Firstly thank you to all that have unknowingly helped me with my distilling operation. I got into the distilling hobby for all the wrong reasons, but being a chemist I couldn't resist the challenge of something new and saving a bucketload coin: the CSA relishes in doing their best to have me destitute so every dollar counts. I have lurked long enough so I would like to share my setup and experience in turning out a great clean spirit with the least amount of fuss and cash, plus it's time to put back what I have taken out - thank you all.
Equipment
35L Robobrew gen 2.
Pot still (Kegland:
Column still of the water management type (Kegland)
Digital thermometer (Traceable)
Ozito submersible pump (Bunnings)
Beer 1um filter setup (Kegland)
2 x 30L standard beer fermenter plastic barrels to generate 2 x 25-30 L TPW washes.
Approach
The stills are cooled with pool water using 15m of garden hose, stainless click lock garden fittings and a return 15m length of hosing back to the pool. An extension cord also runs full length along side from the pump to the still to control the pump. I've run the hoses and the power along the house in the shade and cable tied up them together every so often to keep it tidy.
After fermentation, I rack the wash straight into the robobrew. I then clean the fermenter. I pump the wash using the robobrew pump and sparge arm through the beer filter which flows back into the clean fermenter. Takes about 15 -20 mins or so. The crystal clear wash goes back into the robobrew to be stripped. Once stripped I do the same for the second wash, remembering to change the filter to a clean one (these are back flushed with the garden hose and washed later to be reused). Hence on completion I have two stripped washes ready for a single column distillation.
The Strip
Set robobrew to 105 degrees celcius using 1500W element.
Takes 1 hour to boil. Pool water pump turned when approaching 70 degrees on the robobrew.
Discard first 100mL
Collect 6L of distillate
Repeat for the second wash
12L of distillate collected in total
The spirit run
Set robobrew temp to 105 degrees celcius as before
Turn pump on whenever but before 70 degrees on the robobrew.
Critical - allow column to equilibrate before the collection tap is turned on. My thermometer reads a steady 78.82 to 78.87 degrees.
Discard the first 1L.
Collect the next 3.5L
Don't bother collecting any more.
Adjust to 45% using water from a good under sink water filtration setup. Use RO if you have got it.
Other information
I filter all my spirit, not that I really need to, but it really polishes it up. I can taste the the difference, it very subtle but better is better no matter which way you slice it (better is the enemy of good enough). I use the still spirits carbon filter setup, slow gravity feed and additional granulated activation charcoal free in suspension. To refresh the carbon I boil the filter and loose carbon in distilled water first and burn off the filter and the loose carbon in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 mins. No need for new filters, but maybe a new one in a year.
The final volumes for the cuts above have been established by measurement, smell, taste and chromatography. Agreed, they are aggressive but no heads allowed in my gin...period.
Filtering the wash saves time and it makes a difference to the quality of the stripped product which in turn flows on into the final product. By removing the bulk of the yeast in suspension you reduce the % of cells lysed during the boil thereby reducing intracellular components released into solution. It is noticeable and has been proven in my experiments. After backwashing the filters you will see how much this has worked. It also removes small particles of tomatoes (confirmed by microscope) from the TPW. Stripped alcohol with and without tomato paste confirms that tomato adds flavour. Hence keeping with the philosophy better is better - a cleaner strip makes for a cleaner spirit.
Overall I get 7 L of clean vodka ready for drinking as is or vapour infused gin. I use a fine colander suspended in the robobrew with botanicals.
TPW
5kg sugar
250 grams of 100% tomato paste (double concentrate)
2x cenovis multivitamins crushed
1 teaspoon of vitamin C powder
22L or so of filtered water heated to 30 degrees using robobrew.
I use 60g of lowands yeast from woolies, emulsify in some of the water. Fermentation takes about a 10 days and I strip on day 14.
I make two batches of course for the method above.
Sterility achieved for all components including the robobrew using percorbonate.
Thanks again,
Candy