As far as diluting goes??

[W.S.C.beachman]

Ok I did a search but didn't quit find what I was looking for. Every one says dilute to 80 proof or aging proof. Well if my spirit is under that how do I decide on how much to dilute?? I think I read that you do a 50/50 mix with rain water?? My Proof/Trails gauge said my collected hearts(what I thought smelt and tasted best) was at 60 proof no diluting. My tails and heads was at 40 proof.
This was first run and Im thinking next weekend on the third run to just through all tails/heads(feints) and hearts from these last two runs in with the 3rd and run it all and see what I get should be higher alch.
Thanks
Hey if I through in some vanilla extract in with the next ferment will it mess with the gerber??

[kiwistiller]

Ok I did a search but didn't quit find what I was looking for. Every one says dilute to 80 proof or aging proof. Well if my spirit is under that how do I decide on how much to dilute?? I think I read that you do a 50/50 mix with rain water?? My Proof/Trails gauge said my collected hearts(what I thought smelt and tasted best) was at 60 proof no diluting. My tails and heads was at 40 proof.
This was first run and Im thinking next weekend on the third run to just through all tails/heads(feints) and hearts from these last two runs in with the 3rd and run it all and see what I get should be higher alch.
Thanks
Hey if I through in some vanilla extract in with the next ferment will it mess with the gerber??

Hope you're not going to drink any of the run with blue heads... 'might' be fine but why risk it....

can you clarify what you are diluting for exactly? why are you diluting?

[Usge]

You sure it said 60 "proof" and not 60% (ie., 120 proof)? btw, 120 proof is the perfect proof for aging on oak. But, more to the point, I proof down for drinking by taste. Every batch seems a little different to me just depending on the wash, run, cuts, etc., So, I just water it to taste. I like just a little heat to it....but not overwhelming. Invariably, if I measure it after I do that, it comes out somewhere between 110-120 proof. I think once or twice I tried watering down to 80 proof (40%) and was quite disappointed. It tasted too watery.

[W.S.C.beachman]

Ok I thought we were suppose to dilute so we can make cuts better. That must be for beginners. Ya it is a proof/trails gauge. If it were percent than my blue acetone from first run would have ben 130%..260 proof..which was my fore shots. Cleaning agent blue!!!! I am running a straight pot still no reflux except for the little bit it does as just a pot still with a 12" collemn. Ill be doing another run this coming weekend and I am going to through all the heads tails hearts in with the new run and see what comes of it. Iam hoping for 120 proof hearts. Ill age it a bit with some thing.

[HookLine]

Ok I thought we were suppose to dilute so we can make cuts better. That must be for beginners.

Dilute a small sample, not the whole lot. And yes, you get better at doing it with more experience.

[kiwistiller]

oh ok, for blending / tasting cuts... at higher abvs, fussels and heads can be harder too detect over the background burn, so we advise people to dilute samples down to drinking strengths or below for cuts / blending. If you are throwing everything back into the still, what you did was a stripping run, and you don't need to worry about cuts or blending on that run. Seriously though, the run with the blue stuff in it... probably not that healthy... I'd exclude that. you've got me worried.

Posting same time as hook.

[W.S.C.beachman]

The blue...is gone never to go back in the still. If it smells like ace tone I don't keep it. Its cool Kiwi, I know what ace tone smells like( I built surf boards for a while) and ace tone is the cleaner we use for resin. I know that all runs will have fore shots that never go in to the still again unless rerunning for a better purer tone for cleaning. Heads come there after and yes they contain some tone, but flavor is starting to come through and the tone is getting less. I didn't need to dilute for my cuts My girl and I could tell pretty well between jars what smells good and not. I was planing on just keeping what I thought was drinkable, but I would rather just through it back in the still since it has only two runs with allc. through'er.
Wellp off to work I go cause I owe I owe I owe

[rad14701]

If it were percent than my blue acetone from first run would have ben 130%..260 proof..

You've got your figures mixed up... A %ABV of 130% and 260 proof are both theoretically impossible... A "proof" of 130 would have an ABV of 65%... Proof is 2X the percentage of Alcohol By Volume, which can't exceed 100% and will never hit 100% in the open atmosphere...

[kiwistiller]

it's fine to not throw away foreshots on stripping runs, it's when you are recycling the stuff from multiple spirit runs that it becomes a problem. and mate acetone doesn't make spirits blue. I'd consider that whole run compromised, even the clear stuff.

[W.S.C.beachman]

Yah Kiwi after a days thought, I am going to do like you said and through away the first run. I am however going to through in the second run(minus the fore shots) in to the third run this weekend.

[kiwistiller]

Yah Kiwi after a days thought, I am going to do like you said and through away the first run. I am however going to through in the second run(minus the fore shots) in to the third run this weekend.

I sigh with relief, sir Thats sounds all good RE the second run. many here don't throw out the fores on the stripping runs, and just do it on the spirit runs. matter of preference, as long as they come out some time.

[HookLine]

The advantage of doing it on the spirit run is that it is slower and you are getting better separation, so the fores are more concentrated and you are throwing out less overall.

I just collect everything on the strip run, and do all the cuts on the spirit run.

[W.S.C.beachman]

LOL, you guys crack me up!!! Thanks for the info...I just figured through away the fores on every run cause it has most of the tones. There is alot of flavor it(SMELLS) like as well though. Illl keep every one posted on how it goes this weekend with the spirit run!!!
Thanks