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realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 8:59 am I’m running 5 gallon spirit run mixing with 5 gallon water. Each stripping run I collected & dumped fore shots.

Is it necessary to collect 1st 500ml again or are they all gone from the stripping runs?

realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:06 am
I’ve searched for about an hour before I posted was hoping for a simple yes collect and dump fore shots again or nope your hood.

realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 8:59 am I’m running 5 gallon spirit run mixing with 5 gallon water. Each stripping run I collected & dumped fore shots…

realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 8:59 am Is it necessary to collect 1st 500ml again or are they all gone from the stripping runs?

still_stirrin wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:13 pm Don’t plan for a specific volume of fores now or later. Use your senses to tell you what to keep and what to discard.

Twisted Brick wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 1:28 pm

realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:06 am
I’ve searched for about an hour before I posted was hoping for a simple yes collect and dump fore shots again or nope your hood.

Here is a recent (5 days old) post that may help answer your question.

viewtopic.php?t=90341

Check out the threads on how to conduct a Forum search. Using the tips that members have shared will certainly shorten your search times and relieve the Forum from previously questions repeatedly asked and answered.

still_stirrin wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:13 pm

realtree71 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 8:59 am I’m running 5 gallon spirit run mixing with 5 gallon water. Each stripping run I collected & dumped fore shots…

Do I understand correctly: you diluted the 5 gallons of low wines with 5 gallons of water? If so, why would you do that? Did you learn that from Youtube or the “Moonshiners” TV show? Either way, it is not the advice you’d get here.

We recommend stripping until the collection is 25-30%ABV, not a reading from the spout, but the overall average of the collection. In other words, when stripping collect into a single (large) vessel. And as far as taking fores from the strip, I’d suggest you can skip it.

On the spirit run, collect in properly sized jars so you have 20-25 jars. Then you can decide what are foreshots or heads (& 7 tails) from your collection.

Don’t plan for a specific volume of fores now or later. Use your senses to tell you what to keep and what to discard.
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realtree71 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:47 am The still is a 16gal 3” column with 4 copper mesh stages and 1 ceramic bead filter.

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 1:27 pm

realtree71 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:47 am The still is a 16gal 3” column with 4 copper mesh stages and 1 ceramic bead filter.

Ok , now I'm confused, " 4 copper mesh stages and one ceramic bead filter are both terminolgies that I've never seen before.
What is a stage ? And what is a ceramic bead filter?
Some photos might help.

Twisted Brick wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 3:22 pm Ok, I think I understand (a little) of what you have going on. Correct me if this is way off.

You 'made' a wash of cracked corn and sugar. Did you convert (properly mash) the corn or combine sugar with cracked corn and ferment it all?

You stripped batch 1 of the fermented corn wash, then added the low wines to batch 2 for stripping, then repeated this process until you had five gallons. You removed 500ml of fores from each of these stripping runs. That's a lot of 'fores' removal.

After diluting your 5gal of 135-145pf 'liquor' with 5gal of water, you conducted a 'spirit' run through a 3" riser with a layer of ceramic beads and 4 layers of copper mesh (order of layering unknown). By chance did you employ a reflux condenser on top of your packed 'riser' during the spirit run?

To answer your original question, it is advisable to remove fores from any spirit run, but 200ml for a batch your size is appropriate.

bcook608 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 5:47 am
This is what I was picking up as well.
Given the proof he was referring to after several "stripping" runs (which is closer to an extremely loosely defined 1.5 run) with the ABVs he's talking about, it sounds like there isn't a RC in his system. Unless it's just not set up or run properly, which is more likely.

Twisted Brick wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 9:08 am

bcook608 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 5:47 am
This is what I was picking up as well.
Given the proof he was referring to after several "stripping" runs (which is closer to an extremely loosely defined 1.5 run) with the ABVs he's talking about, it sounds like there isn't a RC in his system. Unless it's just not set up or run properly, which is more likely.

Thanks. It took a bit to decipher, emphasizing the importance of proper terminology. The other approaches that need 'debunking' are really bad practices, wherever they came from. Diluting 5gal of low wines with 5gal of water and the removal of 500ml of fores must have been picked up somewhere unreliable and clarified.