Best laid plans

[devotus]

G'day

So here we go with a distilling virgin,

My limiting factors

1)Location, I live in Northern Germany and we are coming into winter so snow and sub -5c regularly during day at night -10c or more.
2)Live in a unit with very few tools or workspace
3)Lack of experience
4)Lack of knowledge


My Equipment

A copper alembic either 5 or 10 litre (re lack of space so cant go too large)
There are two types of Alembics that I'm deciding on any suggestions would be great

The first is just your classic Alembic
http://www.coppermasters.com/prod_detai ... &iOffset=0

The second is a Copper Rotating Column Alembic Still
http://www.coppermasters.com/prod_detai ... &iOffset=0

do you think it's worth buying the rotating column or just stick to the basic?

I have been trying to find a way to create a double boiler set up for when I start experimenting with my absinthe recipes as direct flame on the still leads to scorched herbs,. Can I just sit the still in pot of salted water or oil (with something to keep the still off the pot bottom of course) and then apply heat to the pot or will is there a better way?

My first project is to make a tpw wash and then try and bring that to a flavourless 90 odd% spirit to use as a base.

from reading I see that a pot still is not ideal for this job but it can be done with 3-5 runs, is this an accurate interpretation?


Any help or nudges in right directions would be very much appreciated and I know there is a search function and trust me I have tried but the broadness of questions leads to a shotgun effect of results.

Cheer M

[maheel]

i would consider grabbing one of these in the deal, could help with flavoring etc of your work
http://www.coppermasters.com/prod_detai ... &iOffset=2

the TPW is best stripped then run up a reflux to get very good neutral, IMO if you re-run it up a pot a few times it will work but you will have losses and yield will go down.
thats not a bad thing just frustrating, it's worth trying as TPW is very cheap...
you could also say run it twice, then carbon treat it.

i have never tried absinthe but the flavors may also mask any of the residual TPW flavor after a double or triple running it

you could do a double boiler using a big pot of water but it takes a lot of heat to get enough to transfer to the still.
consider using some SS mesh "bags" held above the floor of the still so it boils but does not touch the sides.
an idea might be a SS cutlery drainer from IKEA with some SS mesh from a splatter guard made into a herb holder in the wash.
drop the whole thing into the still and run it
you just need something you can get through the neck of the still.

then also use the Sieve Tray for any aromatics ?

i have read in the past that some who bought those stills needed to give them a really good clean and several cleaning runs as they had deposits of oil and other crap inside them from the build process.
i would suggest plenty if cleaning and a couple of good vinegar / water boils then again with water to clean

these are just some random ideas :) I have a pretty good gin going that i just macerate the herbs to make a "golden-ish gin" so with experiments you should get something interesting happening :mrgreen:

[devotus]

Great!! thanks mate.

I have that sieve on my list already as well as the thermometer that must be ordered separately.

The only problem I can see with using the mesh bags is the herbs will be finely chopped so may escape.

I might have to get a jacket made for the still with a drain and pressure valve so to use as a low psi pressure cooker type set up as the double, if you get my meaning.

As for the wash I really would prefer for it to end up as near to flavourless as possible as when finished Absinthe is prepared in the glass you can taste nearly every detail.

Maybe a straight sugar wash would be better?

Cheers

[wynnum1]

-10 cooling is not going to be a problem .

[devotus]

Thanks Wynnum, a heat pad or electric blanket for my fermenter will be needed I expect.

It does get down to -20 on really cold days but there are only a few of them in the heart of winter, average is -10 or so

[devotus]

Well 10l standard Copper Alembic it is, now off to the hardware store!

[devotus]

and here we go with the adapt and overcome part. Due to what you guys have said and reading this http://homedistiller.org/dtw.htm#use_pot I have given up on my idea of just running multiple runs on the pot in the effort to obtain a high % neutral.

Now it's stripping run with the alembic and then through a reflux.

