From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
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From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
From Newbie to Newbie....
The following information are things that I have put in tons of time finding from various sources. Most of the info came from distilling or brewing forums. I just thought that I could consolidate it some to make it easier for newbies like myself in the future. If anyone finds errors or alternate methods feel free to post corrections. Thank you.
Before You Start
Before you invest any money into a still or ingredients, read everything you can from this forum, especially the New Distiller Reading Lounge. There are very few questions that cannot be answered with the info that’s has been posted in this forum.
Your Still
There are plenty of different styles of stills out there, and they are used for different applications also. Read up on all the styles and variations and decide which will suit you needs the best. Just a couple facts to remember about stills.
1) Always use Stainless Steel, Copper, Lead free Brass for anything that will come in contact with ethanol vapor.
2) Solder using lead free solder and water based flux.
3) Do not forget to run cleaning and sacrificial runs.
4) Learn about flour paste and get good at using it.
5) The more reflux, the higher the proof, but the less flavor.
The Mash
If you plan on making alcohol you need to know the basics of mash and fermentation. If you plan on making GOOD alcohol you will need to know quite a bit more. Every mod on this forum will recommend starting with sugar wash, then moving on to something from the “Tried and True” section in the forum. They are very knowledgeable and really are here to help. Rules of thumb for sugar wash:
1) The standard recipe is 2 LBS sugar/gal water.
2) 2-4 grams yeast per gallon
3) TURBOS ARE BAD!!
4) Grains can be added for flavoring
In any wash we would like to keep the abv between 8-14. Yes, the higher ABV% the wash, the higher the final yield. Most people on this forum will preach quality over quantity. How do you determine the wash ABV%? There are tons of calculators for this online but in my opinion the best is...Get a hydrometer! This is a great thing to have. A must have really if you want to know efficiency. After you have your ingredients in wash, before you add yeast, take a sample. The result will give you the specific gravity of your wash. This will be your Starting Gravity (SG). After you feel that your mash has fully fermented, take another sample, this will tell you your Final Gravity(FG). To figure your ABV% of wash use this formula:
131(SG-FG)= ABV%
EXAMPLE: SG = 1.087
FG = 1.008
131(1.087-1.008) = 10.35% ABV
You can then use the ABV to determine the amount of pure ethanol in your wash. Using ABV from example this formula looks like this:
.1035(GAL*128) = ounces of pure ethanol in wash
You will never extract all of this during distillation. Plan on yielding 70-85% of the pure ethanol in the wash.
Once you have pitched your yeast try to keep the wash in a temperature controlled environment ideally between 70-80 deg F.
When you feel that you have finally grasped the tried and true recipes, the All Grain mash is your next accomplishment. AG takes good planning and knowledge to make. If you plan on making an AG here are some terms you need to get familiar with:
Malt: malting is the process of germinating a grain in order to release enzymes which convert starches into sugars.
Diastatic Power(DP): The DP of a malted grain describes the amount of enzymes the grain has that will convert starch to sugar.
Adjuncts: Grains used in mash that are not malted, therefore will rely on the DP of other grains to convert their starches to sugar. Adjuncts are commonly used to impart flavor.
Starch Conversion: Grains contain starches, in order to make these grains fermentable, these starches must be converted to sugars. Starches can only be accessed by enzymes after they are geletanized.
Geletanization: The process of heating a grain to a certain point(which varies according to the type of grain),this breaks down the starches into smaller simple chains which are convertible.
All Grain mashes will require some math to plan which grains and how much will be needed. Any of your malts used will have DP. To calculate the conversion by weight of adjuncts use this formula.
DP/30 = adjunct lbs this will convert (using 30 is acceptable but to ensure you have enough DP you can use 35)
Lets say we are using a 6 row brewer's malt with a DP of 160. Our formula will look like this.
160/30 = 5.33
This means that for every 1 lb of 6 row brewers malt, we can convert 5.33 lbs of adjuncts.
After you have decided your grain bill, make sure to use this formula to calculate if you have enough DP to convert all of your adjuncts to maximize yield.
In order for the enzymes in your malts to convert starches the starches have to be made available to them through geletanization. When preparing grains for geletanization use 1.5-2 qts of water per lb grains. Each grain will have a different temperature of geletanization. For example, corn will geletanize at roughly 180 deg F. This temperature must be maintained for a period of time generally between 30-90 mins, in order to break down the starches. You can use iodine to check for starches by removing a teaspoon full of the mash and dropping a small amount of iodine onto the spoon. If the iodine shows no change, you have converted the starches. Discard the sample when finished.
