Blue Distillate Dangerous?

[rad14701]

That's a hefty set of nads hanging off that post...!!!

[woodshed]

or from the blue pigment out of the box on the table labelled "Kolor Kit"?

ain't april 1st yet.

i'm calling bullshit.

Very hard to believe that. If fermentation is an issue for you maybe you should go back to square one and start over. And give that shit back to the winery. Maybe they can sell it as blueberry wine.

[uncleFred]

After sitting for a day or two I get a flaky metallic bluish green but more green
than blue buildup in my foreshots and a small amount of the same on the
glass with my heads and hearts (together) and tails (by themself) in it. It
is collecting on the glass and floating on top of the distillate. Is this
the same thing? My first run was some wine I made awhile ago and I had no
problems after that I have about six runs through it from two batches of
wash both made with turbo yeast and have noticed this. It has a strong
smell that I can't get out of the glass jar even after soaking and washing. This was run through a crock pot still since I'm starting small and really just doing this to gain knowledge at this time. I used a stainless steel pot lid and drilled a hole in it to insert a rubber stopper that I put the end of my copper coil into and sealed with flower paste. Some of my research has said that aluminum in the still will cause this problem because it reacts with the copper and causes it to corrode and run out into the finished product so I'm thinking maybe that stainless steel lid was actually not stainless steel after all. I'm not sure if it is that or the turbo yeast but I plan on finding a new lid. One other thing to mention is that the green does not show up at first, it's only after sitting a day that it starts to build up on the sides of the jar.

[Bigbob]

UncleFred there is so much wrong with this post, all I can say is go to the post I recomended in your welcome. You need to read.

[HDNB]

Uncle Fred, take Bigbobs advise and slam it into park.
you need to research :
Yeast (and why not to use turbos)
nutrients
fermenting (and all related)
alkaline washes

then you will understand blue/green (and probaly white) shit floating around your distillate. it's quite a bit different than adding reflex blue pigment from a Kolor Kit to plastic tube full of water (or heaven forbid-likker)

then you need to get serious out in the workshop and put together some stilling equipment that does NOT include the pressure cooker, rubber, aluminium that you noted.

[uncleFred]

I'm making my way through the spoon feeding post, I have read a few books on distilling and understand what it is and the process of distilling but they didn't talk much about the material and actually building a still. This crock pot still was just strictly for learning purposes and I haven't drank anything that came out of it, nor did I plan to. I have just always been more of a hands on learner, I'm tearing it apart though. I have been a homebrewer for about 2 years now but never used turbo yeast before now.

[HDNB]

no question it take time to get through the homeworks, reading and understanding all of it is daunting.
after you get done with cranky's spoon feeding thread here is a great place to research the right build for your purpose. there is some links that go to build plans on it too!

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=47262

you can ask questions directly on those threads too, to keep the continuity going there. this blue distillate thing has been beaten to death so bad, that's probably the only reason a mod hasn't been over here twisting my ears for derailing it more!

[dpschein]

I had a blue distillate. Was a little more blue than yours, I tossed it. Determined it was from using a little too much vinegar for my cleaning run and then leaving it sit. Took 2 sacrificial runs to clean it all out. So if you wash was real acidic or your cleaning was, I'm guessing that would be the cause. In any case, I would toss it and try again.

[thecroweater]

you guys crack me up especially liked the toilet cleaner in the vile
I have had a blue tinge from copper oxide before, its in the first 50 mls of the fores and I have a large plated column. If you are getting blue distillate through your hearts (not the stuff in the vile ) it is not from the copper, take a good look at your ferment or you are going way way to deep into your tails

[uncleFred]

no question it take time to get through the homeworks, reading and understanding all of it is daunting.
after you get done with cranky's spoon feeding thread here is a great place to research the right build for your purpose. there is some links that go to build plans on it too!

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=47262

you can ask questions directly on those threads too, to keep the continuity going there. this blue distillate thing has been beaten to death so bad, that's probably the only reason a mod hasn't been over here twisting my ears for derailing it more!

Thanks I will check them out.

Im pretty sure it is a stainless steel lid, it's a nice and shiny heavy duty lid that looks and feels like SS I just read that aluminum causes green in your distillate so I didn't want to rule it out. I didn't even think about the rubber bung though, I see stills on mile high distilling with a rubber bung in the top that have the thermometer stuck into so I didn't think that was a problem, I use the same kind they sell on their site that I bought from my local homebrew store. I won't distill again until I do some more research and get a real still (either buy or build) but I am still curious about what caused it. I have been going back and forth between reading the spoon feeding thread and researching what caused this. I have been running pretty deep into the tails just to strip all the alcohol for the next run and then running batches back to back without cleaning the worm in between because I was just cleaning my crock pot and refilling it, then starting it right back up. I know what the green is now but do you think it was from the rubber or from running so deep into the tails and not cleaning between my back to back stripping runs?

