StillSmart

Hello.
Its been a while since my last posting and to tell the truth I'm a little out of touch. Been using triple still for ages filtered via a tea bag and to be honest put up with the off tastes. I purchased the Essencia Carbon Filter and followed posts on here mostly by opus 27. Just put a 5ltr batch through watching the water content and its just great although it smells a little. My question is, just made an Alcotec 48 wash. Does this need liquid carbon and finings or can it just go through the Essencia Filter?
Regards, swine

Hi,
Alcotec 48 Does not need any liquid carbon.
If you have time to let it clear,rack off and leave it.If in a hurry,rack off and add finings.
It is my "turbo" of choice,these days I just use half the pack per wash.
Through the Essencia it produces a good neutral.
Robert.

Hello Robert.
How much sugar do you use for half the Turbo??
Regards, Bernard.

You didn't say but I presume you are double distilling. also what type of still are you using?

Whatever you want to filter through the Essencia must be crystal clear

AM

Hi.
Only got an air still. Don't know what double distilling is??
Bernard.

swine wrote:Hello Robert.
How much sugar do you use for half the Turbo??
Regards, Bernard.

Hi,
I am not the first to discover this,but using half a pack of Alcotech 48 with six Kg sugar and 25 litres of water works.
Personally,when I use it now,it is half a pack to 5Kg sugar and 22 litres water.
It suits my operation,and is at 0.984 FG 10 days later.Using a fish tank heater set at 30°C
Tastes good to me,after a double distillation and filtering.
HTH
And for tips on double distilling,and all the benefits with an air-still,please read the following;
download/file.php?id=60
The quality of your product really will improve from this.
Robert.

There's no easy or nice way to say this but nobody should ever drink the distillate from a single or first run from an Airstill.

As a long time user of the Airstill and other larger stills, I want to appeal to all members and, in particular, new or intending members not to blindly accept the manufacturers and re-sellers incorrect claims about the ability to produce clean spirits from a single run in the Airstill.

The Airstill is capable of producing reasonable quality spirits but only by first stripping the wash (first distillation) then re-running the distillate (second distillation) and making cuts to remove the harmful elements that are a part of the final distillate.

It's not hard to do and almost anyone can achieve a good result with the Airstill if they follow certain rules and guidance.

The guidance published on this site is the only qualified, independent advice I have ever found, for the Airstill, that is based on extensive, collective experience of real distillers using this equipment on an ongoing basis.

Even use of a serious filter system like the Essencia Filter cannot make stripped wash clean enough for human consumption but used for a second run spirit the Essencia is without doubt the cream of spirit filters and will polish well made, properly distilled and cut spirits

Personally, I would like to see all new members receiving an automatic link to an essential reading file to get them started with whatever type of still they are using. The information is all here but there does seem to be a need to automatically post or email essential first advice to all new registered members to help them avoid these basic beginners mistakes.

Jimmy?

AM

WOW.
Looks like the stuff I make is not very good. I have read the link do's and dont's about the airstill which gives sound advise, trouble is I don't understand the double distill part and the diagram at the back reads like double dutch. I have an Alcotec turbo 48 25ltr wash running at present with 8kg sugar. Could someone perhaps talk me through this in none tec talk. I would very much appreciate any help offered.
Regards, Bernard.

Simples my friend. hold on to your sock and here we go

1. When your wash is finished fermenting you need to clear the wash. To do this you should first degas the wash by stirring vigorously to get rid of all the carbon dioxide gas.

2. Let he wash settle out in a cold area for about 24 hours.

3. Siphon the wash to a clean fermenter leaving the yeast sludge behind.

4. With the wash in a clean fermenter add your choice of clearing agent. One of the more common is Turbo Klar but if you can get Sparkolloid it's even better.

5. The wash should be crystal clear within 24 hours.

6. Now you can start stripping the wash. Put 4lt in the Airstill and run the still. Monitor the strength (ABV) of the distillate by taking it in 100ml lots and drop an Alcometer into a trial jar with the distillate? When the Alcometer shows 20% in the latest 100ml batch you can turn off the still. The entire batch you'll have collected are called Low Wines.

7. Once cooled the Airstill can be emptied and refilled with another 4lt of was and repeat #6 above. Keep doing this until you have stripped the entire wash.

8. When all the wash has been stripped you will have between 6-9 metres and you need to drop the Alcometer into the whole batch to find out the ABV.

