What Liquid Do You Put In A Moonshine Still With Thumper?

How To Infuse Flavor Into Moonshine with a Thumper Keg – Distillers usually add spirit tails, low wines, water, or whiskey to their thumper keg to cool the alcohol vapors coming from the potstill. However, you can include other fruits, herbs, or spices to add different flavor combinations to your spirits.

Adding fruit infused spirits to the thumper keg Place your chosen fruits, herbs, and spices into a large container of low wines or head/tail spirits and let it sit for a week or two. The flavor of your ingredients will gradually infuse the solution. Add this solution to the bottom of the thumper keg to impart the flavors it contains. Adding juice or oils directly to the thumper keg Ingredients like apple juice, peach juice, blackberry juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, and coconut oil can be added directly to the thumper keg to impart flavor. Adding raw ingredients directly into the thumper keg Some distillers will add fruit peel, herbs, spices, and mashed fruit directly to the thumper keg. Just be aware that mashed fruit will need to be added in large quantities and may be messy to clean up. If using this technique to add fruit, make sure your produce is very ripe.

When using the thumper keg to add flavors, it’s best to add your ingredients after the spirit’s heads have been extracted. This will ensure the flavors are impacting the part of the distillation which you actually drink. Related: Beginner Moonshine Stills

What liquid do I put in my thumper?

Infusing Flavors Using A Thumper Keg – We’ve already given you a pretty good idea of how a thumper keg works. But did you know you can also use it to add more layers of flavor to your moonshine? Before you start distilling, fill the thumper keg with a small number of spirit tails from a previous batch (best option), some wash from the current batch, or water (water is the last resort).

1. Add fruit-infused spirits to your thumper keg – You can place your chosen fruits, spices, and herbs into a big container of low wines or head/tail spirits. Then, let it sit for about a week or two to gradually infuse these flavors into the liquid. Once it’s time to distill, just add this solution to the bottom of the thumper keg to impart its flavors into your final moonshine.
2. Add juice or oils directly into your thumper – In case you want a simpler and faster process than the one above, you can also add liquid ingredients like juice (apple, lemon, peach, blackberry, etc.) and coconut oil directly into your thumper keg.
3. Add raw ingredients directly into your thumper – Now this is a combination of the first two flavor infusion methods we’ve mentioned. You can choose to add fruit peel, herbs, spices, and mashed ripe fruit directly into your thumper keg. Just remember that in the case of mashed fruit, you will need to add large quantities to impart that flavor. Also, it can result in quite a mess.

Regardless of which method you choose, you need to extract the heads from the ethyl alcohol before infusion. This will make sure the flavors will infuse the distillate that you will drink.

What do you put in the thumper keg on a still?

Distilling, Spirits

• Distilling Thumpers
• What Are They?
• How do They Work?
• by NorCal Brewing Solutions
• There is nothing worse than spirits that are harsh, throat burning, off flavored, or have odors or impurities.
• Common distilling wisdom dictates that to avoid the above you should perform multiple distilling runs.
• But who’s got time for that?
• If you don’t add a thumper (also known as a thumper keg) – or even a series of thumper kegs – to your pot head distilling system!
• What Is a Thumper Keg? (Short Answer)
• A thumper keg is a sealed, liquid-holding container that is placed between the still and the condenser in a pot head distillation system.
• It has one ethanol vapor entry port and one ethanol vapor exit port.
• It essentially performs a secondary distillation during a single distillation run.
• A thumper keg enhances alcohol content while simultaneously refining the flavor of the product – whether it be gin, whiskey, rum, or anything else.
• How Does a Thumper Keg Work?
• Hot ethanol vapor passes from the main still into the thumper through a DOWNCOMER – a tube whose end is submerged in “Thumper Liquid” at the bottom of the thumper.
• It is preferrable to have the Thumper Liquid be related to the spirit being distilled.
• For example, the Thumper Liquid can be:
• · Mash from the current run
• · Collection from a prior run
• · Store-bought spirit of similar type
• · The Thumper Liquid can contain fruit, spices, botanicals, or juice to enhance the flavor (more on this later!)

· Water can be used as a last resort. Using water will substantially dilute the alcohol content of the collected spirit.

1. The hot ethanol vapor bubbles through the Thumper Liquid, cools, and in turn becomes liquid itself, mixing with the Thumper Liquid already in the thumper.
2. As the vapor condenses in the semi-sealed environment it produces a THUMP – THUMP – THUMP sound, from which the name “Thumper” is derived.
3. The collected spirit has a high alcohol content and enhances the flavor of the spirit.
4. Temperature Warning!
5. CAUTION: Due to a thumper’s proximity to the still it will get hot!
6. For this reason, the thumper keg container should be made from heat-resistant materials (stainless steel, copper, glass, etc.)
7. NorCal Brewing Solutions manufactures a line of thumpers designed for 1/6 barrel Sanke kegs and an economical line for glass canning jars (Kerr, Mason, and Ball).
8. Let’s Get Technical!
9. Okay but how does this produce a SECONDARY DISTILLATION?
10. A thumper works by distilling low wines that come from the still.
11. When distillation first starts, the starting liquid in the thumper keg is cool.
12. As hot ethanol vapor passes from the still through the thumper the heat waste carried in the low wines heat the thumper up.

NOTE: Typically, no other heat source is used. This allows greater temperature control should the mash temperature get too hot.

• Eventually, the low wine gets heated to a point where it vaporizes, a second distillation happens, and this newly distilled vapor passes out of the thumper and into the condenser (or into ANOTHER thumper keg).
• The final spirit exits the condenser and is collected.
• In essence, a thumper keg allows a pot head still to gain some of the features provided in the column portion of a column still.
• Can a Thumper Keg be Used with a Column Still?

The short answer is “no”. There simply isn’t enough energy left to run the “thump” by the time ethanol vapor leaves a column still.

1. A Thumper as a Gin Basket!
2. A thumper keg can be used to add flavor to spirits.
3. Simply add botanicals, herbs, spices, fruit, juice, or extracts to the Thumper Liquid and the ethanol vapor will extract the flavors from the Thumper Liquid as it passes through the thumper and exits into the condenser.
4. What Size of Thumper Do I Need?
5. A thumper should be approximately 1/3 the size of the still.

So 1/6 barrel kegs are PERFECT as thumpers when used with a half barrel (15.5 gallon) Sanke keg still. Half gallon canning jars are PERFECT as thumpers for 1.5-gallon stills.

• And don’t forget
• Thumper Kegs can be used in series to double thumper capacity, triple it, and so on.
• 
• Two NorCal Brewing Solutions Half Gallon
• Canning Jar Thumper Kegs used in Series
• First Time Thumper Set-up (Step-by-Step Instructions)
• The thumper keg must be cleaned to remove bacteria and other contaminants. An easy way to accomplish this is through a “Vinegar Run”:
• NOTE: If using a series of thumpers, perform a Vinegar Run on each thumper individually (don’t assemble them in series).

1) Determine what 20% of the still’s capacity is. (1/6 barrel keg would be 20% of 5.17 gallons = 1.03 gallons). This is the “Vinegar Run Volume”.2) Assemble the still, thumper, and condenser.3) Mix half distilled water and half vinegar to make up the Vinegar Run Volume.

1. 7) Discard all solution from still and from thumper.
2. 8) Thumper is now ready for use.
3. Using a Thumper Set-up (Step-by-Step Instructions)
4. 1) Assemble the still, thumper(s), and condenser.
5. 2) Add mash to still boiler.
6. 3) Add enough Thumper Liquid to the thumper to cover approximately half an inch of the bottom of the downcomer.
7. 4) If using the thumper as a Gin Basket: Add flavorings to the Thumper Liquid.

a. Make sure thumper keg is no more than 2/3 filled with Thumper Liquid and any additives. More than 2/3 full could produce too much back pressure for the thumper to work properly.

• 5) Heat boiler of the still to approximately 172 degrees Fahrenheit (78 degrees Celsius).
• 6) As the still heats up, ethanol vapors pass through the still and into the thumper (through the downcomer), where the vapors will turn into liquid and mix with the Thumper Liquid.
• 7) Eventually the thumper will heat up enough where ethanol vapor will continue out the thumper’s exit port and through the condenser, where it will turn into the final collected spirit.
• 8) Once the thumping process is complete, turn off the heat source to the boiler.

WARNING: Understand and ALWAYS follow proper still shut-down procedures, Failure to shut down the distilling process correctly can cause back pressure, resulting in equipment damage and even an explosion!

1. Adding Flavor by Using a Thumper Keg
2. A thumper can replicate a Gin Basket by adding flavor(s) to distillate!
3. Simply add fruits, fruit juice, herbs, extracts, flowers, or spices to the Thumper Liquid.

NOTE: Using anything but alcohol in the Thumper Liquid will dilute the alcohol content of the collected spirit. If high alcohol content is a priority, consider using multiple thumpers in series. Adding Dried Fruit, Herbs, Flowers, Spices: Use any combination of dried fruit, herbs, flowers, spices, etc.

• When ready to distill, add this mixture to the Thumper Liquid.
• Pros and cons of this method:
• PROS: Allows good flavor extraction while keeping the highest possible alcohol content of the collected spirit.
• CONS: Time delay / hassle.
• Adding Raw Fruit, Fruit Juice:
• Use any combination of ripe, mashed fruit and fruit juice and add it to the Thumper Liquid.
• Pros and cons of this method:
• PROS: Skips the low wines process and the associated time delay.

