i forgot to mention again, that i had already pulled a quart of heads and 3 more quarts after that when i gave up on this same run the first time. i don't know if that factors into anything?condensificator wrote:i did get a really good takeoff rate, it was a very steady dribble, almost a stream, and i pulled 1qt of heads, 6qts of hearts, and 3qrts of tails in about 7-8 hours. i have an 8 gallon milk can boiler with a 1500w electric hotplate. had about 6.5 gallons of 80 proof vodka that i was refining. column packed with copper mesh. seemed about right from my other experiences, but as you know, i'm green.
the fruity stuff is cheater style. i just used high proof, then flavored syrup from monin to get it down to 100p. when i found that stuff, i was thinking about trying to do a real orange infusion and surfing the cointreau website to see if i could learn anything. they had a recipe that called for the violet, and the color is unreal...i had to give er a try. it went really well, and my tasters all really liked it, so i got a couple more flavors. passion fruit, peppermint, blue curacao, elderberry and blood orange. i know it's all cheating, but it's fun. i am still more interested in doing the real deal, like the spiced "corsair," and bourbon. i have done cherry, apricot, blueberry, strawberry and melon soaking dried fruit with good results. that's one of the elders' methods they showed me. got a full 6 gallon carboy of old wine from one of the elder's friends to make the brandywine, and it is very nice, i was surprised at how much flavor came across from the pot. learning how to do rum is on my list, i'd like to do the corsair with a rum base rather than neutral. i tried, and it was a total failure. i think the molasses i got must have had preservatives in it, it would ferment for a few hours, then just plain stop. a lot of oils on the surface, and it was pretty unpleasant smelling, not like the shit i stole out of my wife's pantry. i've got to slow down for now and get back to work!
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But thanks, anyway... Have at it, Kentucky shinner...