Told ya!! Haha glad ya had a good run I usually air out for a day or two and make my cuts. I almost always get 15-16 200ml out of a run, single strip and adding feints from previous run. Keeping jar 4 which is 82% to 12 which it usually around 58% slightly into the tails. Then water down to 62% for oaking. Finish amount 1800ml. This is from a 5 gal wash.
What did you end up keeping?
Yes you did JBR. Glad I took your advice. I collected in 200ML increments because I only had a touch over a gallon and a half from stripping 10 gal. I was kinda disappointed with that. was hoping for at least 2 gal. The strip run started at 55% which was shocking to me. Thought it might have been a touch higher. I was filling a pint in about 5-6 min. When I dumped it all in a carboy and swirled the hell out of it for a minute it came out to 40% ABV!!! Which sucked because I was hoping to add some water just to get a little more volume in the boiler. Since the product was cold (and it was almost zero out) I know the likker was cooler than 60 degrees. I looked at the chart for my alcometer and you have to add a few proof if its cold. So not feeling like going inside to get my thermometer I just threw a quart of water in there for good measure to be double sure it wasn't over 40%.
I collected 300ml and tossed it. Then 200ml at a time from then on. I got 8 jars. Jar 9 was an immediate turn to tails. Dropped from 172 proof to 160 like that (insert snapping fingers here) So I collected apx 500ml of that. The next jar was still 80% but started to smell like total ass. So I shut it down. The jars are all sitting with coffee filters on them til tomorrow night then I will re sample.
Was a very interesting experience stripping for the first time. Basically no hearts. Just blasted from heads right into tails. Collected down to 20%.
What was your wash abv. I get about 1 1/2 gal from a 6 gal strip i collect to about 20%. My wash is usually 8%.
On your spirt run you should keep collecting down to 40% you were still at 80% just because that one was bad the next could be fine. Could of dumped some fusels.
Then save your heads and tails as feints and add them to your next spirt run. Then you will get alot more drink and better cut points.
Point taken JBR. I will collect to 40% this next spirit run.
Wash ABV...I cant remember off the top of my head the number but my OG was 1.068 and my FG was 1.000. Left it at 1.000 for two days and it wasn't moving so I turned the heat off.
Gonna do a spirit run with my first BW that's been sitting here. This one will definitely be diluted because its all 155 proof and lower. So it'll be 4-5 gal total. Should be good. Sunday I'm going to strip my last 20 gal of sweet feed and spirit run it too. Will be a long day. Then clean up and stow the still and get a UJSSM going next week.
I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't open your ferment vessel and expose it to air. If you feel like agitating the goods, keep the lid on and rock the bucket gingerly so it stirs up the contents. I do it in a way that it creates a vortex.
Due51 wrote:I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't open your ferment vessel and expose it to air. If you feel like agitating the goods, keep the lid on and rock the bucket gingerly so it stirs up the contents. I do it in a way that it creates a vortex.
+1 on that. There was a thread on the forum not too long ago about the possible benefits of agitating a wash during fermentation. It suggested just what you said - do it gently and maintain the seal. The theory is that it brings up some of the dead yeast and other nutrients from the trub for the live yeast to feed on - making for a healthier yeast population through the duration of the fermentation.
S-C
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
thanks, thats what I meant by stirring it. I subscribe to the same philosophy of leaving it under airlock til its finished bubbling. I just did not know if this wash is like one that is destined for wine rather than spirits. I have always shaken my wines during fermenting to keep them stirred up. I will do the same here. thanks!
BoisBlancBoy wrote:Has anyone changed the recommended 50% backset used to anything else? Just curious to hear anyone else's findings.
What product would you end up with if you didn't use backset?
Early in the thread, it was posted that 25% backset is ideal. Anything more and you risk throwing the Ph out of whack thus stalling the ferment. Whether you use backset or not, the ingredients produce a pretty good product. However, a lot of people said the recipe only gets better in Gen 2, 3, 4, and beyond.
I'm doing a spirit run after two 10-gallons strips. I have 1.5 gallons of low wines (after purging a few jars of hearts to put on oak) and added that to 3 gallons of backset from the second stripping. I need to have 4.5 gallons in the boiler or I'll run it dry before I distill all the alcohol out of the wash. (I plan of having a new coupling welded in soon, lower in the boiler).