CONS: Dilutes the alcohol content of the collected spirit. Doesn’t extract as much flavor. Experiment, and Have Fun! Thumper kegs add a certain amount of pizazz to a pot head distilling system. Not only do they look cool, the “thump thump thump” sound they make while operating adds an auditory signal that all is going well in the distilling process.

Being able to easily extract flavors from fruit, botanicals, oak, or anything else you dream up adds a whole new dimension to flavor design. If you don’t have time for multiple distilling runs If you like the idea of flavor design If you like a higher proof at collection while getting a refined spirit then consider adding a thumper keg – or even a series of thumper kegs – to your distilling system.

Questions? Click to “Ask Jaybird” – NorCal Brewing Solutions in-house distilling expert! : Distilling, Spirits

Should I heat my thumper?

Does a Thumper Need to be Heated? – Many moonshiners do prefer to heat the thumper. The alcohol does need to stay in vapor form to be able to rise into the condenser. Wood barrels are often preferred as thump kegs because of wood’s natural isolative abilities. Condensation in the thump keg is minimized and less artificial heat is required to vaporize the alcohol.

Can you put apple juice in a thumper?

Most definitely. Apples, apple juice, apple donuts — throw them in the thumper. Try air cooled.

Can you run a thumper dry?

Re: Thumper going empty – Post by Kareltje » Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:26 pm One can run the boiler dry or overflow the thumper. But running the thumper dry? That is not possible. Sucking it dry can be done within a few minutes, if and when the inlet tube is open.

Can you put honey in thumper keg?

Re: Thumper Honey UJ !!! – Post by RumDummyDrunk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 12:18 am I do pretty much the same with molasses. I charge my thumpers with high and low wines with molasses mixed in, for my rum. It always amazes me how adding flavors like honey and molasses to thumper or thumpers infuse such wonderful flavors.

Can you use heads in your thumper?

Home Distiller New to distillation, or simply new to the HD forums. ** Your first post MUST go here. Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your interest in distilling. Any posts asking distilling questions will be deleted. ** Moderator: Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:46 pm I’m thinking about adding a thumper to my still, but I have a question regarding heads.

• Do I discard the heads out of the thumper at run’s end? Or do the heads manifest themselves normally at the end of the condenser? Also, if the latter is true, can I return the thumper remains to the next run? Thanks to all.
• Admin Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am Location: occupied south by » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:52 pm Might wanna read over reading lounge and get a understanding what heads tails hearts are.(You to corene1) I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:03 am Well, Tater, I assumed this was a forum, not a library.

Sorry for asking. I’ve been making whiskey off and on for 55 years, probably when you were still shitting yellow, and I know what heads are. But that’s okay, I’ll figure this one out for myself. HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:19 am I thought Heads Tails and hearts were the cuts made in the final distallate coming out of the condensor.

1. I had no idea there are heads tails and hearts in the thumper and how would I collect them? My thumper contents taste like distilled water after a run.
2. HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:29 pm I have been thinking on this thread all day today and being new I will be the first to admit I am not distilling terms literate but am learning.

I know that heads hearts and tails are the cuts done while making a run. Foreshots are the first nasties and backset is the remaing liquid in the pot after a run. This person asked about using the heads out of his thumper, I know he used the wrong term but I understood what he was asking, he wanted t know if the residual liquid in the thumper had any qualities left to put into the next run.

Not knowing all the processes perfectly I gave my experience in what I had left over in the thumper after a run. Again, I will call it residual liquid as I too don’t know the exact distillers terminology for it, maybe it is thumper backset, I sure there must be one. I was only trying to help. I was being a little pessamistic when I said I don’t know how to collect the heads, tails, and hearts out of the thumper.

My point is New people are going to make mistakes in terminology. Are we supposed to have everyhting figured out before we post a question, Many new people will be hesitant to ask if they know that if they word it wrong they will be critisized. I will say his response was not to well thought out either.

I am here to learn and help when I can. I am not a chemist nor a master distiller but I am a good person. Thanks! Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:15 am by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:10 pm corene1, Don’t get caught up in this. Just stand aside and learn. Jumping in without the experience and knowing exactly what is wanted is a problem of many posters.

I am new but was a chemist by trade, I suppose (from radio-isotopes through precious metal recovery to aromatherapy oils and others) but I keep well away from still designs, as this is not an area of my expertise. I am awed by the knowledge of some on the foirum and it does not take long to recognise which ones to take notice of.

1. You were unfortunate to get caught in the cross-fire of the experienced posters on the forum and a rather bad tempered newbie to the forum.
2. Stand back and let the fireworks continue.
3. It will soon be sorted by those who are far more experienced than us.
4. RAB HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:43 pm oliver90owner wrote: corene1, Don’t get caught up in this.

Just stand aside and learn. Jumping in without the experience and knowing exactly what is wanted is a problem of many posters. I am new but was a chemist by trade, I suppose (from radio-isotopes through precious metal recovery to aromatherapy oils and others) but I keep well away from still designs, as this is not an area of my expertise.

• I am awed by the knowledge of some on the foirum and it does not take long to recognise which ones to take notice of.
• You were unfortunate to get caught in the cross-fire of the experienced posters on the forum and a rather bad tempered newbie to the forum.
• Stand back and let the fireworks continue.
• It will soon be sorted by those who are far more experienced than us.

RAB Thanks! I appreciate your input, Have a good evening! Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:39 pm Thanks corene1. It looks like the hotshots have no clue as to the answer of my question, but you put me on the right track here right away when you said that there was little change in the remains left in the thumper after a run.

1. I put together a simple test thumper, and did a small run.
2. The first heads were paint thinner at the out pipe so I guess everything is pretty much standard.
3. I couldn’t see much difference in bubble size so I don’t think I’ll change my old methods.
4. Cook in the morning, drink in the afternoon – doesn’t get any better than that.

HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Sat Mar 16, 2013 6:56 pm The only difference that I have when I run the thumper versus when I don’t run it is the proof coming out of the condensor is higher on average.

• A stripping run with the thumper usually starts at about 155 proof and then runs steady at about 135 to 140 till it starts to drop.
• If I run the same type mash with out the thumper The foreshots are at about 155 but then it quickly drops to 130 or so and then steadies out at 120 give or take.
• I am sure there would be some tails in the thumper if you cut the run short but I run mine down to about 20% at the condensor so the remnants in the thumper taste like distilled water.

The backset in the pot is a different story though. Many of the recipes here use a small amont of backset in thier next mash. Look up Uncle Jessies sour mash recipe, It is UJSSM in the tried and true recipe section. That will be one of my next projects excepy I want to do it with barley mash and get some good Irish Whiskey. Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:20 am Great looking thumper! Since my trial thumper was really too small, I’m sure I wasn’t getting the true overall benefits of running a good one. I was basically just trying to figure out where the nasty stuff congregated. Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:39 pm by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:57 am You didn’t say what was in the thumper at the beginning of the run; water, wash, low wines, ect, but it seems to me what you have in the thumper at the end of a run would be closer to tails than to heads.

I would think the very first output from the thumper would be fore-shots, then heads the same as a non-thumped pot still. BG HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:03 pm boda getta wrote: You didn’t say what was in the thumper at the beginning of the run; water, wash, low wines, ect, but it seems to me what you have in the thumper at the end of a run would be closer to tails than to heads.

I would think the very first output from the thumper would be fore-shots, then heads the same as a non-thumped pot still. BG When I start my run with the thumper I use the tails of the previous run, cut with some distilled water, As the pot starts to send vapor into the thumper the liquid in the thumper condenses the vapor and also absorbs the heat from the vapor and the liquid volumn builds in the thumper as does the temperature,

When the liquid in the thumper starts to boil you can hear it start to talk, Hence the name thumper. The alcohol content also increases in the thumper as the incoming vapor has condensed and increased the alcohol content of the liquid in the thumper. The liquid then re vaporizes as the heat builds and exits the thumper into the condensor to be recondensed into liquid alcohol.

so in effect the thumper is a second steam powered pot still run in tandem with the main potstill so yes you do get foreshots heads tails from the thumper, but as with any pot still you can only collect at the condensor outlet. I run mine till the output from the condensor is at 20 %,

• What is left in the thumper would be considered tails but the alcohol content is almost unmeasurable and is totally tasteless so I see no reason to save it for later use.
• Since it is a semi second distillation it does increase the proofage of the final product.
• It my experiences so far I would say only about 20% though.

Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:29 am Thanks again, Corene1. When I started inquiring about the use of a thumper, I was a little confused as to how and where the foreshots and early heads would show up. Would they condense in the thumper only to be released at a slower rate thereby poluting more whiskey? Or would they distill out the same as my regular pot still? I built a trial thumper, and I simply leave the thumper empty to start with.

The nasty stuff runs off the same as usual then the condensation in the thumper quickly builds up, covering the bottom of the inlet pipe, and the thumping begins. Works great. HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:19 pm thumper123 wrote: Thanks again, Corene1.

When I started inquiring about the use of a thumper, I was a little confused as to how and where the foreshots and early heads would show up. Would they condense in the thumper only to be released at a slower rate thereby poluting more whiskey? Or would they distill out the same as my regular pot still? I built a trial thumper, and I simply leave the thumper empty to start with.

1. The nasty stuff runs off the same as usual then the condensation in the thumper quickly builds up, covering the bottom of the inlet pipe, and the thumping begins.
2. Works great.
3. Giving this some thought,
4. In my limited experience the thumper seems to seperate the foreshots and heads a little better than when I run as a potstill only without the thumper.

