First run Questions

Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling.

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conduktor
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:09 pm

First run Questions

Post by conduktor »

Hey everyone! This is my first post on here and I have some questions. First off I am fermenting Uncle Jesse's Cracked corn mash. 7lbs cracked corn, 7lbs granulated sugar and 1 table spoon of yeast. I tried making a Still with a nice FAIL, now.. I have had this mash fermenting for a little over a week, and will be buying a 2.5 gallon reflux still within a week or so. I was wondering, will this mash still be good then? I am still getting a steady flow of c02 comming out of my ferment lock. Should I add some more sugar and yeast and scoop the spent corn? If it even is good anymore, how long (with or without more sugar corn n yeast) will it be good for? And honestly first run ever what kind of drink am i going to have? I know my first run is going to be a lot of fun, and a HUGE learning experiance but can i expect over 140ish proof? Thanx a lot guys!
MashMan

Re: First run Questions

Post by MashMan »

Welcome conduktor, as long as your wash is under an airlock it will be good for weeks and weeks. as for your expectations of 140 proof....well that depends on how good the apperatus is that you purchase and how well you use it. Iff your looking for a neutral spirit then why are you botherin with ujssm?? why not just use one of the many excellent sugar wash recipes from the tried and true recipe section? but iff your looking for a flavoured product then don't buy the reflux still and go do a shitload more reading.

have fun,
MM
rad14701
retired
Posts: 20865
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm
Location: New York, USA

Re: First run Questions

Post by rad14701 »

Welcome, conduktor...

If you're doing a grain mash in an effort to get flavored spirits then you need a rig that can be run as a pot still... If you are looking for neutral spirits then a reflux still is the way to go... But for neutrals you can just use a cheaper sugar based wash...

Let us know what you are intending to purchase for a still because we can probably help you not make the wrong decision... We're here to help...

Good luck...
Nightforce
Swill Maker
Posts: 251
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:18 am

Re: First run Questions

Post by Nightforce »

+1 on what Rad said and yes, pull off your cleared wash, then add some more sugar and water less the back set amount you'll be using. That should also give you 2 washes to run while the 3rd is fermenting.
xx7777xx
Novice
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:08 am

Re: First run Questions

Post by xx7777xx »

Welcome conduktor.

I'm not sure how much the still you are looking at costs, but 2.5 gal is a pretty small boiler. If you plan to invest in this as a hobby, you might be surprised how cheap you can build a simple pot or even vm still with a keg boiler. It might be worth doing a quick buy vs build cost comparison before you make a purchase.

x7
Good spirits are like the weather, some like it clear and some like cloudy...
conduktor
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:09 pm

Re: First run Questions

Post by conduktor »

Well thanks for the clarification fellas! i suppose i am just going to let my wash sit for a while, and do it solely as a practice run while i make a new batch. see what happens. This is similar to the one i am looking at. I really dont have the resources/time to build one and shit, i have the money to just go ahead and buy one. when i get more into it, and get more time (job and woman are killin me) il take one of the kegs i have and have my welder buddy fab a real bad ass one up. Til then im prolly just going to tinker around with this one till i perfect what im lookin for. Let me know what yall think


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