Stripping, and makin' spirits.

[wnc_dew]

Yesterday I ran a modified batch of a simple sugar wash.

6lbs sugar
21g yeast
6oz tom paste
approx 2 tbsp of lime juice
juice from one tangerine
filled the fermenter up to 5 gal
Approx a 10 day ferment, and 24 hours to clear.

The outcome of the wash was fresh tasting and had a nice bite. I did a stripping run, still learning about making cuts in the pot still. Kept the heads and hearts, tossed in the tails on the second half of the run(3 gal pot ) , and kept the heads and hearts on that run. Tested with a hydrometer, and ended up being 110 proof. I'm going to distill that again at a later date. Letting your wash clear makes a huge difference in the end result of the distillate.

After all of that I did a spirit run on some old 70 proof, and the tails from the previously stated run. I added a pinch of salt, and a half tsp of baking soda and shook well before distilling. I got the proof around 160. I sampled the product, and it was sharp to say the least. It has no smell, and I can see a huge difference in clarity. One thing I had trouble with was the pressure build up in my pot. I ran the still slight lower than medium on my range. The seal on my lid kept whistling through, so I ended up putting a wrench on and clamping it down. My question is: Has anyone had spirit runs that create more pressure than a initial stripping run? And can someone point me in the direction, on how to bring the distillate down to a drinkable level. And, as always thanks in advance for your help.

[rad14701]

If your boiler is building pressure you have serious configuration issues as you should never have enough pressure to cause whistling... All vapor should be able to exit the still without pressure buildup...

[noobsauce]

Agree with Rad..sounds like you got seal problems there and need to fix it. Reason you DO get more though is that you have a higher concentration of a lower boiling point liquid thus more vapour being produced per unit heat being applied (sounds pretty good anyways huh? ). I use ALOT less heat for a spirit run than stripping.
As to diluting i would assume you have a hydrometer??...and there is a dilution calculator on the HD site you can use.

[wnc_dew]

I've never had any pressure problems before the spirit run, and I only threw in a little over a half gal in the boiler. Setup: 3gal boiler to 1.5" pipe to 1/2" pipe to 1/4" worm. Could the worm be the problem?

I though of something else, with having such little in the pot it may have heated too fast, and didnt allow the seal to setup up.

[Dnderhead]

definitely 1/4 is awful small, most consider 3/8 the smallest to use.

[rad14701]

A charge of 1/2 gallon in a 3 gallon boiler won't give good results... A boiler that small needs to be at least 1/3 filled, not 1/12 filled... That helps explain part of the pressure problem... The 1/4" copper explains the rest... Heat input is going to become a problem quick...

[Fester]

I agree with rad. With a setup that small you should be running everything very very slowly. Your pot should be at least 1/2 full but not over about 3/4 or so. You need to allow for expansion and some headroom for the vapor but not much more than that. The first chance you get, upgrade the 1/4 to 3/8. Also double check your 1/4" for the slightest kink. The 1/4" does not give you much to work with and even a tiny kink in it will be a great restriction. There is nothing wrong with your rig, I have one very similar for small batches of a gallon or two, we just need to be a little more careful with it on spirit runs. When running high proof through it, things happen really fast. We have to always be "right there" to back the heat down.
I like my little stovetop pot still. It's the only still I have that I've set up a worm in a bucket and really like that a lot. I bought 50' of 3/8 OD copper coil at Home Depot last week for about $17 and another $10 for a 1/2" copper union and adapter to go from 1/2" to 3/8". Now I can set it up and take it apart easily to store it away.
Fester

[HookLine]

I'd even say that 1/2" is a good minimum size.

[wnc_dew]

Thanks for the info guys. Before I do anymore stillin' I'm going to upgrade. I want a bigger boiler too, but it's practically impossible to find any SS kegs, or even a pot that is a decent price. I might even take that 1/4" and turn my still into a reflux, since my 1.5" column is 2' in length.

Also, I think I might be making some higher alcohols in my runs. Am I needing to make more conservative cuts?

[Cornbread]

Yesterday I ran a modified batch of a simple sugar wash.

6lbs sugar
21g yeast
6oz tom paste
approx 2 tbsp of lime juice
juice from one tangerine
filled the fermenter up to 5 gal
Approx a 10 day ferment, and 24 hours to clear.

The outcome of the wash was fresh tasting and had a nice bite. I did a stripping run, still learning about making cuts in the pot still. Kept the heads and hearts, tossed in the tails on the second half of the run(3 gal pot ) , and kept the heads and hearts on that run. Tested with a hydrometer, and ended up being 110 proof. I'm going to distill that again at a later date. Letting your wash clear makes a huge difference in the end result of the distillate.

After all of that I did a spirit run on some old 70 proof, and the tails from the previously stated run. I added a pinch of salt, and a half tsp of baking soda and shook well before distilling. I got the proof around 160. I sampled the product, and it was sharp to say the least. It has no smell, and I can see a huge difference in clarity. One thing I had trouble with was the pressure build up in my pot. I ran the still slight lower than medium on my range. The seal on my lid kept whistling through, so I ended up putting a wrench on and clamping it down. My question is: Has anyone had spirit runs that create more pressure than a initial stripping run? And can someone point me in the direction, on how to bring the distillate down to a drinkable level. And, as always thanks in advance for your help.

I am just a novice with ignorance & curiosity. I tired a "canned cream corn" wash as my first...It sucked.. It had a neutral taste like a sugar wash. Since you seem to favor sugar washes, and I had some crown royal flavoring from years ago, I was wanting to ask about the lime & tangerine....were you trying to make a neutral wash to add flavoring or a good vodka? Thanks Cornbread

[blanikdog]

At the risk of repeating myself - I may have posted this before - I moved from 3/8" to 3/4" and have been astonished by the improved efficiency of my old - now new - pot still. My kettle was most definately under some pressure. I discovered this when I once forgot to add water to my coil bucket. Explosive vapour was gushing out at a very, very rapid rate. Luckily I caught it in time and the only damage was to my pride and my jocks.

Time wise, fuel wise and safety wise, building a large lyne arm and coil it was the best thing I've done since becoming involved it this silly hobby. Go for much larger than 1/4" and make life easy and safer for yourself.

blanik