First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

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Orpheus123
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First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by Orpheus123 »

What would you recommend for my first run? It's a simple sugar mash made with potatoes. I am trying to decide if I should do a stripping run and collect the low wines for a second distillation, or just run it and make my cuts. Again, it's my first run, so I'm sure in the future I'll do more stripping runs.

I'm using a copper pot still, 5 gallon, wiht about 4 and a half gallons of wash I think.

Just curious what y'all think.

Thanks!
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dieselduo
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by dieselduo »

Have you done cleaning run and sacrificial run ?
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by Twisted Brick »

It’ll be a learning experience for sure, but entirely up to you. Commit to running the same wash both ways and then you’ll know firsthand what only you need to like.
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TwoSheds
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by TwoSheds »

OR run it like a spirit run, slow, and collect into jars, then taste and decide. Worst case is you dump it all back together and spirit run again and all you've lost is time.

A lot will depend on how clean your wash is and your taste preference so don't expect a clear answer, but collect up opinions and make your own decision.

And yeah, cleaning protocol... Do a vinegar run and sacrificial run (eve if it's just with cheap vodka or something) first!

Edit: Does anyone know if potato will cause a wash to foam like they do when I boil them with a lid on the pot? You might be higher than you want to be in there. Probably safest to go low and slow...
Orpheus123
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by Orpheus123 »

I have done multiple cleaning runs and a sac run last weekend. The wash turned out to be about 3 1\2 gallons because of the waste, so I think i've got plenty of head room to account for foaming, but I'll go low and slow anyway. I believe I will use the parrot and just run it as a spirit run. As was mentioned, worst case scenario is I just dump it all back in anyway.

OK...here I go! Thanks all!
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by NZChris »

Four and a half gallons is a bit much for a five gallon still. I would split it and do two strips, aiming for a low wines collection of 24- 28%, then spirit run it.

Leave the parrot in the box it came in. You don't need to know the ABV at the spout for either stripping or spirit runs, plus they can smear if they are badly designed for the speed they are being run at. Choose your heart cut from the 20 or so jars you take off, not by what is coming off the spout.
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by redz242 »

TwoSheds wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 8:00 am OR run it like a spirit run, slow, and collect into jars, then taste and decide. Worst case is you dump it all back together and spirit run again and all you've lost is time.

A lot will depend on how clean your wash is and your taste preference so don't expect a clear answer, but collect up opinions and make your own decision.

And yeah, cleaning protocol... Do a vinegar run and sacrificial run (eve if it's just with cheap vodka or something) first!

Edit: Does anyone know if potato will cause a wash to foam like they do when I boil them with a lid on the pot? You might be higher than you want to be in there. Probably safest to go low and slow...


Yes sir I made 6 gallons of potatoes sugar wash. It puke at first but I stop immediately and add a teaspoon of grapeseed oil it’s a neutral oil that can heat at high temperature
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Orpheus123 wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 6:57 am It's a simple sugar mash made with potatoes.
I just have to wonder where you found a recipe like that.
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by The Baker »

It's a simple sugar mash made with potatoes.

What IS the recipe??

A sugar wash is made with sugar.

If it is made with potatoes it would be a potato wash.
Does it have both?
How much of each?
What is your method?

Potatoes are not very productive.
On the other hand if you were a potato farmer
with lots of damaged or second grade product or if the price
you were getting was unsustainable....

Geoff
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Orpheus123
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by Orpheus123 »

Here is the recipe I got from the maker of the still, Whiskey Still Company (whiskeystill.net):

I cut the recipe in half

1 Can 12oz tomato paste (not sauce)
1 large lemon, juiced
2.5 lbs potatoes - skinned, boiled and mashed, not drained, so kinda soupy
20 lbs sugar
2 tbsp Bakers yeast (I used RedStar DADY)

So, the run went well. I started with about 3.5 gallons of wash, and got 96 ounces of about 120 proof when all said and done. Diluted to 92 and...well, it's moonshine. Not horrible, not really harsh, but kinda sweet, and does not really taste like Vodka. I actually set a jar aside for aging using chips, and after 5 days, it actually improves the product in my opinion. It's much more "whiskey-like" after the short aging process.
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by NormandieStill »

How were your cuts? What did you keep as hearts and what did you chuck? This was a one-and-done in the end? 60% abv seems pretty good for the kept output from about 14L of wash.

Breaking down your recipe I get 10lbs of sugar going into 4.5 (?) gallons of water would give you an SG of 1.102 and potentially 15% abv (although I'm not sure you'd have got that with Bakers Yeast. I don't know how tolerant DADY is but that's a pretty high SG if you're hoping to get clean-tasting alcohol from it). Looking at the pot still calculator on the HD site (Which has been reasonably similar to my experience of pot stilling), the starting abv off the spout should have been around 60%. Not sure how you got over 2.5L of product at 60% without just collecting everything. And if that's what you did then you really need to go and do a lot more reading. A lot of the sweetness you'll be tasting is basically nail polish remover. :wink:

If you haven't already you might want to start here...
Novice Guide for Cuts (pot still)

And then read as much as you can take (and then a bit more) before you go any further.
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redz242
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Re: First run today...would you recommend a stripping run or...

Post by redz242 »

Orpheus123 wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 4:26 am Here is the recipe I got from the maker of the still, Whiskey Still Company (whiskeystill.net):

I cut the recipe in half

1 Can 12oz tomato paste (not sauce)
1 large lemon, juiced
2.5 lbs potatoes - skinned, boiled and mashed, not drained, so kinda soupy
20 lbs sugar
2 tbsp Bakers yeast (I used RedStar DADY)

So, the run went well. I started with about 3.5 gallons of wash, and got 96 ounces of about 120 proof when all said and done. Diluted to 92 and...well, it's moonshine. Not horrible, not really harsh, but kinda sweet, and does not really taste like Vodka. I actually set a jar aside for aging using chips, and after 5 days, it actually improves the product in my opinion. It's much more "whiskey-like" after the short aging process.



I did the same recipe with my own twist with bakers yeast as 6 gal fermentation I just bought a hydrometer so I didn’t get a SG I ended with 1gal and half at 65% 130 proof for my stripping run I ran it slow water it down with the dunder or the leftovers in the pot down to 43%ish abv and end up with 3/4 of a gal of 80% abv 160 proof total i cut at 30% abv ish. I Save half and using the next for pastis project.
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