Howdy! Need some advice/help!

[Frank]

You sound like uv been srtippgn like I hvae Sutbbs,Duolbe Dtuch :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
Fi had a mgaic bttuon I'd rename ya Dutchy :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:


Hmmmmm. all advice welcome at this point, I expect.... :pray:

[victorski]

All righty :-D stuff is finally starting to make sense, thanks guys!

So let me get this straight :-) First i make my 25L wash which will be roughly 15-20% abv, then run this through the pot still which will give me a 40% abv! How many litres of wash will i need to make up a 40L at 40% abv to then run through the boka and can you just do a 25L wash through the pot still and use that or are you better off waiting till you have 40L as to maximize your yield ?

Once i've got this 40L of 40% abv i put one teaspoon per litre and then have to wait a week before i run this through a Boka and achieve the 94-95% abv ? :) How much neutral will you typically get from a 40L at 40% wash?

Now if this is all correct, what i'll need is a Pot to strip the wash and a reflux to get the high abv neutral! Does a pot still come with the liebig or is it an attachment, what purpose does it serve? is it a condenser (we use liebig condensers at uni)? am i correct to assume i can use this pot still to make my flavoured spirits?

If I'm understanding this correctly I'll want a pot still and I like the appeal of the VM/LM boka combo it seems easier to differentiate between foreshots, heads, hearts and tails! What would everyone suggest?

Thanks for all the help :) sorry for all the questions its just a bit difficult to get my head around it all haha

Kind regards,
Victor

[R-sole]

I don't see why you'd want to put 25l of wash in a 50l keg based still, but everyone's different.

40l of 40% wash will give you around 30-35l of neutral vodka at 40% depending on your process and cuts.

[Kal]

Not sure you want to start with a 15-20% wash as you will be stressing the yeast. I use 10% wash (wposw in the tried and proven recipes) . I just double distill with my bok for a nice clean result (diluting back to 40% for the second run). I don't add anything for heads compression i just run it real slow at the start of my spirit run

[victorski]

Alrighty I think I'm almost ready now to start stripping my first wash :D I plugged in my keg boiler (2200w element) and boiled some water to test it out and noticed that the cables were very warm near the power point and also at the base of the element :handgestures-thumbdown:

Now I'm no sparky so I have no idea about anything, do I need to worry? I currently only have one installed but I'm about to put a second element (also 2200w) into the keg can i just run an extension to another power point ? The last thing I want is to set fire to anything ahaha!

I still need to get around to having a sparky throw together a controller for me so I can have some control over one of the elements :-)

Cheers
Victor

[emptyglass]

You'll want to run your lead from a seperate circut than your first lead.
To find out (unless you already know) plug a bedside lamp, or better, a radio into powerpoint, start flicking breakers in the fuse box until you find the circut the radio is on. Do the same until you find another powerpoint thats on a seperate circut.
Remember you are going to be pulling some juce with 2 elements, so be careful.

Your wash will likley only be about 10%abv if you follow tried recipies, this is about the maximum they aim for. Best way is get a mash hydrometer, and check your specific gravity readings against the charts.

Charge your 50 litre keg to 45 litres, should yeild theretical 4.5 litres. If you strip your wash with a pot still, it will start at 70% if your doing well, but don't be srprised if its lower. It tapers off, and most guys stop at about 20%. You should collect about somewhere close to 8 or 9 litres of varying ABV.
By the time you put it all together, you should have about 40-50%abv. Never put anything over 40% in your boiler. Do this 4 -5 times (32-40 litres @ 40%)

If you have the luxury of a 2nd keg, great, but if not, charge your keg with the low wines you made. Fit your boka or VM and start stillin'.

You need to start with a recipie aimed at neutal or flavored. You will struggle to make vodka from burbon, although the process is largley the same. You may wish to run your vodka through again.

Your keg will run on as little as 20 litres pretty good, but be very careful with submerged elements if you plan to run a low quantity charge. Don't boil them dry.

[emptyglass]

A quick word on foreshots- the first fraction you will collect. Is basicly poison methonol (and some other baddies) Don't drink it.
You can pull some off each stripping run and not have to do it on the spirit run, or you can pull it out on the spirit run.
For flavored drinks, I like to pull it off the strip, as this renders the batch drinkable, then I pull just a little off the spirit run, just to be sure.

If you find a good tasting jar or 2 in the middle of the stripping runs, these will help you get some drinking stock while you complete the first cycle. It will be ok to drink, it just could possibly get better.

At the start, collect in small jars (500-700ml). This makes your cuts easier. The heads sometimes smell good, but its where the headaches hide.

I've never done it, but they say not to distill beer as you will get a hoppy taste in your distillate that wont go away. Apparently, it will aslo funk up your still with beer funk.

No one wants a funked up still :mrgreen:

I have aged bourbon on new oak for as little as 3 months, and got better taste than store bought. Aging is a whole subject in itself, but its not what you have been led to believe. Heaps of tricks.

[victorski]

Thanks champ, that's a great run down on what to expect and very descriptive! :-) Now all I need is my pot still/boka and my batch of UJSSM to finishing fermenting :handgestures-thumbupleft: Hopefully should be on my way to making a good drop, yipee! :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Victor

[emptyglass]

No worries.

To be practical, you'll only need your pot still to do your UJSSM.

If you run it through a bokakob, make sure the valve is opened right up after fores and heads, and run it like a pot, otherwise you will strip all your flavor.

[MacStill]

Or he can run a molasses wash @95% and get a beautiful light rum, through his Radakob :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

I'm serious bout the rum bit though :teasing-neener:

[maheel]

Alrighty I think I'm almost ready now to start stripping my first wash :D I plugged in my keg boiler (2200w element) and boiled some water to test it out and noticed that the cables were very warm near the power point and also at the base of the element

Cheers
Victor

mine heat up even when i am running it on my dedicated 15amp line

IMO in reality its showing you the weak points of the circuit, the plug and the joints in the wire in the element ....

Try not to use long extension cables if you can avoid it, or use a 15amp wire based lead (heavier gauge copper wire)

[victorski]

Ah yes I know, I'm waiting for the Boka to make some nice neutral :D

I'd be keen to make some rum after I practice a bit with UJSM and some neutral :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Will I be able to run my keg boiler for the pot still on just one 2200w element ? Or will I need to get a voltage controller together to use and regulate my second element ? I'm confused as to how one can control the boil with just one element! Also do I need some boiling chips in the keg, can I just use aquarium ceramic filter rings?

Thanks for all the help :teasing-neener:

Victor

[Kimbo]

Hi Victorski,
I run my pot still and my boka with a single 2400w element with no controller, it works just fine (heat up time is quite slow)
if you have 2 elements, use both to heat up then turn one off. ;-)

[victorski]

:handgestures-thumbupleft: Thanks mate, exactly what I wanted to hear! When I get around to it I'll get my mate to help me fashion a controller!

[Kimbo]

No worries mate, no need to rush into it;-)