Home Distiller

Re My last wash for information and discussion.

I carefully siphoned off the wash from Rubbermaid storage bin to carboys and it fact totaled 85 liters.

Split this into two batches and heated up to 98 C. with pot still. Yield 25 liters of beer + 500 ml of ethanol and heads from my last batch. More about this later.

Put the above into small boiler, attached Column still, cranked contents until steam at top of boiler reached 80C then reduced to lower power. Temperature at top of column at this point around 14.5 C.

Where I live is about 1400 FT above sea level. I'm watching the top of my column for a temp around 78 C and the steam at the top of my boiler around 83 C. It always varies slightly. Barometric pressure, battery power in the digital thermometers etc..

This time I began the process at 2:30 PM April 17 , top of column 78.1C, top of boiler 82 C. I always play it really safe and slowly bleed off about 500 ml at a rate of 3 drops per second for about two hours. The first in teaspoons which I chuck out.
It smells like nail polish remover. When this smell subsides I collect and save the 500 ml of the remaining heads and ethanol. I will re distill this in a future batch, so it doesn't go to waste.

It's 4:30 PM and I have a steady 78.1 C, 83 C. I begin collecting ethanol at 3 drops per second. At 10 PM nothing has changed and I now have 1500 ml collected. Check things over and hit the sack.

This morning at 7 am, April 18, I have another two liters collected. 78.1 C top of column, 85 C top of boiler.

12:30 PM 78.1C, 86 C. I now have 4.3 Liters over a period of 18 hours or 239 ml per hour. This is a conservative withdrawal rate. Stone suggests as high as 270 ml per hour.

Increased the flow a bit.

5:40 PM 78.1 C top of column, 89 C top of boiler, 5800 ml liters collected.

I shut everything down at 11 PM last night 78.3C Top of Column, 94 C top of boiler.

6900 ml of ethanol collected.

I didn't want to let it run all night, so close to end of the run.
April 19
I'm using a stripped out water heater as a boiler. I have a digital oven thermometer inserted at the top which records the steam, not the liquid at the top. On top of my column, I have another digital thermometer.

Propyl alcohol, a fusel oil boils at around 97.2.

Theoretically, I feel that as long as my top of column remains say, under 80 C and my top of boiler say, under 96 I could go on collecting ethanol with no negative effect? Could I have a comment from some of my old colleagues. I could in effect fire my still up today and collect a few more Mls. Is it worth the trouble.

Anyway, I thought I would post the above for newcomers to the site and budding distillers interested in my recipe.

Have a good week.

G

And I though my runs were slow at 6 hours, dangit!!!

I'm never in a rush.

As you know I always quote from Stones, Making Gin and Vodka. His wash is 65 liters and he says his fractioning run can take up to 20 hrs. I started with 85 liters.

I turned it on again this morning and gathered another say, 250-300 mls. at noon, top of boiler was 97C top of column 84 C.
Figure that was it. Smell was fine, but I'll save that bit for re distillation next time. If I count what I'm saving for next time, my total yield was about 7700 ml. That should keep me in Vodka/gin and tonics plus martinis for the Summer.

G

That sounds like a good yield to me. I was just poking a little fun with the slow comment, I too tend to stretch my pot stilling out as much as my patience will let me.

My Pot still run is done in about four - five hours.

G

Same here, I run a 15 gallon keg built pot still filled with about 10 gallons of your recipe finished to about 14%ABV and usually runs for 4 to 5 hours.

As you know, I do 80+ liter washes.

So I need a large boiler do two stripping runs to get my beer(moonshine). For this purpose I use a 38 gal. stripped down electric water heater.

I use a little apartment size stripped down water heater with a replaced 750 watt heater. This I use for my factioning run. It has a heavy voltage plug.

I have two wall outlets by my setup; one 240 volts the other 120. Both with heavy voltage receivers.

When I do my fractioning run I plug the small boiler into the 240 volt outlet. This heats the contents very quickly. When my top of boiler temperature reaches 80C I change to the 120 volt receiver. At this time the top of column temperature is still at room temperature and it will take a good hour for the steam to work through the packing.

You know all this, however there may be newcomers reading this and it might be helpful.

I always recommend those interested in making ethanol to read http://www.gin-vodka.com/making-gin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Have a good day.

G

Birdwatcher, bless you my son for coming up with that never fail recipe. I run a 30 liter hot water tank at 1500 watts, takes me about 6 hours to run my 1.75L at 92+ % hearts out of the batch of 4kg sugar.

Hooch

Thanks mrhooch,

Make note of the simplified procedure, recently posted above.

Have a good day.

