The moment of truth

[Xnerd]

Ok so I have by still ready and Saturday morning is my first run.
I do not have an alcoholmeter so I plan on taking the advice of the old-timers.

My plan:

Stripping runs:

Strip off about 1/3rd of the washes watching not to go over 190.
Do the above three times (I have 30 gallons ready) saving 1.5 gallons each for back set.

Spirit Run:
Charge the still with what should be about 9 gallons or less after a good scrubbing (if needed)
Run real slow so that I see rapid drops or a tiny thin stream.
Pull off the first 1200 ml and toss it.
Start slow and separate by 250 ml flasks smelling tasting and attempting to burn from each flask
(My step) once I get a clean burning spoon that leaves little very little un-burnable leftovers in the spoon and burns clean I will start to dump into a big old jar.
When I start smelling nastiness or seeing oily stinky output I will collect until 190ish and set aside to add to my next stripping runs.

What have I forgotten?

What have I gotten wrong?

What else should I look for?

I only wish I had an alcohol meter to know what to water it down by at the end.
If I am able to clearly distinguish the hearts form the rest and dump it all in together what would you say the APV would be in range?

I mean I know that is assuming a lot. But say I had the typical UJSM fermented to the proper stage (which I do) using champagne yeast. I make all the cuts correctly what would be a typical abv?

[minime]

I don't think you'll get even close to 10 gallons of strip from a 30 gallon wash. Even with high ABV should be 'bout half that. Make sure you dilute your strip to under 50% for spirit run for safety reasons. If it's your first time and you're not sure of your still even lower than 40 is ok (safer). Pay attention to safety first, the rest will come in time............

good luck

[Xnerd]

Hi thanks..

I was under the impression that the fast and dirty estimate was to strip one third off X three stripping runs. Actually one third of 30 would be 10. I don’t have an alcoholmeter
So I was going to go by what some of the old timers have posted here.

I guess I will see what I get up to 190c

And thanks for the tip on cutting the distillate before a second run. I was a bit worried about redistilling something that is flammable already.

[trthskr4]

I tend to do strips to 206*F that usually gets me down to around 30-25% abv. Some washes may vary but I've done many different types and it seems to be pretty much the same. A spirit at 50% should burn off roughly half the volume in the spoon as 50% is also water likewise at 70% abv it'll leave 30% of the volume in the spoon. You'll never burn off all the liquid in the spoon unless you're shooting for 96.5% pure ethanol. Some water will evaporate due to heat though. Let your flasks sit for a day at least and then do your second round of smell/ taste for cuts. I let mine air for 3-7 days to do cuts sometimes as I've checked after 24 hours and thought it good and blended and ended up with tails or heads in the hearts.

[The Chemist]

If your wash is 10% alcohol, you have about three gallons. With simple distillation the vapor's mole% equilibrium is about 45% at 10% alcohol wash, and drops off precipitously as the alcohol in the wash is depleted. So, stripped volume, at 45% would be about 7.5 gallons. If you want to recover every little bit of ethanol, I guess you would collect about a third. But...is it really about recovering every little bit? Or making good booze?

Of course, if you're using a packed column, something other that 'simple distillation' (read 'potstill'), it's a different set of calculations. I also used mole% and volume interchangably...which isn't 'exactly' kosher, but fairly close.

[punkin]

I strip down to 20% on UJSM washes and get about 1 liter (approx 1 quart) to the kilo (2.2lb) of sugar used in the ferment.

If it was me doing it i'd stick to the reccomended 4shots toss of 100-150ml for each 10 gallon strip, then the same for your spirit run. Just seems to me that you might catch the early volatiles more completely if you have three or four goes at em, than the way you plan, no science behind that statement, just the way i've read here and the way i practice.

I would strongly reccomend you spend $10 or $15 on a spirit hydrometer, you're just making things harder for yourself unnessercarily otherwise.

I find when i strip down to 20%, add 10% fresh wash, and run a spirit run, it starts out around 45-48% and pipes out after 4shots around 80-81%. Cuts are such an individual thing that you cannot judge what you're finnished proof will be...i used to do linnear cuts before Pint opened my eyes to the possibilities of some of the heads and a lot of the tails. Now i find there's usually only one or two jars of tails that are foul tasting, with other later jars being very nice indeed. Who knows what you'll find?

