Personal pages/Season 2015

Season 2015

My still is nearing perfection. This must be 3. generation - 1st was the old zinc-pot with a hering-glass-thumper and my own copper-spiral, 2nd was the stainless steel 50L Contacto pot with the glass thumper and the glass clumn from the Brocki. 3rd is now with a stainless steel pot thumper and a copper pipe disperser.

The two pots no longer need the flourpaste as a sealant, both lids fit really tight when fastened with the binder clips. The silicon washers do a perfect job too. There has been the odd leakage on both pots, I'm wondering if a large diameter silicone washer might be useful.

I can now start a distillation at 09:00, be finished around 18/19 and have everything cleaned and ready to go for the next run the next day.

To-do:

• I'd like a pressure reduction thingie for the hose to have a fixed pressure/flow regardless of the input.
• monitoring when drips start
• monitoring when a bottle is full

2015/09/01 After defrosting for two days, I pressed the red apples (2 boxes from the freezer from 2014). The juice has a dark red hue and is quite sweet. Looks like 50° or thereabouts. Total yield 15.8litres at 52°, 4.5kg trester.

2015/09/01 Have started defrosting 2 x 10kg of pears. I will add the juice to the red apple juice, with sugar and yeast. I might well add the yeast today - need yeast starter solution! Then I plan to take the trester (the squeezed apple+pear), add water & sugar, add pektin and yeast.

Vat III

15L vat. Smells quite sweet. I think it must be the johannisbeer plus pear mentioned above, it's been waiting since 10/2014.

Vat VI

This is a 30L vat, and there is an unnumbered 30L vat next to it. I think these are 50/50 mixtures of red apple juice and pear juice.

2016/05/07 distilling started at 08:50. Probably about 20L content. Took about 400ml heads.

Vat VIII

30 litre vat.

2015/09/01 Have taken 4.5kg red apple trester, added 6litres of water and 3kg of sugar. 2015/09/02 Added 2litres of water and 10ml of pektin. 2015/09/09 Added 2litres of water + 3 kg sugar. Filled up the vat, which started 2016/10/30 due to be distilled. 2017/03/17 looks like I could add more water, the fruit looks dried out (almost). Mashed it up with the drill, but it doesn't look like there's any fluid in there.

Vat #IV

15 litres.

2016/03/28 Took Nadine ribena trester, added 3litres of water and 2kg sugar plus about 700ml of Marlene's elberberry juice. Then I shot 2ml yeast straight into the mix.

2016/04/09 Added 1litre of water and 1kg sugar. It's been bubbling happily for a few days.

2016/04/23 Still the odd bubble coming.

2016/10/30 the vat didn't get a number initially, have made it IV.

Vat XII

30 litres.

2016/08/23 Ribena trester, 7kg. Still cooling off. Have prepared a yeast starter, 1ml + 1tsp sugar in lukewarm water.

2016/08/25 Have added 3L of water with 2kg of sugar. The VAT is full to the 10L mark. Added another 1L+1.5kg, looks a little too full, but normally this mix doesn't rise up.

2016/08/29 Overflow, big puddle on the floor. Have moved to a 30L vat, no number.

2016/10/30 have decided this is vat XII.
2016/11/11 Still bubbles.