 Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC)
Posts: 198
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" Originally Posted by: bigwheel  Well I thought is was Ok..I mean Mrs. YeahYeah didnt seem to find any fault with it. She said it looked like a penis, only smaller."
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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Well..yall should meet my cousin sometime. His is too short to hang..goes around sticking straight out a half inch or so. Like to got him kicked out of the Army for running around at attention all time..till some smart Medic figgered out what was the problemo. That back before the old dont ask dont kiss policy amongst homo sapiens come into effect. What can I say? Our family was blessed in other areas. That is why we have such a high percentage of exspurts most likely.
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 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/17/2012(UTC)
Posts: 118
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"Hi Lewis, welcome to the forum. I'm by no means an expert, but have ran 10 runs, all neautral (sugar wash) and here's what i know.
I'm using the birdwatcher recipe found here and elsewhere; 10lbs sugar, 5 gals water, 1 can tomato paste for nutrients, and 1/3 cup baking yeast. My first run i got nervous and added some epsom salt and such, but i was worrying over nothing. I tried 2 runs of molasses for rum, its a work in progress.
Due to the tomato paste my wash is never clear, it usually has a tint of red, kinda looks like a faded red tshirt, and it runs fine. I'm averaging a pint of 170 proof to the gallon, and my friends say it is so smooth it defies words. I tried some shine a cpl years back from N.C. and man did it have a bite to it, and i know mine is much more smooth.
I do siphon the wash from the fermentor to the kettle, leaving the last couple inches of wash in the fermentor to be thrown out. Thats my attempt to keep the nasties out of my kettle/run.
I lurked around here for a month or more, found the homedistiller.org site and read the whole treatise on making alcohol. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try this.
Good luck"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/15/2012(UTC)
Posts: 11
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"You guys are killing me....:) And greetings once again from the deserts of Eastern Washington State! I promised you boys a report from a nooby first run so here goes: Start to finish about 8.5 hours. Everything I have read says to run at 78c, but my set up seemed to run optimal at 76c. (At 78c or slightly above it slowed to a drop every second or two --- at 76c it produced much faster....not a stream or anything but much faster. My biggest nobby mistake I believe was this --- I started out with a large cooler with 2 frozen milk jugs & water to cool with. It was not too long before it started getting warm....then before I knew it it got HOT. At that point the aquarium pump shut itself off and then the temp really went off the chart at 90c! I shut everything down, replaced the hot water with cool, & started the process back up. From that point on I kept the hose handy and tried to keep the coolant reasonably cool. Lesson learned. I ended up with 3.5 liters of 180 proof. Which of course turned into 7 liters of 90 proof once I made the cut. I'm thinking thats not too bad for a first timer. My product seems to have an ""off"" odor to it that I have heard many of you folks mention. (maybe I ran the process too quickly?) I'm hoping after I properly run the goods through charcoal, that ""off"" odor will go away --- at least I sure hope so. What do you guys have to say about that? Anyhow, next Saturday I will charcoal --- any pertinent or time saving charcoal tips would be appreciated. (I have the basic PVC kit from Brewhaus which I having taken extra steps to leak proof) Then time to sit back & enjoy! As always, thank you Gents for your spirity pearls of wisdom  "
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/17/2012(UTC)
Posts: 118
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"That sounds pretty damm good for your first run. I'm sure there's plenty on here that cant say their first run was that good.
I too started with a igloo of water with a cpl frozen bottles of water. I have since upgraded to a 55 gallon barrel and 12 three liter bottles of frozen water, which i use as needed. I also connected the water hose end to the return line so if need be i can hook a garden hose to it and water the garden.
I dont recall if your using propane or a hot plate, if the plate you might consider going w/ gas, i bring 5 gals of wash up to temp in 30 minutes, and runs 3-4 pints an hour.
Its the trial and error to this art that is intriguing....trust me i know about the error part.
Enjoy a refreshing beverage for me!
PS, I just checked your numbers on the calc page of homedistiller, and your return was spot on! It showed that 13.25 lbs of sugar should produce 3.67 liters of 90 percent.
One word....Outstanding!!"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/4/2012(UTC)
Posts: 38
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Did you let it air out before you made the cuts to 90proof. Could be that it need a little time to get rid of the leftover bad stuff. I will let mine go for as long as a week covered with a coffee filter before I cut it down. Also if you are going to age it with oak it is better to leave it at somewhere around 120proof. This has been found by someone alot smarter than I to be the best. If left at 120 proof after aging it will not take much water to get it down to 90 proof thus you will not loose a lot of flavor by water. Just so you will know I talk like I know it all but my wife tells me all the time that I don't. Take what I put here with a grain of salt and a shot and have a good time. Oh if you are going to drink it as whitedog aging will still help mellow it out. Just saying.
