Is blue normal!

[Mprourke]

Ok so i did a vinegar and water run and things went well now on to my mash run and the liquid coming out is blue is this from the copper? Or what could i be doing wrong?

[Mprourke]

i am using a reflux pot still i made. also wash is wheat, rye, and malt

[Dnderhead]

did you use any alkaline in your wash?

[Mprourke]

Here is what it looks like

[Mprourke]

did you use any alkaline in your wash?

Nope the only other things i left out was sugar and yeast and that was all i used

[Dnderhead]

I sure whould not drink it..

[Mprourke]

haha wasn't planing on it..... Just need to know what not to do for next time. or if i should run it through again when finished or just quit for today

[Mprourke]

I did throw some on a fire and it seems to be flammable... so if all else fails i have a fire starter recipe!

[Prairiepiss]

Did you rinse it out good after the vinegar run. Did it sit for a length of time before you ran the sacrificial alcohol run? And what exactly is a reflux pot still?

[Mprourke]

no it did not sit long at all my guess is it is from the copper and the first time or something after letting it run a while it started comming out clearer and not it looks like water. i attached a few pics to show i think it is called a boka or something

[Prairiepiss]

Yes thats a LM reflux still.

So you did a vinegar run.
You didn't rinse good.
You ran and alcohol run.

Is that how it went?

[Mprourke]

that sounds like how it went. i am guessing it is oxidation from the still?

[Prairiepiss]

It's oxidation from the vinegar (acid) you didn't rinse out good.

[Richard7]

Mprourke, This is off topic but you should really look for a better place to collect your product. On top of that hot boiler over an open flame is looking for trouble. Now on topic... Did it ever get clear later on in the run? Or did you collect in that one bottle? If it was from oxidation on the fresh copper it would probably clear up after you get a patina going inside the still. I would treat it like yellow snow and not ingest Take a look at your coil and see if it has a tint to it or down your column. Was your column packed? If so was the packing pure copper or stainless steel? Some copper scrubbies are only copper plated. Let us know what you find, and good luck to ya.

[BamaDave]

The blue tint is copper sulfate, it is toxic. It is from running the vinegar and not washing out your still. The high acid content and copper during distillation create the byproduct.

[Dnderhead]

""The blue tint is copper sulfate""
close but not quite,,,copper+acetic acid= copper acetate

[Mprourke]

yes it did clear up.... i ran it through a brita and looks clear but i dont know prob shouldn't drink well next time i will make sure i was every thing after vinegar wash!

And yes the column was packed with copper netting the the coil at the bottom was alittle discolored

[Prairiepiss]

If you go read the cleaning a new still thread. You will see you shouldn't drink the first alcohol run anyway. It should be your sacrificial alcohol run. That thread van be found in the must read new distiller reading lounge.

And a brita shouldn't be used for spirits. Maybe do a search around here for that to.

[rad14701]

Mprourke, you didn't try putting baking soda in your wash before distilling, did you...??? It's alright to use small amounts in the wash during fermentation but adding after fermentation is complete is problematic...

[frozenthunderbolt]

Mprourke, you didn't try putting baking soda in your wash before distilling, did you...??? It's alright to use small amounts in the wash during fermentation but adding after fermentation is complete is problematic...

Unless it is added to previously stripped low wines, in which case some believe that it helps to compress and reduce the quanity of heads in your run

[rad14701]

Mprourke, you didn't try putting baking soda in your wash before distilling, did you...??? It's alright to use small amounts in the wash during fermentation but adding after fermentation is complete is problematic...

Unless it is added to previously stripped low wines, in which case some believe that it helps to compress and reduce the quanity of heads in your run

Yes, but only if left to do it's magic for a week or two prior to redistilling... Adding it to the boiler charge is less than beneficial...

[frozenthunderbolt]

Mprourke, you didn't try putting baking soda in your wash before distilling, did you...??? It's alright to use small amounts in the wash during fermentation but adding after fermentation is complete is problematic...

Unless it is added to previously stripped low wines, in which case some believe that it helps to compress and reduce the quanity of heads in your run

Yes, but only if left to do it's magic for a week or two prior to redistilling... Adding it to the boiler charge is less than beneficial...

But Rad, there's them that argue that it works best added to the boiler where heat can speed the chemical reaction rather than waiting a longer time at room temp. What makes you say adding to the boiler is no good? (not being a dick - would love a link for more info as i've read of people doing it both ways like i said. Hell, i've done it both ways!)

[ipee7ABV]

if its not your sacraficial run you can re run it