Parrots in the UK

[shawry99]

Ok, clearly not the feathered variety

Does anyone know of any sites that sell them? Or anyone willing to make me one for use with my Air Still?

Cheers

Gary

[Icefever]

PM on it's way.

[Anavrin]

I was thinking of making one or two, just out of interest how high is the output from the airstill?
It would need to fit under of course :-)

[Corps012588]

Have you had any luck yet buddy?
It's been on my wish list for months now!

[packapoo]

watching with interest as I'm after one also.

[shawry99]

Anyone know good dimensions/plans for one for an Air Still?

[Myles]

Guys if you get no joy then contact me in 4 weeks when I get back from Iraq. I can easily make you a parrot.

However I do have to ask if you actually need one. These are normally used to check the ABV of the product stream mid run, and are typically used on larger volume boilers.

Anyhow think about it and get back to me later if you wish.
Myles.

[shawry99]

Essentially its so I can measure the ABV during my Spirit run, and saves me faffing with collecting in measuring jars towards the end of the run.

While its not a necessity, I think (though I could be wrong) its a helpful addition to the process.

[Easydrinker]

Agreeing with Myles here,is it needed?
I have not needed one so far for either my Smart Still or Silly Still,but am thinking of building one,purely for the the sack of malt that I intend processing as close to commercial distillery methods as possible,- going on numbers for cuts,instead of my easily pleased palate.
I have gotten by so far using YHB's old recommendation of collecting in vinegar bottles,
and a little experience gained.
They work pretty well with the usual 23/25L charge of my bigger still;I have to mark them with lower volumes for the Smart still.
I admit to losing a little during bottle changes,but the anticipation of testing a couple of dozen bottles a few days later to make cuts is pretty good.
Anyway,so much copper hanging around,need to do something with it.
Do a search on here for details, - aidanmac posted details for a parrot build.
The height thing is easily adjusted - blocks of wood,books,dead laptops etc.
Robert.

[shawry99]

Its not a need thing, but having a parrot will make doing the stripping run, and the spirit run a lot easier, without having to faff with trial jars and such like as to know when to stop collecting.

[dylan]

Hey shawry, I am new so this will need confirming by more experienced folk.

I am not really sure a parrot can tell you anything other than the alc content, it is not really capable of telling you if you have reached tails or not. Maybe with some complex washes where you are unsure of the amount of alc going in due to high gravity finishes or if you have some old wine you are unsure of it could help spot when you need to start using trial jars though, so if you want to make some flavoured washes it could be good for that.

I may need some real correcting on this, but I think the "stop at 20%" instruction is really because it is a good place to stop as far as efficiency is concerned. It would not be the end of the world if you went a bit below it.

Point is, if you are running a standard wash or a common one then there is a good chance you will know exactly how much alc is in the wash before you start, and will have a very good idea how much needs to be stripped give or take a few percent.

Though I would still have one if the price was right because they look nice, are a good talking point, a bit fascinating to watch it move and would certainly be more of use if you ever upgrade or want to experiment with funky washes.

[shawry99]

If Im throwing in tails then my wash is artificially boosted. also, my current 2 washes are likely to come in at different alc levels due to one being 5Kg/25Ltr the other 6Kg/26Ltr

And yes, I understand the use of a parrot, and as Ive said, its not the be all, and end all, or even vital when it comes to it, but it removes a bit of faff, and makes my job a little easier.

[dylan]

Good point, I never thought about how the tails can make it all go a bit different every run.

[John51]

From what I've read here, the best way to identify the onset of tails is to have a dog close by. Seems they start yapping like no tomorrow once they sniff the tails.

[shawry99]

Does anyone have a Parrot that they use for the Air Still, just so I can grab measurements?