They are the first to come out of the pot and into the thumper, there they are concentrated and condensed so the vapor point should be lower yet so they should be gone before the good alcohol starts to re vaporize making the cut points easier to identify.

Looking back at some of my runs the foreshots and heads were very high proof and then there was a quick drop in abv from about 80% to 70 % then it leveled off for the mid run then started dropping abv pretty quickly showing the tails cuts. I have never started my thumper empty so I don’t know how that would affect things.

Sure gives a person a lot to think about, a good reason to do more mashes and to do more testing. Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:35 pm Yup. Your theory sounds right since the nasty stuff distills out at lower temps than booze anyway.

I’ll run the trial thumper again with water in it, and keep closer attention to amount of crap generated before my old nose tells me to start saving. I must say that initial testing with even a small rudimentary test thumper is encouraging. I’m coming up with 120 proof which will be very good for the barrel.

I have never in my life redistilled whiskey. It’s always tasted great with just the one run, but I think the thumper is a good compromise between flavor and proof. Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 1:45 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:11 am How can I keep the foreshots and heads from entering my thumper? I have been trying to come up with a bypass to send vapor from pot to worm until after heads finish running then be able to divert back through thumper. Posts: Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:34 pm Location: Horseshoe Bend, Ky. by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:57 am A good novice question.Orrr the lock. Answer: Prolly won’t be able to achieve a complete separation with a potstill.Compounds have temperatures.Fores in, fores out.Heads in, heads out.And so on.Your 5 senses with experience will be your personal guide.Then there’s inefficiency with to much diversion.

Refraction stills, and experienced distillers would be my thoughts on those accuracies. *Spend it all, Use it up, Wear it out* Beware of sheet-sniffers and dime-droppers! Distiller Posts: Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:06 pm Greg, you probably dont want to keep any phase out of your thumper.

Just think of your thumper as a 2nd boiler (it is). You cant and dont want to keep heads or tails out of your 1st boiler do you? Nope, toss em in, and sort them out in the collection jars. Same with a thumper. Fores will be first to leave the boiler, 1st into the thumper, 1st to boil out of the thumper, 1st into the collection jars.

Just like any pot still. And on down the line for each cut. I mean I guess you COULD bypass the thumper until hearts, but why? By definition fores and heads are already gone from the thumper and in the feints jars by the time hearts are coming out. Seems a solution looking for a problem. And how are you going to decide when the hearts start? On the fly off the worm? Yeah, maybe if you have lots of experience, but maybe consider why so few/no people with that much experience have already done it.

Theres always room for innovation, but odds are good that the obviously easy ideas ideas have either been tried and dismissed, or simply dismissed before testing based on the collective years folks have been sitting there watching their pots run and trying to think up improvements.

1. RedwoodHillBilly by RedwoodHillBilly » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:56 pm Remember that a thumper is pretty much the same as one bubble plate.
2. I used to put feints in the stripping boiler, but I now put them in the thumper, so I don’t concentrate the higher alcohols in the backset.
3. To each their own.
4. FWIW, I mash, ferment and strip in the same vessel (Mash tun / fermenter / thumper) and have a dedicated stripping boiler.

I hope that this make sense. Distiller Posts: Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:10 pm My first reaction was: “Why would you want to do that?” But then I thought about the versatile use of a thumper. It can be run empty, with water, with mash, low wines, high wines, backset, heads, tails, fruit, grain, botanicals, milk even.

It can be done: you need a T after the boiler, one end leading to the condenser, the other to the thumper. When you load the thumper, the resistance through the condenser will be an bit lower than through the thumper, if only a few dm’s of watercolumn. Than you place a valve in the line towards the condenser and a check-valve after the thumper towards the condenser.

These two lines you collect with another T, leading to the condensen. The check-valve makes sure there always is an outlet for the thumper towards the condenser, so you never get a blocking. But there is also no flow from condenser or boiler to the outlet of the thumper.

• Quite simple, infact.
• If you use manually handled valves, MAKE SURE THAT ONE IS OPENED IN THE SAME MOVE AS THE OTHER IS CLOSED!! If the resistance in the thumper is not high enough, you either can increase this resistance or use an extra valve.
• BUT THAN AGAIN COUPLE THE VALVES, so there is never a blocking of the boiler or the thumper!!!! When you rerout the foreshots and heads past the thumper, you miss the heat of this vapour.

So when you finished collecting the heads from the boiler in the condenser, you need the heart to heat up the thumper to get it running. I got a piece of advice: when you want to run the (collected) heads and tails after a stripping run, put the heads in the thumper and the tails in te boiler.

• I did not test this advice, but it seems very sound to me.
• Distiller Posts: Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:24 am I’m still not seeing the point? regardless of what is in the thumper, why wouldn’t you send the whole run through? Wait, is it if you loaded the thumper with something just for flavor, lets just say botanicals, this way you wouldn’t “waste” the botanical going out with the heads? I guess that makes some sense though I don’t think it’s what the bumper meant.

And the old boys would just wait till mid run to “shoot the thumper” or charge it with the desired botanical. But if you are putting water, mash, wash, or anything alcoholic in I think you want to run everything through the thumper the whole time, right? Distiller Posts: Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:07 pm Yes, I think I would indeed.

But I can only speak for myself, of course. And I wanted to answer his question: can it be done? He may think or try for himself if he does need to use it. I would like to hear about it. (After all: iI made a construction to stop the boiler and heat the thumper, if I want to do so. Discovered some situations in which that could be usefull and it was easy to do, so why not?) Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am Location: New Zealand by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:26 pm zapata wrote: I’m still not seeing the point? regardless of what is in the thumper, why wouldn’t you send the whole run through? Wait, is it if you loaded the thumper with something just for flavor, lets just say botanicals, this way you wouldn’t “waste” the botanical going out with the heads? I guess that makes some sense though I don’t think it’s what the bumper meant.

And the old boys would just wait till mid run to “shoot the thumper” or charge it with the desired botanical. But if you are putting water, mash, wash, or anything alcoholic in I think you want to run everything through the thumper the whole time, right? Using that logic, why take a foreshot when double distilling with a pot still? I take it out because the acetate stinks, I don’t want it in my boiler for the spirit run, and it leaving in serves me no useful purpose.

Does a thumper increase ABV?

Enter the Double Thumper – In addition to a single thumper, a double thumper (or double retort) can be used. Like the single thumper, the double thumper further adds to the ABV enrichment of the finished product by stabilizing the ABV of the resulting distillate.

1. Perhaps the most widely known version of a double thumper (retort) system is the alcohol still used for making traditional Jamaican-style rum.
2. In this application, one of the retorts is charged with low wines, and the other with high wines.
3. The primary distilling kettle is charged with the rum beer.
4. This process facilitates an additional boost in ABV as well as enhances the likelihood of desirable carboxylic acid formation, as previously mentioned.

This is all meant to maintain a more stable ABV collection strength as well as to install more complexity into the finished product. You could say this type of arrangement adds more “rummyness” into the rum.

How long does it take for a thumper to heat up?

Running a 120 gallon SS pot still with a 20 gallon copper thumper. I usually charge the thumper with around 6-7 gallons of tails and 100 gallons in the pot. With the four 5500 watt elements running full tilt, it takes about 2 1/2 – 3 hrs (depending on ABV% of tails in the thumper) to get the thumper up to temp.

I am not new to distilling, however I am new to thump keg science/art. My question. How do I speed up heat up time? Or, do I even want to speed up heat up time? I’ve insulated the TK, put a hot plate under it to pre-heat, even pulled out my heat gun one time to help pre-heat. I’m now thinking about installing a 4500w element directly into the thumper.

My partner, who is relatively new to distilling, suggested starting a run on an empty thump keg. My gut tells me that running an empty thumper would sort of defeat the purpose of the thump keg all together, but I’m in need of some more thorough advice and thought I would consult the experts here.

How big of a thumper do you need for a 5 gallon still?

1.65 Gallon (6.25 Liter) Copper Distillation Thumper with 3″ access and triclamp, temperature gauge, and 1/2″ ball valve drain. This Copper 1.65 Gallon (6.25 Liter) Thumper/Doubler is the perfect addition to a 5 gallon still. The advantages of a thumper would be gaining a higher proof on the first run and/or to add back flavor that is lost during the first distillation process from the pot.1.65 Gallon Thumper 3″ ferrule with locking triclamp, gasket and stainless sanitary end cap Temperature gauge placed at the vapor line to help you manage your still 1/2″ ball valve drain to help drain and maintain levels 1/2″ copper pipe stubbed out ready for plumbing to your still (if you need help with this part, please contact us as will need measurements to help you).20 oz Revere copper and silver based, lead-free solder

How much moonshine from 5 gallons of mash?

How Much of Moonshine Will 5 Gallons of Mash Make? – For a 5-gallon mash recipe, the yield will be about 3 quarts on average of 130 proof. Once you proof it down for consumption, the yield will be around 1 to 2 gallons of moonshine depending on how high you want your proof for drinking.

What fruit is best for distilling?

1. Introduction – Fruit spirits are popular alcohol beverages due to their unique flavour. They are consumed in various countries all over the world. Very often fruit spirits represent the national drink of the country, so the Hungarians are proud on their apricot spirits; French on Calvados; Italians on apple spirits ; Greeks on mulberry spirits ; Balkan countries and Eastern European countries on plum spirits ; and Germans and Swiss on their ‘kirschwasser’,

1. Although fruit spirits could be made from each type of fruit that contains at least a few amounts of sugar, either cultured or wild fruit, the most popular fruit spirits are made from plums, cherries, apples, pears, apricots and quinces.
2. The nice, unique and pleasant aroma is common for all of them.
3. The main ingredients of these beverages are water and ethanol, and they account around 99% of the total content of the spirits.

