Apple Brandy II

I did the first run through the still, and I'm pretty happy how it came out.

Here's the setup. Pretty basic. The wash (alcohol containing mixture you're distilling) is dumped in the kettle on the bottom and boiled. Cold water runs from the blue tub through the hoses and back, cooling down the condenser (sticking out of the right of the column). The alcohol drips out of the condenser, and is collected in a bottle.

Once the wash (alcohol containing mixture you're distilling) begins to boil, or when the thermometer on the top of the column reads 60 degrees Celsius, you turn on the cooling water. Soon, a clear liquid begins dripping out. The first stuff to come out is called the "foreshots", and contains all kinds of nasty little organic compounds, including methanol. You collect the first 100ml and toss it. Don't even think about keeping it, just get rid of it.

The run is divided into: Foreshots, Heads, Hearts, and Tails. In theory, you will toss the foreshots. The head swill contain lots of alcohol but not taste good, so you keep them to add to the next batch. The hearts is the best. The tails begin to taste bad, and get thrown into the next batch.

Collection of the alcohol should be limited to about a half liter at a time. Collect a half a liter, then start on another bottle. This way you can decide what to keep on flavor. After the run, keep the best half liter separate, then just mix the others that taste good. Any that are off can be dumped into the next batch or thrown away.

Watch your thermometer and taste the distillate. You'll have times where the temperature jumps or climbs rapidly (this is why you start the cooling water so early) then holds at a point for a long time. When the temperature holds, something is evaporating. Taste the distillate. If it tastes great, that's the point you are after.

The actual numbers on the thermometer are not that important, since they can be up to 10 degrees Celsius off in either direction due to still design. Rules of thumb can be not to collect below 75 and above 95. The rest depends on taste.

I wound up with about 3 1/2 liters of alcohol. Tastes pretty good!

PROBLEMS

The guy who gave me the gas burner told me it sucked. No lie! Hardly any heat output. This run took 7 hours, as opposed to about 3 to 3 1/2 it should have taken.

I don't have an alcoholmeter yet, so I don't know what % this stuff is.