G'day from NZ

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APD
Novice
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:03 pm

G'day from NZ

Post by APD »

G'day all,

First post. Been distilling for around 18months - 2 years.
Thankfully born and bred Kiwi so I get to indulge my hobby without looking over my shoulder for revenue collectors and badges.

Started into distilling with an interest in Whisky and Rum.
Have a family that has messed around with hobby homebrewing and winemaking for as long as I can remember (my Grandfathers parsnip wine ended several parties and probably one or two marriages).

I first got the brew-bug when I was at university and out of boredom packed a hollowed-out watermelon with demoraran sugar pitched yeast on top of that and suspended it over a bucket in a muslin sack to let nature run its course. :D

Currently running a home-built 4" copper column pot still with thumper on a 50L kettle that's a combination of copper and stainless, basically whatever I could happen across and bodge together.
Thumper is now a small, old 15L copper cylinder that I cleaned out and converted (started off too small and had to upgrade it).
Condenser is a 5m long 3/4 inch copper worm I formed up and fixed into its own stainless pot.
All breaks down with tri-clamp fittings for easy cleaning (also I'm a fabricator and loathe threaded joins).

Been making full grain conversions; Smoked peat barley malt whisky/moonshine (it doesn't sit around long enough to become Whisky), corn whiskey - and rum from molasses.
Brewing in 50L batches to match my kettle size.

In the last 2 weeks started scratch building a 2" copper combination column that'll convert from pot to reflux, so I can mess around and experiment a bit more with coil-relux versus dephlegmators and such.
I live in the wok-woks offgrid so I'm running entirely on gas and haven't been able to play with electric elements, thermostats or PID controllers and the like.

Would genuinely like to start my own legit commercial micro-distillery, ... but at the moment that goes onto the wishlists we all have along with beer-baroness supermodel girlfriends. :lol:
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NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: G'day from NZ

Post by NZChris »

Welcome to the forum. It's always good to see another Kiwi here.
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kiwi Bruce
Distiller
Posts: 2324
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:38 pm
Location: Transplanted Kiwi living in the States

Re: G'day from NZ

Post by kiwi Bruce »

APD G'day mate...you appear to have a handle on what your doing. DO have a gander at Cranky's spoon feeding for nubees, if you haven't already...http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=52975

that said Welcome ! and... I do like your wish list !
Getting hung up all day on smiles
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Still Life
Site Donor
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Posts: 1545
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:24 pm
Location: Great State Of Missouri

Re: G'day from NZ

Post by Still Life »

Welcome! You got it going on.
just sayin
Rumrunner
Posts: 657
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: G'day from NZ

Post by just sayin »

Welcome, you lucky son of a....gun! NZ-the true land of the free!
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