Home Distiller

bitter wrote:Thank HDBN,

I am trying to keep it going but house temps not helping things... in the mid 60's and things definitely not fermenting at a reasonable rate. Might be done for the year till spring after this bunch. Will keep some backset to restart if that is the end result.

It seems a shame to give up, have you looked into heating options? I'm picking up an aquarium heater this afternoon, they're usually under $20.

My problem is also running the still in the winter. Its a boka... so need outside tap.. at -20f will freeze solid... not setup to run in the house at the moment and not easy to setup right now...

I might just build a pot still head for my keg and this would allow me to do pretty fast stripping runs in the garage.. and use 1/2 or 3/4" worm in a 5g pale of water. If it starts to warm up put some snow in it And have another pail of water to periodically swap some ware out..

Also if I move the ferments down by the corn stove once core is available I think I can get faster ferments... Will definitely need to do a strip then spirit run though. with just a pot still head and take larger head cuts. Love how with the boca I can put things into reflex and separate out a nice fores cut then switch to pot still mode.

No 220v in the basement either and pita to run a line there... so not happening... Can't use propane in the basement either so uninsulated garage it will have to be.

B

Could use a Brute trash can, like a 32 gallon and a pond pump to recirculate the water. My pump couldn't move the water high enough at first, 6 ft lift on the pump. I put it on a roll around table gained 3 feet, shortened to hoses and Bobs my Uncle.

Haus6565 wrote:Could use a Brute trash can, like a 32 gallon and a pond pump to recirculate the water. My pump couldn't move the water high enough at first, 6 ft lift on the pump. I put it on a roll around table gained 3 feet, shortened to hoses and Bobs my Uncle.

Since it's not going to touch your product, you could probably get away with a cheaper can, too.

Q: what would happen if you cooked the corn ( in my case; barley) to a pretty soft state in a ujssm?

Nothing? Goodness? Horribleness?

release the starch with no conversion. unfermentables...cooked...=funny tasting alcohol gravy??

actually, i don't know, never done it. i think you would risk a puke with starch carry over to the boiler, prolly it would settle down after a hot break. i doubt it would improve flavour...but maybe...i would say try it and report back but i don't think it's worth the effort, and pukes can be hazardous.

if you are going to expend the heat to cook it, may as well introduce some malt or enzymes and make sugar out of it. AG+sugar =gumballhead?

Alcohol gravy! Lol! Thx for the tips! What you say Makes sense.

Sorry if this question has been covered in the hundred plus pages but I'm very curious. I have an all copper 5 gallon pot still with a thumper keg. I want to start UJSSM this weekend and an wondering what affect the thumper will have on my runs and final product. What are the negatives and positives or any other advice you could give. Thanks!

That's a loaded question because a thumper can have different effects on the spirit depending on how you use it. With a larger thumper, equal to or near the size of your boiler, you can use it to increase the amount of wash you process. I have a 5 gallon boiler and a 4 gallon thumper. I can run 4 to 4.5 gallons of wash in the boiler and about 2 gallons in the thumper for a total charge of 6 to 6.5 gallons. So, instead of 3 stripping runs just using the boiler, I cut it to 2 runs with the thumper attached.

Many ways to charge a thumper for a spirit run - you can charge it with plain water to clean up the flavor, you can charge it with some reserved wash to maintain the flavor and at the same time increase the output ABV, or you can charge it with the same low wines as the boiler for increased ABV. You can also use it to infuse flavor by adding flavoring agents using a fill port (shoot the thumper).

A thumper can add a great deal of flexibility and enhancement to the way you run a pot still. Up to you to figure out how you want to use it to your own advantage.

KineticE wrote:Sorry if this question has been covered in the hundred plus pages but I'm very curious. I have an all copper 5 gallon pot still with a thumper keg. I want to start UJSSM this weekend and an wondering what affect the thumper will have on my runs and final product. What are the negatives and positives or any other advice you could give. Thanks!

You would get a lot of different answers, depending on what individuals like. There's a good Thumper thread in my signature, make sure to give it a read.

For the most part, people here have been here for a long time, and have answered the same questions many, many times, so it's best to do some research yourself before asking questions. The "HD Google Search" in the middle up top is more useful that the forum search in the top right-hand corner. I'd suggest settling in for a few days of reading before getting rolling. Also, make sure you've done you cleaning runs. I highly recommend the Spoon Feed thread in the Novice area.

As long as your thumper is well-plumbed and at least 1/3 to 1/2 the size of your boiler, it's a Good Thing.

Thank you guys for taking the time to respond and point me in the right direction. I have spent much time reading on this forum and man, there is so much more to learn and read!! Even the things I have read require re-reading and I'm sure there will be more re-reading required beyond that!

As for the thumper, I was curious if there were others who had input, particularly with the UJSSM recipe, with the use of a thump keg and how it benefits/detriments the final product. You guys helped me right out with that and I thank you!

