StillSmart

Notes : Running at full power, T500 boiler, with official still spirits alembic pot head connected directly to original T500 lid,no copper dome, water use not measured, temps as measured by supplied digital thermometer.

Wash = 25 litres of sugar wash made with 6KG cheapo lidl sugar and 1 packet of alcotec vodka star yeast. Cost of ingredients approx £5 plus water and electricity. Theoretical abv 14% (I didn't measure it).

Stripping run

I divided the stripping run into 2 as I only have copper coins and not ceramic thingummies or distillers conditioner. I stripped down to approx 20%abv which was at approx 98C on the thermometer. The two combined gave me roughly 7L @ 50% which equated to approx 12 litres at 30%ish for spirit run.

Spirit run

5.45pm turned power on. Temp = 21C

6.00 Temp = 45. Turned water on.

6.05 Temp = 60. First drips.

6.10 Temp = 84 First 150ml collected. Some vapour so increased water too much and water out hose popped off. Oops!

6.20 Temp = 85.5. 4 x 150ml(ish) jars collected and marked and numbered as potential heads.

6.40 Temp = 89.5. 2.25 litres (approx) collected and is hopefully hearts. ABV = 75%

6.50 Temp = 92. 4 x 150ml(ish) collected and marked as potential tails. ABV of last is 60%.

7.10 Temp = 97. 1.5 litres (approx) collected in tails bottle. ABV at end was 30% and dropping fast.

Methodology was based on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIx5dX8AFGE ie hearts are between 85 and 90 degrees C with this still and thermometer placement. Lack of dome may change that. Initial nose test says last heads jar is still heavy on heads and I may have gone to the big jar too soon. Similarly, small "tails" jars smell fine and suggest I could have gone further without going to main tails botlle.

I'm not particularly wanting to cut by temperature, but simply didn't have enough jars to do the whole lot in small jars. Being able to know roughly where to swap to a large collection vessel and back to small would be handy for sure.

Will see what tomorrow brings. I can always run it through again if need be.

OK, I may be speaking out of place here.
That seems like a fast run to me.
I do not have experience of your set up, maybe others would consider it normal.
You have posted lots of detail, so at least the knowledgable can peruse it.

Robert.

Starting at the top.

Don't have distillers conditioner, no problem, use cooking oil. I never use conditioner.
You can use anything as boil enhancers, 10 - 15 spare T500 column saddles are ideal.
The dome is designed to offset sulphur, no need for copper boilies when using it.
Was this a stripping run?, if so, you need not make cuts at all, take everything down to 20% or 93C and make your cuts on the spirit run.

Apart from this you seem to have enjoyed yourself.

Yes Robert, even with only half a charge, I was shocked at how quick it was. I knew I'd want a power controller, but not how badly I'd need one.

And yes Vino, it was 2 (half charge) stripping runs done yesterday (only mentioned briefly, 1st post now clarified) and then the spirit run done today and detailed. I used the copper coins in the absence of availability of any other boil enhancers.

I'm glad you mentioned vegetable oil. I'd considered using a drop or two like when cooking pasta, so will give that a go. It certainly was a fun trial with new toy.

I agree with Robert, that seems like a super fast spirit run, plus I wouldn't bother with boil enhancers, you shoudnt need anything for a spirit run but if makes you feel better use Crisp n Dry cooking oil in your stripping runs, it's rapeseed oil with an added antifoaming agent.

What are you actually trying to make by the way, if your pot stilling, your looking for flavour from a wash made from grain, molasses or similar, a sugar wash won't give you any flavour and make a poor Neutral on a pot still.

Anavrin wrote:I agree with Robert, that seems like a super fast spirit run, plus I wouldn't bother with boil enhancers, you shoudnt need anything for a spirit run but if makes you feel better use Crisp n Dry cooking oil in your stripping runs, it's rapeseed oil with an added antifoaming agent.

What are you actually trying to make by the way, if your pot stilling, your looking for flavour from a wash made from grain, molasses or similar, a sugar wash won't give you any flavour and make a poor Neutral on a pot still.

Yep, way too fast. I'll get a power controller asap. Vino-Tinto somewhere suggested 1400 watts compared to the 2000 the T500 boiler supplies (can't recall if it's here or what Robert calls the dark side).

