Pot still using a thumper first time

[Staystill]

Just made a spirit run of strawberry using a thumper for the first time. The stripped spirits from first run averaged 130 proof. Put a strawberry puree in the thumper to see if it would enhance the flavor. Not really sure I can tell any flavor enhancement took place but upped the proof to 155.

1. Is the thumper made to catch puke....add flavor....up the proof....or all three? It definitely cleans up the low wines to higher proof. I didn't really see much flavor enhancement. The low wines actually were flavorful.

2. The temp gauge on the thumper hung somewhere between 173F and 176F most of the run with 157-160 proof each test cut. Toward the end it rose to 182F and was down to 137 proof...AND QUIT RUNNING OUT OF THE CONDENSING TUBE. Got all the alcohol out and it stopped. Ive never witnessed this before. IS this normal?

3. How in the world do you make cuts of this stripping run.... it seems like it was all "heads" until the last couple of minutes before it stopped? The last few drops definitely tasted "trashy"...knew it was tails. Literally the tail end of the run. I only got about 2 ounces of crap left in the pot. The thumper mash (2.5 gal capacity) rose one inch in volume...so may have left behind about a pint of tails.

any comments would be appreciated.

[S-Cackalacky]

You don't do cuts on a stripping run. There's probably not much need for a thumper at all for doing stripping runs. A stripping run - all you're looking to do is strip all the alcohol (low wines) out of the wash. You would then put those low wines combined with low wines from a couple of other runs into a spirit run. That's when you would want to use your thumper.

There is a very long thread here on the forums somewhere that has a lot of discussion about the many uses of a thumper. There are surprisingly many techniques for using a thumper.

[Staystill]

Thanks for your reply .

My steps:

1. Distilled fermented strawberry mash from heads (approx 140 proof) down to tails approx 80 proof which averaged 130 proof. this was the first run...I am calling that the initial stripping run.

2. I took that alcohol....I'm calling low wines....and ran it a second time thru the pot with a thumper. This is what I'm calling a spirit run. I put fresh strawberry puree in the thumper instead of new mash or backset.

I'm not seeing how I could have cut anything from my "spirit" run which uniformly ran a higher proof until the very end.

[HDNB]

ignoring the proof, did you fraction the run into small quantities so you can compare the distillate from start-middle-end?
did you air it out for a day or two?
what makes you think its all heads?
did you dilute to 40% or less to taste it?

[Staystill]

I used quart jars to separate the "cuts"....and checked temp, proof and taste/smell . Each jar was checked for proof and taste twice.

Nope, didn;t air it out.

out of approx one gal 100 oz tested 155-162 proof. the last 28 oz averaged between 132 and 147. Was that the diff between heads and hearts?

I did dilute each time I tasted.....it was probably more like 60=70 proof to sip.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

If you stopped collecting for the spirit run when it was 80 proof out the spout. You left a lot of alc and flavour in there. 130 proof is high for low wines. Did you dilute to below 80 proof for your spirit run?

[S-Cackalacky]

Your original post is a little difficult to follow. Sounded like you were trying to make cuts on a stripping run - my mistake.

I don't see where you indicated the size of your boiler or the size of wash charge you're running. In any case, quart jars are probably way too large for making cuts. I run a 5 gallon boiler with about 4 - 4.5 gallon wash charge. I use 1/2 pint jars for collection and usually collect between 4 and 8 oz per jar. If you collect in large sections (quarts) you will likely loose a lot of hearts in the transition between heads and hearts and then again between hearts and tails. Those transitions will be smeared together in the larger jars.

I suggest carefully reading the cuts tutorial in the reading lounge.

[Staystill]

I have an 8 gal pot still and a 2.5 gal thumper. The STRIPPING run was a 6 gal wash (12%) that yielded a little over one gal of 130 proof (avg) alcohol. I ran the stripping run down to the 60-80 proof range. it was getting nasty by then.

For the SPIRIT run I charged the pot with the gal of stripped low wines. I put a gal of fresh strawberry puree in the thumper.

I typically use pint jars for the cuts but didn't have any available, only the quart jars. I agree that I needed smaller test volumes. But I did test about every 6-8 oz with the alcoholometer and found that the proof stayed very consistent for 90% of the run. I just threw it all in the quart jar....my bad.

At the end of the run (last 20 oz?) the proof dropped from the 150's to 136. and the alcohol stopped flowing like a curtain dropped. The pot temp was around 209F and the thumper temp was about 184F. I found there was less than 2 oz of crap left in the pot and the volume of liquid in the thumper had gain one inch in volume....about a pint.

Was the transition from heads to hearts to tails in that last 20 oz?

[freshwaterjellyfish]

i remember watching those two clowns from Moonshiners that scored all those stawberries. i was very envious of them:(
if i was rocking a thumper, im not sure id bother w a spirit run-i AM new at this, so maybe go with what the ol boys r saying..
dont feel bad about "airing out"- ive only just started learning this skill. from the reading ive done, it seems crucial..i havnt read about this technique yet, so let me drop two words on yas all....MAGNETIC STIRRER..i want one;)

[S-Cackalacky]

I have an 8 gal pot still and a 2.5 gal thumper. The STRIPPING run was a 6 gal wash (12%) that yielded a little over one gal of 130 proof (avg) alcohol. I ran the stripping run down to the 60-80 proof range. it was getting nasty by then.

For the SPIRIT run I charged the pot with the gal of stripped low wines. I put a gal of fresh strawberry puree in the thumper.

I typically use pint jars for the cuts but didn't have any available, only the quart jars. I agree that I needed smaller test volumes. But I did test about every 6-8 oz with the alcoholometer and found that the proof stayed very consistent for 90% of the run. I just threw it all in the quart jar....my bad.