I too stripped my last 20 gal in two 10 gal runs Sunday night. I felt the flu was coming so I figured I'd better get it out if the fermenter that it's been in for a week and a half over being dry. I have about 4-4.5 gal for a spirit run. I gotta say the last 10 gal I pulled out of the fermenter smelled so damn good. Like fruity almost after sitting for a week longer than the first 10 gal I stripped.
Finally picking up some oak cubes tomorrow. Can't wait to get a gallon of this stuff on oak.
ledyard wrote:I too stripped my last 20 gal in two 10 gal runs Sunday night. I felt the flu was coming so I figured I'd better get it out if the fermenter that it's been in for a week and a half over being dry. I have about 4-4.5 gal for a spirit run. I gotta say the last 10 gal I pulled out of the fermenter smelled so damn good. Like fruity almost after sitting for a week longer than the first 10 gal I stripped.
Finally picking up some oak cubes tomorrow. Can't wait to get a gallon of this stuff on oak.
How's your product tasting? I've done two spirit runs (1 in reflux and 1 low and slow in pot still mode). The neutral I made from reflux is drinkable as is, and I also have some on oak that tastes pretty good. The spirit run I did with my Sweetfeed is hot and stinging on the tongue. It's only been airing out for a couple days, but damn it's rough.
ledyard wrote:I too stripped my last 20 gal in two 10 gal runs Sunday night. I felt the flu was coming so I figured I'd better get it out if the fermenter that it's been in for a week and a half over being dry. I have about 4-4.5 gal for a spirit run. I gotta say the last 10 gal I pulled out of the fermenter smelled so damn good. Like fruity almost after sitting for a week longer than the first 10 gal I stripped.
Finally picking up some oak cubes tomorrow. Can't wait to get a gallon of this stuff on oak.
How's your product tasting? I've done two spirit runs (1 in reflux and 1 low and slow in pot still mode). The neutral I made from reflux is drinkable as is, and I also have some on oak that tastes pretty good. The spirit run I did with my Sweetfeed is hot and stinging on the tongue. It's only been airing out for a couple days, but damn it's rough.
Yes the spirit run on the sweet feed off a pot still is hot as hell. Its a bit rough at first. Dipping a finger in it its actually quite smooth even at 170 proof. But its nothing you want to swallow. I diluted some down to 95 proof after it sat a while and it was ok. then after it sat diluted it got better. Its pretty good now. Just needs to air out. As a first run through a pot still the SF and BW were both undrinkable. Harsh and shitty tasting. no matter the proof. So now I just blast through it then go low and slow for round two. Once I spirit run this last bit of SF I doubt I will make anything else til it warms up some in march. I have had no issues process wise with it being super cold but screw that....I'm sick of sitting out in my freezing garage.
ledyard wrote:Yes the spirit run on the sweet feed off a pot still is hot as hell. Its a bit rough at first. Dipping a finger in it its actually quite smooth even at 170 proof. But its nothing you want to swallow. I diluted some down to 95 proof after it sat a while and it was ok. then after it sat diluted it got better. Its pretty good now. Just needs to air out. As a first run through a pot still the SF and BW were both undrinkable. Harsh and shitty tasting. no matter the proof. So now I just blast through it then go low and slow for round two. Once I spirit run this last bit of SF I doubt I will make anything else til it warms up some in march. I have had no issues process wise with it being super cold but screw that....I'm sick of sitting out in my freezing garage.
I feel for you. Go electric if you can. It's so much easier, cleaner, and warmer.
Anyway, these first couple runs have been a little disappointing. I have 3 other batches going right now (All Grain Sweetfeed, Rogers Tequila, and an All Grain Flaked Corn/2 Row Barley). I'm praying these produce a smoother, more pleasant drink than what I've done so far.
I've had no issues with the Tried And True sweet feed mix that could not be attributed to operator error . Not letting it finish fermenting and settling , poor cuts on any distillation , poor blending of final product . This hobby is not a cell phone : you don't punch in some numbers and hit dial .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
A modification of the sweet-feed recipe.
For a 10 gallon sugar head wash.
15lb or less of dark brown sugar.
