temperature

[Grid]

Can someone please tell me what the temperature i am purpose to be boiling/simmering the mash in my pot still.?
is it about 78c ? and no higher than 90 something.

Grid(newbie).

[As-Ol-Joe]

I run my pot still real slow. I normally start getting my foreshots at about 170f. The temp will then rise to about 190f and stay in the 190's for several hours. The slower the better.

[Pikluk]

is your thermometer in the boiling mash or in the column?

check http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5166

worth reading it

[theholymackerel]

Can someone please tell me what the temperature i am purpose to be boiling/simmering the mash in my pot still.?

A still sets it's own temp...ya don't try and get it to any particular temp.

The idea of a thermometer is to show temp changes... what ever the actual temp is doesn't matter... what matters is changes in temp.

All this bein' said ya just demonstrated a lack of understandin' yer still. How many other things about yer still are ya mistaken about? I strongly suggest ya go back to the parent site ( http://homedistiller.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow ) and read, read, and re-read all the material.

Understandin' what is goin' on is EXTREMELY important when boilin' a flammible solvent. The saftey issues in this hobby are no joke. Burn yer house down and I doubt the insurance company will cover ya.





I wish ya luck.


EDIT: I see yer usin' a potstill. A thermometer is almost useless on a potstill. A reflux column would find a thermometer a useful tool, but not a potstill. Fer yer own saftey familiarise yerself with the basics at http://homedistiller.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Usge]

Actually, I have a thermometer in the stop of the neck of my alembic potstill that is quite useful...and fairly accurate measuring vapor temp too.

However, what Holymackerel says is true. The still pretty much runs itself in regards to what temp things start to happen based on the abv of what you are running in your pot. There is a useful chart in the distilling portion of the mainsite that shows liquid/vapor relationship vs temp/abv.

A themometer on a potstill can be useful tool to you once you get it dialed in for accuracy. On my still, its very consistent and can be used to monitor where I"m at in a run and what abv range I'm dealing with at any point in time. I've cross checked it numerous times with a 100ml sample and alc meter and it was dead on match per reading. After that, I mainly use the therm to determine where I'm at in the run, and then start collecting smaller amounts near my cut points. I find it quite handy myself. That is: till I can learn more and gain more experience to know where I'm at in a run without it

[Grid]

okay i think some people dont know what i have setup to heat my potstill.
Or i am not understanding ..

It is a 11.5lt metal lid stock pot(has enough volume for me as i want to do small batches and different flavors with essence).

I put the stockpot in a electric fry pan, like this one.....(see link) http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=101887" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
and heat the mash in the stock pot that has a temp control unit and i have a small hole in top of the stockpot metal lid that has the digital temp gauge.also on the top of the metal lid is the copper pipe outlet for the vapor/liquid .
inside that copper pipe i have put stainless steel(about a length of about 100mm long) not tight, but not loose either.

So this temp gauge.what temp do i put it on?.
In a previous post i explained that i had it up on full and i had a blue liquid coming out and it smelt horrible.
my second run i had it on about 78c (a slow simmer) and no liquid at all, so i increased it.But after about 1 1/2 hrs i stopped it.
I have been reading and reading and reading and as another person said (on this site ) you get that many people saying that many things ,you just get a overload of info from all different sites/people/links.

I will look into more of the link you sent me but i don't see the answers i need.

Grid

[wineo]

First of all,be careful! Your thermometer is in the lid.It should be at the top of your column or as close as possable to the point that the vapor goes into the condencer.If your running a potstill setup,Its going to run where it wants to.The best thing you can do is to heat it up until you get a steady output,then turn the heat down and use just enough heat to keep a steady output.Then you can tell about at what temp its going to run.Just use the thermometer as a indicator on about where your still is going to start running.The temp will creep up durring the run,and once you get used to your setup,you will start to know where the heads,hearts and tails are at using temp.I do it by taste.The thermometer is just a loose guide for your run,once you know your setup.I can run mine without one.

[Grid]

Thank you very much for the info wineo,i was reading about that and i am going to change the temp location.

Thanks again.

Grid.

[Grid]

Okay i did just a water run to get to know what you mean by not needing a temp gauge and i think i now know what you mean.
you can hear it slowly bubbling and then after a bit the liquid starts to come out.
I have relocated my temp gauge hole to the top of the copper pipe and it is a better place and hope to have a more accurate reading.
Thank you all for your help.

Grid.

[Bootliquor]

Hello all,
I was under the impression that a "violent" stripping run would produce maximum flavors from the wash...understanding that it would make the cuts more difficult to achieve. Is this not the case? I designed my pot still head to provide for an absolute minimum of reflux (2"diam copper, 4" tall with a 45 degree downward slant lyne arm). I have been running it at full tilt on propane, providing for a constant stream of distillate (think of a German Shepard with a prostate problem....) making my cuts by taste and estimated volume. Again, trying to achieve maximum flavor from the wash, how else would one do it?

[wineo]

Your probably getting all the flavor you can get running hard and fast.If your going to do a 2nd run,it works out ok,but the 2nd run will have less flavor.Alot of people do it like that,then make cuts on the 2nd run.If you want the most flavor you can get,you would do better just doing 1 run,and slow it down.Make your cuts,or collect in small containers and do it later.You can mix in just the right amount of heads,and tails to get the best out of it.You can also mix some backset with your 1st run distillate and run it again for more flavor.

[junkyard dawg]

I like the doing the second run. There is never any shortage of flavor and its soo much cleaner and 'hearty'. I have almost always fermented and distilled on the grain, so I don't have a good comparison to cleared liquids. To be honest, It was a few years before I got any good at mashing and had a product that I really wanted too much flavor from.

Washes can be done in one run, but stuff with lots of solids... grain or fruit benefit from two runs. IMHO... to my taste... etc...

[Bootliquor]

Thank you Wineo,
In my heart I know you are correct...but my problem is that when I taste and smell the product, I don't know what I am tasting or smelling (even after airing 24 hrs). I have been conditioned to think that Whiskey tastes like Ezra, Rum like Rotten Ron Rico, etc, etc. What I produce smells nor tastes anything like a commercial product, and I know that it shouldn't without months/years of aging and perhaps flavoring. On foreshots, and early heads/late tails I can smell off flavor/odors, etc. but am not aware at what point lesser evils will evolve into viable esters/flavors,etc. What I realize is that this is an art form, and while I can become a competent technician, I may never become an artist.... I am under the impression that most commercial distillates of any large volume are made with neutral grain spirits and then aged/flavored with proprietary methods...and I have lingering doubts as to whether or not I might be capable of duplicating a taste which I would recognize as "Rum", or "Whiskey". I am sure what I produce can be choked down...remember homebrew beer in the 60's, 70's? Much was consumed, but it didn't taste like beer. My homebrew beer tastes good, but it will never rival the German products...Just some thoughts from a newbie just entering the learning curve....

[junkyard dawg]

If your running flat out on one run then you are going to get all the cuts mixed up together. It will be very hard to identify heads to heart to tails. Thats where the second run steps in and cleans it all up. If you can make a good mash.... and if you brew all grain beer then you can... then you just need to add a second slow distillation. You will have no trouble tasting all the flavors of the mash and recognizing a rum to a corn likker to a malt whisky. Don't expect it to taste like a commercial product. It won't. Its like comparing a perfectly ripe homegrown tomato to a crappy half pink megastore "tomato"

If you want to do just one run then just slow it way down. Don't worry about losing flavors. They'll still be plenty.

[Ricky]

jyd's comparison was right on. if all you want to do is make something that taste like store bought then go by it. what you make will be different and if done right will be better. do yourself a favor and learn the cuts by taste and smell. the first time you smelt a mash you didnt know if it was right but after some practice you learn. a true artist is born with it,but you can also learn to be an artist. i collect in qt jars with about 20ozs in each jar. believe me,after you learn what tails smells like(wet newspaper)you wont forget. once the tails start i collect in gal jugs down to about 20%. i put this in the next batch. by using this method i believe i can run anybodies still and make a decent drink. as long as i dont run out of jars. as for the thermo,i use it to make sure my ferment is not to cold, to mash grains, and on my reflux. after some more experiance i probably will only use it to see if the weatherman lied.
p.s. i use a potstill mostly.

[wineo]

J.D. I dont have a double boiler setup to distill on the grains.Im sure you would get alot more flavor that way.
As far as getting your taste buds trained for making cuts,the best thing to do is collect in small containers so you will always get good seperation.{as long as your running slow}I used to use 12 oz corona bottles,and left them open for 2-3 days before I tasted each one with a little water in a shot glass.Once you start doing it that way,you will get way better at making cuts.

[Old_Blue]

My two cents - if I taste anything homemade - beer, wine or otherwise and it taste like a commercial product I know I messed up somewhere.

Those folks ain't got nothing on us. Stick with it, experiment and find what you like. There 's nothing wrong with dumping a batch from time to time. Just remember what you did good and did bad and you will work it out. Don't change too many things at one time so you can keep up with it. But remember it probably won't happen the first dozen times but it will come around.

[punkin]

. after some more experiance i probably will only use it to see if the weatherman lied.
p.s. i use a potstill mostly.

I like it.

[Bootliquor]

I want to thank everyone who responded to my angst-ridden post. To clarify my conserns, however, I should state that I can smell the off-smells in foreshots and high heads, and can smell the off-smells in low tails, I can even smell when the body is clean, or "neutral". My problem occurs with the low heads and high tails...they smell fruity, sweet, and not unpleasant. I do not know how these esters (?) will translate after two or three months on the sticks. Experimentation and time will tell.

[defcon4]

my methanol cut (first 100mL) always smells "sweet"

[punkin]

I want to thank everyone who responded to my angst-ridden post. To clarify my conserns, however, I should state that I can smell the off-smells in foreshots and high heads, and can smell the off-smells in low tails, I can even smell when the body is clean, or "neutral". My problem occurs with the low heads and high tails...they smell fruity, sweet, and not unpleasant. I do not know how these esters (?) will translate after two or three months on the sticks. Experimentation and time will tell.

The tasting usually sorts these out. If they make you shudder when tasted of a teaspoon, they're the ones you want to think about leaving out, depending on quantity and preference and type of spirit required...

Easier to taste the start of tails for me too, than smell em. Spose everyones different...

[Safegyde]

In a pot still a good place for your therm. is in the thumper...if you have one. Since the boiler vapor is going into the thumper first and the liquid in the thumper has to come to temp before the vapor goes into your condensor then it makes sense to have the therm at the entrance way to the condensor. This way you can tell when the changes take place for what is actually going to get condensed.

You can also keep an eye on the bubbling of the liquid in the thumper to get an idea as to how much heat imput you are using/need to get the proper amount of vapor movement.