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Heads run

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:23 am
by BadDesign
Hi, I take large ish heads from my cuts, about 300ml ish. so I have litres of heads.

is there anything useful in there to run, if so, what sort of cuts would I be looking at?

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 4:04 pm
by gaza the instructor
Water down to about 30% abv and distill just like a spirit
run.ie collect in 200 or 400ml glass jars.
Leave to air over night, then smell and taste to get where
your heads finish or hearts start.
I then use leftover heads for sanitizing spray or window
cleaning etc...

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:34 pm
by Easydrinker
I made the recent decision to do no more neutral Heads runs.
For me the return was not worth the expenditure of time, effort and money.
There are however many uses for high strength unpalatable alcohol.
A new one to me that I am trying this week is curing animal skins.
It could be argued that the return on this is not worth the expenditure of time and effort.
But I like to try new stuff, and Alum and Borax are becoming more expensive and harder to source in the UK.
I have Heads a plenty. :)

Robert.

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:07 am
by Maker
Do you think that is because you are skilled at cutting heads from a run and waste very little where as new 'stillers' may gain from recycling to get back what they missed the first time?
I've not got enough heads stored yet to try myself as I drink them whilst waiting for the hearts to finish.... ::) (kids, dont drink heads, dont do drugs and stay in skool)

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 6:48 am
by Mash
Would you drink paraffin.. no!
So DO NOT DRINK HEADS.

There is a reason we go to so much trouble to remove them!

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 2:22 pm
by Easydrinker
Nice one maker, LMAO!
I think you caught Mash...

A person may get better at differentiating between heads and hearts, but it is a variable thing.
Some here expect 10% of the total alcohol in the boiler to be heads/fores, some 25%.

Robert.

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2018 7:04 pm
by Mash
B#$7@+6! Lol you did.

Poor excuse follows...

I did it to ensure safety if it is quickly read by a novice in the future.

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:26 pm
by Anavrin
I’ve now embarked on a system of recycling heads, I throw the first litre that comes off a spirit run, then whatever doesn’t make the cut before hearts, goes back in the to the next spirit run, only just started this, so it won’t be until my next spirit run when I find out if it’s effective or not.

So if my heads percentage remains the same on the next spirit run, then I’m winning.

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:26 am
by Pyro
I put the heads and tails into the next spirit run along with 1Lt water, then top up with strippings, works for me on the AS

Re: Heads run

PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:30 am
by BadDesign
thanks for the comments.

like I said I am very bad at making cuts, I really struggle to taste the difference when trying to make cuts but can taste the slightest off taste when actually drinking it.

so I take very conservative cuts, I put the tails in to the next stripping run but had lots of heads mounting up.

I have done two heads runs how and have been amazed, the first I was very conservative and cut the first 1000ml before taking 200ml sample and was surprised that they all tasted great, so the next run I started taking sample at 500ml and I managed to get a few hundred ml more before I could taste heads.

so I managed to get just over 4 liters of the cleanest tasting vodka I have made from the 2 heads runs.