Nevertheless, the fruit spirits are not a pure diluted ethanol; in that case one could not make differences between plum spirits from quince or pear spirits. Fruit spirits must be recognised on the raw material from which it obtained. Hundreds of different compounds, so-called congeners, have been identified in fruit spirits, present in very low concentration but crucial for the quality of beverages.

• The composition and concentrations of these congeners vary depending on the cultivar used for the production, fermentation procedure, yeast strain used, time of storage of fermented mash before distillations, distillation technique, use of post distillation processes and maturation of spirits.
• Thus, it seems that the quality of spirit and its identity and character are influenced by a huge number of factors.

Some authors favoured raw material as a factor of great influence on character and authenticity of fruit spirits ; others said that fermentation is the most important activities in aroma compound production; another, however, wrote that distillation is a technique that manages the composition of aroma compounds present in the spirits, whilst some other authors highlighted the ageing of spirits in creating their unique quality,

However, the truth is somewhere between of all these views. Nevertheless all researchers are agreed that all phases have to be adequate carried out in order to achieve the fruit spirits premium quality. The production of fruit spirits has a long tradition in Croatia and the other West Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania).

The most popular is plum brandy or Sljivovica although recently; all kinds of fruit are used in spirits production. Traditional production of the fruit spirits involves the use of simple distillation pot still (Charentais alembic or French style). In the last decade, the batch distillation columns (German style) are introduced in the production of spirits in small distilleries.

1. The distinctive identity of spirits can be affected by various distillation devices used.
2. Very often the distillation run is left to the skills of distiller, and sometimes they have no experience to govern the distillation, resulting unpleasant and pungent flavour of the fruit spirits obtained, without distinctive identity.

For this reason, this chapter has an aim to give an overview of the basis of distillation process and main characteristics of commonly used distillation techniques in fruit spirits production. Advertisement

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Why is my thumper filling up?

Home Distiller Simple pot still distillation and construction with or without a thumper. Moderator: Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:13 pm by » Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:13 pm I can’t recall ever reading this discussed before, beyond strategies to avoid this from happening.

Has anyone ever had their thumper completely fill up with liquid to the point that it overflowed into the product condenser? I have not experienced this, but I’m curious to hear if anyone has, and to hear what the outcome was. Tap. Out. Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough retired Posts: Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:35 pm Location: Virginia, USA by » Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:58 pm I think I’ve read a few accounts of it being suspected that the thumper puked, but nothing confirmed.

I guess if they had puke wash coming out their condenser, that would be a pretty good indication that the thumper filled up. I think if you use the recommended minimum size or larger and don’t over charge it, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve always seen and increase in the amount of liquid in my thumper, but nowhere near the point of over flowing. retired Posts: Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:13 pm by » Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:05 pm Yeah the small experimental still in the “Man Cave” is 3 gallon with a 1 quart thumper and I have never had it even come close to filling. My in-feed line comes within about 1/2″ of the bottom, so it takes very little to charge it – and thus very little to get it up and running.

1. Coyote “Slow Down, You’ll get a more harmonious outcome” “Speed & Greed have no place in this hobby” retired Posts: Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:42 am Location: Somewhere in the Ozarks by » Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:11 pm If its built to the proper proportions.
2. This shouldn’t be a problem.
3. This is why it is recommended that the thumper be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the boiler.

The only time you see a thumper fill up. Is when someone thinks they can use a mason jar for a thumper on a 2 gallon or larger still. No mater how many times its posted on here. That its too small. Unless of course. If you over fill it from the get go. Then suggested sizing is out the window.

• Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:19 am by » Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:26 pm Yes.
• If it airy but sweet it gonna wanna puke.
• If you Working off malt extract an it ain’t worked all the way off you got problems.
• Can’t be in no hurry.
• So I’m tole Distiller Posts: Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:11 pm Location: A relocated Georgia boy by » Sun Apr 06, 2014 10:33 pm I have only noticed a couple inches increase in my thumper after a strip run.But I ain’t run near as much as a lot of other fellas here.

Buy the ticket and ride the lightnin boys !!! Impatience is the root of all bad things in my book of makin likker! The sound of a thumper is the heart beat of the rebel” Warden Pappy” Site Donor Posts: Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 3:03 am Location: Cascadia by » Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:35 am I know my thumper is too small. I run a 1 gallon thumper on a 5 gallon pot. If I charge it with 1/2 gallon or less it’s fine. If I charge it with 3 quarts or more it pukes.

Distilling at 110f and 75 torr. I’m not an absinthe snob, I’m The Absinthe Nazi. “NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU! ” retired Posts: Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:13 pm by » Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:15 pm One gallon thumper – I wouldn’t personally charge it with anything more than a pint or pint and a half max. However that’s just me Coyote “Slow Down, You’ll get a more harmonious outcome” “Speed & Greed have no place in this hobby” Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:13 pm by » Mon Apr 07, 2014 9:22 pm If running a full keg as boiler with a poney keg as thumper, wich is fully common, and fits into the general parameters of boiler/thumper ratios, what could be the benefit of running a full size keg as the thumper instead? There are a few members here and elsewhere who use thumpers that are of equal size to the boiler.

If going this route, maybe one of the benefits would be that wash could also be run in the thump as a way to increase the overall output in a single run? That is to say that a stripping run for example, could be 10gallons in the boiler, plus 5gallons (7,8,9?) in the thumper.

Effectively increasing your capacity to get the dirty work done (stripping), and not have much of a worry of overfilling during the run. As long as it’s pushed wih enough power, and using a fairly cleared wash to avoid puking. And then when using the “over sized” thumper (for lack of a better term) in any other scenario, there would be zero drawbacks to the setup.

Thoughts? Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough Angel’s Share Posts: Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm by » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:01 am Tap wrote: If running a full keg as boiler with a poney keg as thumper, wich is fully common, and fits into the general parameters of boiler/thumper ratios, what could be the benefit of running a full size keg as the thumper instead? There are a few members here and elsewhere who use thumpers that are of equal size to the boiler.

If going this route, maybe one of the benefits would be that wash could also be run in the thump as a way to increase the overall output in a single run? That is to say that a stripping run for example, could be 10gallons in the boiler, plus 5gallons (7,8,9?) in the thumper. Effectively increasing your capacity to get the dirty work done (stripping), and not have much of a worry of overfilling during the run.

As long as it’s pushed wih enough power, and using a fairly cleared wash to avoid puking. And then when using the “over sized” thumper (for lack of a better term) in any other scenario, there would be zero drawbacks to the setup. Thoughts? I run 12 gal in my keg boiler and 6 in the keg thumper during stripping runs for the efficiency you mentioned,

If you ain’t the lead dog in the team, the scenery never changes, Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that, Don’t drink water, fish fornicate in it, retired Posts: Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:35 pm Location: Virginia, USA by » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:08 am Just to point out another scenario, you could use the large thumper to charge with an on-the-grain wash and use the main boiler as the heat source.

That is, charge the main boiler with plain water and use steam heat to run the charge in the thumper – eliminating the possibility of scorching. I think Prairepiss has described this method in another thread. Every new member should read this before doing anything else: Site Donor Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2018 6:41 pm Location: Somewhere in BC by » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:16 am Twice this week. I have a 60L pot still that goes to a 20L thumper. Tube goes to 1/2″ from bottom of thumper I recently started using a 3′ column packed with copper mesh.

Today I filled the first 6″ of the column even. My flow just mostly stopped, so no pot puking. I also have a water line from my condensor wrapped around the column for extra cooling. Hitting 96% for the first time, but the thumper fills up, even if I leave just 1- 2L in the thumper. I have to shut off the heat for 30 min, and let the cooling of the pot draw the fluid back into the pot, then turn the heat back on and produce again in 30 min.

Takes about 8 to10 hours to fill the thumper and try to go slow enough to collect maybe 500 ml per 45 min to an hour. I figure this is the result of having a column on it. I’m trying to figure out a way to run it that way. Am I running the pot still too hot? Site Mod Posts: Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm Location: North Palm Beach by » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:39 am ” Running too hot”? No.

That is completely the wrong question. You are using forced reflux. Therefore your thumper is filling up with column bottoms. By using forced reflux, you’ll buy a bit more time before flooding if you do not charge the thumper prior to start up. Do you understand what I am saying? Your very question tells me you should step back a bit and learn a bit more about what you are doing.

If I told you that you should elevate your thumper and create an overflow/drain back solution back to your primary kettle, would you under stand why and how to effect that modification? Or, make sure that your thumper is capable of holding every bit of distillate coming over from your primary kettle.

1. A typical stripping run would yield a total volume of 1/3 the size of the primary kettle charge.
2. How big is your thumper? Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
3. Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 11:59 am Location: Pacific Northwest by » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:08 am Larry nailed it.
4. As an alternate to the overflow drain Larry brought up, I believe adding a heat element to your thumper could also allow you to run your rig the way you are now.

It would require jUst a bit of tuning to get the balance right, as with this configuration you could run your primary boiler too fast. If your gonna run the column with reflux, the easiest solution i think would be to strip first (with or w/o thumper, no reflux) then do a spirit run with your packed/refluxed column over your primary powered boiler (no thumper.). Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2018 6:41 pm Location: Somewhere in BC by » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:31 am I went to school for the basics about a year ago. I figured I wasn’t running it too hot, as I adjusted to how much flow came out the end. So yes, I do get what your saying.

