My Firsts

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
opus345
Novice
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:59 pm

My Firsts

Post by opus345 »

First still = Mile Hi 8 Gal 2" Dual Purpose Pro with 110v 2000 watt element. Ordered on March 6. Delivered on July 7. Delay gave me time to whip up a couple of Rad's All Bran washes. Was out of town when it showed up on the front porch. Fortunately my brother was able to grab it and move it into the garage. Wrapped gaskets in PTFE and used mirror to check for leaks. Added two roles of copper mesh scrubbies in column. Need to think about adding copper to boiler. Need to spend time reading and incorporating Prairepiss's recommendations from his CM Still Output Improvements thread.

First Vinegar Cleaning = Followed recommendations here on doing a Water (2 gal) and Vinegar (2 gal) cleaning run with and without the cooling running.

First Sacrificial Run = Used All Bran batch (4.5 gal) for this run. Read Kiwistiller's Novice Guide For Cuts a number of times and ended up using the Easy Way to practice. Started taking notes during run. It was incredibly educational and I learned a ton about what I don't know! Can't believe anyone would argue with the benefits of performing a sacrificial run when needed.

First Run = Used second All Bran batch (5 gal) for this run. It was very much a Tom Hanks "I Made Fire" type of moment when I was able to taste the heads after discarding the Fore Shots. Did a conservative blending of the hearts jars and tossing the heads and tails into a Feints carboy. Proofed to 40%. Used some American Oak cubes in a couple jars and macerated Strawberrys and Blackberrys in a couple other jars. And left a couple jars white in the fridge.

Wow, what an experience.

20210724_101058_2d.jpg
opus
User avatar
Boozewaves
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:16 am
Location: Wales , UK , 3rd planet , milky way

Re: My Firsts

Post by Boozewaves »

opus345 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:51 pm It was very much a Tom Hanks "I Made Fire" type of moment
Wow, what an experience.
thats great . I definitely remember this part when I first ran my still . all the studying and waiting for parts to arrive had paid off . :thumbup:

now if you plan to make a wash that is 3 x the maximum safe capacity of your still , do 3 fast stripping runs without the bottom piece of pipe and sightglass , no cuts except foreshots ....

and then combine the results of the 3 strips , run as above but slower if you want a whisky or with the pipe and glass in place with reflux condenser plumbed in if you want a vodka/neutral being sure to keep it in full reflux for a while before taking off fores and heads........(do some reading up on this)

you will get another eureka moment as you get more good alcohol than you know what to do with :D . plenty to infuse , age and drink
Become a distiller : start here viewtopic.php?t=52975
User avatar
Danespirit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2647
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:09 am
Location: Denmark

Re: My Firsts

Post by Danespirit »

Congrats..!
Ain't that a great feeling when the first drops come out of the condenser..? :)
+1 Boozewaves
I have a still of similar size and use to run 3 stripping runs for each spirit run.
The stripping run is in pot still mode for a couple of reasons.
1. Speed
2. IF you have something in there to cause foaming (banana is prone to it) you won't get your whole still filled with the puke.
Remember to dilute your low wines to 40% ABV or below that when doing a spirit run.
User avatar
Demy
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3084
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:45 pm

Re: My Firsts

Post by Demy »

:thumbup: :thumbup:
opus345
Novice
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:59 pm

Re: My Firsts

Post by opus345 »

Boozewaves, Danespirit, Demy

Thanks for the replies and the stripping vs spirit run tips. Especially the dilution guidance.

I think that Rad's All Bran would be a good recipe to use for a stripping exercise.

Thanks again.

opus
Post Reply