Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper
I've been doing several mixtures of different mashes for a good while and finally got up to 3 gallons, and so now I'm concentrating on doing stripping runs to cut it all down and start a bigger UJSSM or All Bran 4/5 Gallon wash next. This mixture wash that I have now has 5lbs of White and Yellow Frozen corn, Pineapple chunks, and some raspberries from a wine I made a while back. Oh and 4 lbs of sugar. It's at a nice 11.7% ABV. It smells very..tropical? And from the smells and tastes that I've had of it, accents the Raspberries and Pineapples but only hinting of them and small hints of corn, I'd like to try and use a eensy bit of Vanilla that I got from Mexico?(after all the stripping runs and I do cuts of course)
Sounds like you got something close to a fruity wine and could end up with a nice brandy with a bit of corn on the palate. I'd try it without the vanilla first just to be able to compare. I am a vanilla fan though -- kinda feel vanilla is like bacon -- good with everything.
I did another stripping run with a thumper, and it seems that I have lost the scents of fruit and such that I smelled in the mash, maybe my thumper that's charged with the previous stripping run's gains is making everything TOO neutral? Input please?
Some folks mention charging the thumper with wash. Remember, the thumper is a second run. On something with a nice fruity aroma I'd think you'd want a single run on a pot still to retain maximum flavor.
TK Spirits wrote:I did another stripping run with a thumper, and it seems that I have lost the scents of fruit and such that I smelled in the mash, maybe my thumper that's charged with the previous stripping run's gains is making everything TOO neutral? Input please?
Yea your not gonna carry over the flavor from that little bitta fruit with or without the thumper. Whats in your thumper will affect flavor but getting fruit flavor to come through on a sugar wash is quite a challenge. Theres some pearls around here on it, keep lookin. BTW whats your reasoning behind stripping with a thumper? Nothing really wrong with it, some swear by it, just wondering if you have a particular reason. Edit: posted same time as WW
This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which God intended a more divine means of consumption...
TK Spirits wrote:I did another stripping run with a thumper, and it seems that I have lost the scents of fruit and such that I smelled in the mash, maybe my thumper that's charged with the previous stripping run's gains is making everything TOO neutral? Input please?
Yea your not gonna carry over the flavor from that little bitta fruit with or without the thumper. Whats in your thumper will affect flavor but getting fruit flavor to come through on a sugar wash is quite a challenge. Theres some pearls around here on it, keep lookin. BTW whats your reasoning behind stripping with a thumper? Nothing really wrong with it, some swear by it, just wondering if you have a particular reason. Edit: posted same time as WW
This has got me thinking, can I use that Mexican vanilla to charge my thumper and have some flavors pass over(spirit run)?
I kinda created this still with bits and pieces I had laying around and I didn't have a way to connect the lyne arm directly to the condenser, so I made a thumper and hooked them up to the lids. Plus I wanted to tinker with a thumper and see what made "good" and "bad". Other than that, no real reason?
It smells very..tropical? And from the smells and tastes that I've had of it, accents the Raspberries and Pineapples but only hinting of them and small hints of corn, I'd like to try and use a eensy bit of Vanilla that I got from Mexico?(after all the stripping runs and I do cuts of course) 
maybe my thumper that's charged with the previous stripping run's gains is making everything TOO neutral? Input please? 
Other than that, no real reason?