I'll mostly be making rums and cachacas. I ran the sugar wash through as a experiment/possible sacificial run as it was both ready and disposable (and yes, I cleaned the still, then "steam cleaned" it, but no, didn't do a vinegar run)

Loving each users "takes" coming in here, and seeing no reason to disagree with any of them.
Put them in the mix and be sorted

Robert.

Thoughts on viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3904&start=30#p40066 Please (I didn't want to start another thread)

I recon you could use the new Grainfather controller that VT has just bought on an T500, you would need to replace the plug with a male kettle style plug and fit a thermowell for the temp probe but it sounds like a good bit of kit to me, especially if it has some distilling programs you can use.

I'm following that and VT's previous work with temp control closely.

I realise the limitations of temp control, but am interested from the perspective of slowing/controlling temp increase.

Odin's kit where heads, hearts and tails go to different collecters is very clever. I was most amused to find a post from a couple of years ago when the regulars on a certain site told Odin he was a newbie upstart who needed to read more and type less.

For now, I'll settle for an alarm telling me to go to small jars as the times are changing or getting close to.

Update :

Important to clarify that my temps are vapour temps.

Last heads jar was a tiny bit "burny" after a day of airing but went in for flavour and a little bite. Still much smoother than shop vodka.

3 of 4 tails jars went in and I imagine all 4 and then some would have been fine.

Yield was 4.5 litres at 42%(ish) plus whatever I drank from hearts last night (300mls perhaps).

24 litres at 14% would equate to 6 litres at 56% total alcohol, so I'm reasonably happy with 4.5 - 5 litres potable at 40-45% with 750ml of fores/heads for fuel/cleaning and a load of strong tails for next stripping run.

Curmudgeon wrote:Update :



Yield was 4.5 litres at 42%(ish) plus whatever I drank from hearts last night (300mls perhaps).

A man after my own heart

Robert.

2nd spirit run

Tomato paste wash approx 10 litres at 30%abv after stripping

advance thoughts

My 1st tpw. It smells more strongly of heads (acetone?) than anything else I've done after stripping.

Without copper dome and just using standard T500 lid, I suspect my temperature readings are a degree or so higher than they would be with the copper dome?

On 1st run, intended collection "safe" hearts collection was between 85 and 90C. Based on 1 run only, 85 seemed right, while 90 seemed very conservative.

I still don't have a power controller and the lack of it combined with only using half a charge mean I'm running way too fast and will get excessive smearing, particularly between heads and hearts.

the run

1.10am 17.5C vapour temp. power on.

1.30 50C power on.

1.35 86C first 150ml collected

1.42 87.5C 150ml x 3 collected

1.56 90C 1 litre collected

1.59 91C 200ml collected, 70% abv

2.05 92.5C 150ml x 3 collected, last was 60% abv

2.10 94C 150ml x 2 collected, last was 58% abv

2.13 94.5 150mnl @ 55% abv, switched to tails bottle

2.20 96.5C, 45% abv

2.27 98C, 30 abv

post run thoughts

I'm not good at finding start of tails, hence my wish to find a safe cutoff via temperature, even though the guys on home distiller forum are belligerent that temperature control is not doable. Compared to airstill, there is much less tails smell even before airing. I suspect I'll be stopping hearts collection at around 92C with this setup.

NB I am not wanting to either fully automate or run a still unattended. My brewroom/mancave is just across the hall from my distillery (bathroom) and goal is pid controller reaching and holding temp at just below transition from heads to hearts and giving me an alarm. I'll then closely monitor that phase and re-set pid controller to take heat to just below transition from hearts to tails and notify me when that's been reached.

Curmudgeon wrote:Yes Robert, even with only half a charge, I was shocked at how quick it was. I knew I'd want a power controller, but not how badly I'd need one.

And yes Vino, it was 2 (half charge) stripping runs done yesterday (only mentioned briefly, 1st post now clarified) and then the spirit run done today and detailed. I used the copper coins in the absence of availability of any other boil enhancers.

I'm glad you mentioned vegetable oil. I'd considered using a drop or two like when cooking pasta, so will give that a go. It certainly was a fun trial with new toy.

I did my spirit run at 500w on the grainfather, took over six hours for 2x25litre stripped washes but turned out really well

It is the end result that matters!

Robert.