I built it modularly, so the main pot still has always done the stripping runs. I was batting an idea back and forth in my head and looking for some input. I don’t have the overhead clearance to elevate the thumper, so that modification was out. At least for now. Feels a bit like larry hopped onto the ‘you don’t know what your doing’ side a little quick, though.

I wrote at the top the thumper is 20L main pot is 60L. It is 1/3 the size. To overcome the over fill issue without an extra mod I turn off the main pot for 30 minutes and use the cooling to vacuum the fluid back to the main tank. Restart the fire and have distillate coming back out in another 30 min.

The thought behind running the pot still cooler was the steam would be a higher percentage ethanol, therefore less water would travel over, and not fill the thumper so quickly. I also thought that the result would be that not enough heat would transfer to kick it out of the thumper and column. I couldn’t find advice specific to this, so I figured I’d simply ask.

I’ve done 60 batches that are 20gal, just my first time I configured it like this. First time hitting 96%, kinda want to keep hitting 96% for vodka. Whiskeys and such, I remove the column. Some I stick to double pot stilling. I considered running just the reflux on the main pot, but i unfortunately lack the clearance in this part of the shop.

1. When I revamp the other half of the shop, this will no longer be an issue, but for now, I’m capped heightwise.
2. I may just add heat to the thumper and see if I can maintain the 96%.
3. If not I’ll just shut it down for 30 min after running for 8 hours, let the system reset itself and start again.
4. I appreciate the advice, though and will mull over which avenue to go down tonight.

Site Mod Posts: Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm Location: North Palm Beach by » Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:41 am wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:31 am Feels a bit like larry hopped onto the ‘you don’t know what your doing’ side a little quick, though. That’s a fair statement. Posts: Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:20 pm Location: Belgium by » Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:56 am wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:31 am The thought behind running the pot still cooler was the steam would be a higher percentage ethanol, therefore less water would travel over, and not fill the thumper so quickly. I don’t think that’s how it works. An overflow would be your best option I think. : Home Distiller

Do you add water to a spirit run?

STILL SPIRITS ALEMBIC POT STILL INSTRUCTIONS • The Copper Dome and Alembic Condenser can also be attached to the Grainfather all grain brewing system. Where “boiler” is mentioned this could be the Grainfather or the T500 Boiler or other boiler that fits.• It is best to use the dome and condenser for best quality results and maximum copper-vapour interaction.

• However you can use the condenser on its own with the boiler.
• This instruction manual assumes the use of both pieces together.
• Temperature probe – if you are used to using the T500 distillation system, you will be used to needing to control the temperature with your water flow.
• Please note when using this alembic pot still system the temperature reading on the condenser will fluctuate and should not to be controlled like the T500.

That probe will mostly be showing you what the temperature is so you can make your cuts correctly. The Copper Dome and Alembic Condenser can be attached to the Grainfather to turn it from a brewing unit to a distilling unit. The Grainfather Connect Control Box (Included with the Grainfather) has a ‘Power Control Mode’ where you can specify the power output rather than specifying the target temperature.

• To enter (or exit) power control mode, hold the heat button for 6 seconds (there is also an option to enter this mode from the mobile app).
• Once power control mode is active, the LCD screen will change to only display the current temperature and power output.
• You can use the up/down buttons to change the power output in 5% increments.

The benefit of this for distilling is that you can lower the power output to slow down the speed at which the distilled spirit comes out. This is desirable during the spirit run when you are making cuts to separate the heads and tails from the hearts.

1. You should make your cuts at specific output temperatures (or ABV) which changes constantly, but if you slow down how fast the spirit comes out you have more time to take the measurements and make your cuts at the right time.
2. The fermentation process of the yeast converting sugars into ethanol also results in many other compounds as by products.

These other components are mostly made up of acetaldehyde, esters, ethyl acetate, acetal, and a small amount of methanol to name a few. All of these occur in the same quantities in the wash as are present in beer. However, these components, called congeners, increase in concentration when they are distilled and can lead to levels which have undesirable tastes or are even harmful.

These congeners have different boiling points to that of ethanol, and others come out after the ethanol. This causes the flavour profile coming out of the still to change markedly over the course of the distillation. Some of these congeners contribute desirable flavours to the distilled spirit; these are normally the congeners with the boiling point closest to ethanol.

Other congeners taste and smell very similar to paint thinners or nail polish remover.At the beginning of a distillation any methanol present in the wash will be the first to be distilled off, followed by other lower boiling point congeners. These lower boiling point compounds contribute quite a chemical taste to the spirit, and are mostly responsible for causing ‘hangovers’.

1. Over time these undesirable and harsh flavours will slowly be replaced by much smoother, sweeter tasting spirit.
2. Then as the distillation is nearly over the smooth sweet spirit will slowly change into a bitter, undesirable flavour which is described by some people as ‘wet cardboard’.
3. This changing flavour profile is what leads us to making what are called ‘cuts’ during the distillation.

The harsh tasting chemical flavours at the beginning are what are referred to as the ‘heads’, the smooth, sweet spirit in the middle of the distillation is the ‘hearts’ and the final bitter, low alcohol spirit is referred to as the ‘tails’. The change between these sections gradually occurs and so the real art of distilling comes into what you let into your final spirit.

This is completely influenced by when you make your cuts which can be a difficult decision to make at the time of distilling. Because of this difficulty it is recommended that users collect the heads and tails sections in multiple small containers. Then, the transition to the hearts section from the heads can be made later than it should be and the containers with the desirable flavours can be blended back into the hearts section after distillation is complete.

The same should be done for the tails section, except in this case the hearts section should be finished early. For every distillation using a pot still the product becomes increasingly refined. The ethanol purity increases, and more and more flavours are stripped from the product.

For some types of spirit such as vodka or gin, referred to as white spirit, this is desired, as a very pure and clean tasting product is desired. For these spirits generally the more distillations the better and distillers find a balance between quality and yield. traditionally white spirits were made using pot stills and multiple distillations, but as still technology has developed these spirits are now made using reflux stills that can produce triple or even quadruple distilled spirit in one run.

For other spirits such as whiskey, rum and brandy, the flavours present in the wash contribute significantly to the flavour of the final spirit. Because of this a balance needs to be achieved between making a smooth drinking spirit, and also one which contains the fantastic flavours present in the wash.

1. The first of these two distillations is referred to as the stripping run.
2. And the second is called the spirit run.
3. You can still produce a brown spirit using a single distillation, the resulting product will be of a lower percentage and less refined, but it will carry through more of the flavour of the wash.

Brown spirits can also be triple distilled, this will lead to a very refined product where a majority of the end flavour will come from the aging process, not from the flavour of the wash. Before distilling can take place it is paramount to ensure that fermentation that fermentation has completely finished.

This can be done by using a hydrometer to check that the specific gravity remains constant for 3 days, or if you have achieved the desired final gravity of your recipe. If fermentation is not completely finished, there will be unfermented sugars left in the wash and this can lead to excessive frothing of the wash inside the boiler.

If this gets out of hand the wash can froth up through the condenser and undistilled wash can make its way into your distillate output.When fermentation is finished, it is important to clear the wash to be ready for distilling. Yeasts release off flavours when they are put under stress, and boiling the wash when there are still significant amounts of yeast present leads to off flavours in the final spirit.

1. To counteract this it is a good idea to clear the wash, and then only transfer the cleared wash without the dead yeast into the boiler.
2. This can be done by siphoning the top of the cleared wash off and not disturbing the yeast particles at the bottom of the fermenter.
3. There are multiple methods of clearing a wash, the fastest and most effective method is to use Still Spirits Turbo Clear as per the instructions on the packet.

A wash will naturally clear over time as well, but if you wish to accelerate this process the wash can be chilled to 4°C (39°F) for 24 hours. This will help the suspended yeast and proteins flocculate together and drop to the bottom of the fermenter. Once cleared, transfer the wash to the boiler in preparation for distilling.

1. Add the Still Spirits Distilling Conditioner and the ceramic boil enhancers.1.
2. Attach the copper condenser arm to the copper dome by removing the nut and O ring from the base of the condenser.
3. Sit the condenser on the dome and screw the nut and O ring back into the condenser (check the lid isn’t spinning anymore) to firmly attach the dome to the condenser.2.

insert the thermometer probe into the hole at the top of the column.3. Attach the tubing for the water cooling of the condenser. The thin tube is for the outlet water and connects near the top of the condenser arm and takes the water back to the sink. The thicker tube connects to the water inlet near the tip of the condenser arm, with the other end connecting to the tap.4.

Briefly turn on the cooling water supply to ensure there are no leaks in the system. Check again that the water goes in at then end where the spirit comes out and that the water comes out closest to the top of the lyne arm (at the end near the thermometer probe). Distilling what is called a brown spirit is typically done in two distillations.

The first of which is referred to as the stripping run, and the final run is called the spirit run. The stripping run is the easier and rougher of these two runs. Each distillation removes flavours and increases the ethanol percentage of the spirit. The result from a stripping run will have 5-6 times the ethanol concentration and a fifth to a sixth of the volume of the original wash.

For the stripping run we will distil the wash, and collect all output in the same container until the output of the distilling drops below 20% ABV. To perform a stripping run you will need: • 5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carboy• An Alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV + thermometer• Still Spirits Distilling Conditioner• Ceramic Boil Enhancers• Cooling water supply and sinkOnce the pot still has been prepared, transfer wash and add 4-5 capfuls of distilling conditioner, then turn the boiler on and switch it to boil.

