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OK guys I'm brand new here and brand new to distilling. I ran my first batch tonight and have a question.I have an Essential Extractor Pro Series II still. I was using it in reflux mode. I fermented 14 pounds of sugar using Prestige Turbo 48 for actually 6 days. I know the fermentation did not get stuck. I controlled the distillate to 2-3 teaspoons per minute with the cooling water. At the end of the day I ended up with only 1 1/2 quarts of final product. The temperature in the column started to rise. The flow of distillate slowed and the purity dropped from 94% to 84% so I figured I was done. There was still quite a bit of liquid in the kettle when I was finished. Should I have gotten more final product? If so, what are some possible reasons for a small batch? Thank you for your time.
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15 lbs of sugar you should give you approximately 3-4 liters of alchol,about 3/4 gallon, .
It comes out strong at first and keeps getting weaker as you go. The tempature should rise and the quality should fall the longer you go. What you do is collect by taste till it starts tasting off and then collect the rest of the alchol ,but certainly not the rest of the water , to redestill again later.
I think what you did was just collect the very best and left the rest behind. If you just collected a second container like the first you could have later added water to that and redestilld it again to get good quality stuff. If you do this alot you will get in the pattern of collecting the good part of the run and then collecting the not so good stuff for later and after 4 or so runs you will have enough not so good stuff to make a whole run of really excellent stuff.
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Thank You. I think I wasted a bunch that could have been used later. I've got another batch fermenting. I'll get it right this time.
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Steve -
Gallons of Wash x Percent Alcohol of Wash = Product you should achieve.
I think tzac was a little low in his estimate of 3/4 gallons from what I understand. If you made a 6.5 Gallon wash x 20% alcohol content = 1.3 Gallons.
Nobody though has told me though how to tell the % alcohol content of my wash. From everything I read, your turbo should be in the low 20%.
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Jim, By my runs, the guys are right, I use 12 lbs sugar too 5-6 gal water and it ,turbo 48, gives you about 3/4 gal 95% hooch. Put a teaspoon on the floor and light it and it burns for five minutes!!!! I cut it three to one and then make quarts out of the essences. comes out real good. Read the yeast pack, turbo 48 is only around 14-18% yeast so the yeald is not that great.....don't over use the sugar, youre just wasting it.....Jimbull
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I'm sorry, I stand corrected. My formula is right, but my % alchohol should be lower according to Jimbull.
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Jimbull what essences are you using? I am getting ready in the near future to do a run and I am wanting to use the essences, but I am not sure what is good and what is not. Input anyone!
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Freebrew, I use the essences from brewhause and have had great luck with all of them. My favorites are: The blackcurrant schnaps, its great with just a little ice, all the cooridals work really good, pepperment schnaps creme de cocoa, now on the rums, I mix the jamician with my own concockion, 1 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, cimminon and a splash of vanilla and a cup of sugar, great cpt morgans! In other words all the essences I have tried are just great. I filter my batch thru carbon and that takes all the smell and taaste out of the batch and then cut it 3-1 with distilled water....works for me JB
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Thanks for the information. I will be trying your concoction as well. I think the first one I will make will be the bourbon and scotch. I love scotch on the rocks.
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I use 15lbs of sugar in a 25 liter fermenter. Ferments out at around 12%. If you go for a much higher concentration you stress the yeast and the product is not as good. ,sorry for the mixed units but thats just how it happens here, sugar sold in 5,10 or 25 lbs only  I waste a little extra energy cooking , but my reflux is plenty good enough to seperate, and I like to make really good stuff.
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