Airing out the spirits?

[Bogey]

Eagerly awaiting the results from the Panela wash!

[Prairiepiss]

Impressive. And that was on your plated still? (for info)

That was with the one plate fu man. And about 4" of loose packing in the 2" column.

I'm going to be adding the packing back in for the Birdwatchers run Sunday. It will be 12" of tighter packing. For the strip runs and spirit run. My goal for the strip runs is above 80% closer to 90% in 2 hours a 10 gal run. The spirit run I will just have to see how it goes on time and 95% min 96% preferred.

[Dave73]

I use to use a vacumm pump on wine to help remove co2 and it worked very well. the wine would foam up and all the co2 would come out. I never considered trying it on distillates might try and see what happens

[frozenthunderbolt]

I use to use a vacumm pump on wine to help remove co2 and it worked very well. the wine would foam up and all the co2 would come out. I never considered trying it on distillates might try and see what happens

Now that's a thought!
Heard of people using them to speed up the alcohol entering the oak, never thought to use one to create overpressure for airing
Know the local hardware store has them, i'm gonna go price them out now

[mick3b1g]

dont know if this has been done but would an aquarium air stone help air out fresh distillate ?

Mick

[frozenthunderbolt]

dont know if this has been done but would an aquarium air stone help air out fresh distillate ?

Mick

Too much too fast and too plastic. Also too oxidizing depending on who you read. That said some use a or copper stainless version linked to a blower. a case of YMMV

[Prairiepiss]

There was a vodka distillery that joined a couple years ago. They claimed to use an airstone on their product. They got a lot of flak for it. I found it interesting.


I would however like to report. That my lower ABV sugar washes have been quite impressive. I have done one 40 gal UJSSM, one 35 gal panela rum, and one 40 gal Birdwatchers. All at 8% ABV. I was able to make cuts without airing. And they were much easier to find. The product has been better then what I was making before. That's just my opinion though. I am hooked. I will probably never go above 8% ABV on a ferment again.

Update on the stripping runs mentioned above. I was plagued with problems. But I managed to strip 4 10 gal batches to 80% in 12 hours. I then did the spirit run the next night. It was a 4 hour run collected 2 gallons of good hearts out of it. Very clean stuff. But again problems with my new running technique I could only get 94%. I later found out I just wasn't pushing enough heat. So now I know what I need to do. I will attempt it again. Soon.

[bcboyz86]

So do you have giant fermenters laying around to do 30+ gallon ferments, or is it more like 8 five gallon washes you run? Im thinking of getting q big fermenter to do some big washes, but not sure if that's the best course of action... I've collected 2-6gallon csrboys, and 5-5gallon carboys from different people for the right price, and am debating on getting a big'n to do large ferments in instead of lots of little ones...any thoughts for or against a huge fermenter as opposed to a lot of small ones?

[Dnderhead]

I thank its best to have fermenters that "fit" the wash /mash you use.
if you have a keg boiler, something about 15-20 gallon.that way its one ferment,one distilling.it all fits no leftovers,no waste.

[DuckofDeath]

Yep I have a 15 gallon boiler and I use 20 gallon fermantation vessles. Seems a pefect fit.

[Prairiepiss]

Yep I have three 53 gal fermenters setup. I ferment so I can get 3 10 gal runs out of one ferment. It is so much easier this way. I have a 15 gal fermenter for single batches if I want to use it. I use buckets and carboys for beer and wine. Have a 7.5 gal bucket for beer primary, and two 2 gal buckets for wine primarys. And numerous 1 gal jugs for wine secondarys and a 6.5 and a glass and two plastic 5 gal carboys for the beer.
Here are the big ones. The one closest to the camera has its blanky on. To keep it warm.

Sory a little off topic.

[blind drunk]

The product has been better then what I was making before. That's just my opinion though. I am hooked. I will probably never go above 8% ABV on a ferment again.

Did you also find that you got more drinkable shine as opposed to a bunch of stuff that's horrible? That's what I found. Curious.

[Prairiepiss]

The product has been better then what I was making before. That's just my opinion though. I am hooked. I will probably never go above 8% ABV on a ferment again.

Did you also find that you got more drinkable shine as opposed to a bunch of stuff that's horrible? That's what I found. Curious.

Seams that way yes. I kinda noticed getting a little more from the first runs. But I noticed a big difference in my all feints run the other day. A really big difference. Approx 6 gal of feints at 80%ish I ended up with 2.5 gal of very usable neutral. I was kinda freaked out about it. And was real hesitant of keeping that much. I am very happy with the 8% ABV ferments. I've even thought about going lower down to maybe 6%? Not sure if I will?

Another thing to think about. Another reason to go lower ABV or recipes like UJSSM. Where you leave the grain/yeast bed for the next ferment. Or anything that will have a deep yeast bed. You will lose less alcohol to what is left in the fermenter after racking. If you ferment to 14% ABV and leave behind say 3 gallons after racking. You just left behind .42 gal of 100% alcohol. Bit if you fermented to 8% ABV you would only leave behind .24 gal of 100% alcohol. So to me fermenting lower is more efficient. In more ways then one.

I want to do some further testing when I get to the point that I can do it. I want to do some side by sides of some AGs and sugarheads. Fermented to the same ABV.

