Senior Citizen wanting to begin the hobby

[SnuffyG]

Hello to all you distilling folks. I'm a 57 year old American(exact location unknown) wanting to try this as a hobby,with only water and vinegar of course ... I have no experience, I repeat absolutely zero experience. I have been reading here for a few months, and have learned much, but the more I read, the more that I realize I need to read even more! I truly appreciate all those who contribute their knowledge to help others. This site is the best for home distillers! I am not capable of building my own still. I have been looking at, and leaning toward, the Brewhaus stills. Since they have a 10% off sale this month on their stills, I have decided to pull the trigger and purchase one. I am not worried about being marked by the Feds, I live off the beaten path, if you know what I mean. I am wondering if the basic pot still with a 2" column would be a good beginner still, or will I have regrets and wish I would have bought the high capacity 3" model that offers both pot and reflux distilling options? I know the increased diameter from 2" to 3" would allow for a greater volume of vapor and shorter distilling times, which is something I believe I would like.... I would like to distill both for flavor spirits and for neutrals. I am going to try the All Bran recipe first to learn. I am excited to get started, but I also realize that patience is a virtue for distillers. But I am ready to do something!

I continue to read...and learn.

I enjoy drinking mixes like apple pie, strawberry, blackberry, etc.

Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, not so much.... But I do like Jameson's Irish whiskey.

Any help and advice appreciated.

Snuffy

[Truckinbutch]

Welcome I'm kind of traditional . Others will have differing opinions .
My advice is to start with a pot still and a tried and true receipe and stick with it until you are good at it . Then you can branch out if you wish to .
It's a deep rabbit hole you are crawling in to that only you can decide where the end is .

[rubber duck]

Welcome to the forums. 57 doesn't even get you discount at Dennys.

Its more about the condencer size when your talking about 2 and 3in pot stills.

Honestly I'd go buy a cheep propane torch and practice soldering for a couple weeks. You can build your own keg still with a hacksaw and a little time. Building one gives you experience in case you want to start makeing modifications like a thumper.

[Saltbush Bill]

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

I am not capable of building my own still.

Ive heard that many times before and agree with Rubber Duck
Unless you have some sort of disability there is no reason why you cant build a simple pot still. They are the easiest of all to build.
Many of the better still builders here had no experience what so ever when they first put solder to copper.
Building your own pot still will save you plenty of dollars and give you the confidence to build bigger and better stills as you progress in the hobby.

[rubber duck]

It's not about the money saved or spent. Some of the most successful guys in the industry put a tray under their soldering work because at one time they where that bad at it.

[Swedish Pride]

Welcome in fella.
I agree with the others, great joy to be had in making your own still, I prefer it to running the still.
Before i joined here I'd never held a torch in my hand, Now I've make a pot, a good keg boiler and a plater of sorts, neither of em are nice to look at but they all work and make a nice enough drop.

Can't fault your preference in whiskey, I'd never buy a JD or JB either by have been known to get some Jameson if in the pub.

2" or 3" is only a concern if you want to run a column, if you're happy to just pot still even 1" is fine, the pot would however need more runs to get a passable neutral.

Best of luck Snuffy

[Still Life]

I'm always the one who stands up for bought stills --for myself.
There are no doubt endless benefits from making your own. No dispute there.
I've built electronic projects since I was a kid and the building teaches you more than any school or store-buying.
But that's why I decided to buy a still. I'm tired of projects and building.

I'm not trying to de-rail the fine advice given here, but also want you to know there's no shame in buying a still, either.

Welcome, by the way.

[SnuffyG]

Thanks to all for the welcome and encouragement.. Hell, I've got a left over piece of a roll of half inch copper tubing down in my shed, I may just pick me up a SS pot and have at it. I've seen some stills here that all they had was tubing coming out of a pot and then coiled in a 5 gal bucket. I could do that in less than an hour, it would be something I could learn the process with. Thanks Again.

[Saltbush Bill]

An old beer keg will beat a stainless pot hands down.
Very few people who build a still based around a small boiler stick with them for long.
The bigger the boiler the easier to make good cuts is just one reason why most opt for a larger size.

[HDNB]

welcome in.

I'd spend money on a bigger kettle with all the fittings rather than spend on the still head itself. the still selling shops have kettles with holes for filling, elements and stillheads so you don't have to screw with SS welding on a keg, which really is not as easy as it sounds...but putting together a nice pot still head is easy enough for anyone.

good luck, stay safe. and the duck knows...57 is barely mature and deffo not senior. eh Bill? (get it? duck knows/Bill) oh i'm on my game tonite.

[Amos Owens]

I'm beginning to feel like a teenager around here, didn't realize that so many old farts are still around, figured they would be dead from liver disease

Welcome SnuffyG, read and learn. Sounds like you have started off good.

Any still beats nothing at all in my opinion...you will learn about the process of distillation with that cheap pot still, and also the fermentation process.

Have Fun!

[Boda Getta]

Welcome! I was 62 when I started, closing in on 70 now. You will find a great group of guys here and most always to help with good advice. My best advice:

Enjoy the journey.
Read, read and read this forum when you have a few moments free time. Read the safety and rules sections first.

I agree that most newbies will do best with beginning with a pot still. I prefer brown whiskey and still use a pot still.

Don't start off with too small of a still; most people that do find themselves moving up a larger boiler real soon.
I recommend using a SS 15.5 gal beer keg for a boiler. You will save yourself a lot of head-aches with connections, ect
plus it is a nice size. I ferment in a 32 gal Big Brute trash can, I generally get 3 strips out of one ferment. PM me I can give you advice on how to score a keg.

