StillSmart

Hi all as you can see from above our still has arrived, alas minus the yeast etc, but this is being delivered tommorow.

Couple of questions ( may seem stupid but...) or maybe I can be directed to the relevent threads

1 As we are going away soon, if I make a wash in the next couple of days could I store it in my glass demi johns the same as I bulk store my wines.

2 Is there a chart for the dilution of spirits with water.

3 My sense of taste is not very good so if I just follow the chart/advice by Kiwi and Mozr ( don't know if they are from this site) will my sprits turn out OK

4 Best way to store surplus spirit and heads/tails.

fwiw as im a beginner myself..

1) if you prepared everything sterile like you do for your wines yes it will sit safely under the co2 its generated out of direct sunlight, and just settle out..

2) yep lots - google em might be one here ive not spotted it..
http://www.fullbottleclub.com.au/spirit-dilution-calculator.html
http://www.westbrew.com.au/viewStory/Spirit+Dilution+Calculators

3) dont know the advise u speak of, and am not running an air still, but i understand the crucial thing is CUTS CUTS CUTS!!! and a spirit hydrometer to test each cut. also let them breath overnight, a paper cap will keep dust out.

4) in glass.. well labeled..

enjoy the experience and results

This was posted recently;

Standard manual dilution calculator works as follows;

((Current ABV % Divided by Target ABV%) Minus 1) Multiplied by 129 this will give you the correct amount of water to add to the spirit to achieve the Target ABV

In your case ((50 Divided by 30) Minus 1) Multiplied by 129 = 5.999 rounded to 6 plus 9 Lt of Current ABV spirit equals 15Lt final volume.


There is an Airstill Guide posted here by me and another by Mozr which are similar but the answer to your question is NO! This is simply because no two washes are the same and the varying conditions that exist in each stripping run and each subsequent spirit run cannot be reduced to mathematics. If your sense of taste is physically non-functioning you will not be able to make appropriate cuts on your own and will require the help of an assistant

If you're storing spirits and Heads in particular, make sure it is diluted below 50% ABV above which it is highly flammable

AM

I calculate my volumes a little different,

I take the volume I have, divide it by the alc% I want and multiply it by the %alc I have, this gives the new volume. eg.

6 litres at 55% to dilute to make 40%

(6 / 40) x 55 = 8.25 litres at 40%

To get the amount of water to be added take the starting volume away from the new volume

8.25 - 6 = 2.25

Same diff Gets there in the end

AM

Thanks guys info is great.

Sorry Aidanmac I should have also given you the credit for the info./chart

Can I just say sorry to aidanmac.

For some reason I got you mixed up with Kiwi?

Since February I have been thinking about distilling and during this time I have downloaded a lot of info. and as I am rather long in the tooth (70 in November) perhaps I can be excused this aberation

I do have yours and Mozir's guides already printed off and will be using them.

Regards

Thanks for the further info,
you were starting to sound like a schoolmate,nah,it's not you!
Happy distilling,and welcome to another world,life only gets better from here.
Robert.

ime, washes in a plastic fermenter are good for about 6 months. Then you might get a problem with oxygen absorption. So I reckon that there is no point to using the glass demijons if it is only going to be for a couple of months.

If making mead, that is a different story.

Slightly off topic but the following relates to posts I made earlier in this thread and I'm sure I'll be forgiven for this slight transgression

For reasons that may become clear later I'd like to clarify my earlier advice that spirits should only be stored below 50%ABV. This advice is just that, advice, and I offer it as no more than that, but it is based in common sense and a regard for the Health & Safety of all, particularly new members who may not be fully aware of the properties of the product we make.

However, that is not to say you can never have Ethanol above 55%. When on Oak we routinely start off the process between 55-65%... but this is not storage, and again, this is advice only.

The basis of this advice is that, above 55%ABV, Ethanol can be ignited by a spark and constitutes an unnecessary fire and explosion hazard in a domestic home. In the event of a house fire, Ethanol, stored in excess of 55%ABV, would become explosive once it's flash point is reached.

I consider a 5% margin below that danger point to be an intelligent safety margin if the spirit is simply being stored for any extended period.