[HDNB]

cause=alkaline wash and deep tails.

clean your still. dilute with water to =/- 30% and run again. that's what i did and it fixed all. if i'm wrong, someone needs to step in here.

keep going with the rubber if you don't mind the flavour. probably won't kill you (quickly), but there are better flavours.

[uncleFred]

Thanks, I will try that and see what the results are. To clean it I plan to do a vinegar run followed by a water run and then my alcohol, I'm not drinking any of this right now but just to confirm I have it right, I wouldn't drink the first alcohol run I would throw it out. I have read that you can save your foreshots and use those for your sacrificial cleaning run, can you use the same foreshots repeatedly for cleaning or is it better to just use them once. This entire run may end up being used for my first alcohol cleaning run when the time comes and I have a proper still.

[rad14701]

What does your crock pot look like...??? We don't recommend crock pots for boilers... Glad to hear you're planning on making some equipment changes...

[Danespirit]

Uncle Fred... You should seriously think about a new boiler. Maybe overthink your whole stillbuild once more before you proceed with that kind of "equipment".
There are a lot of very good and proven designs here on the site, please take a look at them and do some reading.
Crock pots,pressurecookers and the like,are not seen as a good startingpoint for a still.

[DAD300]

cause=alkaline wash and deep tails.

Alkaline Boiler Charge + Copper in the descending vapor/liquid path = Blue distillate

http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Inorganic_C ... _of_Copper" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJSQq494oV4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[uncleFred]

It's an electric crock pot with a ceramic crock that sits inside the heating element and has a high and low setting. On the low setting it don't get hot enough to run any tails, i chose this for my temporary set up over a pressure cooker because there is no open flame and it will just break the flour paste seal if it for some reason builds up to much pressure. For safety reasons I would rather buy a professionally built still than build one but I do know a welder that would help me out if I went that route. I'm just using this to get started and have some hands on learning. I haven't made it to the still plans section yet I'm making my way through the spoon feeding thread right now. I do have a 15.5 gallon keg that I see is popular for boilers but I'm not sure if I want to go that big.

[Danespirit]

Ceramic..? Pressure?? There should really be zero pressure regardless what still design you choose!
Throw that crock pot to hell..don't even build something "to learn" out of it.
You are better of using that 15,5 gallon keg you already have.
If you have a friend that is a welder...brilliant. You could make yourself a nice little still out of stainless?
There are lots of designs here to choose that are proven valid,cheap and SAFE !
(sorry bit of topic from the blue distillate,but i saw a accident going on here..)

[rad14701]

It's an electric crock pot with a ceramic crock that sits inside the heating element and has a high and low setting. On the low setting it don't get hot enough to run any tails, i chose this for my temporary set up over a pressure cooker because there is no open flame and it will just break the flour paste seal if it for some reason builds up to much pressure. For safety reasons I would rather buy a professionally built still than build one but I do know a welder that would help me out if I went that route. I'm just using this to get started and have some hands on learning. I haven't made it to the still plans section yet I'm making my way through the spoon feeding thread right now. I do have a 15.5 gallon keg that I see is popular for boilers but I'm not sure if I want to go that big.

Don't be drinking crap distilled out of a ceramic crock pot...!!! Just because the glazing is fine for the production of food doesn't mean it is safe for the production of alcohol... It's time to get serious about this hobby, as well as your own health and safety... You don't need home made alcohol that bad... If you can't do better then just stick with liquor store purchases... Safety, first and foremost...!!!

In addition, truth be known, most crock pots don't even heat to a high enough temperature to properly distill alcohol... Do some research and you'll discover this little known fact...

[uncleFred]

I didn't realize the ceramic was not good, thanks for the info. I plan to use my keg for a boiler and build a pot still head for it I just need to empty the keg out first, I have three 15.5 gallon sanke kegs that are full of 30+ year old wine I bought for $12 each at a farm auction. Two of them will be made into an upgraded all grain brewing set up and the third I will use for my boiler. I haven't tried the wine yet, I'm hoping it is good to bottle and drink or maybe distill a little bit. I really wanted to buy a still because if it is professionally made I don't need to worry about it having any leaks or being a quality product but I'm scared to buy online and have my name on a list somewhere. The spoon feeding thread I was recommended to read here is massive and most if it is stuff I have already been studying up on over the last year or so but I'm going through it all again anyway and when I get to the building plans I will figure out what I am going to do from there.

[uncleFred]

The crock pot does get hot enough, the first batch came out at 74% not that it matters I won't be using it any more.

