sweetfeed whisky

[McShiner]

Stripping 13 gals tonight. I've read the posts many times over and one thing still has me a little concerned. Temperature at the top of the column...

I read that I need about 78-82C and the end of the run should be stopped at about 86-90*C? How's come I can't get any drops when my column temp is at 80*? I have to turn up the heat to 85* to get that tell tale broken pencil drippings.

On the other hand, this is a stripping run and I read that I need to run fast and hard, " as mush as my condenser can knock down" I have my water throttled down to about half of what I can put into the shotgun.

First 400 mL caught and separated. Collecting the rest in 1-1/2 pint (700mL) jars. Temp was at 89*C and only at 65% ABV.

Now's the time to chime in you experts! Much appreciation in advance.

EDIT/ADDITION: had a thought that maybe I need to concentrate on the broken pencil lead approach and disregard 88-90*C column temp. Watch the flow, taste test now and again, and keep collecting my 700mL jars until ABV drops off or temps start to shoot up.

2nd edit: according to the calculations on the home page, I have 20% alcohol and my wash will boil at 12* below that of distiller water which is 100*. That figures out to 88*C...which is where I start to get that broken pencil lead flow.

[Stillatryin]

McShiner, I have to refer to what all of these mentors have said regarding running stills. Even though it's a bok, if you're running in potstill mode, it's not run by temp. but by output. I'll risk a dressing down by the higher ups telling you this, but my bok with it's 46" column reads a hair above 180F at best output in detuned mode. Temp naturally creeps up as the run goes on. (it seems) and I'm a veteren of 4 runs. LOL! Yeah, I'm still learning. When I stop learning, the coroner will let everyone know.

[McShiner]

I am currently on jar #6 @600mL and I still have a thin stream running out of my parrot. ABV is at a tic under 60% and my column temp is at 195.9F. I'm thinking I just need to strip down the rest down to 20-30% and re run it with the next run.

[redcorn53]

I am using a 55 gallon food safe plastic drum with a sealed lid. How much yeast should i use for it? Gonna use about 40lbs of sugar and my sweet feed.

[McShiner]

Going by the main recipe, if a 5 gal/20L wash takes 1 packet for 5-7 lbs sugar, then it would work out to be 6-8 packets for your 40 lbs of sugar. That's bakers yeast, not fancy stuff. I'm not that far advanced to have tried that yet. Good luck, and be safe!

Mc.

[redcorn53]

Going by the main recipe, if a 5 gal/20L wash takes 1 packet for 5-7 lbs sugar, then it would work out to be 6-8 packets for your 40 lbs of sugar. That's bakers yeast, not fancy stuff. I'm not that far advanced to have tried that yet. Good luck, and be safe!

Mc.

Have you fooled with instant dry yeast instead of active dry yeast?

[Street Machine]

I would like to share with you my attempt at this recipe (thanks Kentucky shiner)

Brew 11 Cook instructions
4 gallons rolling boil add
2 tbs yeast for protein
15 lbs sugar
Lemon or citrus juice for conversion
2 daily vitamins

(Starsan 3 fermentation vessels)
Pour 160 f wash over 3 gallons of 10% all grain sweet feed (across 3 vessels)
Protein rest. 90 minutes
Top up each carboy to 4.5 gallons and stir to airate
Add yeast starter (all I had was 3 packets of lavlin 71b-1122)

[McShiner]

No, this batch I'm using Flieshmans Rapid Rise.

[Stillatryin]

I am currently on jar #6 @600mL and I still have a thin stream running out of my parrot. ABV is at a tic under 60% and my column temp is at 195.9F. I'm thinking I just need to strip down the rest down to 20-30% and re run it with the next run.

You're on "yummy jar" as far as I'm concerned. Good sippin!

[redcorn53]

Never mind, the worderful world of google helped with the instant dry yeast. Im hoping this batch is gonna be good!

[McShiner]

Finishing with 12- 700mL jars of 65% down to just under 45% crystal clear. It's going on 1:30 am. All jars are sitting with paper towel covers for airing out for a day, then under sealed lids they go for about a month. Good thing I'm just a casual drinker.

Testify! The calculations on the parent site are dang close if not right on. I collected just about what it said I should, I have the calculated remains in the boiler, and I couldn't maintain a steady dribble without heating the boiler to the 88*C ballpark that it said I needed.

[Da Yooper]

I have ran this SF recipe a few times now and I just got to say this is some of the best straight up on the rocks whiskey I have ever had. I have a gallon of 60% ABV on oak for about a month now. Well temptation got the best of me had to giver a try. So I pulled a cup full out and knocked it down to 40%ABV and WOW smooth . Jack Daniels get off the top shelf. The color does lighten up a bit when watered down, maybe I'll add one more charred stick to the jug. I still think I'm loosing some flavors through my de-tuned boka. I'm in the process of making a pot still head now, hoping this will get me a little more flavor. If there's a learning curve to this, I can't wait to get to the other side. Hats off to KS and his SF recipe.