The liquid inside will begin to heat up and eventually start to boil. When the temperature on the condenser temperature probe reads around 40°C (104°F) it is a good idea to turn on the cold water tap. Adjust the flow through the condenser so that the distillate comes out around 25°C (77°F), this is usually a rate o above 2.5L/minute.

It is very important to ensure the water flow through the condenser is large enough to ensure the output distillate is coming out as a liquid and not a vapour. Not only is this ethanol vapour extremely flammable, it will also result in a reduced yield from your run.For a stripping run collect all of the distillate output in one container until the distillate ABV is 20% ethanol or the vapour temperature is around 98°C (208°F).

The temperature of the distillate has a large effect on the ethanol reading. Calculators exist online to correct for temperatures effects. Further output can b collected in a separate container and this can be added to a future stripping run to maximise the yield from future runs.Turn off the boiler, disconnect from the power outlet and wait for the contents inside to cool down to a safe temperature.

Then discard the contents inside the boiler. Clean the boiler, pot still dome and condenser thoroughly with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. The spirit run is the more important of these two runs, and real care needs to be paid to separate the different fractions present in the stripping run output.

If you haven’t already, it is strongly advised to read ‘What are cuts and why do we need them?’ If using the grainfather, read ‘For use with the Grainfather’ before continuing. You will need: • 5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carbuoy• An alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV, a 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) sample collection tube + thermometer• Cooling water supply and sink• 6 x 150 ml (5 US fl oz) containers for collecting fractionsThe output from multiple stripping runs can be combined into one spirit run to save time and be able to collect more graduations of heads/tails for blending.

This makes the transition between heads and hearts more clear and is ideal if you want to make a larger amount of the same spirit.Measure your stripping run ethanol content, and if necessary dilute the spirit. Dilute the spirit down to 40% ABV by adding water. Diluting the spirit down to 40% ABV is important for the spirit run to be effective and gives a fuller boil.

Once diluted add the ceramic boil enhancers. It is not necessary to add distilling conditioner. Prepare the pot still system identical to how you set it up for the stripping run, and then turn on the boiler. Once the temperature probe reaches 55°C (131°F) turn on the cold tap water.

1. When the distillate begins to come out, you can collect the foreshots which is the more harmful components of the heads and it typically the first 200ml (6.8 US fl oz).
2. This section contains the most harmful compounds present in the wash and should be discarded.
3. NOTE: The foreshots section is 200ml (6.8 US fl oz) per stripping run distillate.

After the foreshots is over you will be entering the heads section of distilling. This contains a lot of the lower boiling point components as well as ethanol. Collect these into separate small containers, and once distilling is complete decide whether they are suitable for the final whiskey or not when blending the heads and tails into the hearts section.Start collecting the heads in separate containers with a volume of around 150ml (5 US fl oz), putting them to the side once full.

• Label each filled cup with a number in the order it comes out of the still, e.g.1 for the first cup, 2 for the second cup and so on.
• Once the temperature reaches around 83-85°C (181-185°F) the heads section is complete and it is time to start collecting the hearts.
• The volume of these containers varies depending on the volume of liquid for the spirit run and personal preference.

A good guideline is around 150ml (5 US fl oz)/stripping run. This give a good balance between ease of distilling and ability to blend well later on. Place a larger vessel under the output tube and start collecting all of the hearts in the one vessel. This middle part is good spirit so does not need to be separate into containers.

• Continue collecting the hearts until the spirit is coming out at around 55% ABV.
• Once the still temperature reaches 90°C (194°F) the heart section is complete and it is time to collect the tails.
• The hearts collected in the middle of the run are the best part of the spirit and will form the base for which to blend with after distilling is complete.

Start collecting the tails in separate containers, putting them to the side once full, just as was done when collecting the heads of the spirit. Label each filled cup with a number in the order it comes out of the still (like for the heads). Once the still temperature is is around 93-95°C (199-203°F) the tails collection is complete.

1. At this temperature, the good part of the tails has all been collected.
2. It is now time to start collecting the ends of the tails.Place a larger vessel under the still and collect the last parts of the tails in a larger vessel until temperature is around 98°C (208°F) or the output is below 20% ABV, then turn off the boiler and disconnect it from the power outlet.This last part of the tails is not used in final spirit but can be kept to increase the yield for future stripping runs.

Wait for the boiler contents to cool to a safe temperature before discarding the contents. Clean the boiler, dome top and condenser thoroughly and rinse well. What you have collected is the heads, the hearts, the tails, and the final of the tails. The heads and tails are both in multiple separate containers whilst the hearts are in one large container.

1. The reason you have collected the heads and tails in small sample fractions is that not all of the heads and tails will be good to use and mix in with the hearts.
2. Normally the last few cups of the heads (closest to the hearts), and the first few cups of the tails (closest to the hearts) will be good to add in with the hearts but you will need to taste each sample container and choose what you want to add into your mix.By collecting these heads and tails in separate fractions, less emphasis has been placed on when to make the heads and tails cuts during the distilling.Work your way through tasting and smelling each of the heads and tails fractions and add each container you are happy with to your hearts container.

You do not necessarily have to add the entire container.The head of the spirit generally adds the harsher flavours to the spirit but contains a large percentage of ethanol, whereas the tails contain alot of the flavours but a small percentage of ethanol.

1. Add any fraction samples from the heads and tails that you are not happy with to the second large container with the final part of the tails.
2. This large tails container, called ‘feints’, is not necessarily bad but it has not been refined enough yet to use in the final spirit.
3. This should be saved and can be added to the next stripping run you do with your next batch of whiskey so that it is not all wasted.

Alternatively, these feints can be collected from multiple whiskey batches and when you have enough, doing a spirit run of all feints can lead to a delicious whiskey. Dilute your final collected spirit you are happy with down to 50% ABV with filtered or distilled water in a large 5L (1.3 US Gal) glass jar or demijohn, use an alcoholmeter, hydrometer or refractometer to measure ABV.

There are water calculators online to aid in dilution. Make sure your jar is large enough and still has more space as you will be required to add more water to this jar as the ageing process progresses.Add some Charred American Oak Infusion spirals to your whiskey as per the instructions on the spirals and leave it in a cold, dark area for the ageing process.

The flavour will begin to extract from the spirals instantly, and after 2 weeks this flavour will be completely extracted. Taste the whiskey periodically during the ageing process, the spirals can be removed at any time as to your preferred taste.Leave the spirals to age for 3 weeks in a cool dark place.

• After 3 weeks dilute spirit with filtered or distilled water to 47% ABV.
• After 6 weeks, dilute again with filtered or distilled water to 44%, and after 9 weeks dilute further to 40% ABV.Adding the water slowly during the ageing period gives the whiskey a better, more rounded flavour than adding it all at once.Taste the whiskey periodically during the ageing process and it should be ready after a minimum of 2 months.

The more heads and tails that were included in the blending process typically means the whiskey will need to age longer. Drink and enjoy. Distilling from a sugar wash is typically performed to obtain the highest purity and cleanest tasting product possible.

The raw flavours of a sugar wash are rarely sought after in the final product, this just provides the fastest and cheapest method of producing ethanol. Because of this, reflux stills are the normal method of producing these spirits. Using a pot still is definitely still possible it just results in a reduced yield to that of which is possible in a reflux still.Obtaining a product that can be used for making liqueurs or other flavoursome spirits can be achieved using one distillation, although doing a second distillation greatly improves the quality and is worth the sacrifice in yield.

If a very clean tasting vodka is required then a third distillation can be performed. If all you wish to do is a single distillation, then skip this stripping run step. The first distillation is referred to as a stripping run, and is the least involved of the two (or three) distillations.

1. In this step we will collect all of the output from the still in one container until the output ethanol is 20% ABV.
2. You will need: • A 5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carboy• An alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV + thermometer• Still Spirits Distilling Conditioner• Ceramic Boil Enhancers• Cooling water supply and sink.Once the pot still has been prepared, transfer wash and add 3 capfuls of distilling conditioner, then turn the boiler on so it can boil.

The liquid inside will begin to heat up and eventually start to boil. When the temperature on the condenser temperature probe reads around 40°C (104°F) it is a good idea to turn on the cold water tap.Adjust the flow through the condenser so that the distillate comes out around 25°C (77°F), this is usually a rate of above 2.5 L/minute.

• You can measure water flow by using a measuring vessel (1 L (1 US qt) jug or kitchen cup measurer) and timing how many ml or US fl oz flow into the measuring vessel per minute.
• It is very important to ensure the water flow through the condenser is large enough to ensure the output distillate is coming out as a liquid and not a vapour.

Not only is ethanol vapour extremely flammable, it will also result in a reduced yield from your run. For a stripping run collect all of the distillate output in one container until the distillate ABV is 20% ethanol or the vapour temperature is around 98°C (208°F).

1. The temperature of the distillate has a large effect on the ethanol reading (from alcoholmeter).
2. Calculators exist online to correct for temperature effects.Further output can be collected in a separate container and this can be added to a future stripping run to maximise the yield from future runs.
3. Turn off the boiler, disconnect the boiler from the power outlet and wait for the contents inside to cool down to a safe temperature.

Then discard the contents inside the boiler, this leftover liquid is an excellent fertiliser. Clean the boiler, dome and condenser thoroughly with warm soapy water and rinse well. If you plan on doing a third distillation, then dilute the stripping run output to 40% ABV and repeat the stripping run.

1. The spirit run is the more important of these two runs, and real care needs to be paid to separate the different fractions present in the stripping run output.
2. If you haven’t already, it is strongly advised to read What are Cuts and Why Make Them? If using the Grainfather, read For Use with the Grainfather Connect before continuing.

