Thanks, Alan, for answering my question about obtention temperature. I mostly do single malt all grain so I need to work on a better way to improve my condenser. Thanks as always!
Thanks for the answer on my question and I found this video to have quite a few excellent tidbits. I uses a small DIY chiller, 1300BTU/hr, and can maintain liquid output temp of my choose. In the past I just set it up at the start for about 62F and let it ride as is and just log it from there, from start to finish. Might look into setting up and simple controller to more closely control it with in the temp range you have spoke about. Football style setup, and I have found the condenser to be quite effective and always surprised by the little amount of water flow it take to do the job. Thanks again & would enjoy meeting you day. Steve B
Hi, Steve, I have not tried a chiller yet because I assumed that it could not keep up over the course of a long spirit run. Chillers are great when you have a set volume of liquid that has to be cooled, like in beer brewing. Are you able to maintain the king of temps that Alan is talking about?
Hello and yes. My 1000BTU cooler with 4 gallons of water can handle my set up for 6 hours with pre cooled water from the chiller with some ice build up on the ring coil of the evaporator. A 6gal mash run with controller/5500 watt electric heat. I start the chiller approx. 2.5 hours before the 1st out put and start the pump when the temp of the input of the condenser reaches approx.120f. I have a larger 6 gallon chiller I build that makes ice faster then the warm return water can melt so I cycle that one on and off for now. I plane to add a temp controller to cycle it for me.
When running a sour mash whiskey I have found anything over 30% previous mash is hard on the yeast. I typically would run a 25% mixed mash. On output temps I run my dephlemator exhaust water around my condensor water and that helps limit temperature rise of my water. I use a 30 gal barrel of water with a fountain pump for coolant. As the barrel lowers I run in new cold water (
Perhaps I'm wrong, and if I am, please explain; it seems to me, what difference does it make whether the "ideal" temperature of 72 F is obtained a few inches away from the collection jar, inside the condenser, or whether it cools rather quickly in my collection jar, from somewhere in the low 80's. By the time the distillate reaches somewhere in the 80's it seems that all the vapor that I'd want to collect is already condensed, isn't it? It seems that cooling my distillate too quickly inside the condenser would be more is a problem than cooling it to a temperature that may be slightly warmer than ideal; as I've seen most distillers try to encourage many of the volatiles to come out of solution, i.e. why distillers leave their distillates uncovered for a day or two after distillation. I understand there could be exceptions and that there is a limit to how warm I would want to collect my spirit, especially when there are delicate volatiles I'm trying to capture and preserve, perhaps with a brandy. If they are that delicate and volatile are they going to survive a long drawn out aging process; possibly, if they are stored and aged at cellar temps. I'm sure around 70-72 F is probably an ideal and possibly a compromise in other cases. I live in an area where my tap and cooling water isn't much below 80 in the summertime and I have a hard time believing that it would make much difference as to whether I collected my distillate at 83 vs. 72F, especially if there aren't many, or any, delicate volatiles I'm trying to preserve; for those times I'd wait until cooler temperatures prevailed. I've decided to play the hand I'm dealt and see if that might influence my spirits for the better; if something turns out to be a problem, after I'm sure it's a problem, then I can deal with it. Too many times I've gone to great lengths to avoid a problem that turned out not to exist.
In traditional whiskies and brandies the temp range I mentioned is the most commonly reccomended. The problem with 80 is that you are volatizing aromatic compounds you don't want to loose for long term ageing making the product more likely to be overridden by the barrel. Below those temperatures you are forcing volatiles you likely don't want to bind to the ethanol. Everyone makes their own choices, my job is simply to reccomend both what I know works after maturation of my own accross thousands of pot still barrels and runs and what has been found by the many classic distillers before me to be ideal, from there the choice is on the producer.
Thanks again for the great info, but I have to say you got me confused on this last answer. You spoke of running colder to volatilize the flavors - while I think of volatility increasing with heat. I presume you mean run colder to capture the more volatile flavors whereas they would otherwise escape with higher temp output? Would running my liebig 77-82F drip through a hose to a cool water bath accomplish the better flavor profile?
Hey, Dan, that’s what I was thinking of doing as well. My air cooled condenser gets me down into the high 70s to low 80s. What I was trying to ask in my question was how to get it lower with further cooling through a worm in an ice and water bath. I have a Liebig but don’t like having to buy a lot of ice to keep the water cold for an entire run.
@@glleon80517 I imagine a silcone hose coiled around cool water would work but you wouldn't want to loose any vapor. But given most the work was done the extra 8-10F(with no major state changes) makes the required BTU math easier then you gotta think about how efficient the heat transfer is... there is always something new to think about it seems!
Perhaps I'm wrong, and if I am, please explain; it seems to me, what difference does it make whether the "ideal" temperature of 72 F is obtained a few inches away from the collection jar, inside the condenser, or whether it cools rather quickly in my collection jar, from somewhere in the low 80's. By the time the distillate reaches somewhere in the 80's it seems that all the vapor that I'd want to collect is already condensed, isn't it? It seems that cooling my distillate too quickly inside the condenser would be more is a problem than cooling it to a temperature that may be slightly warmer than ideal; as I've seen most distillers try to encourage many of the volatiles to come out of solution, i.e. why distillers leave their distillates uncovered for a day or two after distillation. I understand there could be exceptions and that there is a limit to how warm I would want to collect my spirit, especially when there are delicate volatiles I'm trying to capture and preserve, perhaps with a brandy. If they are that delicate and volatile are they going to survive a long drawn out aging process; possibly, if they are stored and aged at cellar temps. I'm sure around 70-72 F is probably an ideal and possibly a compromise in other cases. I live in an area where my tap and cooling water isn't much below 80 in the summertime and I have a hard time believing that it would make much difference as to whether I collected my distillate at 83 vs. 72F, especially if there aren't many, or any, delicate volatiles I'm trying to preserve; for those times I'd wait until cooler temperatures prevailed. I've decided to play the hand I'm dealt and see if that might influence my spirits for the better; if something turns out to be a problem, after I'm sure it's a problem, then I can deal with it. Too many times I've gone to great lengths to avoid a problem that turned out not to exist.
