Fact or Fiction

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Yodaspike
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Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

Hi guys

So this is TO get some real straight answers if possible.

First. Fact or fiction: CAN you drink tails, or Will it make you sick or worse
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still_stirrin
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by still_stirrin »

I’ve pulled good alcohol from salvaged tails, so yes I have drank some.

Also, some backend from an all-grain mash adds a grainy, husk-like flavor to a bourbon and will be buffered by the wood when aged properly.

I don’t believe that the tails alone would make you sick, at least not beyond a hangover. They just don’t taste very good if consumed exclusively and excessively.

I worry more about foreshots and heads in my liquor jar as those contain solvents and other volatile chemicals that are not healthy to consume. But much of the commercial spirits contain some heads, at least more than I allow in my products.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Oatmeal »

You might read a bit about congeners and fusel oils...
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

Well i Once cooked very hot and fast and MADE me sick, but had 4 glasses of tails thus far and no issues
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TwoSheds
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by TwoSheds »

Something to remember, if you were making beer instead of whisky, wine instead of brandy, you would be consuming all the fractions as there is no separation (and to a large degree, distilling doesn't create anything that isn't already there.) In a beer or wine they would be more diluted and distributed.

Yes, we should get rid of what we can from foreshots and early heads, bad for you and bad taste, after that the rest probably can be included in moderation if it adds value to the final product.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by jonnys_spirit »

Essentially 12 shots of low wines @ 40%abv = 12 beers or 12 glasses of wine... Give or take...

If I overdrink wine or beer I feel it. I don't drink low wines. If I overdrink clean middle hearts It's much cleaner next day and I'm not going to test the 12 shots of low wines theory either...

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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

Ok, so had around 6 glasses (mixed with Pepsi) and feel better than if i had as much shop BRANDY, and on a empty stomach. Tails which is either 30 or 50abv. Will feedback ON the day after results, but thus far i am thinking safe to cook down to 30abv without any worries.
Also i put my cooked drink in a jar, and that in a pot with water, bring it TO 75C and then switch off, with wood chips in then LEAVE for a week or more. Works like a charm.

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subbrew
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by subbrew »

Yodaspike wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:43 am thus far i am thinking safe to cook down to 30abv without any worries.


Chow yoda
No sure what cooking down is but I will assume you collecting distillate until it is coming off the still at 30 abv. For a stripping run that would be high, I go to just below 10%. On a spirit run that could be close unless you are collecting just to have feints for a reflux run later. In that case I would go a bit lower, say 20% just to have that much more feints to run.

You can drink all the tails you want and as low as you want. Might taste like someone stewed gym socks but there is nothing toxic there. Go far enough and you are drinking distilled water.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

Yeah so i run it Once, collect and age, no stripping runs.
Also drank tails or what i would Normaly toss, and all good, NOT even a hang over.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by subbrew »

No guarantees on a hang over, just saying there is nothing toxic (other than alcohol) that would make you sick. But given that the higher alcohols which are known to give hangovers are in the heads I would think you would be more likely to have a sick stomach just because it tasted like crap which activates the acid production on the stomach.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Saltbush Bill »

I think your taste buds are shot if you enjoy drinking tails.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

If i run it till 10abv then i will have more tails then the rest. But i tend TO stop collecting hearts at 40abv and tails at 30abv, and i only make sugar wash or molasses
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by still_stirrin »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:54 pm I think your taste buds are shot if you enjoy drinking tails.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Rrmuf »

I read this thread and I'm consumed with one question: Why :?: (never mind. I don't need an answer)
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squigglefunk
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by squigglefunk »

who doesn't like a good piece of tail?
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

I honestly don't even know which forum to move this into. This is not a safety issue, and we don't have a 'whatever floats your boat' forum. I fear it would only confuse the new distillers in a novice forum, the majority of whom come in wet eared and already knowing their goal is to isolate the stuff that is actually worth drinking.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Setsumi »

I like tails... it is super easy to leave them in the boiler.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Rrmuf »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:18 am I honestly don't even know which forum to move this into. This is not a safety issue, and we don't have a 'whatever floats your boat' forum. I fear it would only confuse the new distillers in a novice forum, the majority of whom come in wet eared and already knowing their goal is to isolate the stuff that is actually worth drinking.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by DAD300 »

Take a jar (what you consider tailsey) of say 40-35% that is tailsey and put it away for a year and try that. Time can heal a lot of shat!
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yonder »

DAD300 wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:36 pm Take a jar (what you consider tailsey) of say 40-35% that is tailsey and put it away for a year and try that. Time can heal a lot of shat!
Take that same jar and combine with yer heads in jar 1, put ‘em in the thumper with some good spring water and turn ‘em into something wort keeping. 8)
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by shadylane »

DAD300 wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:36 pm Take a jar (what you consider tailsey) of say 40-35% that is tailsey and put it away for a year and try that. Time can heal a lot of shat!
+1
That's why I wait before blending everything together.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by NZChris »

For flavored products, I often choose the heart cut while the obvious tails are still being stripped out. I don't like the idea of letting my hard won esters buggering off out of the shed door until I get around to doing cuts the next morning, It might mean that I have one more heads jar than a distiller that does the cuts a day or two later, but that doesn't bother me.

My heads and tails get reprocessed with fresh wash after aging on oak, so anything lost from the heart cut from not airing before choosing the cut gets recovered in the All Feints run and makes fine product too. I've never noticed any bad effects from drinking the All Feints runs, which are also aged on oak.
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Re: Fact or Fiction

Post by Yodaspike »

It seems that in most cases, ITS more a case of Taste it, if you like it, keep it
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