[Truckinbutch]

I just pitched active dry yeast in a 30 gallon batch of sf yesterday morning . 1/4 cup . It was booming just a few hours later .

[Moose_755]

My first ferment went from an SG of 1.070 & FG of 1.000 within 2 days? That's freaky fast.
I followed the recipe to a T. I believe it's starting to clear
Only the I can think of is I used a brewbelt.

SG of 1.07 uncorrected for temperature & I'm not sure i read it right which is why I included picture.
FG 1.000?

I left it fermenting still...
As it sits

Why did it ferment so fast?

[redcorn53]

ifyou think its done let it set fir two more days to make sure. I dont think it is done in two days

[Moose_755]

Neither did I.
I'm going to let it sit til it's been 5-6 days then rack it.
I just want to why it fermented so fast & if I did anything wrong...making it finish so fast. I used redstar bakers yeast

[redcorn53]

Yeah thats what i would do. If it stopped bubbling after two days its still not done.

[McShiner]

Ran my 20 gals of SF wash in 2 batches. Took 5 gals of backset and dissolved 20 lbs of sugar. Cooled to under 100F and added some fresh bottled water to cool it down to 90-ish. Poured this over the Gen II mash then poured another 10 gals of bottled water in. Total added was roughly 13 gals water, 20 lbs sugar, added to already saturated grain bed. Aerated well with 3 blade mixing rod. Checked SG...1.040.

Here's my questions;
What did I cause or what damage did I do?
Why is the SG so low?
Is it low?
Should I check it again in the morning? Will it give me a better reading? i can't imagine that it would since air, yeast, sugar...make the hydrometer float higher which would then stand to reason that the SG would be even lower yet once settled. With this in mind, should I see a much lower FG (lower than .095 or more)?

The Gen II wash, after foreshots, was starting out at only 65%. I was expecting higher. This is another topic I need to bring up in another board. Column and still design mods.

[1131morg]

Ran some sweetfeed today. Started out at 70% at jar #1 (qrt. jars). Ran down to jar #5 at 53%. Im used to running nuetral spirits for flavoring and getting alot higher proofs. Does this sound about right for sweetfeed? Also, at what percentage do you start using for feints ? Would you blend the 53% or is it a matter of preference ? Is there any risk of not running low enough and risking killing your yeast with to much alcohol left in backset ? Thanks

[F6Hawk]

The Gen II wash, after foreshots, was starting out at only 65%. I was expecting higher. This is another topic I need to bring up in another board. Column and still design mods.

Why were you expecting higher? Look at this: http://homedistiller.org/forum/download ... &mode=view

IOT get 65% from a single-run wash, it needs to be 17-18% ABV. Most here preach 10% washes, which will net you about 54% after a single run.

[Street Machine]

how will i fit this in my 15.5 gal keg without it boiling over? lol



make sure you get 10% all grain.... not 12% sweet feed (it has pellets),

[Raw22]

I would like to make some sweet feed currently I got a 50lb bag of wet cob, 35 pounds of sugar, and a 10gal yeast starter bubbling away.
My question is should I do multiple generations with the 50lbs of feed, or just one big run, I'm worried about the feed not keeping. Plus I usually don't have much time on my hands.

My boiler is a 15.5 keg so I would need to do at least 12gal per run.

[F6Hawk]

As long as you keep it cool and dry, the feed will keep. For all you know, it's been sitting on the shelf for months already (depending on the store).
Consecutive batches (generations) of the SF tend to be better tasting, as I'm sure you have read earlier in the thread.

[McShiner]

@F6Hawk I agree with the chart as it agrees with my SF, FG, boiler temps, etc. it's kinda like acing your mentor(s) check over your Math homework for errors. This hobby of ours is a tricky, fickle b**ch.

First rule in this forum is READ, READ, READ, then go back and read some more. I've read through the better part of this 160+ pages and many, many others that pertain to my certain setup or plans. (More reading as I get to those particular types of stills or recipes). The thing is, there is a lot of ...I hate to say it because I'm not criticizing, I'm trying to clarify...contradiction. I'm NOT creating a debate, I'm only trying to get it right.
Parent site states "By tracking the temperature of the vapour, you have a fairly good idea when you're collecting the Ethanol your after (78-82°C), vs when it is starting to get lean and you're into the higher alcohols."
And then you read a chart or a calculator that says
"If the SG started at 1.050% and finished at 0.990%, Your wash is 7.74 % alcohol."
And
"If the alcohol content is 7.74% Your wash should boil 6.3 degrees Celsius below that of distilled water"

100 - 6.3= 93.7 Celsius / 200.66 F

All of this contradicts the rules of potstilling, forget temp, adjust your heat to get a desired takeoff, (i.e. a "broken pencil lead") which I don't start getting until about 87-88C. This leads me to question my keg boiler and tower design. However, going back and reading again, it appears that I have a comparable design to many others, shotgun not as common but still out there.

