StillSmart

Using a 14% sugar wash
Stripping down to 40%
Diluting to 30%
Then running again and discarding 50ml
Then taking 250ml as heads
Is it ok to just collect 1lt as in the diagram as hearts
Or should I collect in smaller increments?
This is with my airstill.
I will then just be sticking this on jd chips for Christmas

Take a look at the picture posted on Mozrs thread,top of the distillation forum,that is the way I do it,in increments.
Robert.

With my stripping run I just put a jug marked at 1.5lt and collect away then water back to 30%
It is usually at 40% at 1.5lt
Am I doing this wrong then?

I've just finished stripping 25lt so I really hope I haven't screwed up!

The % measuremnet as to when to stop is measuring what is coming out of the still at that moment, NOT the % of the total output. Your results are right, but you are measuring wrong.

After you discard 50ml fires and collect 250ml heads, you are still going to have heads coming out for another 200 - 400ml. Collect in small containers to make the cuts. Same on the tail end.

Chuck

These are now muddy waters.
I will try and make them less so.
Corpso,your strip sounds good.
Chuck came in regarding your spirit run,and I,maybe he,and you have become miss-understood regarding the spirit run.
I suggest you follow Mozrs's direction,or aidanmacs, both will get you there.
Chill/Chucks reminder to collect in increments is very valid.
Let it air,and decide for yourself.

Robert.

Does this help?
I really hope so.

Thank you chill. So my strip run is ok? That's what I was worried about.
I was going to follow mozrs guide and
Discard 50ml
Keep 250-300ml to one side as heads
Collect 500ml as hearts
Then collect in 100ml glasses from there
That's correct isn't it?
Thank you for all your help people.
My recent corn sugarhead was a bit if a failure as in no corn taste but I know where I went wrong with that so still in the beginning staged of my adventure.
Thank you again guys

Easydrinker
Thank you very much.
Does my plan above look ok?

Oh and when I had collected my 1500ml at 40%
I then took another 100ml and checked its abv and it was 0%
Does this matter or have I stripped it too much?
I took the 1500ml following mozrs guide and this
"That really depends on the strength of the wash you put into it. I'd say that is on the higher end of things. You can make this a LOT easier on yourself if you get a digital time (like for lamps) with a count down feature on it. Four hours is a good place to start, more or less for weaker or stronger washes. Just adjust it based on the final ABV. Then all you need to do is to fill the AirStill, start the timer, and come back later. Oh yeah, and put the collecting jar under the spout. I keep forgetting that part, makes the wife very grumbly. Save your attention for the spirit run when you do NOT want to walk away and miss making a cut or changing a jar."

This is where a parrot pays for itself. On a stripping run you must monitor the ABV of the distillate coming out of the still as the run progresses and not the batch as a whole.

On a stripping run I always recommend collecting until the ABV of the distillate coming out of the still dips just below 20%. At that stage your entire stripped batch should be between 45-50%.

On the Spirit Run you cannot simply collect fixed amounts for the different elements of the run other than the Fores.

For Heads, you can collect the first 250ml but you need to collect two more small batches of 100ml each which you will test after airing to decide if they can be used in the Hearts or recycled in the Heads jar.

For Hearts, again you cannot simply collect a fixed amount. Once into the Heart of the spirit you should collect the amount shown on the guide chart for Hearts in 250ml batches and after airing for 24 hours you can test each batch and find where the end of the Hearts is and where the Tails starts.

Different wash types will produce different cuts and even fermentation temps can affect the amount of Heads, Hearts and Tails that will come from your still. Make notes for each run you do so you can build experience and you'll find you will quickly be able to identify the different sections of the run by smell and taste as the still is running.

AM

P.S. The chart I produced was a later, more detailed, development based on the original produced by Mozr and is a little more detailed in terms of getting the most from your runs.

aidanmac wrote:This is where a parrot pays for itself. On a stripping run you must monitor the ABV of the distillate coming out of the still as the run progresses and not the batch as a whole.

On a stripping run I always recommend collecting until the ABV of the distillate coming out of the still dips just below 20%. At that stage your entire stripped batch should be between 45-50%.

On the Spirit Run you cannot simply collect fixed amounts for the different elements of the run other than the Fores.

For Heads, you can collect the first 250ml but you need to collect two more small batches of 100ml each which you will test after airing to decide if they can be used in the Hearts or recycled in the Heads jar.

For Hearts, again you cannot simply collect a fixed amount. Once into the Heart of the spirit you should collect the amount shown on the guide chart for Hearts in 250ml batches and after airing for 24 hours you can test each batch and find where the end of the Hearts is and where the Tails starts.

Different wash types will produce different cuts and even fermentation temps can affect the amount of Heads, Hearts and Tails that will come from your still. Make notes for each run you do so you can build experience and you'll find you will quickly be able to identify the different sections of the run by smell and taste as the still is running.

AM

P.S. The chart I produced was a later, more detailed, development based on the original produced by Mozr and is a little more detailed in terms of getting the most from your runs.

Thank you AM. So will I be ok to do a spirit run on what I have or just discard and start again?
I've been doing it like this for a while now and feel like I've cocked up monumentally by missing the simple points in yours and mozrs guides

Yes mate,just dilute your strip,and do a spirit run.
Good luck.

Thank you. It's now diluted to 30%

AM.
I hope I'm correct in understanding.
Using your guide
Discard 50ml as fores
Collect 250ml as definite heads
Collect 2 x 100ml as possibly heads
Then collect 1000ml in 250ml batches
Finally after the 1000ml collect separate
100ml lots until the output is 30%

Does this sound about right?
Sorry to be a pain in the arse

Not everyone bothers collecting tails so my advice is to try it for a few runs and decide for yourself if it's worth the effort to you.

Unless you do something real dumb, like fall asleep during a run, any cockups are going to be minimal, so don't sweat it too much.

Have fun.