White distillate (vacuum still)

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N0N4M3
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White distillate (vacuum still)

Post by N0N4M3 »

Hi, I just started running 50 liters of 18% through my vacuum still. I noticed after collecting about 250ml the distillate was white. I stopped the still, cut off the vacuum and measured the alcohol content. It read 45%, I put some of it in a spoon & lit it. It caught fire, blue flame with a very little hint of yellow at the top like one would assume for the heads.
The "beer" (pure sugar wash 18% with turbo yeast.) It fermented well at 20°C, I put it in the still and was gonna still but i got held up with homework at my university so the beer had been sitting in the still for a few days.
My question is could it be some part vinegar & some part ethanol that I just distilled?
What causes it to become white?
I recently took all the packing out (planned on not using it in this run, glass beads)
My column is 45mm stainless steel about 1 meter in height so that's 40" & about 1" 3/4
I was collecting at about 47°C at -0,85 bar, the heat might'v been a little bit to high.
46l vacuum still
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Dnderhead
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Re: White distillate (vacuum still)

Post by Dnderhead »

lower alcohols/ heads no, they burn blue.sounds more like tales, burn with yellow flame also makes white distillate (oils)
not knowing much about vacuum stills ,but maybe to much vacuum or heat if used.
N0N4M3
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Re: White distillate (vacuum still)

Post by N0N4M3 »

I'm still learning how to operate this still so the heat must be the issue, I have never had anything else than clear distillate before so I was a little freaked out, thinking I had made vinegar by leaving it for such a long time in a unsealed container.
I'm running it now at -0.9 bar & way lower heat, no heat going up the pipe at the moment so I'm raising the heat gradually..
Currently calculating the boiling point of ethanol at various vacuum stages so I can make a graph... I love this hobby :p

Oh and after this batch I'm only doing 12% washes, I've noticed off flavors compared to my other batches of 18% with the same yeast & same fermentation ambient & core temperature. Also trying new recipes instead of using this turbo yeast. The fermentation process gives off such a nasty smell and I' live in a very confined space :P
46l vacuum still
I do not take responsibility for what I say, if you kill yourself somehow after doing something that was posted by this account don't come to me with a lawyer
N0N4M3
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Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:11 am
Location: X marks the spot

Re: White distillate (vacuum still)

Post by N0N4M3 »

Stilling at -0.98 bar at 39°C, continuous dripping.
Need to make some sort of a vacuum parrot so I can watch the yield
46l vacuum still
I do not take responsibility for what I say, if you kill yourself somehow after doing something that was posted by this account don't come to me with a lawyer
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