Putting older posts here. Going to try to keep the novice forum pruned about 90 days work. The 'good' old stuff is going to be put into appropriate forums.
I am a beginner distiller; yesterday was my fifth attempt. So far I haven't ran into any issues, that is until yesterday. I started using a five gallon water jug for my mashes a few weeks ago. Yesterday was the second time I was distilling one of the "larger" mashes. The first time went great, I had 2L+ of great stuff from it, but to my surprise, yesterday's event was a disaster. Everything tasted like fusel... The heads even smelled like it. I haven't ran into this problem before.
I am using a 9 quart pressure cooker (replaced the pressure valve with a 1/4 inch brass fitting to connect to the condenser). Usually My heads comes out at 198-200 degrees(f), I catch everything from 202-207 respectfully. I usually catch and tastes everything after that and either decide to keep it or throw it in the next bit of mash.
What's happening? I don't think I did anything different from last time. The mash was slightly different, I only used half the yeast than I did last time. Could that do it? I really don't think so. I would expect that its something to do with the distilling process, but what could be so different than the last four times?
two weeks of waiting for the mash to mature... I'm pooped out now.
Hey Monkey,
Please swing by the welcome center and make a proper intro when you get a chance.
I doesn't sound like your recipe would be to blame for your foul smelling spirits ...sounds more like your distilling methods . there's some good reading about pot stills in the new distillers reading lounge, specifically this: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=16635 ... might help, but I suspect you may have been running too hard ...if you're trying to get something good to drink in a single run, you usually need to run it low and slow.
NChooch
Practice safe distillin and keep your hobby under your hat.
Thanks for the recommendation, I checked out the thread.
Unfortunately, it leaves me just as confused as before. If the temperature is determined by the volume alcohol in a wash, shouldn't the heads boil out first, then alcohol, water, fusel, etc..? At least that's how it should work in theory; it's also how i have experienced it with past washes.
If my wash should remain at the temperature of the lowest boiling point until that substance boils out, then why is fusel coming out even at the lower temperatures. This just baffles me...
At first i thought that it may have been the wash was being poured into a hot pot (for the second, third, and fourth pots full) , but after tasting the goods from the first bit of wash i distilled (which was poured into the pot as it was at room temperature) it had just as much fusel as the last three. My theory was that small bits of the wash immediately evaporated as they hit the hot pot (the pot being just hot enough to boil water and still leave behind fusel). However, as i have said i ruled this out.
I doubt understand what is so different this time around. I have experienced almost the exact same boiling points each time and they are always with a few degrees of an average point. Also, this shouldn't even matter if the very first thing exiting my condenser is fusel..?