There have been a couple of examples in the UK, in the past two years, where such explosions have caused deaths, serious injuries and destruction of property.

On a secondary issue, a member recently said they believe cuts can be taken purely on spirit hydrometer.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but this contention is factually wrong. It is no more valid than claiming cuts can be made based solely on the temperature in the boiler or column at a given point or based on a pre-determined amount of distillate collected. Temperature and/or timing and/or volume collected can all be useful as general indicators of possible cut points but there is no mechanical or mathematical substitute for the distiller's nose & palate to determine final spirit cuts.

Most experienced distillers only use an Alcometer during stripping runs and for checking the ABV of cuts that are combined after collection from the condenser. It really doesn't serve any useful purpose during spirit runs.

I've been here a long time and I'm always glad to explain any advice or opinion I offer in these threads to any member who asks in a reasonable manner.

AM

aidanmac;
Thanks for not responding to me directly,via PM,as I had the courtesy to do you.
Here for all,is the pm I sent you;00;54 2014-8-13.
aidan,
Really!
I admire the work you selflessly do on this site,to help others,but sometimes you just seem to blow air out of the wrong orrifice.
Like saying that spirits should be stored sub 50%,when distilleries store in wood at 63%?
I also believe cuts can be taken purely on spirit hydrometer,no nosing or tasting.
If you work as a distillery does.

I have just decided to pm you this instead of posting on Ebnat's thread,out of respect for your work here.
I don't know it all,and neither do you.
Sharing,learning and helping others is the reason I'm here.
The reason I told Jimmy I was happy to become a mod was because of your strange story of "retiring". I have my own version of that,but the board did need someone else to sort out the spammers.Something you seem to have had a fair hand in,in the past.And then you came back,because the board,if not the distilling,is entrenched within you.

I am not an adversary,but will jump on anyone that claims that their way is the only way.
And with that,I look forward to a future where we share,learn and help new distillers on this site.
Can you drink to that?
Robert.


It would seem that you can't.aidans way the only way.
Storing ethanol above 50% I consider to be perfectly safe,unless it is stored in a sponge.
Around my home I have cans of petrol for the mowers,containers of meths and white spirit,goodness knows what else.


I don't know how Irish distilleries work,but Scottish ones are not allowed to taste distillate to determine where to cut from the feints to the hearts and back to the tails,they rely upon a spirit hydrometer and the nerve,skill and experience of the stillsman.
Lets put this nonsense behind us and progress.
Feel free to delete this post,it has been copied,and can be re-posted.
And I would still buy you a drink.
Robert.

The PM referred to in the last post, by the member known as 'Easydrinker', was reported to the site owner and forum moderators on 12 August last.

In light of this I think it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter and I would ask other members to ignore the comments made and refrain from posting any comments on this matter until the site owner and/or other moderators decide how best to deal with the matter. As I am a moderator on this forum I am locking this thread until such a decision is made but I will not make any further comment on this matter.

Edit at 13.28 15 Aug 14: The Moderator Logs record that two posts were deleted from this thread at 09.35hrs and 09.36hrs today 15 August. Both were deleted by the same person who had posted one of the posts but who then deleted the second post by another member and the content of that post is unknown at this time.

Aidan

Yes aidan,I deleted those posts,in fact it was four,two by myself and two from other users.
This was because YHB contacted me to say that the posts alluded to a changed username,changed because the original name was too easily traced on search engines,giving far too much information.
I also contacted the posters and the person in whose interest I acted.
Two of the three have contacted me to say no problem,I am confident that the third will also do so when they are next on the forum.
Robert,AKA Easydrinker.

Edited 11.45,as deleted post count was wrong

As a member with Moderator privileges I locked this Thread because I had reported a member and an offensive posting to the Site Admin and considered it in the best interest of the forum and good manners that there be no further posting on the matter until the Site Admin made a decision on the Report.

However, it seems that locking the Thread was a waste of time as another post was added after the Thread had been locked.

In the interest of fairness to the member who started the Thread I am unlocking it again but I will not comment on the matters reported to the Site Admin as doing so would be wrong and completely inappropriate.

AM

Have posted a reply to you both under my other post.

Now can we pleeeease get back to this lovely ( so far ) site