Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Just finished my first spirit run of this.
6.5l at 75% stopped the still at 55% (I had to leave but ill run the tails/feints fast for next wash)
Aired for 24 hours and took cuts (300-350ml).
Heads had very nail polish aroma and typical sharp tongue tingle until about jar 4. Hearts are interesing. Clean, but has a floral/vegetal/green aroma and quite hot, sharp and again, green on the tongue. I'm guessing this needs time to rest.

Still far superior to a turbo but im wondering if i used a little too much kale.

I'm going to give it a month to sit, then taste, if it improved, I'll get some limoncello going for Christmas gifts. If not I'll re-run.

Next is a TFFV to compare.

Was that off a pot or reflux?

If it's a reflux, your running way too fast to remove flavor, my little still achieves that ABV with a single marble and a trickle of water, if you're using a pot, you can't make a flavourless product with out doing more runs than it's worth

Yeah pot running about a litre an hour.

I agree, I think until I make the reflux side to my still I'll stick with cereal, grains and rum recipes. Was getting 84-85% for the first 5 ish litres the the standard gradual taper to 55-58%.
New still, first proper spirit run, learnt a lot. Pretty positive it will produce good rum but that's for another thread.

I started my 1st kale wash 8 days ago. I checked it today and it's at .985 but not yet cleared.

Wasn't sure if it needed to be degassed like I have read with other washes so I gave it a good stir and put the lid on. It's bubbling again.

What have I done to it ? Stuffed it ?

Giving it a stir will encourage the sediment to release gases. If your hydrometer is accurate then it's finished. Check your hydrometer in tap water at 20 degrees C, if it reads 1.000 then your wash is finished and you can run it once it's as clear as you're happy with. Some washes don't end up really clear, I'm not sure about this one, surely it'll say in the thread.

Well, after everyone’s success with this wash and my epic failure I have dubbed this the Mongrel Kale wash (MK for short)!
Tried it twice and each time it turned out rotten and disgusting! Stalling and doing all sorts of weird things - I hated it.

So after much deliberation and questioning all those happy people :obscene-birdiedoublered: I’ve decided to have another crack at it! Being winter I know it’s not getting too hot! So that won’t be the problem!

Followed the recipe, added a cup of shell grit into each of 2 x 60L FVs, but didn’t get the frozen Kale (miscommunication with SWMBO) so I popped into The red ‘C’ and bought fresh Kale. There wasn’t enough for both, so I juiced it and boiled the pulp. Juice went into 1 FV and the boiled pulp into the other... rest is as percrecipe...

So far, so good, it’s behaving itself!

Could someone please enlighten me?

Surely whether we feed the yeast on grain, kale, tomato or what ever the sole purpose is to feed the yeast which when all "muscled up" goes about the task of converting sugar to ethanol/alcohol.

So give the nutritional value of Kale as a base line, see below, which is high in both Vitamin A and Vitamin C then does it really matter what source of feed is used as long as it supplies the needs of the yeast in use? Obviously as yeast is a multi species fungus, various yeasts respond better on different diets. So is not the true "art" of the distiller arranging a "marriage made in heaven - or thereabouts" between an ideal fungus and a perfect diet?

If that is correct it then becomes quite obvious that some fungus will like some diets and find others revolting with revolting results.

Total Fat 0.9 g 1%
Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 38 mg 1%
Potassium 491 mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 9 g 3%
Protein 4.3 g 8%
Vitamin A 199% Vitamin C 200%
Calcium 15% Iron 8%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 15%
Cobalamin 0% Magnesium 11%

Yes.




:laughing-rolling: couldn’t resist... the kale/Tomato paste is just for nutrient value for the yeast. The sugarcis the duke they metabolize to make alcohol...

The different ‘nutrients’ have an effect on the end product... subtle flavour differences, faster/more efficient processing etc. you choose the one YOU like best!
TPW for me, had the best mix of ease, product volume, cost and successful out come... I could not get this Kale going! Others seem to do it easy... which is why I don’t want to let it beat me!

EziTasting wrote:Well, after everyone’s success with this wash and my epic failure I have dubbed this the Mongrel Kale wash (MK for short)!
Tried it twice and each time it turned out rotten and disgusting! Stalling and doing all sorts of weird things - I hated it.

So after much deliberation and questioning all those happy people :obscene-birdiedoublered: I’ve decided to have another crack at it! Being winter I know it’s not getting too hot! So that won’t be the problem!

Followed the recipe, added a cup of shell grit into each of 2 x 60L FVs, but didn’t get the frozen Kale (miscommunication with SWMBO) so I popped into The red ‘C’ and bought fresh Kale. There wasn’t enough for both, so I juiced it and boiled the pulp. Juice went into 1 FV and the boiled pulp into the other... rest is as percrecipe...

