StillSmart

You can get cheap paper strips from eBay. They are good enough to detect a stuck ferment.

I have been upgrading from my AirStill for a few years now. One of these days, perhaps... In the meantime I have learned how to make some decent product.

Chuck

Its all a learning curve isn't it mate.

I've only ever used the Still Spirits fermentation and clearing packs in a sugar wash. I can usually drink any old crap at times but I now really want to start making decent spirits. I knew something was wrong when I distilled my last wash and it tasted bad.

@ Still Brewing,
You will find virtually all of the information that you need to run the air still well,is already in the archives of this site.
And chill is probably the person here with the most experience of using one,seemingly for just about any spirit that you can think of.
Happy Stilling.

Robert.

The molasses washes I put down went like crazy from OGs of 1096 and 1102 down to 1020 and 1024 over 4 days. Gave them another 4 and found 1018 and 1022 so little change there. Cold conditions and no heat used, just heavily wrapped fermenters, so made up a heating system for them. Seemed to spark some life again, couple of days showed 1012 and 1016. And that seems to be all folks, no signs of life at all in the buckets.
Is this too high to accept for final SGs?
Heating set to range from 22 to 25 degrees, contents are warm to touch so temp adjusted FSGs would be lower. AV calc is same for both, around 11.6%. Maybe I should have used some buffer originally, it's too late now though.
Guess all I can do is clear them then run, unless anyone out there has something to encourage me otherwise

I would run them. Molasses has enough unfermentable bits that the gravity won't get anywhere near 1.

Chuck

@Packapoo: That should give you about 12% which is fine. I would suggest however that next time you keep your starting SG a bit lower with an aim at getting the final SG below 1.000. At 12%, the alcohol content will kill off your yeast anyway, unless using a turbo or some type of fancy crap that you shouldn't be using.

If using the PD-A, do a strip run, accumulate and then a spirit run. Use no extension, no packing and no reflux. Once you have reached a boil and product is coming off, back off the heat. Do the math and determine how much alcohol you should pull off. When finished, ley it breath a while.

You should have a good rum.

Not saying that this is correct,but the way that I now run all washes.
After the initial fast fizz,and slow down,I check Ph,anything under 4,with some slow activity,I add a teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda,little at a time,to a 23 litre wash.
I may do this twice,but expect the wash to be finished soon after.
I haven't had a stalled wash recently,maybe it is Karma,maybe it is magic.
I don't really care.It seems to work.

Robert.

Thank you for your considered replies folks. All appreciated. I've removed the heat source now, unwrapped them and left them to cool overnight. Then I'll get the closest to anything 'turbo' that I'm ever likely to use, Turbo Clear, which is benign ingredient wise and I've found, effective.

Chuck, I'd overlooked the unfermentables that come with molasses.

RJ, I cocked up my calcs putting this together. That's the reason why the two weren't of the same OSG. Intent was to start at around 1080-82. Thanks for your guide for when I run it, too.

Ed, Take your point but that's another 'ing' I try to avoid - Ph-ing, turbo-ing and filter-ing....

chill wrote:I would run them. Molasses has enough unfermentable bits that the gravity won't get anywhere near 1.

Chuck

Holy crap batman; fined the buckets this morning 3 hours later there's 30-35mm gunk built up across the bottoms. Turbo Clear at work.

Yes, there is indeed a bit of stuff in molasses beyond sugar and water.