Plan is to just use the alembics boiler and see if I can find a plan for a smaller reflux column setup as most of you guys seem to have keg or larger boilers.

I'll have to get help from a mate to put it together and source some copper pipe etc (finding cheap materials in Germany is very hard) but

this seems to be the best way to maximise my outcome.

A little bit of a hiccup in my totally ill prepared ideas

[R-sole]

You could always just buy your way out of it.

Manu will make anything you want and ship to you from Vietnam 8-)

http://stainlessstuff.net/

I don't think he's a member here yet, but can be contacted through his website or on Artisan.

[devotus]

Thanks for the link mate, that's a bit more than I'd like to spend and the Deutsche Zoll would probably call me in for Q&A then charge me more to take it home. It'd me an expensive exercise so I'll try and dig up a simple plan and see if I can get it done. Got a link to plans that don't cost me anything? I'm already looking here http://www.homedistiller.org/refluxdesign.htm#hetp but if you have a good link that would also be appreciated.

Cheers

[R-sole]

You don't really need a plan for a Vapour Management column. 1.2m of 40mm copper with a 40 x 40 x 20mm tee going to a 20mm gate valve and then a condensor. Top of the tee has 200-230mm of double wound 1/4" coil.

Connect to top of chosen pot as you see fit.

[devotus]

Yep, cheers for that mate. I'm reading http://www.homedistiller.org/first_StillMaker.pdf now and getting a better idea of what I should do.

[devotus]

Gday guys, getting all the bits and pieces together for my column and condenser.

Is this 5mm soft copper all right to use? It says its ok for fuel lines so I'm ASSuming it'd be ok for the cooling coil,

http://www.bengs-modellbau.com/material ... besoft.php

Cheers

[devotus]

crickets,


I've been looking at column designs for days and found one that had the soft copper 5mm so I'll take that as my answer.

My Alembic is going through it's cleaning run right now, man that thing is pretty.

I'm going to cut off the lyne arm at the base and solder a large connection there so I can swap back and forth between the column.

I was a bit concerned about the size of the pot seeing how most of you guys use at least twice the size and also that I may have to only put 7 litres in to give some head room, however the thing is built with plenty of head room with the full 10 litres in and at the moment I don't really need/want anything bigger. Perhaps later.

The sieve that comes with it is great for my end goals and with a slight addition of a bit of mesh I think I can get away without scorched vege material and most importantly I don't have to make a double boiler.

Should be able to pick up some 38mm pipe next week for nothing so that's a bit of saving.So apart from the t pieces, solder, needle valves, 5 mm tubing and caps and putting it all together I'm almost there :roll:

[QLD.Andy]

:text-worthless:

[devotus]

pics this evening

[devotus]

and pics





A nice Swiss Absinthe I wouldn't mind ending up making something of this quality

[Kimbo]

Thats a nice looking rig mate,
i hope it serves you well ;)

[Brigand]

Alembic and absinthe!

Sweet!

[QLD.Andy]

That thing could happily sit as an ornament, very nice.

[devotus]

Well first run done,

I bought some cheap (aussie) wine at 1.50€ a bottle and put 6 litres through the alembic. I chucked the first 100 -150 mil I know that's probably overkill for 6 litres wine but I'll err on the safe side at the moment. It was a learning run for me and had to fiddle around with heat settings a bit and fucked up the collecting a bit as well.

I got a total of 1.5 litres (a bit less than that) in total and did the taste test with the jars laid out. I could definitely taste differences and the hearts came out at about 55% and tails 35% ish. I have mixed them all together and will run the lot through again for another learning run. I will try and get 85% in the end.

The temp gauge at the pot head reads 95° when I start getting something and is done at 105-110° I thought the temps would be less than that but live and learn I suppose.

I need to fine tune the set up and get a few things to make it easier but I'm pretty happy with how it went all in all.

A reflux set up is a must as well.

Cheers