You will need: • A 5 L (1.3 US Gal) Glass Carbuoy• An alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV, a 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) sample collection tube + thermometer• Cooling water supply and sink The output from multiple stripping runs can be combined into one spirit run to save time if you are planning on producing a lot of spirit.

This makes the transitions between heads and hearts more clear and is ideal if you want to make a larger amount of the same spirit. Measure your stripping run ethanol content, and if necessary dilute the spirit. Dilute the spirit down to 40% ABV by adding water. Diluting the spirit down to 40% ABV is important for the spirit run to be effective and gives a fuller boil.

Once diluted add the ceramic boil enhancers. It is not necessary to add distilling conditioner. Prepare the pot still system identical to how you set it up for the stripping run, and then turn on the boiler. Once the temperature probe reaches 40°C (104°F) turn on the cold tap water.

When the distillation begins to come out, you can collect the foreshots which is the more harmful components of the heads and is typically the first 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz). This section contains the most harmful compounds present in the wash and should be discarded. NOTE: the foreshots section is 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz) per stripping run distillate.

The next section of distillate is the hearts of the spirit. Place a larger vessel under the output tube and start collecting all of the hearts in the one vessel. Continue collecting the hearts until the spirit comes out at 40% ABV and the temperature probe reads 92°C (198°F).

Anything after this can be regarded as tails, and can be discarded or collected with a 1-2 L (1-2 US qt) container and added to a future stripping run to increase the yield. The tails can be collected down to 20% ABV. Turn off the boiler and disconnect it from the power outlet. Wait for the boiler contents to cool to a safe temperature before discarding the contents.

Clean the boiler, dome top and condenser thoroughly and rinse well. The popular alcoholic drink gin is pure alcohol flavoured with juniper berries and other botanicals. This can be made by steeping the juniper berries in pure spirit in a process known as bath-tub gin, or it can be made by vapour infusing the juniper and botanicals flavours into the spirit as it is distilled.

• This is the method used by most high quality gin distilleries.The Still Spirits Botanicals Basket, allows you to vapour infuse any flavours you wish into your spirit’s vapour as it is being distilled.
• The different flavours present in the botanicals basket come out at different stages of the distillation.

Because of this the final step with the botanicals basket should not include any cuts.To make a gin, follow the instructions for distilling a vodka above first. Then continue with the following, you will need:• 5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carbuoy• An alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV, a 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) sample collection tube + thermometer• Cooling water supply and sink• Still Spirits Botanicals Basket or other basket that fits Measure your stripping run ethanol content, and if necessary dilute the spirit.

Dilute the spirit down to 40% ABV by adding water. Diluting the spirit down to 40% ABV is important for the spirit run to be effective and gives a fuller boil. Once diluted add the ceramic boil enhancers. It is not necessary to add distilling conditioner.1. Attach the copper condenser arm to the copper dome.

Instead of using the nut and o-ring, secure the condenser arm to the dome top using the head of the Still Spirits Botanicals Basket. Screw this tight, and ensure the dome top cannot rotate relative to the condenser.2. Insert the thermometer probe into the hole at the top of the column.3.

• Attach the tubing for the water cooling of the condenser.
• The thin tube is for the outlet water and connects near the top of the condenser arm and takes the water back to the sink.
• The thicker tube connects to the water inlet near the tip of the condenser arm, with the other end connecting to the tap.4.

Briefly turn on the cooling water supply to ensure there are no leaks in the system. Check again that the water goes in at the end where the spirit comes out and that the water comes out closest to the top of the lyne arm (the end near the thermometer probe).5.

Fill the base of the botanicals basket with your chosen botanicals, and screw this into the head of the botanicals basket.6. Secure the dome top onto the boiler using the clips present. Turn on the boiler and wait for the contents to heat up. Once the temperature probe reaches 40°C (104°F) turn on the cold water.

Adjust the flow through the condenser so that the distillate comes out around 25°C (77°F), this is usually a rate of above 2.5 L/minute. Since all of the harmful components have been removed in the last spirit run with this spirit it is not necessary to make any heads or tails cuts.Place a large vessel under the output tube and start collecting all of the output in one vessel.

1. Continue collecting until the spirit is coming out at 20% ABV.
2. Anything after this can be regarded as tails, and can be discarded or collected with a 1-2 L (1-2 US qt) container and added to a future stripping run toincrease the yield.
3. The tails can be collected down to 10% ABV.
4. Turn off the cooling water supply.

Turn off the boiler and disconnect it from the power source. Wait for the boiler contents to cool to a safe temperature before discarding the contents. Clean the boiler, dome top and condenser thoroughly and rinse well. : STILL SPIRITS ALEMBIC POT STILL INSTRUCTIONS

Can you put honey in thumper keg?

Re: Thumper Honey UJ !!! – Post by RumDummyDrunk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 12:18 am I do pretty much the same with molasses. I charge my thumpers with high and low wines with molasses mixed in, for my rum. It always amazes me how adding flavors like honey and molasses to thumper or thumpers infuse such wonderful flavors.

Can you use heads in your thumper?

Home Distiller New to distillation, or simply new to the HD forums. ** Your first post MUST go here. Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your interest in distilling. Any posts asking distilling questions will be deleted. ** Moderator: Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:46 pm I’m thinking about adding a thumper to my still, but I have a question regarding heads.

Do I discard the heads out of the thumper at run’s end? Or do the heads manifest themselves normally at the end of the condenser? Also, if the latter is true, can I return the thumper remains to the next run? Thanks to all. Admin Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am Location: occupied south by » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:52 pm Might wanna read over reading lounge and get a understanding what heads tails hearts are.(You to corene1) I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:03 am Well, Tater, I assumed this was a forum, not a library.

Sorry for asking. I’ve been making whiskey off and on for 55 years, probably when you were still shitting yellow, and I know what heads are. But that’s okay, I’ll figure this one out for myself. HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:19 am I thought Heads Tails and hearts were the cuts made in the final distallate coming out of the condensor.

I had no idea there are heads tails and hearts in the thumper and how would I collect them? My thumper contents taste like distilled water after a run. HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:29 pm I have been thinking on this thread all day today and being new I will be the first to admit I am not distilling terms literate but am learning.

I know that heads hearts and tails are the cuts done while making a run. Foreshots are the first nasties and backset is the remaing liquid in the pot after a run. This person asked about using the heads out of his thumper, I know he used the wrong term but I understood what he was asking, he wanted t know if the residual liquid in the thumper had any qualities left to put into the next run.

Not knowing all the processes perfectly I gave my experience in what I had left over in the thumper after a run. Again, I will call it residual liquid as I too don’t know the exact distillers terminology for it, maybe it is thumper backset, I sure there must be one. I was only trying to help. I was being a little pessamistic when I said I don’t know how to collect the heads, tails, and hearts out of the thumper.

My point is New people are going to make mistakes in terminology. Are we supposed to have everyhting figured out before we post a question, Many new people will be hesitant to ask if they know that if they word it wrong they will be critisized. I will say his response was not to well thought out either.

I am here to learn and help when I can. I am not a chemist nor a master distiller but I am a good person. Thanks! Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:15 am by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:10 pm corene1, Don’t get caught up in this. Just stand aside and learn. Jumping in without the experience and knowing exactly what is wanted is a problem of many posters.

I am new but was a chemist by trade, I suppose (from radio-isotopes through precious metal recovery to aromatherapy oils and others) but I keep well away from still designs, as this is not an area of my expertise. I am awed by the knowledge of some on the foirum and it does not take long to recognise which ones to take notice of.

• You were unfortunate to get caught in the cross-fire of the experienced posters on the forum and a rather bad tempered newbie to the forum.
• Stand back and let the fireworks continue.
• It will soon be sorted by those who are far more experienced than us.
• RAB HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:43 pm oliver90owner wrote: corene1, Don’t get caught up in this.

Just stand aside and learn. Jumping in without the experience and knowing exactly what is wanted is a problem of many posters. I am new but was a chemist by trade, I suppose (from radio-isotopes through precious metal recovery to aromatherapy oils and others) but I keep well away from still designs, as this is not an area of my expertise.

• I am awed by the knowledge of some on the foirum and it does not take long to recognise which ones to take notice of.
• You were unfortunate to get caught in the cross-fire of the experienced posters on the forum and a rather bad tempered newbie to the forum.
• Stand back and let the fireworks continue.
• It will soon be sorted by those who are far more experienced than us.

RAB Thanks! I appreciate your input, Have a good evening! Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:39 pm Thanks corene1. It looks like the hotshots have no clue as to the answer of my question, but you put me on the right track here right away when you said that there was little change in the remains left in the thumper after a run.

I put together a simple test thumper, and did a small run. The first heads were paint thinner at the out pipe so I guess everything is pretty much standard. I couldn’t see much difference in bubble size so I don’t think I’ll change my old methods. Cook in the morning, drink in the afternoon – doesn’t get any better than that.

HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Sat Mar 16, 2013 6:56 pm The only difference that I have when I run the thumper versus when I don’t run it is the proof coming out of the condensor is higher on average.

A stripping run with the thumper usually starts at about 155 proof and then runs steady at about 135 to 140 till it starts to drop. If I run the same type mash with out the thumper The foreshots are at about 155 but then it quickly drops to 130 or so and then steadies out at 120 give or take. I am sure there would be some tails in the thumper if you cut the run short but I run mine down to about 20% at the condensor so the remnants in the thumper taste like distilled water.

