Nervous about first batch

by **crow** » Wed May 30, 2012 7:30 pm

I've seen the temp rise and fall 5 or 10' just by opening and shutting a door so unless you know every single variable inside and out side your wash and are some sort of mathematical genius and can positivicaly vouch for the thermometer it just a guide Edit ok what is it doing in the way of out put now and temp

by **70YNU** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:01 pm

Temp copnstant 75.3. Am nearly at the end of my 4th 300ml jar. Smells strong. Like burn your nostrils strong.
Just tested with alcometer at 96%

by **BackyardBrewer** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:14 pm

Buddy don't worry. I've had heat times on my unit like yours of an hour or more to hit a stable 79-80° so 45mins ain't bad!

Keep cutting and let it air 48hrs. You can drink it this weekend as vodka but check out the kahlua recipes here and the Hobo's Apple Pie - such a traditional hillbilly moonshine flavour.

I did a big flagon of that for a party celebrating the first home made liquor and it killed!

by **70YNU** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:20 pm

I just watered down a dribble from cut jar number 5 and am feeling a little more comfortable.

by **BackyardBrewer** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:24 pm

Let it air at least 24 (48 is better) before watering your cuts - still a lot of volatile nasties in there at this stage and a lot will evaporate off in 2 days airing.

Also get your alc to 40% (or whatever - I do my hobo's at 75% !!!) before you add flavour or sugar etc - as soon as you add anything other than water your alcometer won't read the %.

by **crow** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:30 pm

very sorry about that i had to scoot off . I was going to suggest you shut the tap off for a bit to let it build up and compress the heads a bit but if you are a hundred and fifty ml in my just say keep going sounds like its chugging a long nicely now :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **70YNU** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:43 pm

I left that tap closed for 40 mins after boil started and it still didn;t come up to temp.
So i opened that tap, chucked first 300ml, and have been doing 300ml cuts ever since.
Number 7 just went in and number six still testing very strong.

by **BackyardBrewer** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:46 pm

Yes +1 on shutting the tap. I always shut the tap when swapping out jars for a minute or two and I notice the vapours flux down the column dropping the temp a point really quickly.

Kind of double distilling in the column I guess.

Just don't forget to open the tap again ;-)

by **crow** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:03 pm

Not to be smart but its going taste strong mate its 95% pure ethanol hot out the still , you'll taste the difference much more once its aired however after a few runs you'll be able to tell the difference straight away ;-) EDIT when I first started I had no reliable thermometer and no alcometer so I did it by taste , I had an ice cold glass of water (I know yuk) and let it drip on my finger tasted and slipped the water , soon learned what was ok and what wasn't PS finger was my thermometer too

by **crow** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:10 pm

and you know what I'm not sure if that's still not the best way at least the most accurate anyways :D

by **70YNU** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:15 pm

Hahaha. Cool
Well Jar 9 just went in and I noticed exactly like the still instructions said it would, the temp has climbed exactly 1 degree, so i watered down a dribble and definate wet cardboard, so I'm into the tails :)

by **crow** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:29 pm

BackyardBrewer wrote:Yes +1 on shutting the tap. I always shut the tap when swapping out jars for a minute or two and I notice the vapours flux down the column dropping the temp a point really quickly.Kind of double distilling in the column I guess.

yes now I've heard this called (I think) an equilibrium which to me means all things being equal , so I'm guessing it means to create a situation in the column where the temp and the pressure are perfectly the same as whats needed to cause ethanol to vaporize and stay vaporized but that's a wild guess and Now I'm right out of my depth :-??

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:52 pm

croweater wrote:
BackyardBrewer wrote:Yes +1 on shutting the tap. I always shut the tap when swapping out jars for a minute or two and I notice the vapours flux down the column dropping the temp a point really quickly.Kind of double distilling in the column I guess.

yes now I've heard this called (I think) an equilibrium which to me means all things being equal , so I'm guessing it means to create a situation in the column where the temp and the pressure are perfectly the same as whats needed to cause ethanol to vaporize and stay vaporized but that's a wild guess and Now I'm right out of my depth :-??

Yeah and the temp drops back quickly which I attribute to the vapor becoming liquid enough to cool the thermometer down.

Out of my depth too but read on the HD forum some guys who flux it back up a good ten minutes mid-run to milk more hearts out. Who knows if it works... I just shut the tap while I faff about with my glassware/collecting vessels etc so I don't waste nuthin!

by **crow** » Thu May 31, 2012 6:05 pm

yes I've read that too and to my thinking that should work at least a bit but the problem is every bit of imfo like this has contradictory imfo somewhere else so unless there's a consensus on it or it is accompanied with a legitimate sounding theory I take it in with a grain of salt