"First off this will be my first batch and I have a couple concerns. How much do I have to take off of the head (the first little bit to come off the still) a ML to gallon would be nice. When do I take the tail? Also I could use a simple mash recipe. Any Ideas on a home made carbon filter? Thanks! Any other help or advice for a good save run would be much appriciated.

Melvin"

melvin..LWTCS is right collect in small jars and toss the first runnings. I usually toss a full pint jar (thats forshots and heads for my unit) I know as a newbie we say -- i aint throwin nothin away -- but take the advice from the guys that have been doin this for awhile, you WILL have stuff to toss out even if you can't hardly stand it, just do it anyway. As you go along in this hobby you will learn how the heatup temps affect the total outcome of your hooch and why you SHOULD get rid of the forshots - heads and tails. You wont die or anything, your hooch will just taste like shit so you wont drink it anyway. As you understand temps on your wash its easy to see why we throw away OR save for later and redistill the heads and tails to recapture whats in them. The good ole days in stillin were not always that good. These guys have got it down to a fine sience and guys like me and you can really benifit from them.

melvin, look under the whiskey thread -- then Good Clean Whiskey. It dosen't get easier than that recipe. In the future after many runs than try the allgrain.

well this is kinda allgrain...UJSM (Uncle Jesses Sour mash) this is a recipe that uses sweetfeed and sugar. Since you do beer you know that you must mash the grains to get the starches and sugars for alcohol production in the beer wash before you add yeast. In this recipe you are adding very hot water to melt the mollasses and - maybe cause some grain mashing. Look up this one and see if thats something you might want to do. Its pretty simple too.