StillSmart

With this "hobby" Fuf I think the old adage of "one mans meat" and all that..is maybe the way to look at it.
This "thing" with yeast is the same with brewing beer, one guy shouts that this make of yeast is the best thing since sliced bread, you give it a try and it falls flat on it face. So it's down to the individual to tread their own path and draw your own conclusions

When I bought my airstill I went along with all the hype on the paperwork that came with it. Only using turbo yeast, carbon clear and the rest of it. When I found this forum and started to read & learn I've never touched another packet again...in fact I have around 4 lots of yeast & carbon sitting in the brew house I may as well bang them on Ebay because I'll never use them.

For neutral, Vodka Star is imo good enough to set a standard to judge other yeasts by, including diy mixes. btw, it's not actually a turbo. I do cooler slower ferments with it and have no complaints.

fuf wrote: I like the look of the lentil recipe, so I may give that a go next week.

Give it a try mate..I'm on my 4th strip run of a lentil wash at the moment.

My first run last night. Temperature varied from 50 to 56 and that's with the PRV set at just below 1 bar.
I discarded the first 150ml and let it run. Around 3 litres at 93%, watered it down to 40% and run it through a Z-filter twice.
I'm quite pleased with the result, just over 6 litres of neutral alcohol.


fuf

fuf wrote:My first run last night. Temperature varied from 50 to 56 and that's with the PRV set at just below 1 bar.
I discarded the first 150ml and let it run. Around 3 litres at 93%, watered it down to 40% and run it through a Z-filter twice.
I'm quite pleased with the result, just over 6 litres of neutral alcohol.


fuf

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Hi Fuf, if you have collected 3L, and you have put everything bar the first 150mls through the filter you are definitely consuming heads. And depending how much alcohol was in the boiler to begin with, there are probably some tails in there too.

Dont get me wrong, what you have made is no worse for you than what you buy in the shops, but it is possible to do better by making a slightly narrower cut.
This seems wasteful at first, but you get most of the alcohol back by throwing the parts that don't make the cut in with the next boiler charge.

Hi Capt,
There was about 23 litres in the boiler and tails for sure in the mix.
What do you advise? I have started to drink the first litre but have the other five litres in bottles.
Should I run the remaining 5 litres through the still again?
Also, the second mash will be ready in a couple of days. Please advise.

fuf

Whoopee here I go again... I have been pot stilling for a couple of years but this is just my third run on the T500.

I'm using the Allbran/Weetbix wash from Aussie Distiller forum.I don't have a PRV but I'm reducing pressure via 2 small inline taps.

I have a pot head that I bolt on to the T500 boiler lid and did a strip run on 23 litres of wash. Max cooling and max power gives me 6 litres of 40%ABV. Usually takes 3 and 1/2 hours from switch on to switch off. I do two washes. Gives me 12 litres total.

Diluted the 12 litres down to 30% and tipped it all in the T500. Switched it on and waited for the heat to rise halfway up the column then brought in a little cooling. As soon as the first drops came I used Captns technique and poured plenty of cooling through so there was no output. I left it that way for 20 minutes then slowly increased the flow till it got to a few drops a second (mid 40 degrees).Threw 100mls of foreshots into the spray bottle and collected 500mls of heads.

Increased the cooling output to 56 degrees. It stayed nice and steady for the rest of the run finishing up at 60 degrees when the flow reduced to a few drops again.

Thank you all for your advice It was certainly a much steadier run. The proofs in the drinking. I'll let you know !

Phantom wrote:

Voddy wrote:I'm considering running my T500 off a separate (low pressure) water tank, perhaps with a head of 6feet or so.

Yes, something I've considered but I can't get the height, so most likely either a slow/low pressure pump from a tank or that and a pressure stability valve as well......

