New Distillers Shopping List

[UtahViking]

Being a new distiller myself I am finding a lot of little extras that need to be purchased along the way. I'm not talking about parts to build your still or the more obvious main things just the little extras so I decided it might be handy to have a shopping list that may help people out and save some time.

Fermentation:

Food grade buckets - just a racking bucket or whatever else you can think of to use them for but its nice to have a few around.

Siphon - I got an auto-siphon but its not necessary but a nice thing to have

Funnel - a large funnel to pour into your keg or whatever kind of boiler you are using.

Hydrometer - Cheap ones will work just fine but getting your Specific Gravity correct is important. Get one with a glass cylinder as you can use it for both your hydrometer and alcoholmeter.

Mixer - the mixers designed for paint that you attach to a drill work great.

Sanitizer - When cleaning your fermentation bucket or carboy or even your racking bucket it can't hurt to have a sanitizer. Lots of online stores sell sanitizers for this purpose. Not required but couldn't hurt

Air Lock - 3 piece or the 1 piece "S" type whatever your preference

Stock Pot - A large 3-5 Gallon pot. For inverting sugar, boiling a mash, clarifying molasses, whatever you use it for get one. Your wife will thank you for not using her pots for this.

Grinder - A grain grinder for obvious purposes

Thermometer - if your wash or mash is to hot it will kill the yeast so having a thermometer is always nice to know when you can safely pitch your yeast.

Ferment Heater - There are tons of different ideas for this on here but having something to keep your ferment temps where they need to be.

Digital Scale - To measure out all your grains (thanks Rivver)

Patience - Can't be purchased but need to keep a bulk supply on hand

Distilling

Collection Jars - the size is a personal choice but having a dozen or two collection jars is handy. Especially for learning cuts. The Novice Guide to Cuts thread has some great info on collecting in multiple jars to learn your stills cuts.

Feints Storage - A glass carboy or a couple gallon jugs or growlers. Whatever you choose a feints storage system is needed. If your collecting for an all feints run or just saving some heads and tails for flavor of your next run.

Alcoholmeter - As mentioned above use your glass cylinder and proof your likker

Storage & Aging

Jars - Something to collect all your hard work in and age it or flavor it

Filters - A lot like to use coffee filters or cheese cloth but something of this sort to filter out any pieces and parts after aging

Padlock - If your like me and have kids then having someplace to store while you age that you can lock up to keep the kids out of it is a good thing.

More Patience - Stay the hell out of it till its aged!

Misc.

Bottles - If so inclined you can bottle it up all fancy.

Friends - You probably shouldn't drink it all and its not gonna drink itself

Patience - Did I mention this yet?

Fun - comes standard


Like I said I don't wanna get to specific into a lot of things cause it varies to much on what your making and what your setup is. Just a shopping list of extras. I'm sure there are things I haven't thought of and feel free to comment and I will add them to the list.

Happy Distilling

[Rivver]

Don't forget the always needed digital scale. I use it on every wash/mash I have done.

[UtahViking]

Don't forget the always needed digital scale. I use it on every wash/mash I have done.

Added thanks

[NcMoonLight]

Haha this is pretty neat, I have a storage cabinet I keep all my tools of the trade in and ive been debating on putting a lock on it but ehh I dont have kids or roomates only my brother which he knows he can drink/use what he wants too most of the time he still asks though... BUT its a good idea to keep a lock on it for when company comes over, you dont want the snooping around in your stuff thinking u got food or something hidden and all of a sudden BOOM they find your equipment/still and good luck explaining to them how they cant tell anyone about what you do....

[UtahViking]

Yeah the locked cabinet was one of the stipulations my wife.set lol

[NcMoonLight]

Haha thats understandable and a easily acceptable thing considering theres alot of wives out there that say NO and then your hobby dreams are shut down for good lol

[UtahViking]

I just remind her that it was her idea for me to find a hobby lol

[UtahViking]

Anyone else?

Last call then I will abandon this post

[MegaJohn]

I think I will look into building a cabinet with doors to store my equipment in... I like that idea.

We're currently in the process of showing/selling our home. I don't have all my equipment built yet, but I do have an insulated keg in plain view with a wire hanging off it. For now I have some of my still parts in a stack of left over copper pipe from plumbing projects, and other parts in plastic storage totes. I don't like having my equipment scattered.

I have some open shelves in my shop that I could cover with plyboard and add lockable doors. The wife will probably like that idea also... as she's a school teacher and worried about her license if my illicit hobby is discovered by the wrong person.

Thanks for the ideas guys!

John.

[TOAD]

Find an old brief case, line it with egg crate foam. Cut out places for both hydrometers, glass test tubes, airlocks/bungs, those little bottles of energizer/yeast nutrent and other add ins used for beer and wine. Now you look profetional while distilling.

[Stillatryin]

All of my stuff, keg pot, copper column, and bok head all "live" in my shop. The shop is an out building that stays locked when not in use. As I mentioned in another post, I've not gotten to the all grain fermentation, but when I do, I'll store the grains and grinder there as well. I have a small beer fridge in which I'll store the yeast and yeast nutriant. As for funnels, I just cut the top out of a heavy plastic gallon size jug that vinegar or windsheild wash comes in. I find that having a buddy over to hold the funnel and other things really helps.

[carnica]

I hate plastic more than any other material, so I frequently visit flea markets and buy any reasonably priced old carboys, glass air locks, funnels et cetera, as well as any scrap copper that can come in handy in the future.

[Beerbrewer]

I hate plastic more than any other material, so I frequently visit flea markets and buy any reasonably priced old carboys, glass air locks, funnels et cetera, as well as any scrap copper that can come in handy in the future.

My view is the opposite, I think it's more a UK thing though, used plastic to mash and ferment for my beer and currently fermenting my wash, I like it because it's cheap, easy to clean, doesn't break and less chance of me killing myself with it!

[carnica]

I used to keep honey in food-grade plastic containers before, but nowadays I use only stainless steel containers. The reason was that the plastic containers smelled heavily of plastic. I guess no-one knows to the full extent what long time health hazards there might be from exposure to chemicals in plastic, so I avoid using plastic for any drink- or foodstuff. Glass and stainless steel doesn't smell...

[Beerbrewer]

I get the opposite actually, the boiler and FV's usually end up smelling of the hops, I do use beach and Sodium Met to clean and sanatise though and all the stuff I use is food grade.