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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"Sure does sound good on the volume and ABV. Also appears you getting the cooling parameters figgered out fast. As the man say letting that stuff air out will solve a host of flavor and aroma issues especially when it comes to getting rid of the wet hound dawg tails smell. Which always comes at the end of the run as you prob already know. I let it air after collection and continue to let it air after proofing. That helps get rid of any off flavors which might pick up from skunky proofing water. Especially relevant for them who use distilled water in plastic jugs which been sitting around too long. Folded up paper towel fastened over the top of the jar with a rubber band to hold it place works well. I would not even consider the charcoal filtering non sense. Some dumb yankee charcoal peddler must have invented that bad idear. Hope you have continued good success in the essential extraction hobby. Dont be no steenken lurker. Originally Posted by: Lewis You guys are killing me....:) And greetings once again from the deserts of Eastern Washington State! I promised you boys a report from a nooby first run so here goes: Start to finish about 8.5 hours. Everything I have read says to run at 78c, but my set up seemed to run optimal at 76c. (At 78c or slightly above it slowed to a drop every second or two --- at 76c it produced much faster....not a stream or anything but much faster. My biggest nobby mistake I believe was this --- I started out with a large cooler with 2 frozen milk jugs & water to cool with. It was not too long before it started getting warm....then before I knew it it got HOT. At that point the aquarium pump shut itself off and then the temp really went off the chart at 90c! I shut everything down, replaced the hot water with cool, & started the process back up. From that point on I kept the hose handy and tried to keep the coolant reasonably cool. Lesson learned. I ended up with 3.5 liters of 180 proof. Which of course turned into 7 liters of 90 proof once I made the cut. I'm thinking thats not too bad for a first timer. My product seems to have an ""off"" odor to it that I have heard many of you folks mention. (maybe I ran the process too quickly?) I'm hoping after I properly run the goods through charcoal, that ""off"" odor will go away --- at least I sure hope so. What do you guys have to say about that? Anyhow, next Saturday I will charcoal --- any pertinent or time saving charcoal tips would be appreciated. (I have the basic PVC kit from Brewhaus which I having taken extra steps to leak proof) Then time to sit back & enjoy! As always, thank you Gents for your spirity pearls of wisdom "
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 109
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"Hey just my 2 cents:
I just ran a rum ferment that was finished in about 2 weeks sat another 2 week (1 month total) till I could run it. Used a siphon to draw out the wash... it was clear.
Clear meaning nothing solid in the wash. It was brown like an old oil change, left the muck (old yeast and molasses) in the bottom of the fermenter. I used to check and stirr every couple of days....I found it bubbles longer and fuller when I leave it alone.
One of my best runs ever...
Having 2 fermenters running at half cycle apart from each other helps with lack of patients, at least for me it did.
I run an internal heater and have never had scorching issues.
I use 1 40qt cooler filled cold well water, when the condenser feels close to warm I pull the drain plug and the discharge hose into the yard and fill with 54deg well water. Most I ever had to do was 1 dump and fill and that was in 90-95 deg weather
I use mason jars with coffee filters and the rings hold them down. I air out for 1 week after distilling capping and shaking every 2-3 days.
I dilute with distilled water then air out for a day or two.
I designed a carbon filter I use with active carbon 2 times then a britta type filter 2 times after that. I only use that when I do a neutral wash or it has an off taste or smell that wont air out."
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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Sounds good Fuse. Great strategy on the cooling technique. I am real jealous over the internal heater. Doing ten gallons on a hotplate can get a little unnerving. Even got brave enough today to drop an email off to BH to get the particulars on the possiblity of them retrofitting my big milk bucket to hold 2 110's. I dont have 220 in the man cave but do have two 110 circuits. The drunk welder from down at the watering hole claims he could do it..and should be free as much free hooch as he has accumulated. Only thing is..if he messed up my high dollar bucket..I prob get real angry with him. Figger if Rick messes it up he prob has another to replace it. Tell me what you think. Thanks.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/14/2012(UTC)
Posts: 217
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"I have a question on the airing out.......I read somewheer to place a paper towel over the top of the jar and let set for 24 hrs..........dose that sound right........I'm onlu running a 3 gal pot.........? OOPS.........Sorry Big.......guess I should have read all the way through the post before I posted......paper towels are fine, I got it.......lmao All together now.........""Fats a dumn ass""....lol"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,209
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" Originally Posted by: scotty I just checked the latest cost of this clearing agent and i'm switching to hot mix sparkeloid to see how it works."