G

Birdwatcher,
I am assuming that you are getting all the purity you want in your run without lots of carbon filtering and polishing?? Also at the first night did you let the still run while you slept?
I am not questioning safety, you know your stuff, just wondering because I want to know if it is safe, or OK to stop a run at night and just restart it in the morning. Is it OK to leave a half cooked mash in the boiler overnigh? Maybe corrosive to stainless or copper,- bacteria??
I have just built a half barrel setup and don't have 30 hours straight (exageration) to get purity in one run.
I am used to potstills and am giving a reflux column a try, your recipe is on the top of my to do list but for me time is a huge factor, I never have 20+ hours in a row to dedicate to stilling. I have to do it in blocks of time. 6-8 hours and come back to it 10-12 hours later.

As long as oxygen does not get to the distillate, it will be fine to run the next day. I would never feel comfortable letting one run while I am sleeping.

so don't put so much in the boiler.

Hi fastill,

as Dnderhead says, simply start with less beer(moonshine) in your boiler.

I started the reflux run with 25+ liters. At the end I have collected 7+ liters of 95+ % ethanol. That leaves 18+ liters of liquid in the boiler. The heat is gentle, only a 750 watt heater.

Over night, which for me is say six hours, the set up is running unattended. The withdrawal rate is 3 drops per second. The still has a 1/4 inch hole at the top, covered by one cent coin.

When I first started, I was concerned about leaving my setup unattended over night, and you can certainly turn everything off, if you feel more comfortable doing so. After 15 years or so of making, drinking my own vodka, gin and liqueurs, I feel confident, that everything is in order after checking all water connections, temperatures etc. before going to bed. Sometimes I get up for a pee around 3 AM, if so I will certainly have a peek.

It takes me a good 24 hours to complete the reflux procedure with amount I make, so I dislike losing the the time.

I have never filtered my finished product. It is crystal clear, with a slight sweet odor.

Cheers and a pleasant weekend to all.

G

Hi birdwatcher,
Have just read this entire thread,as i will be attempting your recipe although at a 25L size.I have only used turbos but now i think i will give this recipe a shot after stirring a few of the members up on another thread.I just have a few questions if you dont mind-Im only intending to make neutral spirits at this stage.

1-Do i need a pot still?i only have a 25L Essencia express super reflux still.
2-Can i distill the whole lot in one go in the same amount of time it usually takes to do a 25L turbo wash(3.5-4 hrs)
3-Do i throw away the first 50-100ml?
4-What do i keep and what goes down the drain?Heads,hearts,tails
5-Can i run it through my filter anyway?I use an essencia carbon filter.

I think i will be confident enough with the fermentation side of things,just the Distilling part worried me.
May be silly questions for some but im trying to move from the "dark side" and dont want to ruin my first go at it.
Cheers
Marc

Hi Marc,

Thanks for your interest in the Birdwatcher Wash Recipe, which we can all help you through. However, I have a confession to make. I don't have the faintest idea what a 25L Essencia express super reflux still consists of or how it operates. Maybe someone on the site can help you, when you complete your wash.

When I started out I followed the instructions in this book to the letter.

http://www.gin-vodka.com/making-gin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I continue to use the same pot still as described. For me, producing 95+% ethanol, is a two stage process. Pot still, followed by reflux still.

There is no fast track to this hobby. Buy the above book and read it a few times. Build the proper equipment. Then we can help you distill your wash.

Be patient and good luck.

G

marc83 wrote:
1-Do i need a pot still?i only have a 25L Essencia express super reflux still.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13264

is an excellent guide to using your still and is based on that unit

I just put one of these washes on tonight,but after checking a few things out i have discovered i used the wrong yeast,i picked up Brewers yeast when i was at the bulk/binn inn store,when i should have bought active or bakers yeast. I understand now that the brewers yeast is just dead yeast cells,only fit for nutritional supplements etc.then found a thread here where someone asked if brewers yeast was ok to use...answer was NO When i found this out i skimmed the top of the wash taking as much of it out as i could.
I have now sealed the lid and first thing before work i am going to shoot down to the local store where they have edmonds active yeast on the shelf in 150gm jars.Im sure if i get it back up to 28oC and pitch 75gm or so of this i should be able to save it right?My first attempt at a Birdwatchers and i feel like such a knob...bit angry at myself.Will see how it goes tomorrow...Heres hoping.....

How many liters is your wash?

Keep us posted and good luck.