Do not, do not start off with some BS recipe you find on the net. The Tried and True Recipe Section is your friend. You can tweak these recipes later after you learn the basis.

Most begin with the standard UJSSM recipe or Sweet Feed. These recipes make a tasty drop. Many of us move on to all grain recipes soon.
When/If you move to all grain, read all about the no cook method. I've done 15-20 no cook batch without a fail year.

Know you cannot mess up a batch, if you do mess up (the most common mistake is poor cuts and end up with too much heads) When that happens, don't try to "fix it". Just re-distill.

Enjoy the journey.

BG

[The Baker]

boda getta said, "I was 62 when I started, closing in on 70."

Just a youngster, boda.....

Geoff (76)

[Swedish Pride]

love how this welocme thread is turning in to an old codger thread

[SnuffyG]

I just thought I was a Senior Citizen to this forum! My apologies to all you TRUE Seniors!!!

I do, however, hope to be retired in 4 and a half years...if that counts for anything......hey I DO get the Senior discount from Belk's and Hardees!!

Any advice appreciated on how I can obtain a beer keg.

This looks like a much cheaper option than the $550.00+ ready built still I am looking at. I tried searching Craigslist but nothing shows up within 50 miles. eBay has a lot of columns for sale that connect directly to a beer keg, no soldering required.

I also think I would have trouble finding 2 inch copper pipe and fittings. My Lowe's store does not have that size.

[Saltbush Bill]

the still selling shops have kettles with holes for filling, elements and stillheads so you don't have to screw with SS welding on a keg, which really is not as easy as it sounds...but putting together a nice pot still head is easy enough for anyone.

Lets quit playing scare the Newbie for a second, There need be no welding or other modification done to the keg at all.
Many of us began by sitting the keg on a 3 ring gas burner.
A 2 - 3 or even four inch pot head can be bought back to 2 inch using a copper reducer at the point it attaches to the Keg / Boiler.
Its a simple matter to buy a 2 inch Triclamp and a Ferrule to join the pot head directly to the flanged two inch opening on the Keg. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tr ... &FORM=IGRE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
That is all that you really need to get underway.
Yes all the fancy stuff like electric elements , fill ports , drain taps are nice ......but they can wait until you find out if this hobby is really for you.
Some of the best Pot Stilled booze Ive ever tried came from a Beer keg / pot head combo that had none of those fancy things.....dont believe it had a thermometer on it either.

[Pikey]

love how this welocme thread is turning in to an old codger thread

Well now my lad - a little less of your cheek

66 here ! and started about the same age as our newbie - Welcome in Snuffy

Started by making a "Reflux" out of an old tea urn and some 1" copper pipe. I never did run it in reflux mode - I have always used it as pot still, because I like to have some favour. To get closer to "Neutral" you just use less of the "flavour ingredients" - My Bacardi (ish) is as close as I'd want to get and you can I suppose double distil or even triple to get closer still.

I'd go crazy if I could only make Neutral and was tehn stuck with trying to add flavours afterwards.

But it depends on your finances I suppose - If you can afford it and want to buy yourself one as a toy and use it whilst you make one - that's always an option too.

[Still Life]

(Pikey, I bet you don't look a day over 80. LOL, pal )

[Pikey]

(Pikey, I bet you don't look a day over 80. LOL, pal)

I have noticed that I tend to ""Pull" less often than I used to mate - but going to the dentist in a couple of hours to get some out ready for the new plastick ones to be fitted - That should improve things a bit

[nuntius01]

i'll toss my 2 cents in and say try and build your own. to start with. there is nothing wrong with buying a ready made still and brewhuse does have nice stills. but, if you want to add on or expand it is usually cheaper to build your own. that being said, if you are serious them get the widest column you can. its easy to downsize. harder to upgrade. then the question is electric or propane. i run eletric. personel preferance. there are plusses and minuses to both. i have the means to run 5500w, so i never have an issue open flame or running out. however, there are other issues with electric. mainly is it available and scorching. biggest thing i can say is have fun while you do it and dont be afraid to make mistakes. trust me on that one, weve all made some doosies.

[bitter]

Baby steps.. first step is ready crankys spoon feeding several times... and then from what you like to drink pick a setup... type to build or buy. The thing about this hobby is you can make whatevery style you like... except it will take a long time to get an 18 year old whiskey!!!

Irish whiskey is similar to single malts... only use part raw barley and some use some corn in the grain bill.

If you like Gin that is possible or even a nice clean wheat vodka..

B

[bilgriss]

Welcome old man.

[TDick]

Well this has been a hoot.
Another old fart here. Older than Snuffy; I like getting a FREE senior drink at Chik-Fil-A myself.
It really has been quite educational to read the feedback.
I just posted "First Week" with where I am.
I frequently repeat, I'm as green as a gourd.

Snuffy, I had the same apprehension you did about making my own still and decided to buy a small 5 gallon copper unit because I thought it was worth getting copper over stainless.

Judging from feedback, I'll quickly be posting for help in increasing the size of my boiler, but that will be a good thing.

So far this has been quite a great site.
I haven't been here long enough to say, "welcome aboard". Instead, "We're in the same boat. Grab an oar!"

Bamaberry

[The Baker]

love how this welocme thread is turning in to an old codger thread

Septuagenarians rule.

Geoff

[SnuffyG]

THANKS ALL!....I have been studying the required reading all weekend...my old brain is now overloaded...I need a drink.