Am I doing it right

[Wolfairious]

So I made a still. Propane powered. 15 gal keg with a 2" stainless column topped with a Stainless Tee. About 2' tall column. Top of the Tee is capped (was going to add thermometer but haven't). Off the side of the tee is an 90 deg elbow that leads to my 4' liebig convoluted crimped condenser (3/4x1/2). I add lightly rolled copper mesh to the Tee (4-5") and in the column (12" worth). I also have copper ringlets of the leftovers from my liebig construction in the bottom of the keg. I cleaned and conditioned everything and ran a steam run.

1st run I made a Gerber sugar wash. 5 gallons. Put it in the keg and fired it up. Once steam was seen in the liebig I turned on the cooling water and we started collecting. I turn the heat down at this point until it is just running. Threw the 1st 200ml away (to be safe on my 1st run, now I throw out 100-150ml). When it runs, it goes pretty fast (steady drips almost constant, practically a stream) and I can't turn down the propane any more or it will go out. Collected 16oz of heads around 70-80% to save for a later run and then collected the rest (mixed hearts) in 8oz jars. Save the last 16oz of tails for a later run too. Collect down to 20%. Mixed the mixed hearts together and diluted to 40% and ran it through a charcoal filter. Tada! Drink 80 proof white lightning. (last batches have been diluting to 45% since we dilute when we flavor anyway)

Basically been following this same routine as my Father (who is the main consumer) likes it the way it is and doesn't care to do a stripping and a spirit run. We add the Heads and tails (feints) back into the next batch when we distill. All this seems pretty easy, so am I doing anything wrong? Should I collect all the feints and make a feint only run only instead of adding it back in the next run? Since we are not making any cuts and just trying to separate the really bad heads and tails, should I just run it fast and not worry about it?

Dad doesn't want to be bothered with making better cuts as it seems to be a neutral spirit that we have used to flavor a bunch of different ways. (Aged on cherries, aged on strawberries, aged on toasted oak chips, using essences of bourbon, spiced rum or gin, mixed to make "Apple Pie", used with Green Apple jolly rancher syrup mixes and Watermelon Jolly rancher syrup mixes, hot tamallies candy to make Fireball) Would I gain much from doing stripping runs, diluting to 40% and doing a spirit run since we flavor it anyway? Everything seems to taste well enough. It just seems to be going easier than I expected after doing all the newbie reading.

Do you think my still is more reflux or pot? Haven't tried to flavor the spirits via recipe (wash) yet. I think if I leave the copper mesh out it will be pretty much a pot still, but with the copper mesh in there I get some reflux. We are going to try the simple Bran Flake recipe next. Thanks for any tips.
Excuse the crappy pic with all my beer brewing in the background. This was just a mock-up but the only pic I have.

[Expat]

This is a pot still definitely. Even if your riser is packed with copper you have no active reflux, hence a pot still.

Hopefully you're not running your propane in an unventilated space?

[Wolfairious]

No, we run it outside. That is a mock-up pic in my electric brew room. All those windows can open though if I wanted to run it in there I guess, but it was moved to my Father's place where we distill outside his garage. True about the no active reflux. I thought maybe just the steam hitting the copper mesh and re-condensing may be some reflux. But you are right, A pot still with copper mesh is all.
If I attached an enclosed cooling coil at the top of the Tee (where I currently have a cap) then I could make it a reflux right? Like a Bokakob without the plates? Think that would work if I controlled the cooling flow enough to allow some vapor to reflux and some to flow out the liebig? That was part of the reason I built it out of stainless tri-clamp fittings, the modularity of it.

[DuckofDeath]

Pit the deph under the T an dit will be a CM reflux still, Put it above and leave the top open add a valve on the liebig and you have a VM, or just open the top of the T and place a movable coil in there and you can make a CCVM still. So many choices

[Wolfairious]

Now thinking that I could use a shotgun condenser below the tee like you said, but what does the reflux gain me? High ABV but less yield? Am I doing everything else right currently?

[Manc]

Hi if you use a reflux condenser you will get an higher abv your heads will be more condensed but to collect the tails you will need to turn off the condenser it will make a better netural. There is less volume in total but the same amount of alcohol.

You should consider stripping runs it does save you time in the long run a stripping run takes approximately half the time so 3 strips will save 1/2 a run 4 will save a full run if that makes sense as well as giving you a better product would probably save you having to carbon as well.

Lee

[Wolfairious]

So strip the 5 gallon wash fast and save all the yields until I do 3-4 stripping runs of separate washes and then combine them all and dilute to 40% and do a slow spirit run. Equals better product. (I don't think we have to carbon now as we only use bread yeast but my Dad wanted to so...) (Just to be clear I am mid 40's and he is mid 60's). Just odd typing out "my Dad" lol. It only takes us 2hrs to do a 5 gallon wash run right now. Wonder how much better the product would be. Guess only 1 way to find out. I actually have a 10 gallon wash going now, could I strip that whole thing and turn it right around for a spirit run same day? Hmmm Do you cut the foreshots on the stripping run or just on the spirit run? or both?