G

the brewers yeast will do more good than harm - it's a nutrient. don't sweat it, it'll be alright

Its a 25 L wash birdwatcher.Have just got back from the store with some active yeast.The fermenter has alot of sediment in the bottom,all brown from the brewers yeast,the temp is still around26-28 degrees so wont take long to fire up.i am just draining the fermenter into another to leave the bulk of the yeast behind,cant do much about what has already dissolved into the water.am going to top it back up to 25 litres anyway.fingers crossed.

Shes bubbling away nicely,just took a peek inside.Not as vigorous as i would have expected but it has a nice big head on it.very happy now,so relieved.
I still have the fermenter lid just sitting on the top and keeping the temp as close to 30 degrees as possible.

Question....When i added the active yeast this morning i just sprinkled it over the top,should i have stirred it in or will it be ok?Oh and when can i seal the fermenter lid and use the airlock??

I was so excited when making this wash,so much different than just ripping open a turbo and chucking it in.So glad i gave this a go,hope it goes well.I might just drop a hydrometer in after a day or two and leave it in there,just so i can easily check the progress.
I will be trying this wash again as i have the ingredients to make another..
Cheers guys.

Temperature between 26C to 30C OK.

Sprinkle yeast all over surface and then stir in. Stir once daily, then leave it alone. Don't fuss trying to speed up the process. It takes a week or so for SG to drop to .995. What was your staring SG? Check daily.

I never use an airlock, just keep covered with a loose lid. OK to make small batches while you are in the learning process, but I suggest larger washes in future. I use a 106 liter Rubbermaid storage container, with a hole in the lid big enough to slip in an aquarium heater. I make 80 liter washes.

I use a turkey baster to remove a sample daily to check SG. Floating your hydrometer in the wash is not practical.

Sounds like you are on your way. Keep us posted. Check out this book. It was my Bible at the beginning.

http://www.gin-vodka.com/making-gin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Cheers.

G

Thanks for that birdwatcher,
My starting S.G was 1070.I only have 30L fermenters but if it works out ok i will find a bigger one for this wash.Well i will give it a stir up and just leave the lid sitting on top,it is bubbling slightly less this morning,temp is still ok.
Will keep you posted how i get on.
Marc

Day 4 and my first birdwatchers has an SG of 0994
It is still quietly fizzing away,gave it its daily stir this morning and sat lid back on.bloody great recipe this is,i must get another one on,maybe today.
Roughly how much would i strip out of this wash(its a 25L).Wondering wether or not i will need to put one or two more on.

Thanks BW, Followed the recipe to a T and now have 20L of Low wines 55% abv. Gotta love the simplicity of this. I did kill the heat from the aquarium heater and found that wrapping an old sleeping bag around the fermenter worked very well. Temp was between 24C-26C, took about 10 days to ferment out to 0.990 and still gave me 13%abv in the wash. Opened everything off whilst stripping it in my pot-still and kept taking it to 20% abv.

Used active dry bakers yeast (125g) with no problems. I'll let you all know how I get on when doing the spirit run...

Thanks again BW... A nice clean recipe with plenty of nutrients for those little beasties....mmmm

S.

sounds good samohon,
How many stripping runs did you have to do to get 20L for your spirit run

Its day 5 for my 25L BW sugar wash,and sg is 0988.Bloody stoked with this wash,so stoked that yesterday i put a second one on too easy..
I gave the first one a good ol stir,so i will give it aweek and rack it into another fermenter and let it clear some more if need be then distill it.
Top recipe birdwatcher!!

Thanks.

Enjoy.

G

marc83 wrote:sounds good samohon,
How many stripping runs did you have to do to get 20L for your spirit run

Hi marc83. I did two stripping runs to get my 20L of low wines, BW=(45000*.13)/.55 = 106363.6364

Broken down, Thats actually 45L (allowed 5L for lees), coming off @ 55%abv, that gave me 10L off low wines with the remainder left in the
backset. I also poured the 5L of lees into a long 6L glass spagetti jar and racked off a further 4L of wash. I took off 100ml of fores very very slowly for each 22L then cracked up the heat, turned on the coolant and making no cuts for the heads, hearts or tails, took everything down to 20%. I dont go lower than 20%abv as the cost just is'nt worth it. All in all, took about 2.5 to 3 hours. Fast and furious...

This is a great recipe and I cant wait to do a spirit run, maybe this weekend. (I'll keep Yall informed)
I have another 45L bubling away at the moment. I want to get my neutral stocks up for summer then I'll do some experimenting. BW has given us a great recipe to yield a good abv at a good price, it's now up to us to take what is already there and bend it a little.

For the New Stiller: If your looking for an easy, clean way to make neutrals (VODKA), don't Turbo it, BW it....(simple)
Thanks again BW, I'm sure you 'll be on my wifes dance card...lol

S.

Have a good day all.

G