PLUM BRANDY
STARTING WITH TWO BIG BINS OF PLUMS
ADJUST THE CRUSHER
The wheels of the crusher have to be adjusted in a way that the smaller plums also get crushed and wide enough for the big ones to get through
CHECK PLUMS ON A VIBRATING TABLE FOR QUALITY THEN SEND THEM INTO THE CRUSHER
It's ok to use bruised plums as they create enzymes
ADD 50 POUNDS OF SUGAR
When the collecting bin is about one foot full add the sugar
Then fill up the bin and stir
ADD YEAST
Add yeast (I'm guessing a pound)
and stir 3 times a day for 3 to 5 days
(if the weather is too cold better wait for it to get warmer before adding the yeast if it gets warmer soon)
The outside (or room) temperature has to be 80
FERMENTATION AFTER 3 DAYS:
the plums became liquid and foamy, smell delicious, I moved them around
Fermentation will last one more day then it will be ready for distilling
Fermentation is over when the layer of solids on top of the wine starts dropping, without that layer the wine is unprotected.
That happens on the fourth or fifth day
Pump the wine into the stills
Turn on rotors
Bring temperature up
When the wash starts foaming turn temperature down a little
Start the dephlagmator
Distillation starts in the plates
_Bottom thermometer 90C
_Top thermometer. 80C
At the bottom there's more water so the boiling point is higher
ALCOHOL STARTED POURING
_About 45 minutes in
_Bottom thermometer just over 90C
CUT INTO HEARTS
After collecting 3 liters
(20 minutes of heads)
_Bottom thermometer 92C
_Top thermometer. 81C
_Condenser. 65C
2 hours in, we are getting near the end of the hearts, the pour is slowing down as the temperature wasn't raised and we are left with more water and less alcohol
_Bottom thermometer 97C
_Top thermometer. 81C
_Condenser. 63C
40 LITERS OF HEARTS
86% alcohol
A little over 2 hours in
COLLECT THE TAILS
_Open all plates
_Turn up the temperature
_Turn off the dephlagmator
Collect the tails into the fruit tails container
Close the valves of the pipes where the spirit comes through so that it pours from the top and you can place the glass alcohol meter
Keep collecting tails until the proof goes down to 28
Take the proof on the hearts and bring it down to 140proof
Take the proof from the tails container and record it