Log and Commentary: third run in the AirStill

[Echo4golf]

Sugar Mash #3 -- 2/4/16

This is the last of the turbo yeast. I used corn sugar and added 1KG tomorrow.(This was because I ran out of corn sugar, and not any sort choice in method!) I also used cold water this time. Usually with beer and so far with the AirStill, I pitch into warm water. The fermentation was very slow to start.

2/7: Degassed and added 1KG table sugar. Fermentation restarted but was not as vigorous as has been.

2/10: Fermentation completed.

2/11: Wash had started to clear naturally although it seems a bit cloudy. Degassed and found only minimal gas in wash. Added turbo-klar and saw an immediate effect.

2/12: Wash was clear of Carbon but still cloudy. ABV showed 14-15% (uncorrected) on the meter. 14% is in keeping with expectations from the yeast.

Began stripping run ~10:45 AM. 3 batches, the latter two with feints added, to 20% abv.

Guesstimated yield /L of wash =80% of 150ml =120ml x10 = 1.2L @100% =
2.5L low wines @40%?

Actual yield
1st batch, ~1350ml @ 45%abv (43-44 corrected)
2nd batch (added half of the feints from wash #2) = 1000ml @ 39%abv
3rd batch (added the other half) = 1250ml @ 45%abv

Stripping run complete 6:00PM
Total low wines = 3600ml @ %abv. More than I thought there would be.

Spirit run commenced 6:30 PM, 3600ML topped to 4000 into the still.
Spirit run ended 10:30PM. 19 mason jars @ ~100+ml ~ 2L.
I didn't clearly smell tails until I got to the last jar, which was @~30%, so I shut down.

Cleaned up and let the jars sit overnight.

2/13
First thing, I gave everything a sniff. The tails remain evident in the last jar. Not sure about that cut yet. The heads appear to be about 300ml. That cut may be clearly defined. The first three jars have a smell something like isopropyl alcohol that vanishes by the fourth jar.

Final cuts on the third or fourth sniff= 200ml heads and 300ml tails. The tails cut was arbitrary as tails were evident in the last 500ml but not objectionable until the final one. I split the difference.

Final yield ~1500ml@65%abv diluted to 2000ml@50-55%abv.
This one will sit on glass as a neutral for awhile before I try it.

Lessons Learned:
The heads and tails are a lot more evident in this run. I feel the cuts were still arbitrary though, and plan to add tasting to the process on the next batch.

1/2 pint mason jars work very well as collectors!

I like that I don't have to baby-sit the AirStill. Still want to try other types eventually though. Wondering about building an alembic and a tower top for the thing. It would be small, but it might be fun to play with.

Next batch has been in the 5 gallon fermenter since 2/4 and is still working. I couldn't wait and it's Odin's cornflake wash using whiskey yeast. I may strip that out next weekend.

Up after that, probably into a fermenter next weekend, a simple lentil wash.


Best,
Echo4Golf

[chill]

Your numbers sounds right to me, other than your cuts which maybe be a bit on a the greedy side. Don't make cuts by smell. You have to do it by taste. However, especially for tails, if it smells bad then don't bother tasting it! I get a cup of hot water and mix 1 tsp of hot water and 1 tsp each jar in a glass and taste it. If it makes your tongue burn, it still has heads in it. Ethanol burns your throat not our tongue. On the tails side, start with a sample of the hearts and then work to the end. When you get to where it starts tasting less neutral and more funky, that is the start of tails. Stop there. The further you go, the worse it tastes.

You have to babysit every still. You are boiling a flammable solvent and creating flammable vapours after all. I use a digital countdown timer to do my stopping runs. Should the fan ever fail, I may be in trouble as it will continue to spew flammable vapours. 4:15 should be good for most washes. I run mine only 3:00 as the wife HATES the smell of tails at the end of the run. She merely hates the smell if it stop at 3:00 so the loss of some alcohol is the price I pay to be merely hated indoors. You do need to babysit the spirit runs.

Chuck

[Mash]

Sounds good. I am interested in what "meter" you used to establish ABV showed 14-15% (uncorrected).?

[Echo4golf]

Sounds good. I am interested in what "meter" you used to establish ABV showed 14-15% (uncorrected).?

The wrong one! I had forgotten that my alcometer readings would be problematic below 25%abv. Good catch, thanks. As I had no OG reading, and my sugar additions were mixed, I think that the only way to get an idea of the alcohol level in the wash is to look at the amount taken and the expectations for the yeast.

Best,
Jerry

[Echo4golf]

Your numbers sounds right to me, other than your cuts which maybe be a bit on a the greedy side. Don't make cuts by smell. You have to do it by taste. However, especially for tails, if it smells bad then don't bother tasting it! I get a cup of hot water and mix 1 tsp of hot water and 1 tsp each jar in a glass and taste it. If it makes your tongue burn, it still has heads in it. Ethanol burns your throat not our tongue. On the tails side, start with a sample of the hearts and then work to the end. When you get to where it starts tasting less neutral and more funky, that is the start of tails. Stop there. The further you go, the worse it tastes.

Thanks Chuck. The tails cut certainly seems to be a skill that requires practice. I'll try it this way next go-round.

J

[Echo4golf]

Wanted to share how the Cornflake wash worked out. I did two batches over two weekends with very similar results. I wound up with about 3 qts of 86 proof liquor. I put the take from both weekends into a glass jug with a chunk of charred oal spiral at 125 proof and let it sit. There was about a pint or so that didn't fit so I saved it separately. I let the former go about a day too long on the wood. Literallt: as I had just tasted it the day before and it was still not over-oaked! I mixed the unoaked back in and diluted to 86 proof, and voila. Still a bit of the sugary overtone but not bvad at all.

In other news, I got a T500 off of the 'bay (new for US $175) I've got a bunch of things that I want to do with it but first is the batch of lental wash that's currently bubbling away merrily. That's a story for another evening though.

Best,
Jerry

[Easydrinker]

In other news, I got a T500 off of the 'bay (new for US $175) I've got a bunch of things that I want to do with it but first is the batch of lental wash that's currently bubbling away merrily. That's a story for another evening though.

Best,
Jerry

That sounds like an absolute bargain!

Robert.