I think this thread has taken a detour. For me at least. And I think I found my solution to my original problem. I no longer need to air my product before I make cuts. Mater of fact airing of my Birdwatchers last week. Made little of no change. I did it just to see. It was fermented to 8%. Stripped and a spirit run. Normally I would have needed to let it air out. But I was able to determined where to make the cuts with out airing. And airing made no noticeable change. Maybe its me? And maybe I'm jumping the gun a little. I have another UJSSM 2 gen and 2 gen of panela with dunder. Both waiting to be ran. I will test them by airing to see if I can tell a difference. I don't think it will make a difference. But to just ne sure. I will try it.

I would like to see others maybe try something similar. Someone who normally airs their product out before cuts.

[blind drunk]

It's definitely cleaner overall. Go for 6

[bcboyz86]

Do you shoot for a 8% ABV from the start, or stop the fermenting early? I was wondering if I should try to cut back on my initial Sugar in the wash, or pull the wash before it ferments out to keep the wash low. I'm assuming one would just try to use less sugar in the wash to keep the yeast from making too much alcohol. Does it ferment out a lot sooner? I had a 16% wash and it took a little more than a week, would an 8% wash take half the time, or does it still take a while? And do you cut back on the yeast too? Like say 1 package of ec-1118 instead of two?

[Usge]

p, are you dis tilling it to the same proof as before? Ie.,lower proof usually always smoother and blends better e en With impurities in it. Sorry for typing. On one of these damn pads

[Prairiepiss]

Do you shoot for a 8% ABV from the start, or stop the fermenting early? I was wondering if I should try to cut back on my initial Sugar in the wash, or pull the wash before it ferments out to keep the wash low. I'm assuming one would just try to use less sugar in the wash to keep the yeast from making too much alcohol. Does it ferment out a lot sooner? I had a 16% wash and it took a little more than a week, would an 8% wash take half the time, or does it still take a while? And do you cut back on the yeast too? Like say 1 package of ec-1118 instead of two?

I have been shooting for an SG of 1.060 or lower. They have been ending up around 1.056 ish.

If you stop the ferment early. You are just wasting sugar. And adding the possibility of sugar scorching? Good for sweet wines. Not good for distilling.

Generally my ferments are done in 3 to 5 days. That's for a 6% to 12% wash. Never went over 12%. Not for distilling anyway. But a 16% is ridiculously high. And I would guess to say yes an 8% wash would ferment much faster then a 16% wash.

Amount of yeast should go by ferment volume. Not sugar content.

[Prairiepiss]

p, are you dis tilling it to the same proof as before? Ie.,lower proof usually always smoother and blends better e en With impurities in it. Sorry for typing. On one of these damn pads

Distilling to 85% ish on the flavored stuff. Some of it was higher. And same on the Birdwatchers stripping runs. And 94% on the spirit run.

Basically the same ABV I've always distilled to.

[Angel_Kefka]

Just curious is you have the modified sugar amounts for the lower ABV versions of those recipes you could post, or are you just adding a bit at a time till it gets to the right reading.

[jholmz]

you can use the calculators on the home site angel at the bottom of the calc page theres an sg calc

[Prairiepiss]

Yes the calculators are easy. Or just figure sugar has 46 ppp.

[Angel_Kefka]

thanks, its been a while since I looked at all the calcs on the parent site. seems to be a lot more than I remember. Will have to look through it all again.

[Bagasso]

This is an old thread and I see that it has gone off topic but Prairiepiss asked in the OP:

So what is it with airing out the distillate off the still that makes the smell and taste change so much.

My guess would that it, at least in part, could be the evaporation of acetaldehyde. It has a boiling point of 68.4°F (20.2°C) and most homes, even in winter, are kept at at least 70°F (21.1°C).

[Prairiepiss]

As usual, a whole lot of guesstimations.

[Bagasso]

As usual, a whole lot of guesstimations.

Yep, I don't get what the eyerolling is about.

Are you saying that acetaldehyde doesn't boil at room temp? Even a glassful of water will evaporate given enough time.

[Prairiepiss]

Acetaldehyde if in a 100% concentration would boil at 68.36°F (20.2°C). But at the concentrations we are working with. In the liquid mixture we are working at. No it wouldn't boil at room temp.

Boiling and evaporation are two different things.

Is this what's taking place? I don't have a clue. Don't much care any more. I found the best solution to my problems. So I have no need for airing stuff out any more.


The rolly eyes was you condemned guestimation in one thread. But yet geustimate in another.

[Bagasso]

Acetaldehyde if in a 100% concentration would boil at 68.36°F (20.2°C). But at the concentrations we are working with. In the liquid mixture we are working at. No it wouldn't boil at room temp.

I think most of us here know that but things do seperate at different temps. It is what we do.

Boiling and evaporation are two different things.

But quite similar.

Is this what's taking place? I don't have a clue. Don't much care any more. I found the best solution to my problems. So I have no need for airing stuff out any more.

Great, care to share?

The rolly eyes was you condemned guestimation in one thread. But yet geustimate in another.

Actually, in that other thread, I was saying that my idea was also guestimation and that that is what "we" usually do around here because very few people get stuff tested.

Just to make things clear about the taste of copper. I never said I couldn't taste it, I said that it wasn't nasty. Like still_stirring said in the "A QUESTION OF TASTE" thread there is a reason why funky and weird, and probably nasty, are not considered taste descriptors.

[Prairiepiss]

Great, care to share?

I have. If you read the posts in this thread. You will see I have already shared it.

[Bagasso]

I have. If you read the posts in this thread. You will see I have already shared it.

I saw that but thought that there was something more along the lines of the question in the OP in regards to what happens during airing out and wanting to try under an inert gas.

I see that you no longer care but maybe someone who stumbles onto this thread might. I quoted you because, after all, you did ask the question.