Heads

[ticknaylor]

Why is it when you read instruction manuals and the like for stills such as the T500 they tell you to chuck the first 50ml of foreshots then start collecting your alcohol they make no distinction about heads only foreshots, but manuals such as kiwistillers say for a pot still chuck 450ml of foreshots for 3 stripped batches then a further 2-3 liters of heads depending on preference can be put in the feints jar of chucked. Is their something I'm missing here? Does anyone have figures for a reflux as opposed to a pot still how much they chuck for foreshots, heads etc I know its all taste and smell but to me (call it my unrefined palate) but it all smells and tastes like rocket fuel except the foreshots which are clearly sweeter.

[emptyglass]

DO NOT DRINK FORESHOTS!

They contain the BAD SHIT. Methonol (anongst things) that the fores contain, 5ml gives permanant optic nerve damage, 30ml you wont wake. Err on the high side. This is engine cleaner, bbq starter, etc, but not for consumption. Just dont.

Then you get to heads, hearts and tails. No one else can decide on them but you. Best way is to collect in small numbered jars, let them sit till tomorrow, then smell and taste them. Don't sook about your pallete, we all start not knowing. Start sniffing and tasting, diluting as needed (you need some water to bring out the flavor, if any)
Best way to tell the heads, is get stuck into some. You will wake up with a hangover so bed you will wish you didn't wake up. You will be able to pick the heads from then.
Tails stink, like an old wet dog, or soppy cardboard.
Anything in the middle is hearts. :D
Drink only hearts, with maybe some tails for flavor and you wont ever have a hangover.

But, DONT DRINK FORES!

[ticknaylor]

Mate im well aware of not drinking foreshots i chuck 200ml for every 25l wash and i use jars with 200ml in each and follow kiwi stillers guideline on chucking 2-3 litre of heads per 3 striped washes. my question was why do stills like the t500 tell you to throw out 50 ml of foreshots then say nothing about the rest of the heads. It just seems strange that they dont care about the rest of the heads if their so bad why dont the mention them in their operating instructions.

[googe]

You answered your own question mate, they dont care, they just want a sale.

[emptyglass]

It just seems strange that they dont care about the rest of the heads if their so bad why dont the mention them in their operating instructions.

Did you part with your cash before you got these instructions?

They are not the ones going to wake up with a headache drinking heads. Try it, see what you think.

[ticknaylor]

Nah mate i built my own just know a bloke who has one and only chucks out 50 ml im not going to drinks heads i was just asking what peoples theories are on why t500 and other companies instruct this

[MR-E]

Nah mate i built my own just know a bloke who has one and only chucks out 50 ml im not going to drinks heads i was just asking what peoples theories are on why t500 and other companies instruct this

You could send them an e-mail and ask them why.

[Sam.]

If I was designing a still to sell on mass quantities to the public pretty sure the sales are going to be higher if I say you can get 5L drinking spirit per run as apposed to 2L. All about the sale.

It also makes it easier for the shop to sell if it seems like an extremely easy process. Making more cuts complicates things and confuses people when they are unfamiliar.

[mullamulla]

Doesn't hurt the filter and carbon sales either I bet ;-)

[Longknife]

Ok....
So if I'm taking 200ml on my strip runs (25litre) then 200ml from my spirit run.
I keep the hearts and a little bit of tails for flavour, the left over heads n tails goes into feints jar. Once I got enough heads stored up I do a feints run? Is this right? But once doing feints runs with the left overs do I still take 200ml out as foreshots? If so do you end up with a heap of Really concentrated heads full of nasty shit after a few runs?
Iv been reading an reading but just can't seem to get me head around the finer points.
Any explanation would be great.
Thanks crew

[BackyardBrewer]

Good question - I thought wisdom was not to bother with fores on stripping runs?

Keen to hear an answer on that...

[MacStill]

Good question - I thought wisdom was not to bother with fores on stripping runs?

Keen to hear an answer on that...

Personal preference mate, I take 200mls all the time on every run as fores.... even if they arent there after the strip I'm only throwing away manky heads anyway :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Longknife]

So am I right in thinkin after taking anything nice from s feints run the rest (if run through a reflux) is pretty much just good for running my smoker?
I'm probably just over thinking it. Never been accused of that before.


I think I'm just asking after a feints run do you keep recycling the feints or scrap them?

[BackyardBrewer]

I've a 2 litre strip of 93% abv that I ran from a heap of wine & spirit leftovers after a party.

I didn't take fores! So when I re run this with a 22L TPW should I double the usual foreshots tip out from 175-200mls up to 400mls?

Hope that's not poison now coz I took no fores on the strip!! :-(

[Linno]

gday

I am also about to do a feints run. 25lts @ 40%. I was going to follow kiwistillers guide for 3 stripped batches of low wines just to be safe - 450 fores about 2-3 ltrs heads, as it will still be a good yeild. I wasnt going to keep anything from the feints run for another run. if there is a better formula that someone has tried and trusted i am keen to know.

Linno

[ticknaylor]

It all comes down to physics and how u run your still if u take 200ml of fores in a stripping run theres still going to be a percentage of methanol and other nasties left for the next run. If you run that really slow on the next run then you'll concerntrate the remaining methanol from heads into fores again at the start of the run but ur taking it out of the heads tht contain a small amount of methanol anyway so like mcstill said your only missing out on manky heads anyway. So as much as i hate to say it theres no set value ( i see the light :-P) u gotta smell and taste to work out what your keeping and what ya chucking. Its annoying but no ones still runs the same. I think this is why commercial still makers say to just take 50ml then keep the rest its convenient for them, it covers them legally but doesnt neccessarily make the good stuff, anyway wiser people correct me if im wrong that just the way i see it now.

[BackyardBrewer]

So I have 2L of 95% that I'm adding to a run of TPW this weekend. Normally I take 150ml of fores and turf anywhere between 400-600mls of heads.

Should I double or triple the fores I chuck ??

given I'm adding 2L of 95% that has fores in it (no idea how much) would I be safer going 450mls of fores or is that overkill?

[Longknife]

Thanks ticknaylor

After readin your post I "Got It"!Just couldn't see in my head what was actually going on in the still. Even after re reading shitloads of pages the penny didnt drop.Funny how different wording can make all the difference.

So cheers again and everyone else that gave explanations.

[NotBenStiller]

So am I right in thinkin after taking anything nice from s feints run the rest (if run through a reflux) is pretty much just good for running my smoker?

I think I'm just asking after a feints run do you keep recycling the feints or scrap them?

Yerp - heads and tails from a feints run would be hard to get anything more out of. You are right, keep the heads for the smoker or the metho bottle

[Urrazeb]

I thought I had made pretty good, conservative cuts on my first rum wash, had a few good nights with no hangovers, got pissed the other night and was fucked all day, I am staying well away from the heads portion.

Btw I had 2l of good clean hearts and 3-4l of flavorsome spirit, I kept the hearts separate for 'the good stuff' and planned on drinking the latter, I ended up drinking the hearts first.

If i had of blended it all could it have thinned the heads out to maybe not at such a painful level? Not that I'm gonna try that, just wondering.

Edit: this was ~6l @65% from 75l wash