The backset in the pot is a different story though. Many of the recipes here use a small amont of backset in thier next mash. Look up Uncle Jessies sour mash recipe, It is UJSSM in the tried and true recipe section. That will be one of my next projects excepy I want to do it with barley mash and get some good Irish Whiskey. Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:20 am Great looking thumper! Since my trial thumper was really too small, I’m sure I wasn’t getting the true overall benefits of running a good one. I was basically just trying to figure out where the nasty stuff congregated. Posts: Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:39 pm by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:57 am You didn’t say what was in the thumper at the beginning of the run; water, wash, low wines, ect, but it seems to me what you have in the thumper at the end of a run would be closer to tails than to heads.

I would think the very first output from the thumper would be fore-shots, then heads the same as a non-thumped pot still. BG HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:03 pm boda getta wrote: You didn’t say what was in the thumper at the beginning of the run; water, wash, low wines, ect, but it seems to me what you have in the thumper at the end of a run would be closer to tails than to heads.

I would think the very first output from the thumper would be fore-shots, then heads the same as a non-thumped pot still. BG When I start my run with the thumper I use the tails of the previous run, cut with some distilled water, As the pot starts to send vapor into the thumper the liquid in the thumper condenses the vapor and also absorbs the heat from the vapor and the liquid volumn builds in the thumper as does the temperature,

1. When the liquid in the thumper starts to boil you can hear it start to talk,
2. Hence the name thumper.
3. The alcohol content also increases in the thumper as the incoming vapor has condensed and increased the alcohol content of the liquid in the thumper.
4. The liquid then re vaporizes as the heat builds and exits the thumper into the condensor to be recondensed into liquid alcohol.

so in effect the thumper is a second steam powered pot still run in tandem with the main potstill so yes you do get foreshots heads tails from the thumper, but as with any pot still you can only collect at the condensor outlet. I run mine till the output from the condensor is at 20 %,

what is left in the thumper would be considered tails but the alcohol content is almost unmeasurable and is totally tasteless so I see no reason to save it for later use. Since it is a semi second distillation it does increase the proofage of the final product. It my experiences so far I would say only about 20% though.

Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:29 am Thanks again, Corene1. When I started inquiring about the use of a thumper, I was a little confused as to how and where the foreshots and early heads would show up. Would they condense in the thumper only to be released at a slower rate thereby poluting more whiskey? Or would they distill out the same as my regular pot still? I built a trial thumper, and I simply leave the thumper empty to start with.

• The nasty stuff runs off the same as usual then the condensation in the thumper quickly builds up, covering the bottom of the inlet pipe, and the thumping begins.
• Works great.
• HD Distilling Goddess Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm Location: The western Valley by » Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:19 pm thumper123 wrote: Thanks again, Corene1.

When I started inquiring about the use of a thumper, I was a little confused as to how and where the foreshots and early heads would show up. Would they condense in the thumper only to be released at a slower rate thereby poluting more whiskey? Or would they distill out the same as my regular pot still? I built a trial thumper, and I simply leave the thumper empty to start with.

• The nasty stuff runs off the same as usual then the condensation in the thumper quickly builds up, covering the bottom of the inlet pipe, and the thumping begins.
• Works great.
• Giving this some thought,
• In my limited experience the thumper seems to seperate the foreshots and heads a little better than when I run as a potstill only without the thumper.

They are the first to come out of the pot and into the thumper, there they are concentrated and condensed so the vapor point should be lower yet so they should be gone before the good alcohol starts to re vaporize making the cut points easier to identify.

• Looking back at some of my runs the foreshots and heads were very high proof and then there was a quick drop in abv from about 80% to 70 % then it leveled off for the mid run then started dropping abv pretty quickly showing the tails cuts.
• I have never started my thumper empty so I don’t know how that would affect things.

Sure gives a person a lot to think about, a good reason to do more mashes and to do more testing. Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:16 am by » Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:35 pm Yup. Your theory sounds right since the nasty stuff distills out at lower temps than booze anyway.

I’ll run the trial thumper again with water in it, and keep closer attention to amount of crap generated before my old nose tells me to start saving. I must say that initial testing with even a small rudimentary test thumper is encouraging. I’m coming up with 120 proof which will be very good for the barrel.

I have never in my life redistilled whiskey. It’s always tasted great with just the one run, but I think the thumper is a good compromise between flavor and proof. Novice Posts: Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 1:45 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:11 am How can I keep the foreshots and heads from entering my thumper? I have been trying to come up with a bypass to send vapor from pot to worm until after heads finish running then be able to divert back through thumper. Posts: Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:34 pm Location: Horseshoe Bend, Ky. by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:57 am A good novice question.Orrr the lock. Answer: Prolly won’t be able to achieve a complete separation with a potstill.Compounds have temperatures.Fores in, fores out.Heads in, heads out.And so on.Your 5 senses with experience will be your personal guide.Then there’s inefficiency with to much diversion.

Refraction stills, and experienced distillers would be my thoughts on those accuracies. *Spend it all, Use it up, Wear it out* Beware of sheet-sniffers and dime-droppers! Distiller Posts: Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:06 pm Greg, you probably dont want to keep any phase out of your thumper.

Just think of your thumper as a 2nd boiler (it is). You cant and dont want to keep heads or tails out of your 1st boiler do you? Nope, toss em in, and sort them out in the collection jars. Same with a thumper. Fores will be first to leave the boiler, 1st into the thumper, 1st to boil out of the thumper, 1st into the collection jars.

1. Just like any pot still.
2. And on down the line for each cut.
3. I mean I guess you COULD bypass the thumper until hearts, but why? By definition fores and heads are already gone from the thumper and in the feints jars by the time hearts are coming out.
4. Seems a solution looking for a problem.
5. And how are you going to decide when the hearts start? On the fly off the worm? Yeah, maybe if you have lots of experience, but maybe consider why so few/no people with that much experience have already done it.

Theres always room for innovation, but odds are good that the obviously easy ideas ideas have either been tried and dismissed, or simply dismissed before testing based on the collective years folks have been sitting there watching their pots run and trying to think up improvements.

• RedwoodHillBilly by RedwoodHillBilly » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:56 pm Remember that a thumper is pretty much the same as one bubble plate.
• I used to put feints in the stripping boiler, but I now put them in the thumper, so I don’t concentrate the higher alcohols in the backset.
• To each their own.
• FWIW, I mash, ferment and strip in the same vessel (Mash tun / fermenter / thumper) and have a dedicated stripping boiler.

I hope that this make sense. Distiller Posts: Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm by » Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:10 pm My first reaction was: “Why would you want to do that?” But then I thought about the versatile use of a thumper. It can be run empty, with water, with mash, low wines, high wines, backset, heads, tails, fruit, grain, botanicals, milk even.

• It can be done: you need a T after the boiler, one end leading to the condenser, the other to the thumper.
• When you load the thumper, the resistance through the condenser will be an bit lower than through the thumper, if only a few dm’s of watercolumn.
• Than you place a valve in the line towards the condenser and a check-valve after the thumper towards the condenser.

These two lines you collect with another T, leading to the condensen. The check-valve makes sure there always is an outlet for the thumper towards the condenser, so you never get a blocking. But there is also no flow from condenser or boiler to the outlet of the thumper.

Quite simple, infact. If you use manually handled valves, MAKE SURE THAT ONE IS OPENED IN THE SAME MOVE AS THE OTHER IS CLOSED!! If the resistance in the thumper is not high enough, you either can increase this resistance or use an extra valve. BUT THAN AGAIN COUPLE THE VALVES, so there is never a blocking of the boiler or the thumper!!!! When you rerout the foreshots and heads past the thumper, you miss the heat of this vapour.

So when you finished collecting the heads from the boiler in the condenser, you need the heart to heat up the thumper to get it running. I got a piece of advice: when you want to run the (collected) heads and tails after a stripping run, put the heads in the thumper and the tails in te boiler.

1. I did not test this advice, but it seems very sound to me.
2. Distiller Posts: Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:24 am I’m still not seeing the point? regardless of what is in the thumper, why wouldn’t you send the whole run through? Wait, is it if you loaded the thumper with something just for flavor, lets just say botanicals, this way you wouldn’t “waste” the botanical going out with the heads? I guess that makes some sense though I don’t think it’s what the bumper meant.

And the old boys would just wait till mid run to “shoot the thumper” or charge it with the desired botanical. But if you are putting water, mash, wash, or anything alcoholic in I think you want to run everything through the thumper the whole time, right? Distiller Posts: Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:07 pm Yes, I think I would indeed.

But I can only speak for myself, of course. And I wanted to answer his question: can it be done? He may think or try for himself if he does need to use it. I would like to hear about it. (After all: iI made a construction to stop the boiler and heat the thumper, if I want to do so. Discovered some situations in which that could be usefull and it was easy to do, so why not?) Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am Location: New Zealand by » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:26 pm zapata wrote: I’m still not seeing the point? regardless of what is in the thumper, why wouldn’t you send the whole run through? Wait, is it if you loaded the thumper with something just for flavor, lets just say botanicals, this way you wouldn’t “waste” the botanical going out with the heads? I guess that makes some sense though I don’t think it’s what the bumper meant.

And the old boys would just wait till mid run to “shoot the thumper” or charge it with the desired botanical. But if you are putting water, mash, wash, or anything alcoholic in I think you want to run everything through the thumper the whole time, right? Using that logic, why take a foreshot when double distilling with a pot still? I take it out because the acetate stinks, I don’t want it in my boiler for the spirit run, and it leaving in serves me no useful purpose.