Acidic tails
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:00 pm
I hve an 8 gal pot still with the thermometer in the liquid on the pot. My normal operations is:
1, Run wash to 210 degrees F. Ends up at @ 100pr.
2, When I get enough for a pot full, I run the 100pr and collect until @190 degrees F., then collect tails until @200 in a seperate container.
3, All the hearts I gathered get dripped through a 6' activated charcoal filter for a few days.
4, Run those hearts a 3rd time for my final product, discarding heads at this point. (Actually, they go into a gnat trap. Attracts them like nothing else!) I collect in qt. jars and sample until I detect some tails, then collect the rest up to @190 F. to add to my tails.
5, Off to work on some charred white oak for some months until it passes my taste test. I have a bunch of antique gallon mason jars. Measured amount of wood chips, (Depends to taste) diluted with distilled water to 145pr, and seal up. Temperature changes in a dark old shed force the ethyl in and out of the wood nicely and I don't lose any to the angels. Even bourbon snobs love it.
Now to the point. I've read from people, after running tails a few times, it will actually at some point burn their lips a bit when tasting. I have experienced this as well. After checking, what I have found is that each distillation process comes off a bit more acidic than when it went in. As I keep collecting the tails from subsequent runs, then would run those, again saving up to 190 F, I noticed the burn after several runs. I had some ph test strips for my pool and checked it and it's so acidic, it is off the charts. So my question is... what is a proper PH for a final product? Assuming you add baking soda to raise the PH back up? 7.2 like water?
1, Run wash to 210 degrees F. Ends up at @ 100pr.
2, When I get enough for a pot full, I run the 100pr and collect until @190 degrees F., then collect tails until @200 in a seperate container.
3, All the hearts I gathered get dripped through a 6' activated charcoal filter for a few days.
4, Run those hearts a 3rd time for my final product, discarding heads at this point. (Actually, they go into a gnat trap. Attracts them like nothing else!) I collect in qt. jars and sample until I detect some tails, then collect the rest up to @190 F. to add to my tails.
5, Off to work on some charred white oak for some months until it passes my taste test. I have a bunch of antique gallon mason jars. Measured amount of wood chips, (Depends to taste) diluted with distilled water to 145pr, and seal up. Temperature changes in a dark old shed force the ethyl in and out of the wood nicely and I don't lose any to the angels. Even bourbon snobs love it.
Now to the point. I've read from people, after running tails a few times, it will actually at some point burn their lips a bit when tasting. I have experienced this as well. After checking, what I have found is that each distillation process comes off a bit more acidic than when it went in. As I keep collecting the tails from subsequent runs, then would run those, again saving up to 190 F, I noticed the burn after several runs. I had some ph test strips for my pool and checked it and it's so acidic, it is off the charts. So my question is... what is a proper PH for a final product? Assuming you add baking soda to raise the PH back up? 7.2 like water?