StillSmart

I've had my T500 for a while now and used it about 10 time and today it started acting really strange, Now I usually run it at about 58 degrees C and it produces a nice slow trickle out the white pipe at a cool temp, today suddenly it started surging and almost pouring out for a short while and the alcohol was warm-hot and a lower ABV. Obviously is was not refluxing properly and after giving the column a few taps it started to work normally again, then started surging again.

Do any of you guys have any ides as to what is happening ??

Sounds like a puke pushing the alcohol out the column.

Was the still charged with wash? If your sure the wash was fermented dry, and properly degassed, it might be worth using some conditioner.


If you had done all of the above, then it might be flooding - it could be worth repacking the column, just giving it a hard shake can help resettle those saddles.

Capt-Cudellez wrote:Sounds like a puke pushing the alcohol out the column.

Was the still charged with wash? If your sure the wash was fermented dry, and properly degassed, it might be worth using some conditioner.


If you had done all of the above, then it might be flooding - it could be worth repacking the column, just giving it a hard shake can help resettle those saddles.

I have a sneaking supposition that it was not fully fermented and de gassed, It was a bit of a rush job as I needed it for tonight, you reckon that could have caused it??

Yip, any sugar left in the wash and its prone to foaming. When doing washes that don't ferment fully dry like whiskey or rum, I usually only put 35L of wash in my 50L keg boiler, the extra head room helps.

You can also add distillers conditioner, or just a big spoonful of butter to the wash to help keep the foaming under control.

Capt-Cudellez wrote:Yip, any sugar left in the wash and its prone to foaming. When doing washes that don't ferment fully dry like whiskey or rum, I usually only put 35L of wash in my 50L keg boiler, the extra head room helps.

You can also add distillers conditioner, or just a big spoonful of butter to the wash to help keep the foaming under control.

Thanks, btw I did put in the conditioner

.

Superslim007 wrote:It was a bit of a rush job as I needed it for tonight

I see that you do not believe in all this ageing and making cuts malarkey .

YHB wrote:.

Superslim007 wrote:It was a bit of a rush job as I needed it for tonight

I see that you do not believe in all this ageing and making cuts malarkey .

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do

YHB wrote:.

Superslim007 wrote:It was a bit of a rush job as I needed it for tonight

I see that you do not believe in all this ageing and making cuts malarkey .

Actually I do believe in ageing I'm currently ageing some JD so far for 3 weeks, I was actually making vodka and as for cuts I believe with the T500 it is not required, it produces good quality 90-95% throughout the entire process, no tails at all, when its done it just stops producing anything

Superslim007 wrote:... and as for cuts I believe with the T500 it is not required, ...

I have to say I'm surprised that anyone who visits and has read posts on this forum about cuts and different stills would believe any manufacturers claims about the operation of their equipment.

Foreshots and Heads are where all the nasty and potentially dangerous chemicals are found. So, of course cuts are required, otherwise you're drinking all the dangerous stuff and passing it on to others too. Tails just smell and taste rotten but it can't kill you

AM

If you are happy with what you are producing then I am happy for you.

Just one point to consider, %ABV is measure of strength, not of quality or taste. I regularly produce 95%ABV spirits that taste foul and 95%ABV spirits that taste good from the same wash on the same run. I do not mean to, it just happens because I rush things.

Toodlepip

Brian

aidanmac wrote:

Superslim007 wrote:... and as for cuts I believe with the T500 it is not required, ...

I have to say I'm surprised that anyone who visits and has read posts on this forum about cuts and different stills would believe any manufacturers claims about the operation of their equipment.

Foreshots and Heads are where all the nasty and potentially dangerous chemicals are found. So, of course cuts are required, otherwise you're drinking all the dangerous stuff and passing it on to others too. Tails just smell and taste rotten but it can't kill you

AM

[color=#4040FF]I must correct myself, I do makes cuts in that I cut the first 100ml, now I have only been making a sugar wash (birdwatchers)to enable me to produce a neutral spirit which I use for vodka or as a base for gin etc.
Now I don't claim to know a lot but from what I have read hear there and every where with the T500 I can remove the first 50ml though I take off 100ml and the rest is fine, no more cuts required, from what I have produced up to now seems to be a reasonable tasting neutral vodka, I am no connoisseur but can tell the difference between a palatable vodka and something that tastes of crap.

For what I am making would you make more cuts??? if so how do you know how much and when to cut assuming the taste is consistent [/color]

I make Whisky and Vodka using a 50lt pot and I routinely toss out the first 250ml as Fores the next 500ml is tossed into the feints jar and the next 2x250ml batches are set aside for assessing the next day. Usually only one of them will make the cut into my Whisky.

Distillation is physics not chemistry. This means it doesn't matter what type of still you use the volatiles, including the ethanol we seek, all evaporate from the boiler and condense from the condenser in the same order every time and at the same temps everytime.

Therefore, cuts are the only way to remove the undesirable elements in the distillate. You can ignore them and if you are doing huge runs like the big distilleries these will be lost in the huge volume of spirits they produce. But for us little guys the undesirables are of at a level we should not ignore.

AM

You could try this: After slowly slowing getting the foreshots, collect the next 400ml in a 'heads' jar. As slow as patience allows. Then wind it up some for the hearts collection.

Compare this to product where you collected no heads. If better, go for 500ml next time etc. until you find the point where more 'heads' collected does not improve the final product.

You keep the heads and at some point dilute and do a heads run so you're not losing much.

aidanmac wrote:...if you are doing huge runs like the big distilleries these will be lost in the huge volume of spirits they produce.

Or not. Try Wild Turkey Bourbon for a taste of commercial heads. And to think that i used to like the stuff!

Doesn't there have to be some heads and/or tails in a bourbon? Wouldn't it be just hearts aka neutral otherwise?