3lb producers pride all grain that has been ground with a burr grinder.
5 crushed multi-vitamins, and a pinch of Epsom's salts.
1/2 gallon or more of lees from the bottom of the fermenter of the last batch.
Put all the ingredients but the lees in the fermenter and add enough boiling water to get the temp above 140'
Let it set for 10 or 15 minutes. This will kill or cripple the bacterial and wild yeast in the sugar and ground sweet feed.
Spray cold water from the garden hose to cool and aerate the wash.
Pitch the lees. They contain not only yeast but a massive dose of nutrients.
I racked my SF wash from my primary to a secondary carboy last night, lots of sediment. However, it started settling immediately, and was nearly all cleared this morning. I plan on running it tomorrow morning. Including all material and water, my primary had about 5.75 gallons in it and after racking I've got about 4.75 of useable liquid. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
simpletime05 wrote:I racked my SF wash from my primary to a secondary carboy last night, lots of sediment. However, it started settling immediately, and was nearly all cleared this morning. I plan on running it tomorrow morning. Including all material and water, my primary had about 5.75 gallons in it and after racking I've got about 4.75 of useable liquid. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
SF.PNG
this was about 20 minutes after racking
Best of luck. I haven't been racking to a secondary yet, but think I might start.
simpletime05 wrote:Thanks, I'll need it. Glad I racked it, it took some coaxing to get as much liquid out as I did. That SF had soaked up quite a bit
The nylon bags you can get from home brew shops helped me wonders with that. How did you go about it?
Side note, I have been oaking a quart of 60% with 3 medium toast 1cm cubes for about a week now. Opening for small amounts of time then shaking for oxygen. It's got a gold honey color at the moment and has made it quite smooth. I think two weeks is probably ideal.
Badlands
Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy" - Frank Sinatra
simpletime05 wrote:
The nylon bags you can get from home brew shops helped me wonders with that.
Menards (home improvement store) carries 5 gallon paint strainer nylon bags with elastic on top that snap around the top of a 5 gallon bucket. Very handy and much chepaer than brew shops. Bag of 3 is $2.99
Menards (home improvement store) carries 5 gallon paint strainer nylon bags with elastic on top that snap around the top of a 5 gallon bucket. Very handy and much chepaer than brew shops. Bag of 3 is $2.99[/quote]
Good to know thanks!
Badlands
Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy" - Frank Sinatra
thats a bargain and sounds much easier than they way i did it. I used colanders from the kitchen that had a diameter smaller than my bucket. Had to get my preggo wife to hold the edges to keep it from dumping, the smell nearly made her lose her lunch!
Ive got a straining bag that I use for wine making but that thing was expensive and a pain to clean. Sounds like the paint strainers are in my future.
Im going to be making around a 40 - 50 gallon batch of this very soon. I decided to try the Prestige WD With Ag Yeast. Seems like somewhere in all this I remember KS saying he used 1 packet of it in his 30 gallon batchs? according to the website I bought the yeast from it says 1 packet per 25 liters? (comes in 23g packet)
Heres the link http://www.brewhaus.com/Prestige-Whisky ... -P846.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Someone care to help me out with how much I should use?
PANMAN1965 wrote:I am thinking maybe add some malted 2 row for the enzymes.. bet I would need less sugar that way also. hmmmm I gotta make a still soon or I am gonna go nuts.
PANMAN1965 wrote:Could I mash this like I do beer ingredients? Boil to gelatinize the corn in the mix...put in the mash tun and let it convert. then sparge until I get 6 gallons then add sugar?
I Used my 40 gallon HERMS (heat exchange recirculating mash system) to convert the sweet feed to mash. Worked great. just transferred runoff and sparge into fermenter with sugar......
PANMAN1965 wrote:Could I mash this like I do beer ingredients? Boil to gelatinize the corn in the mix...put in the mash tun and let it convert. then sparge until I get 6 gallons then add sugar?
I Used my 40 gallon HERMS (heat exchange recirculating mash system) to convert the sweet feed to mash. Worked great. just transferred runoff and sparge into fermenter with sugar......
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Where did this quote come from? I went back quite a few pages and couldn't find this post? Mater of fact he hasn't visited the forum in over a year.
I like that.
