what to do with 'heads'?

[DrewKulsveen]

The heads and tails can be recycled, you don't have to sell them or send them down the drain. It is pretty common to add them to your fermenter just prior to distilling.

[Cutty]

Is there a good rule of thumb for how the number of recycles (i.e. Heads/Tails added back into stripping runs) impacts quality. For whiskey I understand there are benefits in the accumulation of some flavor components in the Heads and Tails fraction, so the more recycles the better. However, I would expect that, at some number of recycles, unwanted fractions (Methanol, Acetone, acetaldehyde, excessive congeneretc....) of the heads and tails will accumulate to unacceptable levels. Is this the case and if so should there be a purge of some form at some number of cycles to remove these undesirable fractions?

-Ian

[BadAl]

If not already at 185-190%, run it through a good reflux still and then sell it to people in your area making perfumes. They use it as a base and need it at as high a % as possible. Most towns have an alternatice crowd selling perfumes from natural essential oils they have extracted themselves, at local markets and need a regular supply. The rest, stick it in ya car sounds like a great idea but more exact info on it would be great.

[Jake Norris]

I cant speak to the legality of your situation, but I can say that I have some experience burning alcohol in engines. Be cautious that your vehicle is set up to burn alcohol. Alcohol burns at a higher temperature than gas and can warp aluminum heads. To convert an old small block you need braided stainless steel fuel lines, a proper gas tank that will not corrode, a cooler thermostat and larger jets in the carb. Modern flexfuel cars come with the proper running gear and the computer adjusts the fuel air mixture to compensate- but they are also running E85. I would be careful before I added heads to my new car. There are great resources online for making your own fuel at home, I do recommend drying the alcohol before blending it with gas. Until then heads do make a doozy of a window cleaner and sanitizer.

[Classick]

I just put the heads from my last Gin run in my wiper fluid container... i figure, i really only need it for de-icing while im in tahoe... and now i have a nice juniper smell to boot, instead of the blue stuff

[patrick260z]

Heads consist primarily of constituents found in the metabolic cycle of yeast. That is why they can be tossed into an active fermentation.