So far, so good, it’s behaving itself!

What water are you using as that would seem to be the only thing that is different to what others are using.

wynnum1 wrote:What water are you using as that would seem to be the only thing that is different to what others are using.

I use the water from my employer (I am permitted to take broken bottles for home use), the brand has been mentioned on other posts a while back, but it’s quality water!

Our tap water is semi hard and has a ‘taste’ to it that seems to comes thru to the end product... :puke-huge:

What is the pH of the bottled water tap water is neutral but it seems bottled water can be what it is coming out of the ground.

Our tap water is pH 8-9...

The bottled water is close to 7

May want to add small amount of acid a lot of non grape type wine has acid in the recipe.
Kale is one of those plants that can draw heavy metal out of the soil so can not grow in contaminated soil or use fertilizer with heavy metal content but do not think that would be a problem because only using small quantity .
PaK choi may also be worth trying as it seems to have similar properties to kale and grows fast.

Mate, if I can make this Kale wash work I’d be happy!!! Only thing I have not yet tried is the frozen kale (as per mad hatter)... IF I can make it work, then I’ll compare it to the others before I try bok Choi!

That’s not a NO! It’s a ‘I need to confer this one first!’ Before I try any other variants... have you tried bok Choi?

Ezi if you have success with tpw than give up on kale. I tried it and while it worked it didn't make any better neutral than TPW. Mind you I was only running it through 4 plates but I guess with 4 plates you'll be able to notice any differences between the two and I couldn't.

I think the value in kale wash is in convenience and cost savings for those that can get kale cheap or grow their own. TPW is for those that want neutral with little effort. But I recon weetbix and the garden hose is even less effort (no boil, no crushing, no stirring, no aerating, the garden hose does it all - except the boil, but I couldn't care about that). Plus wheat vodka has nice mouth feel.

db1979 wrote:Ezi if you have success with tpw than give up on kale. I tried it and while it worked it didn't make any better neutral than TPW. Mind you I was only running it through 4 plates but I guess with 4 plates you'll be able to notice any differences between the two and I couldn't.

I think the value in kale wash is in convenience and cost savings for those that can get kale cheap or grow their own. TPW is for those that want neutral with little effort. But I recon weetbix and the garden hose is even less effort (no boil, no crushing, no stirring, no aerating, the garden hose does it all - except the boil, but I couldn't care about that). Plus wheat vodka has nice mouth feel.

:text-+1: I've not tried kale but I have done TPW and WBAB and to my taste buds, the latter makes a much better product.

db1979 wrote:...
I think the value in kale wash is in convenience and cost savings for those that can get kale cheap or grow their own. TPW is for those that want neutral with little effort. But I recon weetbix and the garden hose is even less effort (no boil, no crushing, no stirring, no aerating, the garden hose does it all - except the boil, but I couldn't care about that). Plus wheat vodka has nice mouth feel.

Interesting point. I must admit that TPW has been my ‘mainstay’, it’s easy, cheap and always successful. TFFV was incredibly fast! It has similar output to TPW, am yet to judge (for myself) the quality...

BUT this recipe has beaten me, twice so far, and it bothers me! Everyone who has successfully completed it, swoons of it’s clean fresh taste (or tastelessness) so I want to master it.
While I use 4 plates, the packed section (I have been told) is like an additional 2-3 plates, combined that with stripping the wash, then spirit run over 4 plates with packed section, I find to be making excellent neutral.

I just want to be able to make THIS recipe, repetitively at will even without it failing! ~x(

Then I will choose my favourite! :teasing-nutkick:

Professor Green wrote::text-+1: I've not tried kale but I have done TPW and WBAB and to my taste buds, the latter makes a much better product.

Have done WBAB once before... but not as a neutral... perhaps it will be my next nemesis!
I do believe it is more labour intensive than TPW... it’s be like TFFV!

Wbab makes a great neutral, and it’s a failsafe recipe... even you can’t f it up :teasing-tease: :laughing-rolling:

Doubleuj wrote:Wbab makes a great neutral, and it’s a failsafe recipe... even you can’t f it up :teasing-tease: :laughing-rolling:

Hmmm :think: I have skills that even you can not fathom!!! :scared-eek:

EziTasting wrote:

Doubleuj wrote:Wbab makes a great neutral, and it’s a failsafe recipe... even you can’t f it up :teasing-tease: :laughing-rolling:

Hmmm :think: I have skills that even you can not fathom!!! :scared-eek:

:laughing-rolling: