How Long Does It Take to Make Moonshine? – As you can see, the process of fermenting and distilling moonshine is quite time-consuming. In general, you can expect it to take between 1-3 weeks to make moonshine, as the mash must ferment and the distillation process must be continued until the final shine is safe for consumption.
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How fast should moonshine run?
Home Distiller Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling. Moderator: Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:16 am by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:04 am I decided to do a pot run with a PSII HC (pot mode, no packing) and 20L of Rad’s All Bran wash at about 11%.
- Using a 1500w plate with router speed controller.
- Up until now, I’ve been simply stripping, running as hard and fast as I can, to build up my low wines.
- But I decided to try a pot run to see what that’s all about.
- In any case, I’ve read a lot about running “low and slow” and came across quite a few subjective descriptions like, “a slow tickle”, etc.
Since I have a “numbers” personality, can anyone share their typical collection rates when they’re running low and slow on a pot run? I slowed things down to about 250 mL/hour. On my rig this was about 1 drip/sec. The good part was I had plenty of time to observe, take notes, smell, taste, etc.
- Very cool – it was textbook all the way.
- The bad part was it took a very long time.
- When I strip everything gets smeared, which is fine since I’m just saving up for a reflux run.
- But I decided that I was actually very impressed with the result of the pot run, so I’m looking for some numbers guidance in case I get that itch again (but don’t have as much time to spend).
Thanks, -JB retired Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:59 am by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:21 am Try 1-1.5 liters per hour or even a little higher.1 cup an hour is too slow. Should be a broken stream or a steady stream. There’s a sweet spot somewhere between.
- Others will chime in.
- I do all my own stunts retired Posts: Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:22 am by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:29 am JB, you are doing the right thing (experiment) and see for yourself!! Take notes, etc.
- All good You were running about as slow as you can and still have something come out.250ml/60min = 4.2ml per min.
The reason you don’t see much definitive info like that is because it can vary still to still not to mention peoples preference. Some people can get the same separation running faster.some slower. And the taste can vary depending upon how you run it. The important part is that “you” find the sweet spot that you like.
Save a small sample of it. Then throw it all back in the pot, and run it again faster to see what kind of changes occur. I generally like to make the differences apparent when doing a comparison like that.so I would run heat just till it breaks a stream. This generally works out somwhere around 20-35ml per min.
Some stills with larger volume still charges might run higher than that (say up to around 40-50ml per min range. But, this is close enough to give you some idea. Running faster will change the flavor a bit. It will smear more of it together and the flavors from the back side of the run (towards tails) that have more “grain” flavor will come through sooner.
HINT: Nobody says you have to run it same speed all the way through either. Some people run it slow up front to get better sepration off the heads.then speed it up some through hearts to get a nice blend.then back it back down when they taste tails side coming until they’ve collected all the hearts.then raise up heat full and flush out tails.
Since you’ve had a good slow run.do the 2nd one faster (all the way through) just to note the differences. After it starts to drip and pickup.adjust heat until it just breaks into a stream (ie., if you back the heat down.the stream will bobble and dribble).
- Let it run like that at that heat seating all the way through.
- Don’t adjust it.
- Note what happens when it starts and stops.
- At some point it wont’ hold a stream anymore.
- The stream will sound heavy in dribbles.(tails).
- The distillate from this run should have a heavier flavor profile than your previous light runs.
You may prefer one over the other. Running faster tends to add more tails side flavors — ie, it pulls them more towards the middle. Finding the sweet spot where it all tastes good to you is what is important to do. And “yes” running slow takes longer. But, if you like the results.can’t beat it.
retired Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:59 am by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:52 am Too add, when I run too slow, I find the blending really difficult. The jars are too distinct and I stumble around not knowing what to do. The “middle” jars, for example, is too clean. I try and figure out a speed whereby the transitions are not as distinct and the middle parts seem to have the best of all the parts.
I see it as a controlled smearing, in my mind’s eye. You can also try insulating your column and see if you like the results. That’s what I’ve done and I haven’t looked back since, so far anyways. It’s alot of fun, good luck. I do all my own stunts Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:16 am by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:28 am Thanks gentlemen – that’s what I wanted to hear,
- And what I _needed_ to hear.
- I was a snipe when I was in the service, so I had the privilege of operating all the fun gizmos & gadgets that made up a steam main propulsion plant.
- If you understood how things worked, knew your lines & valves, and understood the numbers from the gauges, you could have a helluva lot of fun.
Everything was based on repetition and technique to get as close as possible to perfect execution. Which may be why neutrals appeal to me. It was like playing football: master your techniques and reads & it’s worth the time, you’ll have fun. The subjective part of pot stilling is however,
Well, so damned subjective, I can now see why it takes so much time, practice and repetition to master. The artistic part of things has been a lifelong struggle, sometimes satisfying, but man, I really have to work twice as hard as the other guys. So refluxing is more of a natural fit for me. But like I mentioned in my initial post, I was curious and so gave pot stilling a whirl.
I’m glad I did. I’ll have to dabble some more as time permits. Again, thanks for the great guidance, -JB Site Donor Posts: Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:09 pm by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:44 am Hey JB, I run a simple 2 inch SS pot still head from Brehaus. This is from a ten gal 8% mash of 60% corn, 20% wheat malt or rye malt and 20% distillers malt.I put one copper scrubby in the middle of the column.
- I strip and get 2 gal. of 35%.
- I raise it up slow.
- On the second run or spirit run I find 2-3 drips per second works for me.
- It comes out cool to touch.
- The temp at the lynne arm is 172′.
- After 150-200 ml foreshots I get 1 liter heads 2 liters hearts and 1 liter tails.
- This takes about 8 hours.
- Rumrunner Posts: Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:38 am Location: south dakota by » Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:31 pm i guess in a nutshell after you run your still enuff you’ll no it better than your mother-inlaw.
i no what its gonna do b4 it does- untill you change sumthing than you’ll adjust. on my potstill a toothpick size stream nets the best results when i plan on a single run. b4 i cut 6” off my riser 3 or 4 drops per sec. was best. just run it alot an stock up for next winter.
- Today marks the dawn of a new error.
- Novice Posts: Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:39 am by » Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:07 pm I have run my PRO II pot still fast and slow.2-3 drips per sec is perfect for me as far as taste.
- It is hard at first to not bump the heat to get done sooner but if you want good product you need to do it right.
Two 6 gal runs takes me 6-8 hours and I run to about 130-140 abv and after airing blend to taste and proof I want. My magic proof number seems to be 83-85 proof measured with an alcoholmeter. I keep some Jack Danial’s black and taste to this as close as possible, It is always sharper tasting than the JD’s but the aging brings it into line. Posts: Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:25 am Location: Tennessee by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:18 am I actually judge my output rate more by the sound of the bubble breakers in the bottom of my pot than the out put stream. If I can hear them bouncing then I’ll turn the heat down until I can’t hear them anymore.
- Of course, I’ve done so many runs I know where to set the heat control.
- When I get deeper into the hearts I might turn the heat up slightly, depending on what I’m running.
- Once I get into tails I’ll turn the heat on up to 3/4 power and just let it run on out.
- Doing it this way I’ll get an output that a very thin but steady stream to a broken stream.
Big R “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” William Pitt Rumrunner Posts: Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:31 pm by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:01 am Sucks that we can’t just have a mentor system.
I would sure like to help some of you guys prepare a solid wash, and I’d love to have a master shiner come and show me (ON MY STILL) how to run the damn thing. Took me 3 years to figure out the old one, who knows how long it’ll take with the new one. Everything I do or say may or may not have really happened.
or it may or may not be all bull shit! Turning money into steam and likker 10 gallons at a time! I just want Uncle Sam to be more like Uncle Jessy! retired Posts: Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:22 am by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:22 am Every still could be different (although there are some common sizes around as well).
- I had a still had a big head but a 3/8″ lynearm.you had to drip that thing off “s-l-o-w” to get anything that wasn’t smeared to death with tails.
- My 2″ lynearm that necks down to 1/2″ by contrast finds happiness somewhere faster (up to a small stream).
- No accounting for taste either.some people like flavor of slow-single run on a pot.
Nothing wrong with any of it, despite what consensus may be. Just what you like. So, it’s very hard to say.”this is how you do it” other than the basic logistics of operation. Yes.this is how you do it till you experiment and find what you like and where your still performs best for you.
- That’s it.
- The main thing is to TRY it different ways.
- I bet there are plenty of people here who started out by adjusting their output/heat to a small stream (cause that’s what consensus says) and never looked back.
- Run it slow one time.
- Real slow.
- See how it changes things.
- Hell you might find you like it better.
Or you might just confirm your getting the better out of it running the way you are. If you are a drip-drip-drip potstiller.try wicking it up to a stream and let it run. See how it differs from your normal runs. You “will” get more separation running slower in general.
- But, separation (and concentration) of “what” is the question.
- Well, ethanol of course to some degree.you’ll find not so much abv jump running one way or the other.
- Its the other things that come along with ethanol for the ride that you need to be concerned with — impurities that compound with it that make up the flavors.
If that ends up being things that taste good when concentrated more.running slower will benefit you. If those previously subtle flavor compounds concentrated and isolated end up tasting like “crap”,you aren’t going to be so thrilled. Pot’s aren’t made for clean separation.
They are made for “blending” things. So, run it however best “Blends” the flavors you have, into what you want. Might take some experimenting.but it will be worth while. You might want to get a few runs under your belt first using consistent procedures just to have a baseline to work from. Admin Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am Location: occupied south by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:23 am RumBrewer wrote: Sucks that we can’t just have a mentor system.
I would sure like to help some of you guys prepare a solid wash, and I’d love to have a master shiner come and show me (ON MY STILL) how to run the damn thing. Took me 3 years to figure out the old one, who knows how long it’ll take with the new one. Id think a experienced stiller could dial in on another still quicker than a newbie,However he would still have to learn to drive it. Posts: Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:11 am Location: The Hinges of Hades by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:40 am blind drunk wrote: Too add, when I run too slow, I find the blending really difficult. The jars are too distinct and I stumble around not knowing what to do.
- The “middle” jars, for example, is too clean.
- I try and figure out a speed whereby the transitions are not as distinct and the middle parts seem to have the best of all the parts.
- I see it as a controlled smearing, in my mind’s eye.
- You can also try insulating your column and see if you like the results.
That’s what I’ve done and I haven’t looked back since, so far anyways. It’s alot of fun, good luck. ^^^^ this When I wind up with really distinct fractions the full weight of my ability to become badly discombobulated kicks in when I start trying to blend flavor back into the flat heart.
I start doubting my labels. getting confused about what I just smelled and why did I smell it here but not here but here again two jars away. I have much much better results running for something that pleases me across a larger portion of the cook than winding up with a bunch of portions that either dont impress me or make me think bad thoughts.
Its still low and slow. but when you get down to the drips range that tends to be too slow for me. I want a twist I can watch. “a woman who drives you to drink is hard to find, most of them will make you drive yourself.” anon- Admin Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am Location: occupied south by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:53 am When running my pot I like to see the twist also.Dialed in right can tell heads are almost gone when stream paused slows and picks back up.
- On washes that contain sugar or 2nd run of them that don’t.
- There is a slight rattle of copper pieces breaking the boil.Nice beads forming as product hits bottom of jar.Sounding kinda like rain.
- Damn I love stillin,
- I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:16 am by » Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:38 am Tater wrote: There is a slight rattle of copper pieces breaking the boil.
Nice beads forming as product hits bottom of jar. Sounding kinda like rain. Very poetic. Sounds a bit like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow! : Home Distiller
Can you run moonshine too slow?
Correct Rate of flow from Condenser – Pot / Thumper If you have a you tube video of your still, fermentation, screw ups, or anything distilling related you think is worth sharing, post it here. If your adverse to posting directly, contact the team, and you can post via the CCSC channel to ensure you anonymity.
Moderator: Posts: Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:43 am by » Sun Jan 15, 2017 8:28 pm Hello folks – as a novice one of the things that I am still scratching my head with is the correct rate of flow I should be aiming for from my pot still (with thumper) for a SPIRIT run. Would some of the the pot/thumper gurus out there put up a video of the rate of flow that novices should be aiming for please? This would be a major help as the descriptions of the rate of flow is not very definitive – despite best attempts by well wishing people.
Thanks in advance. Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Tue Jul 30, 2013 5:50 pm by » Sun Jan 15, 2017 10:06 pm You might get some varied / complicated answers on this one. There are many variables which may make what you feel is the perfect take off rate different to what any other single person here does.
- The volume of wash you running, the design of your still, volume/contents of the thumper, the contents of your still (% abv) and the type of mash/wash even.
- I’ve not looked at your posts so I don’t know the design of your pot still, but things like size, shape, head space in the boiler, percentage of copper in the vapour path may be things to consider? Above all things taste is what matters, you run too slow and it will take forever (and might still taste bad) you run too fast and you will probably smear all the fractions together.
Common advice seems to drift around a drip a second for foreshots. steady drip for heads, pencil lead stream for hearts then collect tails as fast as your comfortable with down to a point that you feel you can be bothered with before you feel that your wasting energy/time to go further.
I personally run around 300ml every 8 – 10 minutes for hearts in a spirit run. More like 10 minutes in pot still mode and closer to 8 when running the torpedo under the pot in a 50L keg filled to around 30L, I feel I get great separation at this speed and can detect fractions easily when tasting later before ageing.
I have no experience with thumpers, so my thoughts might not be worth much to you. Hope it makes some sense in any case. Stuck Not all those who wander are lost, Site Admin Posts: Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 12:23 am Location: Central Victoria, Down under.
Contact: by » Mon Jan 16, 2017 12:42 am There are a few pot stillers here. hopefully one of them can post a vid for you. Pencil led stream is widely considered the norm. Have a nice day. Something fermenting, something ready to run, something ageing.and you’ll never run out Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 9:21 am Location: In the Borders, UK by » Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:01 am In this context a thumper will tighten up the cuts a bit – make the transitions between them a bit faster.
It will also increase the average ABV of each phase of the run a bit. You can probably expect to re-run the distillation a few times until you get used to it. It won’t hurt. After the run just check your samples and if you aren’t happy you just put them all back in the still and do it again.
- For the first run I probably wouldn’t collect tails at all, as I would expect that I might need to do it again.
- Slowly drip by drip should give reasonable foreshots compression, then switch to a stream about the size of a pencil leads.
- Once you have collected in samples, check one from the middle of the Hearts phase.
If that centre hearts jar isn’t up to quality, then the power level used during the Hearts was wrong. That is typical at first. Heads (and ALL the other fractions) are there in the boiler at variable concentrations throughout the run – and you need to run fast enough so that most of the heads get driven off early.
- By the time you get into the Hearts, the %age of the heads fraction left should be low enough not to affect the taste.
- Run too slow and the %age of heads fraction left in the boiler (at that moment in time) is higher, and the taste carries over into the Hearts.
- Once you get to a power setting that gives a reasonable centre hearts jar, then you can tweak it to try and increase the width of the Hearts phase.
This old topic on HD is quite a good description. On a pot still you never get full definition between the fractions. Power management gets you to a point where the proportions of the various fractions in the Hearts phase are such that you get an acceptable product – without waiting 15 years for things to balance out by evaporation.
Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 9:21 am Location: In the Borders, UK by » Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:08 am And keep your boiler charge on the pot still lower than 30%. I usually do strip runs then dilute my low wines to 27%. Any higher on the pot still and the solubility of the fractions in ethanol, just makes the cuts more difficult.
Posts: Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:43 am by » Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:23 am Gents – I bow to your greater knowledge and experience, and thanks for the information, however if one of the pot / thumper people put up some video with a commentary as to what rig they were using and what stage the run was at etc (in light of the above posts) at least it would be something for novices to work off.
Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:42 pm Location: Éire by » Wed Jan 18, 2017 9:05 pm Just look at Scarecrows Rye run video again and then look at my video, thereabouts is good. Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 11:40 am Location: Near Coffs Harbour by » Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:56 pm I see your desire for a video Jimy Whereas a normal still puts out a nice constant drip or dribble, a thumper output is quite the splatered splurty thingy which is rather hard to define,
Will do my best to video it even if the results mean jack, Collection in a measuring cylinder for a minuate then multiplying by 60 to get a mls per hour is a more accurate way to assess your takeoff rate, So far I’m still pissing in the wind with it,
- Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:34 am Location: On my laptop, next to the Great Sandy Straits by » Mon Jan 23, 2017 4:36 pm I’ve run a basic potstill for a long time and I have never known/read this before now.
- I was always under the impression that the slower you go on a spirit run, the better the separation of fractions.
I would be very interested to find out more in this regard too. If you would be so kind as to provide a URL link or even more detailed specifics, it would be much appreciated. “Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.” H.L.
- Mencken Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 9:21 am Location: In the Borders, UK by » Tue Jan 24, 2017 3:58 am Frank wrote: You are not wrong Frank, BUT you need to put it in context.
- Yes if you run slowly the natural cooling in the vapour path will initially result in some reflux.
- Also running at low power does result in less ethanol being evaporated with the heads at that moment in time.
Instinctively you understand this as better separation, but you also need to think about long term effects. On a pot still there is minimal re-processing – in effect what comes out of the boiler makes its way out the product condenser. This is in contrast to packed and plated columns where more of what comes out of the boiler, ends up back in it again.
- The composition of the vapour leaving the boiler is directly related to the composition of the liquid in the boiler AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME.
- Ok it is a simplification but it is good enough.
- So if your boiler charge is 10A + 50B + 20C then so is your vapour.
- Or 1:5:2 At a later moment in time because they evaporate at different rates to each other, you might have 5A + 40B + 19C, or 1:8:3.8 (not realistic but just an example) So the proportions in the boiler change ratios constantly, based on what is left behind in the boiler.
You try to find a power level that preferentially depletes the heads, whilst still leaving enough hearts left in the boiler to collect. Go to slow and there is always enough heads left in the boiler for you to taste in the product. Go too fast and you force the tails through into the hearts.
At the end of the run the boiler may contain 0.5A + 5B + 1C but because all the components are soluble in water (and in each other) there is always a bit of each left that is not worth recovering. Power management on the pot still in reality is just trying to manipulate what is left in the boiler in our favour.
Posts: Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2016 3:51 pm Location: Brisbane by » Tue Jan 24, 2017 8:09 am 10A + 50B + 20C then so is your vapour. Or 1:5:2 Does A, B and C have a value? for example if A=2 then 10A is 20? or are they representing something like A=ethyl acetate or A=heads? Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 9:21 am Location: In the Borders, UK by » Tue Jan 24, 2017 5:08 pm It is just an example.
As the volatile components in the boiler leave as vapour, the boiling point of what remains changes. This boiling point in turn changes the volatility of each component, so the evaporation rate of each component changes. The solubility of each component also changes during the run. Bottom line though is that each sample of product contains some of each volatile component that was in the boiler when it was produced.
The pot still NEVER produces completely separated volatile components – it isn’t possible. (It doesn’t even do that on a column. The BOILER always produces a mixture, but the column selectively passes some to product, and returns the rest back to the boiler.) This is an exaggerated visual illustration.
Taken from the typical Cognac still, with different power levels used during each phase of the run. Pot output.png If you do the entire run at too low a power input, the heads persist all the way through the run. Use a higher power and you produce heads at a faster rate. This means they are depleted from the boiler, so what is left in it produces vapour containing a much smaller proportion of heads.
Enough to be acceptable. Relative evaporation rates is the point. When you air the product later, the heads evaporate but so does the ethanol. The heads evaporate faster though (you hope) dependent on storage conditions. You can manipulate evaporation rates by how much power you put in.
- You can’t do it selectively – but you can swing it into your favour.
- You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
- Posts: Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:18 pm Location: In the Heart of the Caldera by » Tue Jan 24, 2017 7:57 pm Nicely explained Myles.
- Thank you.
- Scarecrow My IQ test results came back negative.
Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:34 am Location: On my laptop, next to the Great Sandy Straits by » Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:16 pm Myles wrote:,If you do the entire run at too low a power input, the heads persist all the way through the run.
- Use a higher power and you produce heads at a faster rate.
- This means they are depleted from the boiler, so what is left in it produces vapour containing a much smaller proportion of heads.
- Enough to be acceptable.
- Myles: thank you for your detailed explanation, its much appreciated.
- OK.if you spirit run a potstill using ‘higher power’ as described, I presume your graph suggests this works for hearts/tails too? I mean, it can be expected that a faster takeoff of hearts is going to leave tails ‘behind’? (apologies in advance, perhaps) “Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.” H.L.
Mencken Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 9:21 am Location: In the Borders, UK by » Sat Jan 28, 2017 11:18 pm Unfortunately it is a balancing act as too much power brings the tails on early. Tails is typically the highest power used in the run.
- You are just recovering undrinkable ethanol for future reprocessing.
- You can say that recovering Tails is equivalent to a strip run setting.
- Higher than you would use for hearts and the heads setting is lower than the hearts.
- Posts: Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:14 pm by » Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:55 pm wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2017 5:08 pm It is just an example.
As the volatile components in the boiler leave as vapour, the boiling point of what remains changes. This boiling point in turn changes the volatility of each component, so the evaporation rate of each component changes. The solubility of each component also changes during the run.
Bottom line though is that each sample of product contains some of each volatile component that was in the boiler when it was produced. The pot still NEVER produces completely separated volatile components – it isn’t possible. You can manipulate evaporation rates by how much power you put in. You can’t do it selectively – but you can swing it into your favour.
Stuck referenced this thread in a thread I created: I don’t want to “smear” the two so I requested that responses to the comment there be posted here. Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:22 pm Location: Brisvegas by » Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:37 pm wrote: I have never known or read this before now either, I have been convinced that running as slow as possible on a spirit run made it so much easier to separate the fractions and avoid smearing heads into hearts.
Myles you are certainly a wealth of knowledge, I am glad I found this information Never mistake Kindness for Weakness! Posts: Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:14 pm by » Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:21 am Just a reminder: What I have found and been reminded by my mates in this hobby is it is all about personal choices in search of what pleases you.
As a neophyte – up from a noob – I read “best practices” of others and attempt & adapt to what I want to achieve. There are an infinite number of variables even as something you would think is basic as this. Obviously there are different types of “pot stills” including material, size, and heat source.
Variables as to mash/wash as well. So the point is I am sure there are several wrong ways to do this, and a lot more RIGHT ways to do it. Here’s to a “healthy” discussion of choices. Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:37 pm Location: Brissy by » Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:45 am I am enjoying reading and re-reading the pot still advice and it brings me back to a conversation with yummy a while back about boiler size and take-off speed.
If the boiler is 4x the size of a typical keg boiler, the riser is also 4x typical 2in and the wash is comparable then it makes sense that heat input would be 4x and take-off therefore 4x that of a typical 2in and be producing a comparable product. I’m not yet able to test this theory but the the wheels are turning.
My best childhood memory is falling asleep on the couch and waking up in bed. I miss teleporting it never happens any more Posts: Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:57 pm Location: Deep space. by » Mon Sep 03, 2018 4:08 pm 1.6lph is good Marge, don’t discourage the boy! Weaseling out of things is important to learn.
It’s what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel. Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:37 pm Location: Brissy by » Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:33 pm Ok so for those who are pondering take off speed relative to boil charge. I can confirm that by in creasing boiler size 4x 50L to 200L you can in fact take off at 4x the speed for the same result.
- I’m now wondering what difference does it make dropping the boiler charge abv from 30% down to 15%.
- Does anyone have any first hand experience? My best childhood memory is falling asleep on the couch and waking up in bed.
- I miss teleporting it never happens any more Site Supporter Posts: Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:02 pm by » Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:24 pm Im grasping at straws here @ Bent cracker but I reakon you would need to halve speed.
I know I do on my bubbler when I do an all grain as apposed to sugarhead whiskey, or It is quite possible to fog my bottom sight glass(Push tails in) straight off heads. Then when I back it right off again the glass clears and run proceeded as normal I prob drop power by 1/3-1/2.
How much alcohol is lost in distillation?
Ending the Run – “Barrels” by There are many clues that tell you when to end your whiskey run, but you can also guess at the end of a run based on the approximate quantity of moonshine you’ve collected. Most runs will still leave some wash at the “bottom of the barrel,” so don’t worry if you have distilled every last drop.
- It’s typically not worth running your copper still higher than 212 degrees Fahrenheit on your run, so that is a good indication.
- Generally, a distillation run might only remove 85-90% of the alcohol from the wash, but that is good enough for most moonshiners.
- Each distillation run on a copper whiskey still will result in a different amount of moonshine.
While there is no exact formula to accurately predict exactly how much you will get out of any run, if you are not reaching numbers close to these, consider how changing some of the factors of your distillation process will allow you to get more product out of your copper moonshine still.
How many times should moonshine be distilled?
The Distillation – Distilling Alcohol – For distillation use the entire mash, both liquid and solid parts. Don´t filter the mash before distilling. You would lose taste and smell by filtration. Therefore the stills contain solid parts. Hence it is necessary to use a burn protector, Large stills are jacketed kettles in common, mostly equipped with a stirrer, but this system is not appropriate for small copper stills of hobby distillers. If the mash contains less than about 10 %ABV alcohol, you have to distill twice (double distillation). If the alcohol content is higher than that, a simple distillation is completely sufficient. This kind of distillation produces the most intense taste and smell, more than double distilled alcohol. Don’t forget to separate the heads (foreshot). Also if your mash is free of heads, you should separate about 30 drops per 1,5 liters (1.5 US quarts) of mash. Collect the hearts until 91 °C (196 °F) steam temperature, after that you can collect the tails or stop the distillation.
