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I'll be using a 20L copper alembic for the first time. I know that one should leave from 1/3 to 1/4 of the boiler for head space, but since I prepare 20 L. of wash, I started thinking for ways to get around conventional wisdom. Up until now I've been using the Easy Still (jigged water distiller, which I'm really happy with, but it's small -- only 3.5 ltr of mash).

Because my washes are clarified and inert wines (I'm still distilling old batches of berry wine that taste much better as brandy), I'm thinking that there's not going to be any foaming to speak of, so can I put more into the boiler than conventional wisdom says?

Thanks,

Aidas

Why not freeze your wine catch 1/2 that thaws to get the achole out of it and reduce your volume?

Hi Aidas,
I've no answer to your question. You may take the risk and fill your still, but if it foams...

Otherwise, did you find your still on the net? Did you buy it in Europe? Where? Do you have picture of it?

Tater, I simply don't want to add another step in the process. I recognize that jacking the wine/wash would reduce it, but I also recognize that if I buy more equipment for that purpose, and take up more room in the deep freezer, the wife is going to put the kabosh on my hobby.

Bujapat, I'm still waiting on the still -- it was posted from Andalucia, Spain friday, so it should be here any day now. I got it off e-bay (german version, search for destille) when I bid 152 Euro for it. It's listed on the destillatio.com site as 249 Euro retail, so I think I got a pretty good deal. In any case, the photos of it are very nice, and I'm really looking forward to firing it up. Here's a photo.


By the way, I'm assuming I'll need some sort of sealant, what do you use?

Aidas

I have been thinking the same thing..

My fermentor is 25L, and my still can only take 15L.

I was just going to distill the 2 batches seperately in seperate runs.

Not the best, but best I could come up with...

For sealant - flour and water paste. If I'm expecting a wash to foam I add a dollop of good quality vegetable oil to the boiler - even works on molasses washes. A handful of tablesalt is supposed to help too but I've never noticed the difference ( got that one from a 19thC householders manual )

Know what ya mean about happy better halves.Had forgotten about the oil . Fourway or Holy had brought that up a good while back.Very nice still.

Aidas,

If you plan to doubble distill, you could fill your still to the safe level and run it.
Then on the spirit run add the spirit to your still, and then the remaining un processed wine. It should work fine.

Beautifull still... nice price!
I planed to buy some like this in Spain, but didn't find such a price, so I build a still. I want to buy such a copper pot still (but 50 L), for his beautifull look, when I'll have enough money for that! Patience, patience!!!

Well, the still came in the mail today. Gorgeous! Now I just have to go through a wierd rye-flour boiling process to set it up (this weekend) and then ditch work some day next week to try the first run.

I figure I'll play it safe until I get used to the still, and fill the boiler with 15 liters first (3/4 of capacity) to see what happens. The second run I'll do with 10 liters, and see if there's any difference in the action and result.

In any case, even if the still sucks, it is a piece of art. My better half, who thinks I'm crazy to spend so much money on, what in her eyes is just an expensive toy, also appreciated its look.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Oh, by the way Possum, generally I like to do a single run (I'm playing with flavor -- looking for intensity), but I do a second run with the heads and tails (and a third with the heads and tails of heads and tails from all sorts of runs -- a kind of "multivitamin"brandy , so I'm sort of mixing it up.

Aidas