First run of new still feed back please

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)

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Hambone
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

Stripping runs will start producing at a higher temp and (thus necessarily) a lower ABV. This is due to to the lower ABV of the wash…
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Deplorable »

For your stripping run, strip the wash to about 0% abv off the spout, or until your collected volume is 30 to 35% ABV. Then charge the still with the low wines and your spirit run ABV will be higher. collect in small jars, 3 to 500ml per jar depending on the volume of the charge. Make your cuts and blend the selected jars and your final blend will likely be between 68 and 75%.
My final blend seems to always end up about 75%, regardless of what the spirit run charge is if Im running my post still.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by NZChris »

53% ABV is very high for low wines, especially rum low wines. You would have left a lot of good alcohol and flavor in the backset. My rum low wines are usually below 27%. I don’t know what my ABV at the spout is, because I have no need to measure it.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

So if I just take a 100 ml sample of low wines and dilute it for a taste test would it be the 70% ABV, 60'S or mid 50'S? 62 to 58 smells nice 44 starts take on the cardboard smell and everything 44 and below is cloudy.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Deplorable »

I dont do much sampling of low wines, other than a few finger licks.
Strip ALL the alcohol out of your wash, then run your low wines again and make you cuts off that. No need to make cuts on the stripping run.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

So. Just so I understand. You blend your cuts to get about 73 % abv then dilute to 40%? Approximately how far do you go up heads and down tails. My spirit run will be about 4 gallons of low wines. 3 generations of dunder to make the low wines.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

If you’re talking about making cuts on a spirit run, you dilute a small sample to taste (73% will fry your taste buds…I use about 35%). For aging I’d shoot for 60-65%, and dilute after aging for drinking at whatever your preference is.
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Re: First run of new still time for spirit run

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well. I just completed my second stripping run of 12 gallons of hooks rum. I pulled 12.7 litres at 45%. I now have 16.4 litres of low wines at 44% and think I am ready to do my first spirit run in my 56 litre kettle. All of this low wines was created from restaurant grade moll. So after allot of reading there are a few questions. Some say add water to the low wines before running. Some say add a little molasses to the low wines or a little dunder. Advice would be helpful. I did move all the dunder from last run to 4 new 23L batches of wash (feed molasses this time) and kept 2 litres in the fridge. (how long will it last in fridge? Might try Buccaneer bobs trick of tinting final spirit with dunder.. I will just put this first spirit run on oak spirals after blending to see how it turns out. Can I expect to get 4 litres of 80 proof rum from 16.4 litres of low wines after blending and diluting?
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

I vote yes on dunder…
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by subbrew »

16.4 liters at 44% gives 7.26 liters of pure alcohol. So even tight cuts should give at least 1/3 that as product or 2.42 liters. Now when that is diluted to 40% or 80 proof that would be 6.05 liters of bottled drink
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Re: First run of new still feed back please need help now

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well everything went near perfect for my hooks rum ferments. three generations of dunder and now i have 16 litres to make spirit run. How ever I created 4, 6 gallon washes with exactly the same technique and it seem I now have a stuck ferment after 10 days of monitoring. The only difference is that I used feed molasses. I added 2 gallons of dunder to each and left out the lemon juice as it is my understanding that generations of dunder become more acidic in PH. I have read about this but i am still unsure how to get it going. It has a muck with alot of oily solids on the top 1/2-3/4 inch. I stirred it in once but it keeps coming back.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

If a cap keeps on forming its still fermenting.

Feed grade molasses has more unfermentables and may not finish as dry…
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

I know you can't trust SG measurements for molasses but I usually check SG to see the progress of the ferment. These have barely dropped at all. I am going to just let it run unless someone thinks i need to make an adjustment to the wash.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

I’d say 33% dunder is too much, possibly a pH crash (though I’ve never had one on a rum ferment).

What’s the pH?
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Too much dunder by far.....forget gravity reading, use your eyes, ears and tounge.
Get a finger in there and have a taste......can you see it fermenting......look at the wash......not the air lock.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Can I save it if I added to much dunder?
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

It is still fermenting and by taste it has a way to go yet. Near as I can tell PH has dropped to about 3.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Hambone »

Add oyster shells or other alkaline. Some use calcium hydroxide…
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by subbrew »

+1 Hambone - you have very unhappy yeast at 3 ph. if you have chalk, calcium carbonate, egg shells, oyster shells, any of the above added will help raise PH. In 6 gallons I would add a teaspoon of calcium carbonate (make sure you have room or add it slowly as it may foam a lot) and then to help stabilize I would toss in a half cup of crushed oyster shell.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Took your advise on CC and shells. It did not foam up like you thought it might but fermentation has stepped up nicely. Showing good c02 at the surface, I'll taste it tomorrow.
Thanks again to all of you.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well I just completed my first spirit run of 16 litres of hooks rum. It went well. Really stable temperature rise and distillate flow. About 3.6 litres of heads after foreshot, 3.5 litres hearts and 3/4 litre tails. 8 litres output. I will rest it for two days and make my first blending attempt. I watched vapor temp and tested abv output every 150 ML. I also temp compensated for abv as my output was steady at about 90 F, very hot day today. This leads me to believe that I will need to go up the heads further for blending and may not use mush of the tails as I may have run that to deep in my hearts collection. Tasting will tell. Thank you all for your advise. I diluted a few ounces of what I thought would be middle run down to about 35% and had my partner in this project taste it, he liked it, and then had my wife taste it, she said it taste good and tasted like rum. I guess it is a great start to improve on through continued practice. 24 gallon of wash working. afteer blending I will keep the rum feints. What dod I do with the 2 gallons of dunder from the spirit run that contains 0 ethanol?

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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well, I let the last 4, 6 gallon washes of my rum go to long and have white mold on the top edges of 2 of the washes. Can I still siphon below it and distill it or is it junk?
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by NZChris »

Taste it. It should be fine.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Saltbush Bill »

These fellas don't seem concerned about a little white mold in a Rum wash......I say run it.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

LMAO. Wash still tastes right. Dry and a tad bitter. A little sweeter with feed molasses than restaurant grade blackstrrap. Will strip it tomorrow!
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well I made the stripping run. Tossed the first 150 ml into my solvent jar and started collecting the rest. After about 1.5 litres it smelled good and had a good flavor although a bit sweet. I tested the ABV at it was ony 10%. I am certain there is no ethanol in my wash. I did everything the same as my successful fermentation's except for using feed molasses that the specs show 42% total sugar invert. I used 70 grams of active dry yeast. Worked graet on all the other washes. I also used 2 gallons of dunder. Fearing that the PH was to low I added oyster shells and a bit of calcium carbonate. Fermentation seemed to pick up a bit. 6 weeks after I pitched yeast this is all I have. What can I do with the other 3, 6 gallon washes to get the ABV up to 10-12%. I don't want to waste it, it has good flavor as 3 gen wash.
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Re: First run of new still feed back please

Post by Manic Mechanic »

Well. No feed back so I racked one one of the buckets, added some calcium carbonate, tomato paste and 70 more grams of yeast. If there is still sugar in it it should probably start fermenting. if not nothing lost by trying.
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