New from DE

[randelgraves]

Hello to all found this site by accident a couple weeks ago after slight paranoia decided to join.This is by far the most informative site i have found.It doesn't take long to figure out the a lot of the members have been doing this a while and really know their stuff.I do have a couple questions. First question when running a pot still during a stripping run from what i have read you don't need a thermometer although i have one you can just bring wash to a boil and adjust by the output speed you can run as fast as you want as long as your still isn't puking and stop collecting at 20% correct? Then run slow for your spirit run considering your doing two runs i'm i correct on this? Also found a honey wine recipe before i found site recipe was 5 lbs honey 2 teaspoons dap 1 packet yeast used e 1118 still fermenting but very slow has been for 17 days 1.002 on hydrometer siphoned some off and tasted it and really like it can i stop the fermentation for a sweet mead if so how? Thank you for any help you can offer.

[rtalbigr]

The proceedure you have described for pot stilling is good. Yes, run your stipping runs fast if you want. You don't really bring it to a boil ya just want to get it up to temps and then adjust your heat for the product flow you want. Most here run strips pretty fast, I like to do all my runs slow. For your spirit run ya want your poduct stream to be a fast drip or a stream just above that, but yes, run it pretty slow. A thermometer is really unnecessary with a pot still. While there is a coorelation bewtween temps and your distillate, with a pot still there are too many variables to make it worth using. Most pot stiller still sans thermometer.

Stopping your ferment really isn' a practical idea. You can stop one using sodium bisulfate (campden tablets) or potassium sorbate but why add all those chemicals to you mead. My advise would be to let the fermentation go to completion, rack off the lees and allow to clear, then rack again off the sediment left from clearing. Then you can add more honey to get the desired sweetness you want. That's what I do with my meads. Another option with meads, if you want them sweet, is to use more honey (10-15 lbs/ 5 gal must) and use a sweet mead yeast (White Labs has one). The special yeast has a low tolerance to alcohol so it wont ferment dry.

Big R

[Odin]

Welcome Randelgraves,

Have a good time around and on this forum!

Odin.

[randelgraves]

The proceedure you have described for pot stilling is good. Yes, run your stipping runs fast if you want. You don't really bring it to a boil ya just want to get it up to temps and then adjust your heat for the product flow you want. Most here run strips pretty fast, I like to do all my runs slow. For your spirit run ya want your poduct stream to be a fast drip or a stream just above that, but yes, run it pretty slow. A thermometer is really unnecessary with a pot still. While there is a coorelation bewtween temps and your distillate, with a pot still there are too many variables to make it worth using. Most pot stiller still sans thermometer.

Stopping your ferment really isn' a practical idea. You can stop one using sodium bisulfate (campden tablets) or potassium sorbate but why add all those chemicals to you mead. My advise would be to let the fermentation go to completion, rack off the lees and allow to clear, then rack again off the sediment left from clearing. Then you can add more honey to get the desired sweetness you want. That's what I do with my meads. Another option with meads, if you want them sweet, is to use more honey (10-15 lbs/ 5 gal must) and use a sweet mead yeast (White Labs has one). The special yeast has a low tolerance to alcohol so it wont ferment dry.

Big R

Thanks that answered my question plus gives me a little added confidence while running i will just wait on that mead also thanks again

[randelgraves]

Welcome Randelgraves,

Have a good time around and on this forum!

Odin.

Thanks i will and already have. There is an unbelievable amount of information on this site very addictive can't stop browsing posts.

[Samohon]

Welcome to HD randelgraves...

I always strip my washes for vodka or whiskey. When I do a spirit run for whiskey, I add 50% whiskey wash and 50% low wines from previous strips for a bigger flavour profile.
As stated. a fast drip on the output while collecting is the way to go. My vodka is run though a VM and if I were to change anything about it, it would only be the diameter of pipe used to give me more per hour. For whiskey's, I always collect low and slow... Low heat, slow take-off...

Enjoy HD and have fun... See ya around...

[Prairiepiss]

Welcome aboard. Did see that you have racked your mead yet? Here is what I have been doing. Web y rack it I add another 1/2 lbs of honey. Be sure to pasturize it before hand. Do this till it doesn't start fermenting with the addition.. At that point it will start sweetening it. But remember honey is a slow fermenter. So it takes time.

[randelgraves]

Welcome aboard. Did see that you have racked your mead yet? Here is what I have been doing. Web y rack it I add another 1/2 lbs of honey. Be sure to pasturize it before hand. Do this till it doesn't start fermenting with the addition.. At that point it will start sweetening it. But remember honey is a slow fermenter. So it takes time.

No I haven't racked yet but i will give that a try thanks.

[Prairiepiss]

Yeh 18 days in the primary is long enough. I would rack it into a secondary.

[randelgraves]

Yeh 18 days in the primary is long enough. I would rack it into a secondary.

Thanks I'll do that today I don't want to fudge it up it has a great flavor thus far i stole a little taste.

[Dnderhead]

mead is not for the impatient.it can take months to ferment then many more to age.
with what Iv made.I fermented about 1 week , racked,,then racked once a month
there after.this can take a year.each mead can be different do to variations with the
honey.the sweeter the mead the longer it takes to age.with sweet mead expect
a year of aging in the bottle before you even thank of sampling it.

[Prairiepiss]

Dnderhead would it be feasible to bulk age it for that year before bottling it? And the year you talk about is after the year it takes to get to the pour to bottle? Correct? So your looking at up to 2 or more before its time.

I have decided to go with smaller bottles with mine. I found some nice 350 ml wine bottles that I will be using. I figured this would stretch the drinking of my small ferments out better. With less waste and more enjoyment.

[Dnderhead]

its going to be "balked" aged by the time you have it cleared.as this takes several months.
you rack,in about 1 week.then in a month if there is sediment rack again.you keep this up until it has no more sediment,NONE,,then bottle,,after bottling you want it to age in the bottle as it can become bottle "sour" its not bad just needs to become accustomed to bottle.if the honey was heated,if hi alcohol ,if sweet, then it will take longer to age."light" mead's can take about 6 months in the bottle.'big" mead's can take several years.

[Prairiepiss]

Gotcha. Thanks.