In my excitement to start my first UJSSM of the season, I forgot to rinse my oyster shells Last season I didn't use oyster shells, but thought- why not?
I didn't think it would matter, but this is where I always go wrong- get into something for bit, get a little confidence and think I know what I'm doing, just to find out I don't.
So the question is straight forward. would you run it?
Run it. Any bacteria will die between the ethanol and the boil.
I’d be less concerned about this run and more the future generations if the wash is infected in any way.. As long as it’s smelling fine I would probably just roll with it.
Edit: I might be over thinking it though .
I just read an article about the dangers of drinking that scared the crap out of me.
okay, i was pretty sure I could run it, but like I said, that's when I get into trouble
To answer your question Bee, I think the PH of my well water is either 6.5 or 7. I have never had blue boogies in my product. I figured I'd throw the shells in there to be safe, but I think I got confused with my HBB, that's the one I put the shells in.
It'll be fine, the acids and alcohol should kill off undesirable bacteria.
If you check the pH during the ferment, you may find that you don't need to add shells. If it rapidly goes below four, it might pay to use them. Until you have records to refer back to, I suggest that you check and record the pH at the start and then daily. pH strips are accurate enough and don't need calibrating or batteries.
For UJSSM, I know from experience that I have pH crashes without them so I add them at the start unless the wash pH is particularly high, in which case I add them a day or two later. I also record the weight loss of the shells for future reference.
I agree with Chris, you should never need shells on an all grain ferment if your well water is 6.5 to 7.
My tap water is consistently 6.8 to 7.0 and I've never had a problem with any of my AG mashes.
If you consistently use backset to sour your mash, you'll want to keep an eye on your pH of the backset. It will get progressively more acidic.
Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.
sadie33 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:51 am
okay, i was pretty sure I could run it, but like I said, that's when I get into trouble
To answer your question Bee, I think the PH of my well water is either 6.5 or 7. I have never had blue boogies in my product. I figured I'd throw the shells in there to be safe, but I think I got confused with my HBB, that's the one I put the shells in.
Just keep in mind that backset and shells are both pH treatments. Treatments that work in opposite directions.
Coming from primarily hobby beer brewing before, I was very nervous of using shells in my ferments as pH buffer, even after very comprehensively washing and sanitising them!
The thought of putting something like nasty old dead mollusc shells in my wash was totally alien to me and freaked me out so much I had to start a thread to ask assurance!
After many washes with no issues at all, I just give them a shake in a bucket of water, couple of rinses of water and drop them in.
So I'm running this now and was syphoning it into my boiler and I could smell/taste something familiar. I couldn't place it. I put a strainer with cheese cloth over the boiler to catch any little bits of corn and I could smell something different, but sooo familiar and kinda pleasant. BINGO! It smelled like banana! Thought I was crazy. As it's coming off in a stream I stick my finger in and taste and it tastes like banana. I call my husband up and ask him what it tastes like and he says banana. It's so yummy!!
sadie33 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:33 am
In my excitement to start my first UJSSM of the season, I forgot to rinse my oyster shells Last season I didn't use oyster shells, but thought- why not?
I didn't think it would matter, but this is where I always go wrong- get into something for bit, get a little confidence and think I know what I'm doing, just to find out I don't.
So the question is straight forward. would you run it?
I don't rinse off the dust from oyster shell.
The dust gets dissolved quickly and the bigger chunks take longer.
When mashing, sometimes extra calcium helps with the process.
That's why the major distillery's brag about their calcium rich water.
sadie33 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:49 pm
So I'm running this now and was syphoning it into my boiler and I could smell/taste something familiar. I couldn't place it. I put a strainer with cheese cloth over the boiler to catch any little bits of corn and I could smell something different, but sooo familiar and kinda pleasant. BINGO! It smelled like banana! Thought I was crazy. As it's coming off in a stream I stick my finger in and taste and it tastes like banana. I call my husband up and ask him what it tastes like and he says banana. It's so yummy!!
In that case, you somehow created in the ferment or during distilling (Or both) Isoamyl Acetate in amounts easily detectable by your taste buds.
It's widely used in flavourings to make banana, and strangely pear flavour too!?
In that case, you somehow created in the ferment or during distilling (Or both) Isoamyl Acetate in amounts easily detectable by your taste buds.
It's widely used in flavourings to make banana, and strangely pear flavour too!?