I recently added a tiny pump to my brew/still setup to make my life easier. I got it here http://shop.solarproject.co.uk/Solar-Pr ... s-c-2.html (look at the SP 20/20 pump) and I use a small power controller to run it at whatever speed I require from a trickle to a fountain. I got the power controller here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professional- ... 3f0871254c

The pump is a dream. Quiet, efficient and makes my life soooo much easier as it is fixed to my boiler drain tap and pumps the slops to the waste after each run is finished My boiler is now fixed at floor level so it's easy to fill,run and empty too

AM

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I think you will enjoy it, AllBran and Weetabix run through a column is seriously nice.

Mr Four Square wrote:I don't have a PRV but I'm reducing pressure via 2 small inline taps

The two in-line taps will give you very good control over the flow when you have a steady pressure but they will not alter the pressure. The lack of control over the pressure will only come into play when someone in the house makes a cup of coffee or flushes the loo. This will cause a fall in pressure and also a reduction in flow / cooling.

Every home is different, and the pressure drop will depend on the configuration of the plumbing, if you do not notice temperature fluctuations then do not worry about it.

"I think you will enjoy it, AllBran and Weetabix run through a column is seriously nice."

I hope this will be my go to Vodka. I also want to macerate fruits and herbs, is this a good product to use or am I better using TPW?

Well that went rather badly ...I did my taste test tonight after yesterdays slow and uneventful run. I collected in 500 ml bottles and left them to air overnight. Pleasant odours in the bottle and the scent indicates that I collected heads up front and the tails last thing. I cut a little of each bottle with 50% distilled water and two of us tasted .There is an unpleasant aftertaste and slight burn through the whole lot. Sort of like quinine or even marzipan by the time you get near the tails.Undrinkable.

Wash was all/bran weetabix fermented out clean. I do recall a slight whiff of sulphur.

Pot stripped once. Then once through the T500 (badly with yo yoing cooling control) Then again yesterday through the T500 on a nice slow long run.

The column has only been used 3 times and on 30-40% wash so I don't think its the ceramic packers.

What do you reckon has gone wrong ?

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Mr Four Square wrote:What do you reckon has gone wrong ?

I do not know!

After three runs through the still I am surprised that there is any taste left.

My experience was when I was experimenting with the BOK to see what it would produce in a single run rather than a strip / spirit attack. I was left with a vodka type spirit with a very weak taste of the cereals. I do recall that I had difficulty making the cuts and it took a few days before I could decide. It is not uncommon for me to leave the angels have their share for 3 days - with the taste changing all the time.

You must be feeling quite disappointed, all I can suggest is for you try your tasting in a couple of days and see if the offending elements have evaporated off.

The other item that you mention - the pot head? is this a new acquisition that may have flux residue or is it a well established item that has been thoroughly cleaned in the past?

Good Luck

Brian

Thanks Brian that's very thoughtful of you. It all seemed to go according to plan and after 2 years of mediocre results this was going to be the turning point in my search for a good house Vodka. Hard to convince myself to start another 50 litres of wash. Oh boo hoo.

The pothead is a Still Spirits one I have been using and cleaning for a couple of years so flux is not the cause.

But what is?

Weird Andy.

A word to the wise.

My wife is a life long Vodka drinker and can spot cheap/crap vodka even through a strong mixer. When I made 'Vodka" for her using my VM the product was 95% off the still and very, very clean and she rejected it as having no mouthfeel/character/taste. Fair enough, I thought, it is just neutral ethanol after all

To me, that was the whole point of Vodka, no smell, no taste, no nothing - neutral - or so I thought, but no So I went back to my Pot still and now the centre of the Heart of my Spirit runs of Grain alcohol are what my wife loves. The purest, cleanest Vodka she's ever enjoyed and now she cannot stomach the commercial gut rot that is pedaled in the pubs and supermarkets.

I get the first and last third of the hearts plus whatever fraction of the Heads and/or Tails I require for my Whiskies and and she gets the middle third as her Vodka and after airing for 2-3 days and dilution to 40% even I can tell the difference

AM