At the end of the run (last 20 oz?) the proof dropped from the 150's to 136. and the alcohol stopped flowing like a curtain dropped. The pot temp was around 209F and the thumper temp was about 184F. I found there was less than 2 oz of crap left in the pot and the volume of liquid in the thumper had gain one inch in volume....about a pint.

Was the transition from heads to hearts to tails in that last 20 oz?

So, you only put undiluted low wines in the boiler? According to what you said about your stripping run, the proof of the strip (low wines) was very high. Running high proof alcohol without diluting it down to 80 proof or below is extremely dangerous. If you don't know this, you haven't done enough reading. The dilution of low wines for a spirit run is mentioned many times in the forums. I would suggest not running again until you have read enough to be aware of the safety issues related to this hobby. Start with the links in my signature. Above all else, we want you to be safe.

[HDNB]

if i'm getting this right, you collect 4 quarts for total of about a gallon.
first quart-heads
second quart- heads/hearts
third quart-heads/tails
fourth quart- tails

basically smeared all the way through.... so the first will taste very alcohol harsh and have a lot of burn. second will taste similar with slightly less burn. the third will taste bitter and the forth really bitter.

by not airing out there will be some amount of high alcohols that will be trapped in there to, so overall headsy flavour profile throughout.

i run twice the size of yours, and get close (on average, most times) to 2 quarts of hearts for a single whiskey run and 4 quarts out of a spirit run, so all things being equal you could expect half that.

you need to collect in much smaller quanitites and allow a couple days under a paper towel to air out, then try the cuts again. you can mix all this product in with your next wash and try again...and ignore the proof during the run. start collecting when it starts coming out. stop collecting when it stops coming out.

read and understand this: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=11640

heres a current discussion on same topic http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=51074

[Tater]

Id of only done 1 run if I was trying for flavor .Id put flavoring in thumper and done 1 slow single run catching as said in 1/2 pint jars on still your size.

[Staystill]

Tater.... I think you're right. I've made plenty of good apple brandy on the "stripping run".....I just stopped about 8o proof and didnt dive low into the tails.
With a little clean up with charcoal it was very smooth flavorful stuff. I usually proof to 90 for sipping. And the girls love Apple Pie made out of the brandy at about 40 proof.

Ive never made apple brandy with a thumper. The strawberry was my first time ever using a thumper. From the sound of the replies.....I was doing a risky thing boiling off the 130 proof to the thumper. (But Ive done that dozens of times)

Do all fruit brandies come out better with one run thru the still?

[Staystill]

HDNB....thanks for the topic reference. I had scanned that a while ago, Guess I didnt catch diluting the low wines to 40%.

Ive been through several distilleries and never once did they reference diluting the low wines to 80 proof or lower. Woodford Reserve has three beautiful 1600 gallon copper onion stills....the first still puts out 80 proof, the second distillation puts out 110 proof and the third still puts out about 125 proof....ready to barrel.Or at least that what they tell visitors.

[Tater]

Thing about using a thumper with brandy is that ya get that extra distillation from thumper(Not double ) raising what can be a low proof wine to a drinkable proof.When I do strip fruits runs I save some wine for thumper in final run .I have ran peach 3 times to get the proof up.Tasted fine though. It kept the cent as goose would say

[Staystill]

So Tater....why do we really mess with a pot still and thumper? Would a packed column do the same thing in less runtime with higher proof and same flavor?

Thanks for your reply

[rad14701]

So Tater....why do we really mess with a pot still and thumper? Would a packed column do the same thing in less runtime with higher proof and same flavor?

Thanks for your reply

No, reflux columns strip a lot of flavor and increase the %ABV of the spirits to the point where they need to be diluted to aging strength... And that dilution further weakens the flavor components... Ideally, you want to end up with your blended spirits to be as close to barrel proof as possible without diluting and this is best done with a pot still or a plated column with only a few active plates... A pot still with a thumper can be dialed in to accomplish this in anywhere from one to three runs, depending on the rig and personal preference... A three plate reflux column can, with proper operation technique, yield the same results as a 3x pot still distillation, but if you allow too much reflux more flavor could be stripped than wanted...

[Staystill]

Thanks for your reply rad14701. Good advice from a master distiller. I can tell it's not your" first rodeo". This is an exciting journey...Ive got a bunch to learn.
I started with a pot still, added the option of a packed column with cool tubes at top, and recently built a thumper to experiment with.

From your experience, what set up would you use to perfect a good apple brandy (striving for Calvados ultimately) or a peach brandy?

[W Pappy]

With a thumper ya get a bit of smearing, so ya get a more refined flavor over aging time.

[rad14701]

Thanks for your reply rad14701. Good advice from a master distiller. I can tell it's not your" first rodeo". This is an exciting journey...Ive got a bunch to learn.
I started with a pot still, added the option of a packed column with cool tubes at top, and recently built a thumper to experiment with.

From your experience, what set up would you use to perfect a good apple brandy (striving for Calvados ultimately) or a peach brandy?

Tater and a few other members can provide better advice regarding brandy... I'm more of a sugarhead and neutral spirit guy myself...

[bearriver]

Find a post from Jimbo and read the apple stuff link in his sign.

[Tater]

Thanks for your reply rad14701. Good advice from a master distiller. I can tell it's not your" first rodeo". This is an exciting journey...Ive got a bunch to learn.
I started with a pot still, added the option of a packed column with cool tubes at top, and recently built a thumper to experiment with.

From your experience, what set up would you use to perfect a good apple brandy (striving for Calvados ultimately) or a peach brandy?

Tater and a few other members can provide better advice regarding brandy... I'm more of a sugarhead and neutral spirit guy myself...

I prefer a pot still with a thumper