Question1: why am I ending up with a seemingly waxy, “stale-purple and copper dust” colored residue inside of my column, lyne arm and beginning of condenser? Is this bad? The low wines don’t appear blue- before filtering with coffee filters it had a copper color, now slightly cloudy but clear.
The washes have been acidic before distillations
Question 2: what is ideal distilling ph for single malt whisky?
Question 3: I’m making single malt whisky, should I use baking soda after first distillation to help delineate heads, hearts and tails? Or will this create too much of a vodka whisky with heads and tails that I wouldn’t want to add due to possibly ?compressing into 'undesirables'?
My wash ends up acidic PH4-5+ using alcotech super start distillers yeast (i don't believe it has added nutrients- its a 1lb bag good for 1000-2000 gals mash).
there is definitely a learning curve to not combining too much heads or tails- i will be doing small, experiment blending from now on.
This is my third time with the same arrangement:
*12 gals wash @ pot abv 7.8%
-used local 2 row malting barley seed, untreated, floor malted very well
~30lbs @ 60-100% modification
-****(could this be the variable?) added few lbs Peated barley (smoked at low temp, sphagnum moss, No Nutes)
*AlcoTech Super start distillers yeast- . ferment smells acidic, banana, honey sweet (pleasant smelling), Low wines and spirits smell fine also of similar character- I plan on trying an ale yeast next batch
*Pot still ‘the whisky rebel’: 15 gal mega pot with ~2ft copper pipe column, NO Packing 3” – 2” – 1.5” – 1.25” – 1” - .75” (all those reducers add up lol)
*1500 watt cast iron electric hot plate
I have read on this sight, while reading about adding baking soda, that having a wash distillation that is too alkaline can ‘free’ ammonia molecules and create “blue crystals”, “blue low wines” etc.
All three batches have had the same residue but different PH's… Am I too acidic on distillations?
-First two batches I mashed with water at PH 8 (no correcting), ending fermentation PH at probably 6 or under, not sure. (fg .98-)
-Last batch I mashed at PH 5, let to ferment at that and locked out, added some crushed ‘Tums’ but still ended up locked out at PH low 4’s with FG 1+) before throwing into still
- Two pipes after distillation, One rinsed and one not rinsed
- beforerinse.jpg (6.95 KiB) Viewed 658 times
- inside of column. Notice the stains that do not rinse out and are quite difficult to remove. I use pumice and a scrub pad where i can
- stuckoxide.jpg (6.05 KiB) Viewed 658 times
- residue rinsed from a pipe
- residue.jpg (3.54 KiB) Viewed 658 times
- low wines, abv 35% before adding feints from last batch
- lowwines.jpg (5.39 KiB) Viewed 658 times
