Question... I figured this would probably be a question with numerous opinions..Uncle Jesse wrote: ↑Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:09 am i do single runs through a fractionating column, which is why i can get over 80% on a single run. i didn't make this point clearly enough, but if you single pot distill, your product will not come off impressively strong in proof and you'll need to save up low wines for a 2nd run. i've done this before and i like it, but it's more time consuming.
i use a ten gallon still so i save up 10 gallons of low wines over 3-4 runs and then run them. it takes a long time but you get a lot of product. the most i ever got out of one 10 gallon run was almost 3 gallons of spirit.
i try to get 8-10% in my mash...the book says go for 15%. i don't measure all that closely, but in this case the higher you can go the better up to about 15%.
Above, Jesse says he saves up 10 gallons of low wines over 3-4 runs to produce a spirit run that yields somewhere close to 3 gallons.
If four runs produces ten gallons of low wines, thats 2.5 gallons of low wines being kept per run of Low Wines?
So when we go to run our first 10 gallon mash here in about a week... we're talking about dumping a little fores, and then collecting heads / hearts / tails (low wines)....
So to get to the question directly: How much in total should we expect to collect ( in regards to how many quart or pint jars should I have on hand ) out of a single 10 gallon mash? In total? I would 'think' that a rinse and repeat recipe like this, someone has figured out that on average, starting from the beginning to getting into the low wines, 20-40%, would know by now how much a single 10 gallon mash is going to produce?
I'm not asking what I can expect to keep as far as the 'white dog' straight from the still whiskey, or how many tails i should carry over, etc., I'm just curious from a 'yield' standpoint, and as a way to get an idea of the time/process, how much you would collect in average from start to finish on 10 gallons of mash?
We'll be checking periodically with a hydrometer / taste, etc. But i'm trying to prepare my self as much as I can for what I should expect. We're running on propane ( regulating heat seems to be tricky/weird...we're working on that ), 10 gallon keg into a 1/3rd keg thumper into a traditional condenser (worm box?)
We did a test run water/vinegar of the entire system this week. Pump cycling water up from the bottom thru the condenser, still/thumper/condenser all worked, no leaks, and hit 210, hit the thumper, got back up to temp and started producing water/vinegar. It was very exciting... my parents next door, my brother and wife and I all sat outside drinking watching the still run and it was refreshing that everything worked as designed/planned on the first test. I have plans with the kiddos/wife for this weekend so we're preparing to start a mash next Monday to run next Saturday for the first time.
This wound up being a much larger post than I had intended... appreciate anyone who takes the time to read it and provide feedback.