 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 31
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Quick question for you guys, i am getting a small yield from a Pot Still.....my recipe is as follows....5# sugar...4 inches of sweet feed grain only...about 4 gallons of water...yeast.... ferment for 6 to 8 days....i normally get about 1 qt, 105 proof...1 qt 90 proof and 1 qt 80 proof the rest goes below 60 am i doing something wrong.. i have no leaks..my temp in the kettle runs about 205.....and my temp at the top of my condensor ranges between 179 and 194 while it drips....help me if you can or is this pretty normal...i have not ran throw a secind time...
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 31
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The more i think about it..maybe it is close to normal..3 quarts....if i run through again it should increase the proof by about 10 or 15 percent..is that true too. LoL...and maybe i should just leave it at 105 90 and 80 averages to about 90 that is plenty do you agree....i know i am asking alot but very interested and want to get it down to a perfect science.. one more question...in making apple pie what is the ideal proof you would use...in a recipe.
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC)
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"Are you making cuts while you run your still??? 3 Quarts from 4 gallons is REALLY pushing it. You should collect in small jars not one big jar......and rerunning it is a good idea and you are right it will be less overall because of all the junk you will leave behind. Run it slower on the second pass through the still and that will clean it up good.
Before you make that recipe again, get some Brewhaus nutrients and that will really help the process for making really good hooch.
Oh and I use 130 proof hooch for the applepie recipe."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/4/2012(UTC)
Posts: 303
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When I run my pot still, if I've gotten a good ferment (11-13% ETOH by hydrometer), my first jar out will normally be 60-62% (that's percent, not proof). Every jar afterward will drop 2-3% until I quit distilling at 38-40%. I know I'm leaving some ETOH in the keg, but that's my limit (self-imposed).
I think the initial percentage of ETOH in the fermented wash determines the % of ETOH in the first jar of distillate.
Is it possible that your ferment didn't do quite as expected? Can you provide starting gravity and ending gravity of your wash?
Not picking at you, just trying to ascertain the issue.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 31
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Ok and thanks for your reply. I do have Pint jars and will start catching it in them and proofing it .
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 31
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I know you are not picking on me..I am a true novice at this and i do appreciate all the help. And of course my hydrometer only reads Proof and alcochol percentage...So i guess i need to buy another with a gravity scale.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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" Originally Posted by: BamaShineRTR  Ok and thanks for your reply. I do have Pint jars and will start catching it in them and proofing it . Remember, when your running your still and collecting all that hooch, only fill those jars about half full then --tomorrow-- use your nose to find the best of the best. Unfortunately theres stuff that comes out that we must toss out or collect and pour in the next run of the still. Please read up on how to make cuts and how to collect those cuts. As you run your still the first stuff that comes over will be the highest proof but it will be the worst tasteing stuff of the run, again you really should make cuts or segregation of the compounds that come out."
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
Posts: 31
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oK....Yea been dumping the first 50 to 60 ml...and saving the tralles for recycling in a future batch.....but as far as reading and trial runs have not read this much since high school....and the woods next to my house smells like the back yard of a fraternity house.:) But im all about learning this and perfecting it.
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