Popcorn Jack wrote:Been looking around for ages but can not find how to do cuts
How much do you cut
What smells do you smell
I have a t500 turbo still. Does this differ my cuts
If you put your tails in your next cook do you end up with more tails.
If I rub tomato paste on my face like braveheart, do I make better hooch. :idea:
Thanks
PJ
I have a reflux column, here's my tips:
You need a shitload - let me say that again - A
SHITLOAD of small clean jars. I've been saving salsa jars
for a long time and I find they're shallow enough to allow a good sniff of the hooch and to allow nasties to evaporate when you air the hooch for a couple of days.
I cut like this on a 25L TPW:
Still hits ~80º or so and stabilises out
Wait 5 minutes
Take 200 mls of foreshots just to be safe
Take 250mls - don't even sniff it, it's heads, so straight into the feints bottle for re-running next batch
Take 200mls - cover with papertowel & rubber band. Label as HEADS? and I'll sniff it later before using, more often than not that goes straight into the feints bottle
Take 200mls - cover with papertowel & rubber band. Label with text as #1
REPEAT IN 200ML LOTS, COVERING WITH PAPERTOWEL & RUBBERBAND (to air for 48hrs) UNTIL TEMP STARTS TO CLIMB.
By now you should have a good 2-2.6L of 95%+ neutral, with very little heads and no tails yet.
When temp climbs to above 80.7º I am usually into or close to tails. I am not precious, even though my still instructions say to collect until the temp has risen a full degree and then shut off I wouldn't be drinking anything coming out of my still at 80.8º-80.9º but that's me learning to not be greedy and only wanting hearts.
I keep collecting another full degree past that up to 82º and all that goes into the feints for the next run. The hooch coming out right up to 84-85 degrees is still easily 70-80% pure alc, but you are basically just stripping at this stage as it smells and tastes foul. It has to be run again.
So now you wait for your jars to air - some say 24hours, but I always wait 48 and no more (you're evaporating off alc as well as nasties).
So you should be looking at a damn smooth 2-2.5L at least of hearts with no heads or tails, and a super clean neutral. I've done this since the start of the year and the spirit is so smooth I can't imagine why anyone would pay for carbon filtering.
If I ever try some carbon smoothed booze that beats my well aired hearts I'll HATE it because I'll probably buy a carbon filter, but as it stands:
Start with a TPW
Cut hard, in small 200ml lots
Let it air
Water it down/Flavour it up
Get stuck in!