So with the reflux, the heads will be condensed so they will be easier to cut? Then it'll just stop flowing at a certain point if it is balanced right and that is the end of your hearts? Then I would turn off the condenser and collect the tails for a future run? That how it works? Currently as a pot still it just flows and flows and I have to test to make sure we are collecting something that is worth the effort. Like I said we stop at 20% as it starts to get cloudy then.

[Manc]

Wolfairious wrote
"So strip the 5 gallon wash fast and save all the yields until I do 3-4 stripping runs of separate washes and then combine them all and dilute to 40% and do a slow spirit run. Equals better product"


Yes but you probably won't need to dilute.

Wolfairious wrote
"I actually have a 10 gallon wash going now, could I strip that whole thing and turn it right around for a spirit run same day? Hmmm Do you cut the foreshots on the stripping run or just on the spirit run? or both?"


Yes you could easily get 12 gallons in a 15 gallon pot. I cut the foreshots on both better safe than sorry it's only heads anyway.

I run electric so it a bit different to you it may not save as much time but it will give a better product it take me 3 hours to do a 15 gallon strip and 7 hours for a spirit run on a 3kw heater I also run mine as a CM with a shotgun condenser on spirit runs.

Wolfairious wrote
"So with the reflux, the heads will be condensed so they will be easier to cut? Then it'll just stop flowing at a certain point if it is balanced right and that is the end of your hearts? Then I would turn off the condenser and collect the tails for a future run? That how it works? Currently as a pot still it just flows and flows and I have to test to make sure we are collecting something that is worth the effort. Like I said we stop at 20% as it starts to get cloudy then."


That's how I run mine.

I think it's cool that you share your hobby with your dad. I am to just about still in my 40's and would probably strangle my dad if we had to spend 7 hours in the garage together lol.

I hope this helps I've never run on gas so hopefully someone who does can help better with the timings and I think your build is awesome I had to buy hopefully I'll build one day

Lee

[Wolfairious]

Thanks for the info! I think I'll try the strip then spirit run on this 10 gallon batch. We still have some left from the last batch so we can compare to see how much of a difference it makes.
Building was way cheaper than buying.
Dad and I started brewing beer together as a way to keep him busy and get him out of the house. He doesn't actually do a much other than when I tell him to add hops or something, lol. But he sure likes to drink it.

If I were to get the condenser to turn it into a CM reflux, what size do you think I would need? They have 8", 12", 16" and 20"

[Manc]

Good luck with your stripping run it always good to have someone who is willing to drink your product mines my SOH. Lol

I have an 8 inch condenser and it is more than enough it's a fine balancing act between power and water flow but once you get use to it is easy. If you are adapt at building as you are check out Dad's CCVM it easier to run and means you don't have to control water flow.

Please let us know how you get on

Lee

[Wolfairious]

Manc, wow you made me just do a lot of reading, thanks! I am now leaning towards the CCVM. Not as simple or as cheap as just buying the shotgun and having a CM, but I think it'll be a better choice in the long run.

[Manc]

Manc, wow you made me just do a lot of reading, thanks! I am now leaning towards the CCVM. Not as simple or as cheap as just buying the shotgun and having a CM, but I think it'll be a better choice in the long run.

( Thumb's up) Good luck with your journey and welcome to the dark side there's so much info on here the more I read the more I NEED (want).

I'm sure it won't stop there.

And don't forget it is a race and he who dies with the most wins. LOL

Hope you keep us all informed.

Lee

Lee

[Wolfairious]

I know the race! I started with a Mr. Beer kit and now I have a 5 gallon, 3 tier brewing rig that runs on 2 gas burners and has electric pumps that I made (including welding up the stand). Plus a 15 gallon 3 vessel all electric 5500W rig that I built my self (including welding up a table and building the PID electronic controller). Now I am building a still. (Dad doesn't have the easily available 220V at his house, hence the propane) LOL! I think the CCVM will be better/easier than the thumper I was also thinking of making out of the spare 5 gallon keg I have lying around. Good thing I can adjust the temperature on my fermentation chamber for both my still and my beer. Just haven't been satisfied with the Pot Still since we are mostly doing neutrals. It works, but I know I can make it better.

[Manc]

Wow you're in to win lol. You should be able to make some awesome washes and mashes with that set up.
Can't wait to see where you end up in this pursuit and your right there are better ways to produce neturals than pot stilIs.

I started with a 4 litre air still with 25 litres fermenters. I now have 120 litre fermenting barrels with fermentation chambers 55 litre boiler with a 3 inch CM coloum that can produce azeo at 3 litres an hour let the pissing contest begin lol.

Let the race begin and may the best man win lol ( hope it's not me I plan on living forever or die trying.)

Lee

[Wolfairious]

So we did a run yesterday. 10 gallons of wash, we stripped it fast. Collected about 3+ gallons (low wines). Added 2 gallons of water and did a spirit run right away, nice and slow. I took some of center hearts and diluted it to 90 proof and had Dad do a side by side taste test with the single distillation stuff we had from last time. The 2 distillation stuff smelled a lot "smoother" and tasted a lot more refined to me. Dad liked it better too, another friend was over and he also tried them and said that the extra step was worth the effort; he had previously said the single run was "good stuff"!
I have all the parts for converting to a CCVM on order. Can't wait to taste that stuff.