How long does it take to run a 15 gallon still?
If you’re serious about moonshine then step-up to the ‘4-Plate 4″ Flute Still’. We offer this as a turn-key Distillery package “Flute,” Boiler, & hose kit. The complete solution for your distillation needs. The Hi Proof Product flute is a scaled down version of common commercial distillation columns.
- This high-output reflux still serves as a great moonshine still and can even make high grade ethanol for fuel.
- This is such a heavy-duty Flute that we don’t recommend mating it with with any boiler less than 15-gallons capacity.
- This unit is about 75% faster than our other columns because this Flute can handle a ton of vapor! You could actually do a 15-gallon run in about 4 hours or so.
The whole column comes apart for easy cleaning. Each bubble plate is its own section so when you take the clamps off, your flute column breaks down into several sections that each contain a clamp, gasket, copper bubble plate, and BIG viewing window. Plus, because the column is 4″ in diameter, you can fit your hand inside each section for deep cleaning instead of trying to maneuver a bottle brush up a column that’s longer than your arm.
Unscrew the stainless steel screws from the copper bubble plates and clean them as well with our special copper cleaner powder listed in our accessories section that’s basically dip, soak, rinse, you’re done! Instead of packing your column with copper mesh or raschig rings, you have the sought after copper bubble plate, which is easy to clean and can last a lifetime if you do clean it.
Because it’s copper, you still have your copper reactivity that eliminates sulphides. Plus the fact that the column has BIG viewing windows so you can actually see the bubble stuff happening in real time which is just plain kewl! Our flute column comes with a built-in parrot that makes draining the heads and inline testing a breeze.
- There’s a valve at the bottom of the parrot so you can drain off those nasty heads, close the valve, then let it start going through the parrot, and you’re onto your run.
- No waiting until the parrot is full.
- Yes! We also put the thermometer at the top of the column where it’s catching the vapor that will be collected to ensure accurate thermometer readings.
Also included free with our Flute is a complete hose kit. It contains all the hardware needed hoses, clamps, adapters, valves, tee’s, etc. needed to connect your Flute to a water source for cooling. Others charge $70. to $125. additional for this same kit.
You can change the number of bubble plate sections to optimize your flute for whatever you’re distilling in your moonshine still. If you want to do a pot distillation, you can have one or two sections; if you want to do a high purity distillation, you might do six. If you want to do more, you can do more! We also now offer an optional gin basket that goes between the top of the column and the dephlegmator, (see our accessories section) so you’ll just add that in.
No need to buy an entire gin series moonshine still if you want to make gin. Just purchase one extra piece for the flute and you’re good-to-go! That’s the beauty of our flute column being a modular unit. You can add and take away pieces to suit your needs for each individual run.
Nothing else even comes close in versatility, kind like having your cake AND being able to eat it too. The included 15-gallon boiler is made from heavy gauge stainless steel. It is made to be heated over a large hot plate or propane burner however it cannot be used with induction heating. If you add our optional belly-band heater no modifications to the boiler is needed.
If you add our optional 5500 watt Next generation controller and heater package we will be sure that the boiler is also equipped with a 2″ ferrule to accommodate the electric heater package. In our opinion the Next Generation 5500 watt controller and heater package is the bast way to go and allows for future expansion should you decide to go larger on the boiler at a later date.
This is NOT a kit where you need a torch for assembly, it assembles completely via stainless steel Tri-Clamp’s and no tools are needed. It is a tested, tried & true, ready-to-go to work for you moonshine-still-package! This really is the perfect set up for the serious home distiller. All you need to do is add the mash place the boiler on a electric hotplate or over a propane burner and you’re in business.
Best of all our package is ready for fast shipment, no need to wait months and months for the fun to start! OUR PACKAGE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
Modular Flute 4 Bubble-Plate Column StillComplete Hose kit with all necessary fittings and valves.15-Gallon Stainless Steel Distillation Boiler.
How long does it take to run 3 gallons of moonshine?
I average about 3 hrs from start to end of clean-up. I run a 3 gallon pot on my electric kitchen stovetop.