that volunteer their time to help keep the forum here for everyone to use. Learn to use the Google Search Function in the menu bar it's there for a reason and I bet that more than half the folks that come here and get mad because they don't get the answer they want couldn't even point it out to you if asked. You may be 65 and one of the best at what you do, but you are wrong here and PP owes you nothing!
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by googe »

Sound advice just a sip :thumbup: , I wrote down stuff when I first started here and it happened.just like you said, I'd be reading then all of a.sudden, oh oh I wrote that somewhere, and the penny would drop. I hated not getting the answers when I first stared but teaching yourself is the way to go. Learning one on one in a trade has no comparison to a forum of this subject and size, it would be like one tradesman teaching 10,000 students at once, not possible. And if the tradesman tried, he 'd be one hell of a grumpy bastard!
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by sltm1 »

For everyone who's entered into this thread and thinks there ought to be a resolution. I've exchanged several messages with PP today to straighten this out. I explained my reasoning for my reaction, he understands it, and I apologized for my misunderstanding his intent, so we're good. For the record, I'm not looking to be spoon fed, carried, nursemaided, piggybacked or otherwise led down the garden path of distilling. I actually LIKE learning from my mistakes and doing the research to find out why things work the way they do, plus, as the saying goes, "Whatever don't kill ya makes ya stronger". In the future I will do as suggested and write down my questions, both mechanical and chemical ,research them dilligintly and only as a last resort will I ask this community to help out.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by just-a-sip »

i will say some of the best posts are not the ones where individuals are asking for help, but where individuals are asking of advice. i have read plenty of posts where someone comes in and say hey what do y'all think about this, and a great conversation starts and ideas start flowing and by the end we solve a problem or create ideas.

for an example i recently started having cooling water problems on my plated 4 inch flute. having a 70 gal reservoir i never had this issue before, but with it being close to 100*f here i ran into the problem and started looking up a swamp cooler thread i had read a while back. today i came across one where ODIN, Holy Bear, PP, and others created some great communication of Swamp coolers; packing for them, fans for air, and the such. all that started it was odin say hey what ya think about this... and POW born was the double column bio ball swamp cooler. (still would love to see the results of that thread.)

so with all that said dont only post when you absolutely cant answer a question, just do the reading and research to understand what the right questions to ask are and contribute as often as you can to help better all of us.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

sltm1 wrote:For everyone who's entered into this thread and thinks there ought to be a resolution. I've exchanged several messages with PP today to straighten this out. I explained my reasoning for my reaction, he understands it, and I apologized for my misunderstanding his intent, so we're good. For the record, I'm not looking to be spoon fed, carried, nursemaided, piggybacked or otherwise led down the garden path of distilling. I actually LIKE learning from my mistakes and doing the research to find out why things work the way they do, plus, as the saying goes, "Whatever don't kill ya makes ya stronger". In the future I will do as suggested and write down my questions, both mechanical and chemical ,research them dilligintly and only as a last resort will I ask this community to help out.
BIG step on your part and you are to be respected for it :clap: You have 'brought ass' . In return you can expect to 'get ass'. The function of the whole community is to help one another .
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Prairiepiss »

(still would love to see the results of that thread.)
So would I. Since its sitting in the basement not finished yet. :think:
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Dan P. »

Answer to the OP;
I used to judge my cuts largely by collecting in little jars, then using taste.
Now my recipes are largely of the same type (barley all-grain), I use my alcometer (whatever it's called, floaty thing) in my test-tube (what I use instead of a parrot) to make cuts in tandem with taste. I generally collect between around 74% and 60%-ish. I was mostly inspired to do this by this table, which gives the spirit cut of Islay malts;

http://distillers.tastylime.net/library ... tfiles.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Making cuts obviously depends on what you are distilling, and your own personal taste, but the proof you are getting (or at least 110 proof) none the less seems maybe, possibly, perhaps a little low? But it obviously depends on the ABV profile of your output; more at a higher proof, will result in an overall higher alcohol yield, and your profile will depend on your still and how you run it.
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by SherrodBrown »

I was planning to distill a 20 ABV Sugarwash with a worm. What can I expect in the first run if I keep a portion in the middle?
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Re: Typical Alcohol Proof From A Pot Still ?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

If you read back through this thread you will see that many people have said that pot stilling high abv washes is not the way to go. 20% would be considered extremely high.
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