Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

G'day all,
So I'm into my first feints run on a reflux still.
Currently well into the run, but my jars are still smelling very heady...
So am I right in assuming this is normal and my heart's yield from this run is going to be well down on my usual expectations?

Cheers

How many bubbleplates do you have?
I started with 5 plates with no packed section and I could not separate the foreshots even after 6 - 7 litres were taken. It took 8 plates to get it down to 3 litres of fores before the hearts. Now I have 13 or 14 plates and it takes 2.5 litres before it comes clean.

Ronker wrote:G'day all,
So I'm into my first feints run on a reflux still.
Currently well into the run, but my jars are still smelling very heady...
So am I right in assuming this is normal and my heart's yield from this run is going to be well down on my usual expectations?

Cheers

It would be easier if you gave us a little more back ground info: What wash is it? What volume did you put into the boiler? Do you know the ABV% of your wash that went into the boiler?

These are the basic blocks we would need to make suggestions.... For instance, if you're boiler charge (fill of your boiler) was 5L and your collecting in 500ml cuts you'd probably would have collected the whole alcohol content and some water in the first jar... so its a little subjective and we would need more info to help you out.

Hope that makes sense?!?!

I ran about 80L of feints watered down to about 35 percent. 5 plates and packed section. First 5 litres were trash. Took maybe 12 or 13 litres after that which .might be passable. It I'm still not 100% Its worthwhile.

Yeah after 24hrs sitting it's too hard to pick it, first time I've run feints, won't be doing again, I'm just gonna dump the lot, cost me nothing, my power is even free.

I run tpw and I can pick it to within a jar, n usually get a second opinion which is the same, I'll then go another jar each end of the hearts just to be sure.

Won't even be keeping heads n tails in future I reckon.

Don't just throw them away, when I ran a reflux still I kept my heads and tails to use them as window cleaner and fire starters. Also good for sanitizing benches and cleaning mechanical parts and what not.

Did you run it at the same production rate as you would a normal run on tpw? I've found that feints runs can often need to be run slower, with higher reflux rate. Perhaps you've just run it too fast and had smearing all the way through, just like a pot still/stripping run. It'd be worth running again but slower before giving feints runs away all together. There's some good product to be had there. Even if you just ran the best of what you just collected again.

db1979 wrote:Did you run it at the same production rate as you would a normal run on tpw? I've found that feints runs can often need to be run slower, with higher reflux rate. Perhaps you've just run it too fast and had smearing all the way through, just like a pot still/stripping run. It'd be worth running again but slower before giving feints runs away all together. There's some good product to be had there. Even if you just ran the best of what you just collected again.

Thanks, hear what you say, but too late I threw the whole lot over my nature strip, lol, about 15ltrs @92%
See what that does to the grass... Lol
In this game, the yields are so much, it's not worth risking shit tastes. N that was really just my waste product run.
I reckon an average TPW costs me about 11 Bux, n the amount of spirit I end up with is huge.
So to throw away my feints is no biggie.

Hello there I have just done a small feints run through my Turbo 500 about 6 hours the boiler was charged with about 6 L 80% and I mixed another 12 litres of water for a bit more and ran it very slow with 17 jars of 250 ml at 90% some a bit more looks like I won't even keep 50% but happy to go through the process I guess when I get a bigger still Bubbler I'm probably not need to run a feints run but what I have learnt with this run is how to taste the difference and smell them I made up a lot of glasses so I could smell and taste between them would never be able to do this at 90% abv

Rock wrote:Hello there I have just done a small feints run through my Turbo 500 about 6 hours the boiler was charged with about 6 L 80% and I mixed another 12 litres of water for a bit more and ran it very slow with 17 jars of 250 ml at 90% some a bit more looks like I won't even keep 50% but happy to go through the process I guess when I get a bigger still Bubbler I'm probably not need to run a feints run but what I have learnt with this run is how to taste the difference and smell them I made up a lot of glasses so I could smell and taste between them would never be able to do this at 90% abv

Sounds like you've had some good progress there mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Maybe some full stops next time :teasing-neener:

Maybe some full stops next time :teasing-neener:[/quote]
Lol was on phone in car park waiting, using talk to text.
Yes it was a day sitting down with all the cuts and tasting and sniffing, tried to get similar glass, got a few schooners, so used them.
Look like I've secured a 4yr old FSD 4" × 5 plate, with a packing section, ^:)^
More reading and practical cumming up.

Its hard work reading with no breathers! :laughing-rolling:
You will get the hang of cuts soon enought... just a bit more practise. You have every excuse with your new rig when you get it. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I havent had my bubbler long, but i wouldn't go back now. Watching those bubbles just doesn't seem to get old... :))