StillSmart

Can someone please explain to a newbie how to do successful strip runs and when to stop collecting with a parrot, and what to collect down to on the sprit run? I think I've read collect down to 20% on the strip, and what about sprit what is the range to collect for hearts is it something like down to 60% ? Please help as I'm confused!!!!!!

On a stripping run with the airstill I collect everything down to 20% and cut by taste on a spirit run (I mix a couple drops of distillate with a little warm water on a spoon) I find even when im down to around 60% on a spirit run I start to detect tails. I collect from there in 100ml batches down to about 30% and stop. Leave them to air and add the ones I like to the hearts and recycle the rest on the next stripping run

You can't make cuts based on ABV. You can use ABV as guide to when to start to expect you might get tails. I'd stop collecting anything on a spirit run once it got down to about 30%. You want to be drinking what is coming out but it can be recycled. Below 30% ABV output, the alcohol remaining is not worth my time, effort, and electricity costs to collect.

Chuck

The purpose of the Stripping Run is to get rid of the crap from your wash so collect everything until the alcometer dips just below 20%ABV - no cuts.

When you've stripped a batch of wash you are left with what are called 'Low Wines'.

Don't smell the low wines, don't taste the low wines it's just cleaned up wash at this stage and not fit for consumption unless you're into pain.

On the Spirit Run the first thing you have to do is discard the foreshots. You'll get loads of opinion about how much to throw away but I offer the following bit of advice on the subject.

The Foreshots is the only place where potentially dangerous substances are to be found when distilling. For this reason I recommend discarding a fixed amount of the initial output from the still on the Spirit Run, based on the batch size, to ensure you will not have any of those dangerous substances in your drinking spirits.

If you're running a 4lt Airstill or Smartstill I recommend discarding the first 50ml of distillate.

If you're running a larger still I recommend discarding 125ml for every 10lt of low wines, so in a 40lt boiler charge you will need to discard 500ml to ensure all the foreshots are removed.

I can hear lots of people out there reaching for their keyboards to type "that's far too much to throw away" but, in relation to the overall spirit output it's very small and I'd rather be safe than listen to them.

This will ensure your safety.

After that you can try following this guide..


Cuts are all about smell then taste.

Read the Guide and if you have any questions just post them here and someone will help you out.

AM

Ok guys i will give it a go, and see what happens

Hi Lets clear up a few misconceptions here.Firstly the Parrot is about as useful as the male nipple.A hydrometer is only accurate at at given temperature,and the distillate comes over at varying temperatures,bin it.A temperature gauge measuring the vapour temperature is your most important tool,you can now make your cuts with accuracy and precision all the time,not hit and miss.Start your still,disguard everything below 75 degrees,stop when temp rises above 95c.on first run.

mikeyhogg wrote:Firstly the Parrot is about as useful as the male nipple

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Everyone is different and every one has different methods of obtaining the same results, many stills do not have the luxury of a thermometer, in which case a parrot is a valuble aid in monitoring the state of the run.

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mikeyhogg wrote:A hydrometer is only accurate at at given temperature,and the distillate comes over at varying temperatures,bin it

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Yes, the hydrometer is calibrated for a given temperature but it is not a difficult piece of maths to establish the allowance to be made for temperature variations. The hydrometer combined with the parrot may be a very useful tool, particulary for the beginner, to monitor the run. It also gives you someting to play with during a very boring process

MH

If you do not use a hydrometer, how do you establish the strength of your product?

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mikeyhogg wrote:A temperature gauge measuring the vapour temperature is your most important tool,you can now make your cuts with accuracy and precision all the time,not hit and miss.Start your still,disguard everything below 75 degrees,stop when temp rises above 95c.on first run.

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This is certainly one way of extracting the maximum amount of alcohol from a wash during a stripping run. There are other methods if the set up is different.

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mikeyhogg wrote:Hi Lets clear up a few misconceptions here.

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I do not think that there are many misconceptions here, just different methods and equipment to achieve very similar results. Everyone should use whatever system they are comfortable with.

mikeyhogg wrote:Hi Lets clear up a few misconceptions here.Firstly the Parrot is about as useful as the male nipple.A hydrometer is only accurate at at given temperature,and the distillate comes over at varying temperatures,bin it.A temperature gauge measuring the vapour temperature is your most important tool,you can now make your cuts with accuracy and precision all the time,not hit and miss.Start your still,disguard everything below 75 degrees,stop when temp rises above 95c.on first run.

How you going to do blending if you ditch it? Haha. I don't have a thermometer on my plated column, all they do is tell.you when different fractions are coming through. That'swhy they have temp correction calcs for using a alco meter.

mikeyhogg wrote:Hi Lets clear up a few misconceptions here.Firstly the Parrot is about as useful as the male nipple.A hydrometer is only accurate at at given temperature,and the distillate comes over at varying temperatures,bin it.A temperature gauge measuring the vapour temperature is your most important tool,you can now make your cuts with accuracy and precision all the time,not hit and miss.Start your still,disguard everything below 75 degrees,stop when temp rises above 95c.on first run.

Misconceptions Eh