If you are using multiple adjuncts in a grain bill, chances are they will geletanize at different temperatures. Start by geletanizing the adjunct that requires the highest temp. Then cool the mash by adding cool water needed by weight of your next adjunct. Repeat geletanization until iodine test is passed again. Your malts are very important to your mash, and the enzymes they have are needed to break down your other grains. With this being said, these enzymes will begin to die off at 150 deg F. Do not add your malts to mash until it is below 150 deg F. Once you have malts in you need to hold the mash between 130-150 deg F for a period of time. Everything I have read says at least 1 hr. The best method I have heard is to take your 150 deg mash, add malts, turn off heat, and place in a cooler. The cooler should keep the mash above 130 deg for 2 hrs or more.
Many people say they just leave the mash in the cooler until the next day. After you have prepared your mash and let it rest, add your desired water. Take a SG. Pitch yeast, make sure mash is between 70-80 deg F ideally. Let the mash ferment until bubbling slows to 1 bubble a minute, and the mash has a very bitter or sour taste. There should be little to no sweetness. Take FG and calculate ABV if you choose.
Racking, Chilling, Clearing
Many people employ these practices to ensure that little to no solids make it into their still. Solids in the still create a risk for scorching of the mash, especially if using propane as a heat source. Racking is the process of siphoning off as much of the liquid in your fermenter as possible without getting any solids. Some of the sediment that is in your fermenter will contain dead yeast, which may produce off flavors in final product especially if scorched. When racking, siphon from fermenter to another clean and sanitized vessel. Racking can be done in the last portion of your ferment or after ferment has finished. If you choose to rack once you should probably rack into your still as well to remove any additional solids that were missed.
Chilling is exactly that, chilling your mash to encourage clearing.
Clearing is when your liquids complete separate from the very line solids that are in the mash. If you rack only the cleared liquids into still, you may sacrifice some yield, but will end up with a better product. Some mashes will not totally clear, ingredients, yeast, and environment all play roles in this. Rack whatever amount you feel comfortable with.
“On The Grain”
Some people choose to distill “on the grain”. This means they will include most of the grains left in the mash when they distill. It is claimed that on the grain distillations create better flavors, at the risk of scorching.
Running Your Still
Each still will operate differently and produce different results. The main objective is to retrieve as much of the alcohol in your mash as possible. The problem is we want it to be the best of that alcohol. This is achieved by making proper cuts and controlling temperature during the run. Ethanol vaporizes at 172 deg F. This temperature reflects 100% ethanol. Lets say our mash is 10%ABV. That means that only 10% of your fluid in the still is ethanol, the rest being mostly water(some solids). That means that the vaporization of the fluid is going to occur closer to 212 deg F(the boiling point of water). Suggestions say that you can run you still at high temperatures until you near the vaporization point, and then should decrease temperature. Having an alcometer will also be very beneficial in tracking proof.
Making Cuts
Cuts are the fractions of alcohol that are produced throughout your run. Cuts are determined generally by taste and smell. The types of cuts to be made are: Fore shots, Heads, Hearts, and Tails. Fore shots are the first drips that will come from the still. Fore shots generally contain higher amounts of methanol because it has a lower vaporization temp than ethanol. As a rule you should collect 1oz per gallon in boiler, or more to be safe. Fore shots have a horrible smell and taste. Next you will be collecting heads.
The heads will be the highest proof of your run. They will also have a very chemical like smell and taste. Although they will be the highest proof they should be set aside, the use of heads in your final blend will have a negative impact on the taste.
Hearts will begin to flow. Hearts are the best part of your run. They will be lower in proof, but will have a smooth and flavorful taste. They will also be the cleanest part of your run.
Once the hearts have subsided you will notice a quick drop in proof, you have now entered the tails. The tails are some of the most flavorful spirits you will collect. The problem with tails is there lackluster proof and the presence of large quantities of fussel oils which will produce off flavors of your spirit. Knowing when to stop collecting is a bit of a grey area some people say stop at 60 proof, and some say go all the way to 30 proof. This is a preference, but tails can be reused.
The best method for making cuts is to take small samples of the spirit as it runs. Line all the samples up at the end and taste each. Ideally you will be able to tell the distinct flavors of each and these flavors should guide you as to which samples should be kept. Keeping a portions of heads will provide an increase in proof, but may offer a chemical like taste to the spirit. Keeping tails will impart a bit more flavor to the spirit but can cause off flavors and cloudiness as a result of fussel oils. The determination of samples to keep is up to the distiller.
The best product will be the hearts though. Regardless the fore shots should be thrown out completely. Cuts can sometimes be tough to determine due to what is called “smearing”. Smearing is most relative to when heads are not fully vaporized early in the run causing those chemical like attributes to be distributed into the heart of a run also. Smearing is most commonly caused by running too fast, too hot. As the distiller you must find the delicate balance between too slow and too fast. The type of still you run also has an influence of smearing. Pot stills are notorious for smearing especially in smaller volumes. Reflux stills tend to distinguish the cuts a little better but are known for stripping flavors as well. Making cuts will not be needed if you plan on re-distilling the product. The fore shots should still be removed.
