UJSM spirit run. Taste like crap!

[MoonshineMatt]

Hi guys,

I'm doing my first UJSM spirit run tonight (25l @ 36% low wines). I'm into the hearts ( approx 5l in) and it tastes awful! Kinda simular to a turbo run on a reflux. Running at a broken stream (about 3l an hour). I used lowans yeast and 20% backset and I'm running on a basic copper pot still. I think I'm at about 5 generations from memory. Is it normal before airing, or have I f*ck3d up somewhere? Lucky I have plenty of real bourbon to drown my sorrows!

Matt

[Muppet]

If your thinking it should be sweet straight off the still I disagree. Nothing I have ever made is good off the still in my opinion. straight away...yes I know people like distillers privilege etc etc. In my opinion it takes time on oak to get good. I've even heard people say raw rum is good :puke-huge:

[Urrazeb]

How does it taste at the 2 or 3 litre mark?

It does need some time to mellow but I've never had anything taste 'awful' off the still.. just raw harsh tasting.

What ABV are you getting?

3LPH, 5L in... I'd say your in tails :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MoonshineMatt]

Nah still tastes bad. It actually numbs your tongue and tingles your lips. I have no idea where I've gone wrong. Only thing I can think of is one generation stalled and I used some bi-carb (which I now know isn't a great idea) to get it going again.

[1 2many]

Are you cutting your spirit back to 40-45% for testing? If the ABV is to high it will burn.

Golly that's good. ;)

[Redux]

something sounds really wrong...

even rum off the still is drinkable... not good rummy.... but drinkable...

can you ph test?

[woodduck]

Hi matt,

I had the same problem a while ago, it all tasted like tails :puke-huge: . I put it down to running my still too hard/fast. I'm only new at this as well but i recon 3 ltrs ph seems pretty quick for a spirit run, maybe I'm wrong. On my spirit runs i backed mine off to a fast drip only around 1-1.5 ltrs ph. It was a bit slower but i didn't have the problem again, so I'd try that maybe. Do you have a way of regulating your power input to slow things down a bit?

Someone with more pot runs under their belt might be able to confurm or deny this theory.

All is not lost though mate cause you can just re-run it, good luck i hope you sort it out :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Redux]

ive no idea bout speed of runs on a spirit pot run.... but 3 lph does seem high....

if you rerun it all with some new water can you run slower?

at least that way youve lost nothing (very little)
:romance-kisscheek:

[MoonshineMatt]

I have a power controller and was running it at about 50%on a 2200 watt element.

Ive put the hearts down on some oak dominoes and will chuck in the garage and forget about it. I doubt it will ever be drinkable thougth.

I can't be assed running it again, I'm just going to quit my losses I think on this one. Worse case I can run it through the reflux for a neutral at a later date. I'll start a new batch of BWKO during the week and put the last one down as a learning run.

Don't have anything to test the PH but that is an idea. Might be time to get a tester!

Thanks for your help guys!

[CaptainRedBeard]

Just to throw in on this one, my 2" pot strips at a max. speed of 3L p/hour(gas). Not sure if this will help for your thesis, but from what I understand of pot stills, your running way too fast.Unless your running a 6" pot that is :think:

[MoonshineMatt]

You may be right Captain. I can strip at 6l an hour using my 3600w FSD element on my other boiler. Its a 2" pot still. Maybe next time I'll half the rate and see what happens.

[Urrazeb]

I was running gas on my pot when I had it and there was hardly any heat going into it. Thin unbroken stream, just where it forms a stream after drips is how I ran :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[CaptainRedBeard]

I was running gas on my pot when I had it and there was hardly any heat going into it. Thin unbroken stream, just where it forms a stream after drips is how I ran :handgestures-thumbupleft:

And surely your thin- unbroken stream was less than 3L p/hr for a spirit run. Slow and steady as the seasoned distillers say.

[Urrazeb]

3LPH, 5L in... I'd say your in tails :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Yep :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[CaptainRedBeard]

I'm running my UJ spirit run as we speak, on a 2" gas run pot. I'm collecting at 2.076L p/hour...

[Andy]

how deep into tails did you go on the stripping runs?

[MoonshineMatt]

Went down to 10% on the stripping runs but will probably only go down to 20% next time. I'm pretty sure it's the bi-carb that screwed me. I've always had a small taste off the still while stripping and it didn't have the mouth numbing feeling until the generation with the bi-carb was added. Going to start a new gen of BWKO today.

[Zak Griffin]

If you stick to the tried and proven recipes, you'll be fine. They're there for good reason! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[mattcoffs]

Ive put the hearts down on some oak dominoes and will chuck in the garage and forget about it. I doubt it will ever be drinkable thougth.

I have a feeling in 6 months time you are going to be blown away by the difference.

Oak does some pretty magic stuff!

[mattcoffs]

Went down to 10% on the stripping runs but will probably only go down to 20% next time. I'm pretty sure it's the bi-carb that screwed me. I've always had a small taste off the still while stripping and it didn't have the mouth numbing feeling until the generation with the bi-carb was added. Going to start a new gen of BWKO today.

I used bicarb instead of baking soda in beer batter once. Didnt taste horrible but wasnt great either.

I suspect the mouth numbing sensation is the high alcohol. I know its a moonshine hype thing to drink at high abv, but anything over 55ish% and that happens to me too. Dilute on a teaspoon or something when tasting to give you a better indication.