Standardized Hearts Yield
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 8:47 pm
I propose that it would be convenient to have a concise, standardized way to describe how much product one has gotten from their raw materials. This measurement would help in planning a batch, refining a recipe, comparing variations, evaluating cost, etc. Let's call it the Standardized Hearts Yield until a better name or sweet acronym is found. Suggestions welcome!
The SHY will be the number of pounds of sugar or converted starch that you used to get a gallon of 80-proof hearts. The SHY number is not pre-calculated, it is observed after cuts. The SHY number is not constant or objective, since many many variables including subjective ones like cuts are factors.
SHY = pounds of sugar or starch / gallons of 80 proof hearts after cuts
Cost per gallon of drinking-strength spirit = cost per pound of raw material * SHY
Raw material needed to make desired gallons = desired gallons * SHY
Ease of comparing protocols:
You can readily evaluate the effect of different starch conversion protocols, different yeasts, different fermentation temperatures, different distillation strategies, etc. using the batch's empirical SHY number. It is assumed that if your fermentation is better, ceteris paribus the SHY will be smaller because lower nasty congeners production means wider hearts. If your mashing efficiency is improved, ceteris paribus the SHY will go down. Adding a thumper or plates to your still will very likely cause a lower SHY, since it will tend to widen the (diluted apples-to-apples) hearts cut. Wider cuts push the SHY lower as well. SHY won't measure how good your juice is, but I'll bet it's a pretty good indication.
Ease of communicating between distillers:
I don't have any experience with distilling some new ingredient, say panela. I want to make 15 gallons of panela rum. How much panela do I need? Think for a minute about how laborious it might be to gather all of the information I would need to plan that batch.... or I could find one guy who says he fermented panela to 10% using bakers yeast, double-potted the wash, got a SHY of 23. Another guy fermented to 8% and distilled once with thumper, took wide cuts, and got a SHY of 21. Now I've got some very easy math for thinking about my batch. I need about 15 gal * 22 SHY = 330 lbs, give or take. If I want to get 15 gals of barrel strength hearts, I just figure out how many gallons of 80 proof that would be: 15 gal @ 120 proof equals 22.5 gal @ 80 proof, so I use the 22.5 gal number. 22.5 gal * 22 SHY = 495 lbs.
If you would prefer metric, use mSHY, expressed in kg/L, and use more significant figures if you're German.
mSHY = SHY * 0.12
SHY = mSHY * 8.3
I hope the utility of a number like SHY is apparent. I will be making a record of the SHY for my batches to make future batch planning a little easier, as well to compare protocols. I hope others will as well.
If you happen to have a measurement for one of your batches, feel free to share it along with a very concise description of your protocol. Especially panela; I'm serious, I don't know what I'm doing with all the goddamned panela.
The SHY will be the number of pounds of sugar or converted starch that you used to get a gallon of 80-proof hearts. The SHY number is not pre-calculated, it is observed after cuts. The SHY number is not constant or objective, since many many variables including subjective ones like cuts are factors.
SHY = pounds of sugar or starch / gallons of 80 proof hearts after cuts
Cost per gallon of drinking-strength spirit = cost per pound of raw material * SHY
Raw material needed to make desired gallons = desired gallons * SHY
Ease of comparing protocols:
You can readily evaluate the effect of different starch conversion protocols, different yeasts, different fermentation temperatures, different distillation strategies, etc. using the batch's empirical SHY number. It is assumed that if your fermentation is better, ceteris paribus the SHY will be smaller because lower nasty congeners production means wider hearts. If your mashing efficiency is improved, ceteris paribus the SHY will go down. Adding a thumper or plates to your still will very likely cause a lower SHY, since it will tend to widen the (diluted apples-to-apples) hearts cut. Wider cuts push the SHY lower as well. SHY won't measure how good your juice is, but I'll bet it's a pretty good indication.
Ease of communicating between distillers:
I don't have any experience with distilling some new ingredient, say panela. I want to make 15 gallons of panela rum. How much panela do I need? Think for a minute about how laborious it might be to gather all of the information I would need to plan that batch.... or I could find one guy who says he fermented panela to 10% using bakers yeast, double-potted the wash, got a SHY of 23. Another guy fermented to 8% and distilled once with thumper, took wide cuts, and got a SHY of 21. Now I've got some very easy math for thinking about my batch. I need about 15 gal * 22 SHY = 330 lbs, give or take. If I want to get 15 gals of barrel strength hearts, I just figure out how many gallons of 80 proof that would be: 15 gal @ 120 proof equals 22.5 gal @ 80 proof, so I use the 22.5 gal number. 22.5 gal * 22 SHY = 495 lbs.
If you would prefer metric, use mSHY, expressed in kg/L, and use more significant figures if you're German.
mSHY = SHY * 0.12
SHY = mSHY * 8.3
I hope the utility of a number like SHY is apparent. I will be making a record of the SHY for my batches to make future batch planning a little easier, as well to compare protocols. I hope others will as well.
If you happen to have a measurement for one of your batches, feel free to share it along with a very concise description of your protocol. Especially panela; I'm serious, I don't know what I'm doing with all the goddamned panela.