New Guy Here

[Jasper]

Howdy everyone - i am brand new to the hobby and am having a blast so far. I have been a beer brewer for about 6 or 7 years so i feel i am solid on the fermentation end... the actual stilling is what is new and exciting to me yet. I jumped in with both feet and bought a commercially made still from these guys: http://www.rockytopstills.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow (I know - its not as wonderful as advertised... but at this point i am only interested in whiskey/rum so a pot still will be more than fine). I did 4 cleaning runs (water steam clean, cheap vodka (alcohol run), fermented orange juice (acid run), and another steam clean, and a water run for good measure) for an hour or so each (after things starting coming out of the arm). I also am using the flour dough paste method for a seal - dont really trust the weather stripping type gasket.

Anyway, the other day i did my first run. Since i am very familiar with beer brewing I made an unhopped beer with malt extract and lots of peated malt - OG turned up around 1.065 and smelled completely awesome. Anyway, i ran it through and was still getting small bits of particles coming through with the distillate. I ended up filtering everything out with coffee filters... but am kinda nervous about the crap that made it through the arm. Is this typical? Did i screw up my cleaning runs? Is filtering it out sufficient?

Thanks for the help - super excited to be getting into the hobby!
Jasper

[vetting]

I see that you didnt mention anything about cuts (foreshots, heads, hearts, tails) - did you make any?

Did you let the wash clear before you distilled it?

When in doubt, cut with water to below 40% and distill again.

[Jasper]

Yep - my method was to run the entire wash through once to collect the low wines. This first run came through at about 71 proof or so. Then i watered it down to about 45 or 50 proof for the spirit run. I threw away the first 200ml (20 liter total wash) or so and collected another quarter gallon of good stuff. I was collecting it in small numbered jars so i could judge the tails a bit better. Anyway, what i got out was about 110 proof and from the small sample i had tastes and smells really nice.

There wasn't a lot of particulate matter on the first run - it was during the spirit run that it really got noticeable. Any thoughts? Is this just crap from my beer coming through?? Or did i mess up my cleaning somewhere?

Thanks!
Jasper

[Odin]

Sound advice from Vetting.

I would add: throw everything back in, add vinigar (50%) and run again. You forgot the cleaning run. That might explain the specks & spickles in your booz'. Also, read everything there is in the New Distillers Lounge. Great reading.

But most of all: welcome to the club. Hope you have fun!

Odin.

[vetting]

Well really depends on what the particulates look like/are. Hard to tell if its something from the boiler or your wash

Even with clear low wines, particulates will come off from heating it, but those usually stay in the boiler. I run a reflux still instead of a pot still, so maybe some fellow pot stillers can chime in.

Best bet would be to run it again and see if you get the particulates again.

[Odin]

I run a pot still and never had any particles in my likker.

[Jasper]

I would add: throw everything back in, add vinigar (50%) and run again. You forgot the cleaning run. That might explain the specks & spickles in your booz'. Also, read everything there is in the New Distillers Lounge. Great reading.

I did a few cleaning runs - one steam, one vodka, one fermented OJ, another steam, and one water (with cooling hooked up). I didnt do the vinegar one - but am assuming the OJ would accomplish the same thing (acid cleaning). I did all of these for about an hour or more after things started spitting out the other end. Does this seem sufficient? Is particulate matter common with pot stills?? I feel like i did everything right... just dont know what the stuff coming out was all about?

[Odin]

Was the wash you put in clean? If it wasn't, and you boiled it hard, while distilling and/or overfilled, maybe you got transfer? Are there any plastic, rubber parts in contact with the hot gasses or liquids?

[Jasper]

I used mainly malt extract so the wash should have been clean. I used my autosiphon to rack it off of the yeast cake. No hops or other weird stuff

No plastic or rubber.

Edit to add: could it possibly be from the flour/water seal that i made??

[Odin]

I am out of ideas for now. Others stepp in?

[vetting]

Well its either something in the still itself that is getting chewed up by the high ABV or its just from your wash. Is the still for sure SS? Inspect the gasket for any damage. Either way it shouldnt happen. Tails towards the end of the run can have a cloudy look to them at times, but shouldnt have particulates in it.

Can you describe the particulates in more detail? Where there a lot of particulates in the kettle after your spirit run? If these particulates are kinda look like yeast, that is normal to have in the boiler even when distilling low whines. If they carried over into your spirits, you may have been running too hard/fast.

[Odin]

If your boiler were aluminium ...

[Jasper]

It is stainless everything in the boiler and a copper column. I took off the gasket that it came with (looked like a piece of weather stripping) and opted for the flour dough paste instead. The particles themselves were generally small black fleck looking things. My only guess would be from the flour paste burning - but that seems like kind of a long shot? Do my cleaning runs seem insufficient? If it was from the still itself wouldnt my stripping run take care of most of that crap? My spirit run was at over 110+ proof and the flecks did taper off a little near the end but they were still there the entire time (which was a VERY long time).

[rad14701]

Is there structured packing in the stills column by chance...???

Sure wish you'd have come here before buying because we would have steered you clear of that particular vendor...

[Jasper]

No packing in the column. Just a straight up pot still.

And i knew i was kind of taking a gamble with the vendor... but the ebay reviews were pretty stellar and i am not overly interested in running it as a reflux still so i figured what the hell. Oh well - live and learn i guess. Next time i will stop being a cheap ass and get something proper.

Making a rum tonight so when that ferments out i run it and see if any more fleks of crap come through.

Thanks for all the help everbody!
Jasper

[Prairiepiss]

That's the same still as this one in this thread. Isn't it? And he has rusty parts in his. What does yours look like?
Oops forgot the link.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 16&t=25586

[Jasper]

OK - after doing a bunch of research i think i am officially going to get a new still. Lesson learned i guess...

Anyway, a couple questions on commercial stills - i dont exactly trust myself building one just yet. I am looking at both mile-hi and hillbilly stills. I really like the mile hi 8 gallon with 2 inch 2 piece column... but the whole stainless column is the only thing bugging me. I am looking to make mainly whiskey - so flavor (not just neutral flavor) is important. He claims you can just add copper packing - but to run it in pot still mode it looks like you dont pack it quite as much as the reflux mode. Would this minimal packing be a decent replacement for a copper pot still column like at hillbilly? Would additional carbon filtering be necessary to remove the off tastes?

I also really love the design of the hillbilly ones - but don't want to put up a ton of money to get both a pot still head and a reflux head.

Any other options out there??

Thanks a ton for any comments!
Jasper

[Samohon]

Welcome to HD Jasper...

Certainly sounds as though your still was puking (boiler too full)... Dont worry, I've done it too...

Anyway, if you are intent on buying a still I'd drop Mike at Hillbilly Stills an eMail telling him what your after, he'll keep you right with your purchase...
As Rad say's, wish you had came here before buying from that particular firm...

Hope it helps and see you around...

[WalkingWolf]

Lesson learned i guess...

Congratulations -- you are officially a member

Welcome to HD Jasper.