I'm considering changing to a Liebig condenser if I'm not getting this correct. But then again, after my third run I am seeing consistency and really clear product from what I have.

I'm proud to have made "Rum Runner" but still feel like I'm 1 week into a new math class.

[McShiner]

@StreetMachine, that's the same feed I get from Tractor Supply. I opened the bag and used what I needed for 4 five gallon pails of wash, then poured the rest into 2 other sealed lid pails. After a week I was ready to use some more. I opened the pail and had quite a few grain weevils in it. I read some more on this topic, and decided to let it fly. I did head the suggestion to put the feed in the freezer. The amount of feed left over was enough to keep in one 5 gal pail and there was enough room in my chest freezer for it. This worked. Others have suggested using CO2 pumped in or dry ice if you can get some. (Search the forums for bugs in feed) it has been deemed "proteins"

It has not been an issue with the mash or the wash. I bring this up so that you don't get a rude surprise that causes you to toss the lot of it.

As for the 3 carboys you have there. I put together a batch (Gen II SF) in a 30 gal tub and racked 3 and almost a full 4th jug. I had to run it in 2 batches. My 15.5 gal boiler needs a minimum 3 gal to keep the element under "water" so I didn't want to over fill the keg and not have enough to distill the second batch. Besides, 2 stripping runs will make small work of it all. My 2 single runs, 13 gal & 11 gal (some added feints from Gen I wash) started at 65% & 60% and I ended each at 40%. It took me from "power on" to boiler rinsed and clean about 7-8 hours each.

[shawn2974]

Back in april i ran a 10 gal wash i made with the SF i get from my local feed mill which has stopped making AG SF. Anyway i failed to post the results back then. I ran 2- 10 gal wash then a 5 gallon wash and collected everything down to 30% minus the fores. I kept just a little to try a couple experiments on and done a spirit run with the rest. After removing the fores and my best guess on the heads , It didnt take much for me to know i was in the hearts (NECK DEEP if u know what i mean). This stuff was smooth as silk. Had just a touch of a rum taste but for the most part i think in about 6 months on some cut up JD barrel staves that i recharred and soaked its gonna be off the chain. I make my own SF mix now and i havent got pass the 1st gen with the one i make yet but ill post results as i keep on stilling.

[SlowReactor]

Today is day five of the ferment for me. Started it last Wednesday afternoon. It hasn't bubbles since 4 days into ferment on Sunday morning (24 hours ago) SG is just a HAIR under 1.01. Any issue with givin' it a go this afternoon?

[shawn2974]

Today is day five of the ferment for me. Started it last Wednesday afternoon. It hasn't bubbles since 4 days into ferment on Sunday morning (24 hours ago) SG is just a HAIR under 1.01. Any issue with givin' it a go this afternoon?

I think it's safe to say its good to go. Keep us posted

[F6Hawk]

I hear ya, McShine. It CAN be confusing and contradicting. Bear in mind ethanol boils at 78/173°. But when you add water, the boiling point increases, right? Somewhere between 78/173° and 100/212°. Add in thermometer inaccuracies, and you can see where the lines start to blur. For me, in reflux, I heat up with output open. Somewhere around 150°, I see a drip, and close the output to let it reflux for 15-30 mins. Then open again and pull off the fores. Close for 15, pull off the heads, a little faster. Once I pull (3) 200 ml jars (will explore where the heads finish the next day), I switch to larger jars and pull the hearts (don't care about temp, as long as it is stable). Once I get about 1 L of good stuff, I go back to smaller jars and pull 200 ml at a time until the temp jumps up, usually about 5° F or so. THEN I can actually smell the tails, and the output drops off quickly, and I know to stop.

If running in pot still mode, I heat up until it drips, back off the heat until I get the fores out (100 ml or so), then the heads, then adjust for that broken stream you mention. Never even look at a temp. When the output slows enough that I need to up the temp, I know the tails are happening again. If I catch it in time, I have already switched to those smaller jars before that happens, so I get little smearing.

Keep at it, it's a hobby, not a perfect science experiment. If I read something 5-10 times, I tend to go with it. But if I read one or two things that are a tad off from the rest of my reading, I tend to mentally discard it.

[SlowReactor]

Today is day five of the ferment for me. Started it last Wednesday afternoon. It hasn't bubbles since 4 days into ferment on Sunday morning (24 hours ago) SG is just a HAIR under 1.01. Any issue with givin' it a go this afternoon?

Yesterday afternoon (day 5) the SG was 1.002 I went on with it and ran it. After the foreshots, I got 9 half pint mason jars ranging from 60% to 20%.

I took a bit of the middle that was about 45%, diluted it down to 35% and gave it a good taste. I read somewhere that it will take on the vanilla in Oak if put on around 55%, yea?