Pound and a half rule

[Alchemist75]

I've been using a rule I decided upon, long ago, after reading on these forums that says the most sugar I will ever add to a gallon of final volume is 1.5 pounds. I do basic sugar heads mostly, cereal and sugar in a series of 4 gallon fermenters using bakers yeast and 6 pounds of sugar per. Works good. Now, given the type of yeast could I do 2 pounds on the gallon? Would it just be a waste of sugar or stress the yeast or would it work ok? I roughly calculate the abv of my washes at 11%, I think the cap on bakers yeast is 13%. Would that extra half pound be too much? Whaddya all think?

[NZChris]

My rule of thumb is that if you're not getting enough alcohol out of your fermenter, you need a bigger fermenter.

[Saltbush Bill]

I think the cap on bakers yeast is 13%

Im pretty sure bakers will go higher than 13% but you are looking for trouble if you push it that fair or beyond.

if you're not getting enough alcohol out of your fermenter, you need a bigger fermenter.

You've just been given good advise....I might add that a bigger boiler also helps.

[StillerBoy]

I do sugar wash at 2 lbs often, or 1.080 - 85, with no noticeable different.. and since it for neutral I only strip down to 50% overall volume.. a strip run of 24L (6gal) gives me just a little more than 4L of 50%.. the only thing that I notice is that is will try a few extra days to finish fermenting.. and I use bakers yeast Red Star, and have push this yeast to 20% by doing adding sugar in two part, and with take about 2 wks to finish down to .995..

Mars

[Alchemist75]

My ferment capacity is presently 20 gallons in 4 gallon batches which works out well as my boiler is 5 gallon so each batch is a charge. A larger boiler is almost inevitable as are other upgrades as time goes on, all I've done since I first started is slowly get into better gear. Just a steady progression. I asked as much out of curiosity as a desire to step up output, sounds like my rule is a good one, avoids funky brew. 2 pounds would give me a little more so I suppose that's something I'll just have to try, maybe once the weather warms up. Hitting 20% is an eyebrow raiser, that's high octane there, my rig doesn't make vodka so I wonder if I'd get weird results trying that lol. Thanks guys, good answers.

[NZChris]

5 gallons is quite small, but adding a well plumbed 5 gallon Charentaise style preheater would make multiple strips per day easy and more time and energy efficient than a two or three times larger still.

[Alchemist75]

Clever idea Chris. I'm capable of knocking out 3 or 4 in a day if I get up by say 10 am lol. I have a routine down with both ferments and runs, a preheating vessel might be a cool addition

[NZChris]

A preheater can have the next charge up to distilling temperature before it goes into the main boiler, the first drips arriving only a couple of minutes after the heat goes back on. I sometimes catch the foreshot with the preheater.

[Alchemist75]

This does sound like a good idea.....one of many I've gotten on this site. There are multiple ports on my boiler so setting it up wouldn't require heavy boiler modification. So what, have the lyne arm connect up to an internal coil in the preheater? A valved arm running back to the boiler, install a slop arm on the boiler......

[BENTCAP]

Clever idea Chris. I'm capable of knocking out 3 or 4 in a day if I get up by say 10 am lol. I have a routine down with both ferments and runs, a preheating vessel might be a cool addition

Do you clean the still between runs or just run it again after it cools

[6 Row Joe]

I might have to try that. Do you guys have a spigot in your pot for easy draining? If you could preheat to 130° or so it would be a time saver.

[Alchemist75]

Clever idea Chris. I'm capable of knocking out 3 or 4 in a day if I get up by say 10 am lol. I have a routine down with both ferments and runs, a preheating vessel might be a cool addition

Do you clean the still between runs or just run it again after it cools

For stripping I clean all the copper real good with hot vinigar and salt at the start. After that I can muscle through pretty quick and the copper stays pretty bright. I just stripped 8 gallons earlier this evening, pear Brandy in just a little over 4 hours. Realistically, I could probably strip over 20 gallons in a day, 4 gallon charges back to back. Like I said, I got my routine down. My ferments go together damned quick too.

[NZChris]

Do you clean the still between runs or just run it again after it cools

During a series of strips, I dump and recharge with no cleaning and no cooling, my record from heat off to heat on being seven minutes.

I hose the boilers out before the first charge and again after the last. My copper hasn't been deliberately cleaned to bright since I built the still.