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think ive made a error.ive misread and dumped my last lot of tails into my now cleared wash before the stripping run ,,,,have i wasted the tails ?

ninja_geezer wrote:think ive made a error.ive misread and dumped my last lot of tails into my now cleared wash before the stripping run ,,,,have i wasted the tails ?

Some here, and I am rapidly moving to that side of the fence, believe that tails are really not worth the effort, for a neutral spirit.
But that is something to discover for yourself.

NO, you have wasted nothing.
Your next strip will yield more alcohol than the previous one.
Collect and process the bonus product as before.
Run your strip at sub 30%.

I know what I have said above may not tally with any "guide" that you may have read here.
There are "out of the box" instructions, and there are others for the thoughtful

Robert.

Easydrinker wrote:

ninja_geezer wrote:think ive made a error.ive misread and dumped my last lot of tails into my now cleared wash before the stripping run ,,,,have i wasted the tails ?

Some here, and I am rapidly moving to that side of the fence, believe that tails are really not worth the effort, for a neutral spirit.
But that is something to discover for yourself.

NO, you have wasted nothing.
Your next strip will yield more alcohol than the previous one.
Collect and process the bonus product as before.
Run your strip at sub 30%.

I know what I have said above may not tally with any "guide" that you may have read here.
There are "out of the box" instructions, and there are others for the thoughtful

Robert.[/quote
Many thanks Robert.
one more thing,so ive read and re read the "getting the best out of my air still guide " and even printed the diagram off and laminated it,but i need clarification on one part please,i put 4 litres of the wash in the still and collect about 1.5 litrers stir it and it is about 30% ,if i check what is actually coming out of the still after about 1 litre it is very very low %,am i doing this correctly.so on my spirits run i am putting in 30% stripped wash.
.

How much you get out depends on what you put in. The guide is based on using 7kg sugar in 26 litres and is said to give 1.35 litres @ 50%ABV. If you have a weaker wash then you will get a smaller volume and a lower ABV. This is nothing to worry about, it is just physical chemistry at work. Using a 6kg in 26 litre charge I get about 1.2 litres @ 45-47%ABV.

I find it easier to use a refractometer to check ABV coming off the Airstill as it only needs a tiny sample and is quick to do. For the first strip run I collect down to 20% then switch off. There isn't much left in the pot by then so you aren't missing much.

For my ten pennyworth. You will find a wash
you like for neutral far from the turbos,
like this Kale wash or Lentil etc etc...
But the main thing is the amount of sugar,
and the sugar bite and off flavours you can
get associated with this.
Thought for the day.
"Quality not Quantity"
even applies to alcohol.

Starting from the bottom.
Gaza says it all really.

Flump comes a close second, but I believe that he has the sugar quantities a little high.
I thought that guide written for 5 or 6 Kg. Sometimes my memory fails me...

OK, this is where some will argue, for no good reason.
If you use a parrot you will be sampling smaller volumes of spirit than those of us that do not.
No problem with that.
Collect until you you are happy to stop, going low is a waste of time if not making whisky or Rhum.
Just make allowance, a collection vessel will contain spirit from more of the run, and so when "that" vessel is at a certain %, the current still run-off % will be much lower.
Collect until you you are happy to stop, going low is a waste of time if not making whisky or Rhum.
Dilute (if needed) your strip to sub 30% and all should be good.


I hope that helped.

Robert.

So kale wash in t500 column ....I got 1.75 litres of distillate is that about right?
This was after taking 100ml of nasty off the front end

Its 5kg ED.
If you use 6kg the spirit is harsher (if that's a word)
H12rpo I don't take Foreshots off till the spirit run.
1.76 ltrs @93% = 5.36 ltrs x 3=16ltrs. That will make a good spirit run.
And all for less than a tenner.
Are you sure that is not 2.7 ltrs.
I run this wash as a regular, it makes cheap smooth clean spirit.
I stripp on my pot still ( T500 and copperware) and each wash
produces just under 5 ltrs @about 50%, take off @30%.
gives me a 25ltr charge at just over30%.
loads of Vodka.

gaza the instructor wrote:
1.76 ltrs @93% = 5.36 ltrs x 3=16ltrs. That will make a good spirit run)

I'm not sure whether it's me? I did a maths a level but I still can't understand your calculations mate .....unless you're saying dilute to 30% the intitial strip from 3 lots of 22 litre washes?

(I definately only had 1.75 litres of initial distillate i.e. The 93% stuff)

Well done you've got it. Always dilute to about 30%
for safety. Why 22ltr washes? Boiler holds 25ltrs.

Yes, I am venturing that the post implied 3 Spirit runs,
then diluted.
The different way that people do math, sometimes confuses me.

Robert.

Latest Kale news. As I do 3x25ltr washes at a time.
I obviously do 3 strip runs, purpose is to make a full
or near full charge for spirit run(25ltr) so long but
worth while run.
Last lot dropped sugar to 4.5kg per wash.
spirit run was 24.5 ltrs @ 30%.
Less yeald than 5kg obviously but purity of final
product wowie the best yet very impressed.
Is gents worth spending more of my hard earned on
some Brewing sugar or dextrose for proper name.
Will it give me cleaner that T&L.
I know I will have to put 5kg in.

I've got 75 litre brewing lentil god it's taking ages , i don't use brewing sugar for cost reasons but i double distille mine and it just keeps getting better give it a try and see the difference.

Robbo12 wrote:I've got 75 litre brewing lentil god it's taking ages , i don't use brewing sugar for cost reasons but i double distille mine and it just keeps getting better give it a try and see the difference.

Check the pH.