Alcohol percent calc…ie stupid question

[Auger1]

Hi guys….
Form some reason my math and number skills took a dive when I had a mini-stroke a couple months ago. I’m trying to figure out how much alcohol I can THEORETICALLY collect if I have a 20 gallon mash that is excepted to give 7%. I ran a stripping run at 20 gal held temp at 174… proofs at the parrot at an average of 136 and got approximately 2.25 gallons. This is not cut. I’ll take it to 80 proof. Is that about right?

my brain is struggling with this and I’m going to punch through it…but I’m back to baby steps on this. My next question to support the first is…

Let’s just say 7% abv
10 gallons should equal 0.7 gallons….. at 100% right? So out the parrot at say 70% (140 proof) I should get about 0.91 gallons. Which I then cut to 40% (80 proof). I should get 1.456. Correct?

Again guys. I’m trying to get the gray cells working again and need either validation or the errors of my way
And thank you

[Ridgeback816]

I find everything is easier in liters
20 gallons is 76 liters at 7% gives you 5.32 pure
136 proof is 68 percent abv 5.32/.68 give you a volume of 7.82 liters or 2.06 gallons and if you got 100 percent Alchohol out of the mash. Hope that helps

[BrewinBrian44]

https://americanhomedistillers.com/dist ... alculator/

This will be your friend. I use it all the timer

[Salt Must Flow]

I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get what you get. Only AFTER you make your cuts and then dilute it, that is what you WILL have. Don't sweat the calculations up front. It's not worth it.

[Wyododge]

Auger1 - your math is correct. Keep going, new paths will open up. Don’t let the frustration deter your ambition. You will win.

[higgins]

I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get what you get. Only AFTER you make your cuts and then dilute it, that is what you WILL have. Don't sweat the calculations up front. It's not worth it.

Unless you think it is worth it. For me as a newbie (almost 2 years, 15 batches) and using different mash bills on each run it can be helpful to be able to ESTIMATE how much 'product' I'll end up with given the wash vol & wash abv.

I mostly make whiskey and rum. I strip fast until abv of output < 5%. I age at 62.5%.

I use this very basic formula in my batch spreadsheet to estimate my output:
Product = wash volume * wash ABV / aging ABV * 0.35
This is a fairly rough estimate but should be in the ballpark (depending on your cuts). I often end up with a bit more than estimated.

[HDNB]

maths lesson aside, why are trying (or maybe even accomplishing) holding the temperature at a particular value? (174 seems to be your number) are you not familiar with the whole running a still yet?
there are pages and pages of stuff here that can help you ease your mind, ease your work load and up your game for quality spirits, if any of this is news to you.

[Saltbush Bill]

It seems to me that your trying to make cuts by percentages , temperatures and ABV, in short that is the wrong way to do it.
HDNB has already kind of pointed that out.
You'd be much better off giving the grey matter a holiday and setting you taste buds and nostrils to work. Taste and smell are the way to go when making cuts.....not quantities , temps and ABVs.
There are many many threads around the forum that will help you learn how.....here is just one viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11640 look for others by Yummyrum.....he has done some good ones.
Others who can find the right links easily may put a few up for you.

[Auger1]

Thank you guys for the responses. I’m kinda a nerd so with my nose and pallet and math….I should be able to dial things in. I’m learning a lot from all of you on this forum. It’s the best out there!

[Salt Must Flow]

I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get what you get. Only AFTER you make your cuts and then dilute it, that is what you WILL have. Don't sweat the calculations up front. It's not worth it.

Unless you think it is worth it. For me as a newbie (almost 2 years, 15 batches) and using different mash bills on each run it can be helpful to be able to ESTIMATE how much 'product' I'll end up with given the wash vol & wash abv.

I mostly make whiskey and rum. I strip fast until abv of output < 5%. I age at 62.5%.

I use this very basic formula in my batch spreadsheet to estimate my output:
Product = wash volume * wash ABV / aging ABV * 0.35
This is a fairly rough estimate but should be in the ballpark (depending on your cuts). I often end up with a bit more than estimated.

I get what you're saying, but the OP was talking about a sugar wash, not a mash. It is REALLY simple to know how much sugar to use based on your target SG and the volume of your desired batch. With the available calculators, it's very easy to know approx how much water to add and what the total volume should be, but using a hydrometer or a refractometer will confirm when to stop adding water.

How much product you get will be what it will be AFTER cuts. Sure you can estimate/calculate, but in the end it will be what you get. I nerd out with spreadsheets that tell me what my total collected product could be and much more, which is pretty accurate, but I do cuts by smell & taste which determines total product. Figures might be somewhat repeatable within certain margins, but YOU are responsible for making your cuts.

[Deplorable]

You get what you get.
Take notes, and refer to them often.
Above all in the beginning, use all your senses.
How you run your still, what your senses like or dislike, and what your notes tell you will eventually get you to where you can estimate within a quart to two what you'll get from a given volume of wash at a known abv.
Of course you have to take care of your ferment in a consistent manner as well. Stressed ferments will give you increased amounts of undesirable components in your spirit run, leading to reduced keeper jars.
Additional consideration should be given to how long you intend to let it age since wider cuts (grungier blends) will take longer to give you a good drop. All be it more complex than a tighter cut young drop.