Suggest your plan for cuts is faulty. You should take the advice of the old timers here and strip into small jars for the entire way through the run till you learn to make proper cuts by taste and smell. Use about 1 pint or smaller jars, taste as you go (just dip your finger tip under the outlet) and you will start to learn. It'll take a few runs till you learn to cut to hearts at the still. You don't wanna ruin all your hard work trying to take shortcuts at this stage. Air out and taste a day or two later, with any luck you'll have gone and bought an alchometer by that stage, it'll help you.

At a rough guess, if you're aiming for 40% spirit, and your still performs the same as mine, and you strip about the same, and you make about the same cuts, and your ferment was off the UJSM recipe, if you cut your product with an equal amount of water you may have a spirit in the range of 40-37% Bottle strength. If you are trying to age at 65% it gets trickier again.




BuyAnAlchometerPunkin

[Xnerd]

I'm shooting for 100 "proof" whiskies. My buddy has some white oak casks and the next step would be to investigate that whole process.
But I don’t want any more information at this point (I am flooded) I am going to concentrate on the task at hand, and then move forward.

I need to get a hydrometer for spirits soon like today .

If I cant find one locally I will have to order one I guess. I should have already but good god the cost of copper shell shocked me. I suppose if I cant get one in time and after I determine what “I think” are the hearts I could blend the jars weakest to strongest leaving what I consider the highest apv for last, add distilled water, until I can just not burn it any longer then add the last strongest jar to bring it back up to burnable.

Does that sound like sound reasoning?

[StabbyJoe]

If it's burnable on a spoon it's 50%abv, on a plate it's 40%abv... being just burnable on a plate and not burnable on a spoon if you will give you a more 'normal' drinking strength spirit.

Bet you know that, but thought it should be said anyway, on the off chance you didn't.

[Xnerd]

Thanks SJ

Yes I did read that about the plate, and good Idea.

I’m very excited and a little nervous about tomorrows planned events.

[showrguy]

well, it sounds like your well on your way..
you seem to have learned alot so far........... just wait, when you start to see that crystal clear liquid running from your rig your gonna enter a whole new world...
good luck, be safe, have fun..

[Xnerd]

well the first stripping run is complete.
Im sure that I ran it to hard and fast but then again it was a stripping run after all.

And I ran it as if it were a spirit run collecting small jars to see if i could learn anything.
The first bit that came off (the forshots) 250ml on burned invisiable and emptied the spoon to the size of a shirt button.
I saved this aside for cleaning parts in my shop.

The next liter came off the 8 gallon wash came off like unbelievably strong Vodka but with a very HOT taste in the back. Next three liters came off sort of sweet like whisky. Sort of nice! It still burned until number 4. At the end off the sweetish tasting stuff it started mixing with a sour heavy taste that sort of moved to the sides of my tongue if that makes sense to any one. I did notice an increase in slipperiness when I rubbed between my hands. And when I rubbed a bit on the back of my hand it no longer felt cold in the breeze and stayed wet for a bit.

I ran to far I think despite the fact that I only ended up with 8 liters. The last bit started to smell like a mix of wet dog, hard salami, and burning rubber.

It was real strange how much like hard Salami it smelled at the end when I rubbed it in my hands.

So I have 8 liters airing out and 4 25liter carboys that I thought would be ready today but need a few more days to perk.

Thank you all for all of your advice, this is a thing that I believe that I will get the hang of.

I learned what it means by driving your still! It’s like squashing an orange! If you smash it with all of your mite, you end up with all the crap mixed in!

This is a thing that I am not going to rush. I so much enjoyed this project!

Thanks again!

[minime]

I ran to far I think despite the fact that I only ended up with 8 liters. Thanks again!

So this looks like alcohol in the wash was just around 8% or so. I tend to go for 14% but you'll find your comfort zone. This is likely the most fun you can have in a hobby and one of the most rewarding. Even without a hydrometer to measure your alcohol content I'd guess you're right around 55 to 60 percent.
8 liters is a fairly small amount to do a spirit run but you should be able to recover 'bout 4 liters of hearts from it.

Congrats and good luck on the next leg of your journey

[Xnerd]

Im just going to save up for a spirit run.
I can wait.

I have 100 liters that will be ready in a day or two so that will give me plenty.

Actually when I stopped I was still getting distilate that tasted like booz but it was very nasty so I stopped.
I suppose I could have collected more and cleaned it up later.
Jesus I just tasted from the second liter after turning sweet and it tastes damn nice! I wont drink though :)_

[The Chemist]

Im just going to save up for a spirit run.
I wont drink though :)_

Patience, Gwasshoppa...