9. Next you need to dilute the Low Wines to 30%ABV to get them ready for the spirit run - this will be the 'Double' or Second distillation.

10. Go to this link http://homedistiller.org/calcs/dilute to use a Dilution Calculator to work out how much water to add to your Low Wines to get it down to 30% ABV. (In the first box you put in the total amount of Low wines you have collected from all the Stripping Runs. In the next box put in the ABV as shown from #8 above. In the third box change the figure to 30% then click on "Calculate") The calculator will then tell you how much water to add to the Low Wines you've collected.

11. You are now ready to begin the Second or 'Double' Distillation. Put 4lt of the diluted Low Wines into the Airstill and switch on.

12. When the distillate starts to flow collect the first 50ml and Chuck it down the drain. This is called the Foreshots and cannot be consumed under any circumstances.

13. Collect the next 250ml and keep this in a DJ or other glass container for later recycling. You will collect this from each 4lt batch so keep it all. this part is called the Heads and must be recycled in a separate run which is well worth the effort.

14. Collect the next 800ml in one lot - this will be the main Hearts of the Spirit

15. Collect two batches of 100ml in separate jars and set aside. these two jars will be the end of the Heart and may be useable after airing for 24 hours. Your taste and smell, after 24 hours will tell you if either of these jars can be used or should be recycled.

16. There is still some alcohol in your Airstill but it will need to be added to future stripping runs, as at # 6 above. Allow the still to continue running and collect the distillate in 100ml lots and check the ABV until the latest batch shows just 20%ABV. This part is call the Tails and is normally added to the stripping runs as at #6 above too.

17. once you Airstill has cooled a little you can empty it and put in another 4lt of the diluted low Wines and start at #11 to #16 again. Repeat this until all the diluted Low Wines have been distilled.

18. The distillate collected from each batch at #14 above is your drinkable spirit and is ready for final diluting - normally to 40% ABV before filtering.

Note: If, at any time, you have tried to filter raw Wash or Low Wines I'd recommend you scrub the Ceramic Dome filter with a nail brush and replace the Carbon Filter entirely.

19. Once filtered your spirit is ready for flavouring with essence or ageing.

Any questions just chuck them in here and we'll see what we can do to help you

AM

Just to add, I'd advise using no more than 6Kg of sugar for a 25L wash and use a non turbo yeast. btw, Vodka Star is called turbo but isn't really.

Hi.
Think I got my head around the double distil only time will tell. Still can't understand the calculator though. Thanks to all and to john51 for the tip.
Best Regards.

John51 wrote:Just to add, I'd advise using no more than 6Kg of sugar for a 25L wash and use a non turbo yeast. btw, Vodka Star is called turbo but isn't really.

Alcotech 48 is also referred to as a turbo,but I don't consider it so.
Faster and IMHO opinion cleaner than VS,even using half packs,as I now do.

And yes,I also advise keeping the sugar below 6kg per 25 litres.

Robert.

aidanmac wrote:13. Collect the next 250ml and keep this in a DJ or other glass container for later recycling. You will collect this from each 4lt batch so keep it all. this part is called the Heads and must be recycled in a separate run which is well worth the effort.

What do you do with the Heads collect 4 litres and do a spirits run?

PieOPah asked: "What do you do with the Heads collect 4 litres and do a spirits run?"

Simply dilute and run. I dilute heads to 20% and run them as this lower strength is said to aid separation of the Ethanol from the other unwanted substances.

Of course, some people simply toss out the heads altogether but with the Airstill I always found it well worth the effort.

AM

I can think of three ways to deal with the heads:
1. Store up 2L, dilute to 4L and run
2. Store up 2L, dilute to 4L with boiling water and 1/2 - 3/4 cup baking soda
3. Store up 4L and run

I have done all of these, repeatedly. The boiling water and baking soda in (2) is to break the ethyl acetate down into ethyl alcohol and (IIRC) Sodium Citrate. In other words, to increase the amount of alcohol derived.

The reason for not diluting in (3) is to have it boil at a lower temperature to increase the separation of the undrinkable parts (they come out first) and the alcohol. The ABV of this is rather high, so an accident could be disastrous. There will be very little water so likely the still will trip the breaker at the end you will have a dry still.

My experience is that the best alcohol recovery is (3), then (2), then (1). However, I find the baking soda results in a taste shift that is somewhat unpleasant. Run though carbon and flavoured is it OK.

Chuck