[/quote]
I had heard of it in making rum, but never expected it in UJSSM, it was sooo good. I'm kinda wishin I had collected a small jar in the middle to sip on later.
still_stirrin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:05 am
Unfortunately, the boiling point of isoamyl acetate is 287.6*F. So, it’s very unlikely any of it will come over from the boiler.
ss
Yes, I did know this (well, not the part about the boiling point, but that the flavor wouldn't go over). It's too bad, but if it ever happens again, I AM collecting a small jar to sip on later.
still_stirrin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:05 am
Unfortunately, the boiling point of isoamyl acetate is 287.6*F. So, it’s very unlikely any of it will come over from the boiler.
ss
I'm thinking yes and no.
Humans can smell isoamyl acetate and other esters really good, even if only a tiny amount gets past the still. Mostly the fruity kinda charactor is at the beginning of a run.
That's why cuts are different for brandy vs a UJ.
Last edited by shadylane on Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
There are flavor components which come across which are not tied directly to a single compound's boiling point. It'll be interesting to see whether you note any of this during the run.
For reasons I'm not smart enough to explain.
Boiling temp and what comes out the still are not the exact same.
Theory and science are great, but sometimes the art of distilling doesn't agree.
I was thinking it would have to be different in some way, but then I'm gonna throw it in with like 4 other stripping runs so what ever it had will probably get lost with the rest. Oh well.
I've been doing so many stripping runs and not a single spirit run yet!! Can't wait to do a stripping run on something!!
You've got 4 strips worth of low wines? You should have a full boiler full by now.
Aside from a couple reflux runs to make neutral, the largest volume I've had for a single spirit run was about 10 gallons and I only did that once and decided that for me, a 5 to 7 gallon charge was long enough to stand there switching jars.
That's why I only make neutral once a year. I don't have the desire to spend a long day babysitting the still.
Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.
Deplorable wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 3:50 pm
You've got 4 strips worth of low wines? You should have a full boiler full by now.
Aside from a couple reflux runs to make neutral, the largest volume I've had for a single spirit run was about 10 gallons and I only did that once and decided that for me, a 5 to 7 gallon charge was long enough to stand there switching jars.
That's why I only make neutral once a year. I don't have the desire to spend a long day babysitting the still.
I haven't stripped the 4th one yet, but probably will tomorrow and I should have about 5 gal of low wines. then I'm hoping to do the spirit run Sat or Sun.
That's why I didn't want bigger then an 8 gal, I knew I didn't want to run all day either. 6 hours is about as long as I can go. I don't want to rush it so if I have to I will shut it down and finish it later.
I am doing the spirit run on this right now. The very first jar (after tossing 150ml fores) smells and tastes like BANANAS!!! It is soooo sweet and strong banana taste. Dang, it's in my first jar of heads. It tastes soooo good (diluted). I can taste it in my 2nd and 3rd jar, but each one gets more faint.
How bad would it be to keep some of this? I don't think I have ever kept anything before my 4th jar before.
tjsc5f wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 6:44 pm
If it tastes good, why not keep it?
I don't know...because it's the first jar in the heads. I thought we wanted the hearts and maybe a little of the heads and tails next to the hearts, but not the first jar of heads.
If it's too headsy to drink even though the banana taste is nice Sadie, you could even put all the first few jars into a jug with wood, and see if it gets better with age?
I experimented with it last night. I took a sample from 3 heart jars and a sample from the first jar, added my apple pie slurry to basically make apple pie moonshine (but we heat it up on these cold nights). It was amazingly smooth. No off flavors, just delicious, maybe a little too delicious. I got a little tipsy and no headache this morning
I am finishing the spirit run tonight and will probably make cuts tomorrow. I have a thin towel over the tops of the jars, but when they have to sit this long, should I actually put covers on them? Is my alcohol evaporating?
shadylane wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:40 am
Yes your losing alcohol, but a day or 2 isn't going to hurt.
Longer than that, it's better to use jugs and a wad of cotton cloth.
okay, If the run is done early enough I might make cuts tonight, that would only leave them out 1 day, if not tomorrow would be day 2, more like 1.5 cause I would do them early.
Last season I didn't use oyster shells, but thought- why not?
.
It's too bad, but if it ever happens again, I AM collecting a small jar to sip on later. 
Can't wait to do a stripping run on something!!