So, I have my 3rd generation fermenting right now and there are some things I wanted to share about my experience so far to see if you guys wanted to kick back some feedback or to offer advice on what you think is best or what direction I should go in with my future generations. For fermentation vessels I am using a 6.5 gallon brewing bucket and a 6 gallon carboy. Obviously, the carboy prevents you from reaching in and removing spent corn like the recipe calls for but I have an observation about that that I wanted to share with you guys. Both the 2nd gen and now the 3rd gen ferments have kicked off like a bat out of hell in the carboy. I removed no spent corn from it and, as for now, cannot detect a difference in taste in the beer or distillation. The bucket on the other hand, I removed spent corn only from it and it starts bubbling up at around the same time as the carboy but with nowhere near the same intensity. I thought that peculiar and was wondering why that might be or what it means for the mash. Just to note, I've used the same amount of carefully measured ingredients in each so I'm guessing it doesn't have anything to do with that. I'm guessing that it has something to do with the spent corn still being in there or that maybe the carboy keeps the warmth in a bit better than the bucket providing a better environment for the yeasties to thrive. In this last gen mash, I added a half a teaspoon of yeast to the bucket just in the case that I, by scooping up the spent corn, inadvertently removed some of the yeast. Looking at the two vessels right now though, it doesn't seem to be making a difference. I keep both of the vessels on top of a floor vent in my living room as it is cold up here (N.E. States) right now and other portions of my house are just too cold.

As for the product I am producing, between the first and second runs I cannot tell too much of a difference in taste in the various cuts. I'm following the beginners guide to cutting by taking the safe route and separating fores, hearts, and tails and not getting fancy with much as I want to learn to detect the various stages and when they start to become more efficient. You can definitely tell that this is mostly a sugar wash at these early stages. I'm hoping that the third gen will produce more corn flavor. Oh and, the first gen produced a higher proof than the second.

I'm sure there are smany things I'm leaving out so any questions ask away!

Also, mods, if I should be posting this elsewhere please let me know and feel free to remove the post. As you can see, I haven't posted a whole lot in my time here so some leniency would be appreciated!!

Thanks guys!!

There are many different ways to do the distillation. It's a matter of personal preference. With the thumper, you can do a single run with the boiler and the thumper both charged with the same wash and run it low and slow like a spirit run. The thumper will help keep the ABV up a bit. The ABV is best around 62% for aging. Many members here do a few stripping runs (hot and fast) followed by combining the low wines from the strips into a spirit run, which would be run low and slow so as not to smear the cuts together. You can do the spirit run with or without the thumper attached. There are many other methods and I'm sure most of them are covered here in this thread.

I over-sugared my 5th gen, and am stuck at 1.010. I started out at 1.0965 (due to a misunderstanding of my new brix refractometer), so this may be as "done" as I'm going to get.

What worries me is what I might've done to my yeast. The temp has been precisely controlled, but I hadn't added any oyster shells, so my ph dropped down to 3. I've got it back up again, but it hasn't budged from 1.010 for over a week now. I guess I can run it as is, but what does this mean for my next generation? Is my yeast likely to still be alive, and ready to kick off when I start gen 6?

I would think it would be OK for the next gen. If the yeast got trashed, just aerate and repitch.

S-Cackalacky wrote:I would think it would be OK for the next gen. If the yeast got trashed, just aerate and repitch.

for sure! if nothing else, they will be good food for the new yeast.

Check your pH.

tp

T-Pee wrote:Check your pH.

tp

I did, I've got it back up to between 5 and 6. It's also got 4 cups of oyster shells in a 25-gallon ferment.

Which reminds me -- when running a multi-generational wash like this, how often do people add more shells?

I usually take the shells out (whole shells) and reweigh them to get an idea of how much is getting used, adding more only if they are getting very thin or the starting pH is low.

Ran off 10 gallons the other day and have 24 gallons of gen2 going. Next weekend I'll strip that, start gen3 and spirit blend of gen1 and gen2 together. Aquarium heaters are amazing!

If you decide you need more shell don't add it to the hot backset...volcano city...

Is it a crazy bad idea to run a ujssm 1 day earlier than I normally would?

I expect my 1st gen to be ready on Saturday, but I am suddenly called back to work that morning.... I get home late tonight, and was thinking about running it tomorrow, at least so I can generate Backset for the 2nd gen.

Terrible idea?

Why would you run it before it's done? It'll wait for you. If you're worried about the lees waiting in the fermenter, put a couple of gallons of water on it and a cup of sugar, seal it up, airlock it, and let the CO2 keep it good til you're ready to start your next ferment.

+1 on SCak . It can wait longer than it can be rushed .

What happens to it if it IS rushed? I haven't run my newly finished still yet and after the cleanness runs I was sort of itching to use half my batch for the sac run and the other half to generate Backset so that next time I'm home I can run something worth keeping....

Is there something detrimental beyond "it's a waste"?

My trigger finger is getting itchy!! I've been working on this still for over a year and a half!!! I retired my 4 gallon still a year ago, and, and, and, and... Well... I'm a terrible person.

Can you say "sugar puke"? I knew you could.

tp

Hmmmmm. I've never had a puking incident before.

My still is one of those 15 gallon brewhaus cream can kettles...

If I only put four or five gallons in and run it real slow, do you think I could avoid a puke? Or do you figure it's inevetible?

Like I said... Bad person.

With that little loaded, I doubt it. You will get less final product and maybe a bit of a sticky mess at the end. Ready to clean that out?

Besides, this hobby rewards patience. If you have trouble now, it'll be much worse when you get into aging and believe me, THAT is worth the wait.
The changes that happen after a few months of being left alone are nothing short of amazing.

tp

Yeah... I managed to let my very last batch of uj sit on a combination of charred and toasted oak for (almost) a month and a half and even THAT was startling.

I guess since I've waited THIS long...

Maybe I will just run my water and vinegar runs tomorrow...

A lot of my stock is over a year old now. VERY tasty!

tp (slow drinker)

My hydrometer is currently testing at 1.005

It read around 1.120 when I measured before I added my grains and pitched the yeast.