[frodo]

after you solder, the flux will leave a tourquise/green/blue residue in copper pipe. just say'n

is this the color blue you are seeing ? this is flux residue doo

[jax]

Just completed the first run. Copperhead still, used three times previously as a demo in a shop.

We used Turbo, but followed the advice on here and split the mash between two fermenters. A visitor with several years experience saw the mash and said it was very clear and that he might start trying two fermenters himself.

Ran it through the still, and it came out crystal clear but picked up a very slight blue tinge when we ran it through the carbon filter. I had put this down to insufficient rinsing out of the carbon filter, so we were just going to filter it again.

Having read different areas of the forum, I see that there are numerous possible reasons for blue tinge. Obviously the first thing I need to do is to identify where the blue came from.

Has anyone else seen a clear distillate develop a slight blue tinge over a couple of hours or can I say that as it was initially clear, that the blue must have come from the carbon filter?

thanks

[Buster]

I had some blue in a batch I believe that it was caused by cleaning with softened water. I have started rinsing with untreated water now I get a little iron residue but no blue in my distillate, anyone else have this problem?

[Pikey]

I may be being naive - but to me blue = copper sulphate from a dirty copper vapour path in a still - and it's poisonous.

[Hotdog1]

Question, I cleaned my still with vinegar and water, half an half mix,my cooking pot is stainless and a copper worm,first run after the head was lite blue and then cleared up,if I didn't get worm rinsed good would that cause the blue head?

[still_stirrin]

Question, I cleaned my still with vinegar and water, half an half mix,my cooking pot is stainless and a copper worm,first run after the head was lite blue and then cleared up,if I didn't get worm rinsed good would that cause the blue head?

I may be being naive - but to me blue = copper sulphate from a dirty copper vapour path in a still - and it's poisonous.

Well, there’s your answer!

It’s a chemical reaction that occurred when you did your cleaning runs, or possibly from solder flux reacting with the copper. The solvents in your sacrificial run pushed the salts out —> hence, the blue distillate. That is why we always do a sacrificial run as a part of the cleaning protocol.

Be safe, don’t drink the stuff.
ss

[Hotdog1]

Thank yall,yes I let the fun finish,and did another cleaning, I'm a newbie and definitely leaning and loving my new hobby, I really appreciate this web page,again thank yall

[30xs]

Just completed the first run. Copperhead still, used three times previously as a demo in a shop.

We used Turbo, but followed the advice on here and split the mash between two fermenters. A visitor with several years experience saw the mash and said it was very clear and that he might start trying two fermenters himself.

Ran it through the still, and it came out crystal clear but picked up a very slight blue tinge when we ran it through the carbon filter. I had put this down to insufficient rinsing out of the carbon filter, so we were just going to filter it again.

Having read different areas of the forum, I see that there are numerous possible reasons for blue tinge. Obviously the first thing I need to do is to identify where the blue came from.

Has anyone else seen a clear distillate develop a slight blue tinge over a couple of hours or can I say that as it was initially clear, that the blue must have come from the carbon filter?

thanks

Is there plastic in your carbon filtering process? I’ve ran a few runs that I put uncut crystal clear in a mason jar for a few hours, to travel with it to get assistance with my cuts. Once diluted every jar would be crystal clear for a few minutes and then develop a haze that had a bluish tint when held up to the light. I believe it’s from the high proof and plastisol? in the lid? Plastic in a carbon filter would possibly have the same result.

[still_stirrin]

… Once diluted every jar would be crystal clear for a few minutes and then develop a haze that had a bluish tint when held up to the light…

I experienced this phenomena before with the distillate from a high corn ratio mash. The corn oils coalesced when cool and formed a cloud-like haze that had a very light blue color to it (when held up to the light).

The oil can somewhat be removed by filtering through a coffee filter (or two). Chilling the distillate before filtering also helps to get it out. But, keep in mind that the oils do contribute a lot of that “corn flavor” you’re desiring to keep in the spirit. If you’re going to age the spirit on wood, chances are that it will soak up the oils in the aging process anyway. So, filtering is just a matter for the obsessive-compulsive distiller (OCD).
ss

[30xs]

Not sure if it means anything, but mine was a wash with grains for flavor (UJ style). Corn, oats, wheat, and sugar. I’ve done two runs out of the same fermenter. One seen nothing but glass and cork and cuts clear. The other had lids for a short window and every jar in the line would cut with a haze. I wouldn’t think I’d push that much oil on a wash?

I’ve also had one I pulled a middle jar and cut to 90 proof and put it in a brand new jar from the pack. The result there was hazy, but a jar on either side cut into a used jar and remained clear. Everything that was cut remained clear for about five minutes and then would haze up.