Home Distiller

I know you fine fellers would probably know what is going on. So quick run down..This is my second run, 5 and 4 gallon wash. Used Corn, Sugar, Distilled Water and Champagne Yeast(2nd run) and Turbo Yeast(1st run). I pretty much scrapped the first run because I never did a cleaning so it was all just to see how it worked. I dont have a hydrometer(ordered last night) so to test to see if I was even getting alcohol I put some in a spoon and it all burned blue. With my first run I was also getting some dark spotting in the liquid I was collecting. So I reconfigged my still, did a clean run and didnt get any spots at all. So I started my 2nd batch tonight and I just know something is not right. First I felt like it wasnt fermenting correctly because my first batch had a ton of sediment in the bottom of the bucket. This time I barely had any. I have a feeling this has to do with something. Also everything I have coming out wont even catch fire, so im assuming Im getting some low low low alchol content if any. I may be too hot? Im still playing with the temps..but now to the end and the main question...why am i getting these dark spots in my collection?

Fusils in the distillate .... Probably at the very end of the run? Collect everything till you get the spots.....re-run what you collected and see what you get.

Fusils in the distillate .... Probably at the very end of the run? Collect everything till you get the spots.....re-run what you collected and see what you get.

You probably got spotty distillate because you hadn't done a cleaning run.

Your 2nd runs low abv might be because your wash wasn't done fermenting or was stalled. What was your process for preparing your wash? What did you put in your wash and what quantities?

Go spend $5 on an hydrometer. Only way to know for sure if you've fully fermented.

I know i know, I did get the Hyrdrometer. Im pretty sure the whole fermentation process was the biggest problem here. I think I may have added the yeast to early and killed it. That is the only thing I can come up with really. I did to a cleaning run, which showed no spots. All clear liquid. I got dark spots right from the get go with this run. I think I had some of the stuff that goes to the bottom of the bucket during fermentation. Sorry im still learning the lingo. Some of that was in the bottom of my pot when I was cleaning it out, but no burns or anything. So who knows really. Life of a noob. I have another batch going now, so ill try all this nonsense over again in a week or so. But yeah pretty sure the fermentation didnt happen like it was suppose to, and I think i was running way to hot anyways. Ima get it soon or later.

Ok, you say ,"a" cleaning run, did you do at least one with vinigar and one with alcohol? Your spots are possibly flux, vinigar doesn't get it all.

I did 2 with Vinegar/Water and then I went for it. I think I know what happened with my last batch. I was checking out my thermometer I was using and that freaking thing was way off. Im pretty sure I added my yeast when it was like 65-70 degrees. Tonight I used 3 different thermometers and the one that didnt match was the one I used last time. So I added it at 90-92 degrees tonight. Hopefully I get some better results. In the meantime ill do a couple more cleaning runs. Flux was something else I was thinking it could have been. No biggy. One day it will eventually clear up.

You can run vinegar till the cows come home and you will not get all the flux out. I do believe you now have the source of your contaminant.

No big deal pitching yeast at the lower temps, just takes longer. I prefer to ferment on the lower end of the scale.

Yeah once i posted the temp screw up I started re reading the parent site and from what I read it seemed to be okay to add at 70 degrees, and in some cases leaving it overnight to cool. So Im glad I found the route of my problems with the flux, that has to be it. Once I got to the end of my 2nd run the other night it cleared up by the time i shut it down. So ill clean again, and run this 3rd batch I have going now and see what comes out. Im still not confident in this fermentation process going on. Once I started to reread the parent site about the wash and fermentation it really started to get me questioning the amount of corn, sugar, water I am using and how it all works together. I am gonna run to the wine shop today and get another bucket and try out the corn sugarhead recipe and follow everything to a T. My wife is gonna go nuts soon probably, ill have like 10 buckets and carboys laying around the house, haha. I just want to get this fermentation process down at this point. The distillation process has been pretty smooth for me other then the dark spots which I think we identified as it being the flux.

do yourself a favour and find some milk crates, glass carboys sit perfect in them and they give a bit of buffer to the bottom. I learned this the hard way gently setting my carboy down on concrete. Must have hit it just the right way because she burst. Nothing worse than trying to clean up sticky wort from everything within 10 feet.

She'll get over all the buckets and stuff. They are very aware that we are still just kids regardless of age. My wife always complained about my brewery build, then I overheard her bragging to her friends " ya, my husband built a brewery...yes, a real one"
I never ever told her I heard that conversation.

bellybuster wrote:do yourself a favour and find some milk crates, glass carboys sit perfect in them and they give a bit of buffer to the bottom. I learned this the hard way gently setting my carboy down on concrete. Must have hit it just the right way because she burst. Nothing worse than trying to clean up sticky wort from everything within 10 feet.

She'll get over all the buckets and stuff. They are very aware that we are still just kids regardless of age. My wife always complained about my brewery build, then I overheard her bragging to her friends " ya, my husband built a brewery...yes, a real one"
I never ever told her I heard that conversation.

Haha thats awesome man. Milk crates will be easy for me to get so I will do that. My wife is cool though, between this and working on my car she handles all my messes like a champ. She gets scared about this though because of the legality of it, but she knows I aint trying to sell this stuff or ever intend to. She thinks the cops are gonna break the door down, it cracks me up. Once I get a stronghold on this ill probably branch out and do some beer and wine. I want to learn how to do all of them.

[quote="bellybuster"]You can run vinegar till the cows come home and you will not get all the flux out. I do believe you now have the source of your contaminant.

No big deal pitching yeast at the lower temps, just takes longer. I prefer to ferment on the lower end of the scale.[/quote]

+1 bellybuster