StillSmart

Just distilling a regular wash at the moment, the usual Turbo yeast/carbon/clear etc, same MO as I've always done.
My alcohol content is down, and it pongs a bit!
There has been no change in my preparation and hygiene standards. so what do you reckon might have caused it?
This is the first time the wheel has fallen off!

Take a gravity reading from some wash and see if it\'s below 1.000 (mine usually comes out at between 0.980 and 0.990).
Sounds to me like the ferment might not have finished for some reason.......

It\'s just a touch over 1.000
Hey ho, it\'s not the end of the world, I\'ll get what I can out of it, cut it back and redistil it.

well that sounds like it didn\'t quite finish fermenting....... i.e. it should have gone to 0.980 to 0.990
Obviously I\'m guessing but I\'d think that the \"bit of a pong\" and the lower alcohol yield means just that mentioned above.
Worth thinking about though as you\'d want to try and prevent it happening again.........

I have just done a first run of a new wash fhat was fermented with a still spirits triple distilled yeast which went as usual finishing at an sg of 990,when i checked the 800ml from the still it only went 55% not the usual 60%,on looking at the new batch of yeast i have just got they have reduced the weight of the packet to 110grm,i thought this may have been the cause,but then realised it had fermented the 6kg sugar down to 990 as usual,so anyone got any suggestions why its gone a bit tits up ?

cheers Optic

Well I don\'t know of the exact cause optic, because it\'s very rare that I get exactly 60% straight out of the still.
Invariably, I get 58 or 59% but then again, I don\'t worry so much as I usually have a couple of batches of wash on the go, so I double distil (after letting it down to 40%) and get 82 to 84%, which is then let down with either distilled or RO water - but also recover the tails right down to about 10%.......

I did wonder at first if the still had developed a leak around the lid but on the next run i could not see any evidence of steam escaping,keep thinking about taking the step up to a super reflux,to save spending an entire day doing a run.

cheers Optic

Mine has also always never been the same every time.

I think it\'s because the still has such a small volume of wash.
My reflux on the other hand always hits 85% it\'s the volume of distilate that varies.

After about 3/4 of a demijohn it stops making distillate. My SS would carry on till it boiled dry

but the reflux simply sits there with hot spent wash in it.

I am seriously thinking about getting the reflux umpa,how do you find it,is it worth investing in one?

Yes I think it’s very good, to be fair it’s not as well made as the Smart Still, but it works much better.

If you need to make very neutral spirit for use with essences then this is much better. It runs a full 5 gallons in one go and makes 85%.

You will need to invest in a \'Z\' filter or some other carbon system that can handle that amount of distillate - the Smart Still teabag is useless for it.

It looks like a small waste bin with a pipe on top, looks crap - but works very well.

Thanks for the info umpa i have already got the Z filter so thats not a problem,yes thats what i thought looking at photos of the reflux,but hey it dont matter what it looks like if it works that well,once i have the money i will give Richard at Wineworks a call.

Thats were I got mine from. I have been very happy with it. (I use mine on cheap electric)

Dont think you can beat Richard at wineworks for good service and advice IMO,pity i dont live close enough to go there,only trouble then i would spend a fortune as i would always be in there lol

I live close but still had him deliver it - lol
at the time I only had my little roadster (smart) and it would have been a tight fit - lol

I just read the post by Optic regarding the reduced weight in the SS Turbo Yeast.

I\'m no expert but I would guess if the reduction in weight was with the nutrient and not the yeast it would effect the growth of the yeast and therefore it\'s finishing SG.
Opus