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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I just checked with The Source. He say anybody who uses Sparkoloids (When I hear that word I throw up in my mouth a little) or other clearing agents is girly men. Now I did not say that. Quoting here. Thanks.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 109
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"Rick's price was very reasonable welding the coupler on when I ordered my kettle. Craftsmanship is excellent. I love it, I used a hot plate for a while on previous still and in my opinion internal is the way to go. 220v was an easy option for me but it limits where I can use it. 2-110v elements would give you more flexibility and maybe a little better control.
The only benefit I could see for a hot plate is running a very small run. I think I figured I would need a minimum of 3 gallons to keep the element covered enough to prevent splitting and dry run. That is with an 8 gallon kettle. I think the smallest I ran was about 4-4.5 gallons, no problem. Let us know how it works out, if you go that route.
The router control works very well with the element at 110v BTW"
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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Well thanks Fuse. I got the drunk welder pinned down today..Weds boys afternoon out. I tole him if he messed up the high dollar hooch bucket he would likely get gut shot. He decided he was out of Argon etc. Think it generally been confirmed to turn the light duty task over to Rick.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/4/2012(UTC)
Posts: 38
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Depending on what you are looking for here the way I do it. After making cutts place a filter on the jar and air for two to three days. Next I cut to around 60abv and place in qt jar with to chard white oak sticks. After one month I add 1Tb maple suryup and age another mo. Then I pull the oak and set aside antill friends show up and was woundering what it taste like now that it has a little age to it. Cut to 80proof raise your glass to good friends good times and those that can no longer be with us.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/15/2012(UTC)
Posts: 11
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"Howdy Boys,
Well, as always I learned a thing or two here tonight. First off thanks for the kudos on my first batch --- other than the ""wet hound dog smell"" I think it will be alright. (if I can get rid of it) I also appreciate you checking my numbers --- now you know I was not fibbin'! A 55 gallon rain barrel as opposed to my cooler --- brilliant! I do have 35 gallon one I believe out in the shed that already has a spiggot down at the bottom of it. I will run a hose in the top & run a hose out the bottom off the spiggot & wallah! Constant cooling water temperature! I run off a well so no big deal. I can even use the run off to water the garden. Oh well, next time.....
I also just uncapped my cut stuff & applied the paper towell & rubber band to let it breath for a couple of days. I am afraid I am going to have to use the charcoal filter method however, being that that darn yankee charcoal peddler already done sold me a 20lb bag of it! *SIGH*. In retrospect, I do think keeping the temp constant at the column head is crucial. I will report back in soon with a status on the completely finished product. Adios Amoebas!"
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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"Thank you Sir. Sounds mighty yummy. Salud!! Originally Posted by: 24racefan Depending on what you are looking for here the way I do it. After making cutts place a filter on the jar and air for two to three days. Next I cut to around 60abv and place in qt jar with to chard white oak sticks. After one month I add 1Tb maple suryup and age another mo. Then I pull the oak and set aside antill friends show up and was woundering what it taste like now that it has a little age to it. Cut to 80proof raise your glass to good friends good times and those that can no longer be with us. "
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC)
Posts: 5,254
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So glad it went well. You got me spittin white dawg all over the keyboard here..Bad Boy..lol. PS this was for Lewis. That a funny young man. Must be kin to Jerry or something.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC)
Posts: 526
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Hey Lewis I hope that was Activated stone charcoal you got for filtering. Make sure you wash out the dust before useing. Have fun.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/15/2012(UTC)
Posts: 11
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"Hi guys! A quick final report for ya'll but first I must thank: Bigwheel, Farming, Bruno, Racefan, Heeler, Scotty, Oh Yeah, Fat boy, Fuse & Bushy. Each & every one of you guys gave great tips, advice & dont do's --- and without said advice my first run could have been a dismal failure. BUT, instead I actually cranked out almost 4 1.75 liter bottles of some pretty fine stuff! Maybe not exactly TOP SHELF, but pretty darn smooth & tasty if I do say so myself. The final step I made was running the goods through activated carbon charcoal. Because my first run smelled pretty much like a wet hound dog (thanks wheel :)) this made a HUGE difference. harshness - GONE. Hound dog - GONE. It is now a quality product I would be proud to serve anyone. My neighbor, a friend & myself through back quite a few frosty shots last Saturday out in the garage.....I tell you boys I'm a freakin' hero! And ZERO hangover. Nice. Not sure when I will run my next batch - soon I hope. I'm not quite retired & still working 50 hours a week. You know how it goes. I will now leave you with my favorite quote from my favorite movie Lonesome Dove: ""Any man that wouldent cheat for a poke dont want one bad enough"" --- Augustus McCray. Be in tough Guys!  "
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