Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Gday all,

ok so ive got my reflux still skills well sorted, make great neutrals:)

But expanding into pot still skills,

So I have my first cornflake attempt.

2 x strips and around 6ltrs at about 40%

I run a spirit run with a controller on the still with it ramped back, keeping boiling but not raging, pot head temp around 85 deg c

I make 200ml cuts and harvest 24 jars before unmistakable tails smelt, I turn off etc.

24 hrs later I start to analyse the cuts, but seems very heady, and I'm struggling to get hearts beyond jar 8 to jar 16...

Does this sound about right for a yield?

cheers

I wouldn't panic mate, better to be safe than sorry. At least you wont get a headache in the morning :handgestures-thumbupleft:

You haven't lost anything by cutting hard in the heads. You can run all the stuff you cut with the next run anyway.

Sounds like you do your CFW runs similar to how I do it. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I use 2 25L fermenters, strip fermenter 1 & 2 then combine the total (once I water down to a safe 30%) for a spirit run.

It's been ages since Ive used the numbered jar mehod - I now just collect 300ml in a jar - then check ABV till I hit my personal sweet spot to separate heads & collect hearts & then cut for tails.

But back when I did use the numbered jar method (after stripping 2 25L fermenters & then a spirit run) I started with around 10.5/11L of watered down spirit (after strip runs) to 30% in the still. When collecting in 300ml jars & using my nose on them 24hrs later, jars 1-4 were heads, jars 5 - 11 were hearts and jars 12 on were tails. After sum 5 consecutive runs like this I took note of the ABV of jars 5 & 11 & their ABV has since then been my cut point for heads/ hearts & hearts/tails.

And what is my personal hearts range for CFW in my Pure Distilling pot still - it's 75-55%. Leave what hearts you collect on oak for a min of 6mths & you will have some A grade stuff that will be head & shoulders above any commercial bourbon :music-deathmetal:

OK thanks for the replies and advice.

At least I'm not miles off the mark with it..

cheers

If you toss it into an oak barrel, those heads can actually pay off, flavor wise.
I've cut into heads (on a tip by others) for anything destined for a barrel.
Takes a year, yeah, but the product is exceptional.

fizzix wrote:If you toss it into an oak barrel, those heads can actually pay off, flavor wise.
I've cut into heads (on a tip by others) for anything destined for a barrel.
Takes a year, yeah, but the product is exceptional.

Heads are heads, you might be able to make them taste ok but the poisoning and hangover will remain.

Well I'm new and certainly not going to argue with an Administrator (or anyone else).
But let me clarify that I'm just talking about a small jar or two right before the hearts come through.

I'd contend that there is a benefit to overall flavor, and the cornflakes I'm making are pretty pain free.
But I will yield for the common good of this great site

fizzix wrote:Well I'm new and certainly not going to argue with an Administrator (or anyone else).
But let me clarify that I'm just talking about a small jar or two right before the hearts come through.

I'd contend that there is a benefit to overall flavor, and the cornflakes I'm making are pretty pain free.
But I will yield for the common good of this great site

Yeah that's fair enough mate, thank you for clarifying. I agree that a barrel will clean up late heads fairly well.

Still want to emphasise that this will not hold true for all heads.