If you plan on running your spirit only once, you should make your cuts, determine your blend, and save the remainder or the heads and tails as “feints”. When you acquire enough feints to make a full run, you should try this. A feints run will offer up a slightly higher proof from the heads with some of the flavors of the tails. Feints run should still be segmented into cuts and blended properly, discarding fore shots. Some good advice on blending: keep your samples separated, cover them with a coffee filter and let them sit for a day or two before tasting and blending. Some of the samples that had an off taste may clean up with some airing.
As shown on the parent site, Ian smiley suggests these numbers for making cuts in relation to percentage of total distillate collected: fore shots= 3%, heads= 17%, hearts= 58%, tails= 22%. You can use this as a guide with all your samples separated still.
Stripping Run
A stripping run can be made in which you throw out only fore shots and keep remaining distillate to a certain %. You will take the distillate from multiple stripping runs and combine them to make one “spirits” run
Spirits Run
Spirits runs are made in order to achieve a higher proof, cleaner distillate. Take the distillates from your previous stripping runs and combine them. Dilute this distillate to no more than 40%ABV. Concentrated ethanol vapor above 40% tends to be highly flammable, just risk that is not needed. As you make your spirits run you should proceed at very low heat to ensure that you are obtaining maximum distillate within each cut. Take small samples again, and you will use the same guide to make cuts. This distillate will be a much higher proof so consider that when looking for the right flavors. The final distillate can be blended and diluted to a more palatable proof later.
General Notes
When beginning your home distillation journey, this forum can be a complete “distillation for dummies”. The information is here, sometimes it can be tough to find. Use the Google search bar on the main page. The knowledge that people in this forum posses is unmeasurable, take what they have to say into consideration it will be beneficial to you. Try your best to keep plastics out of the process. Food grade plastic devices are acceptable for fermentation, but that is pretty much it. Under certain conditions plastics can leech harmful things into your product. Sanitation is important to the success or your products. Bacteria can have negative effects on your mash efficiency as well as taste. The most important part of distilling is safety. We are working with flammable vapors under pressure. This hobby is not worth being hurt over. If you have any questions, start a topic and don’t be afraid to ask, you may even get varying answers or methods, cause there is more than one way to skin a cat!
I hope that people like myself can find this guide to be useful and less time consuming than doing multiple searches of the NET for the info. I want to thank the people who have helped me so far in my short journey.
If anyone has corrections or anything to add let me know, maybe put this in the new distillers reading lounge?
This post was edited on 3/5/2013. I changed some layout, to make for a little easier reading.(Under the guidence of RAD. thank you, sir)
The following information are things that I have put in tons of time finding from various sources. Most of the info came from distilling or brewing forums. I just thought that I could consolidate it some to make it easier for newbies like myself in the future. If anyone finds errors or alternate methods feel free to post corrections. Thank you.
Before You Start
Before you invest any money into a still or ingredients, read everything you can from this forum, especially the New Distiller Reading Lounge. There are very few questions that cannot be answered with the info that’s has been posted in this forum.
Your Still
There are plenty of different styles of stills out there, and they are used for different applications also. Read up on all the styles and variations and decide which will suit you needs the best. Just a couple facts to remember about stills.
1) Always use Stainless Steel, Copper, Lead free Brass for anything that will come in contact with ethanol vapor.
2) Solder using lead free solder and water based flux.
3) Do not forget to run cleaning and sacrificial runs.
4) Learn about flour paste and get good at using it.
5) The more reflux, the higher the proof, but the less flavor.
The Mash
If you plan on making alcohol you need to know the basics of mash and fermentation. If you plan on making GOOD alcohol you will need to know quite a bit more. Every mod on this forum will recommend starting with sugar wash, then moving on to something from the “Tried and True” section in the forum. They are very knowledgeable and really are here to help. Rules of thumb for sugar wash:
1) The standard recipe is 2 LBS sugar/gal water.
2) 2-4 grams yeast per gallon
3) TURBOS ARE BAD!!
4) Grains can be added for flavoring
In any wash we would like to keep the abv between 8-14. Yes, the higher ABV% the wash, the higher the final yield. Most people on this forum will preach quality over quantity. How do you determine the wash ABV%? There are tons of calculators for this online but in my opinion the best is...Get a hydrometer! This is a great thing to have. A must have really if you want to know efficiency. After you have your ingredients in wash, before you add yeast, take a sample. The result will give you the specific gravity of your wash. This will be your Starting Gravity (SG). After you feel that your mash has fully fermented, take another sample, this will tell you your Final Gravity(FG). To figure your ABV% of wash use this formula:
131(SG-FG)= ABV%
EXAMPLE: SG = 1.087
FG = 1.008
131(1.087-1.008) = 10.35% ABV
You can then use the ABV to determine the amount of pure ethanol in your wash. Using ABV from example this formula looks like this:
.1035(GAL*128) = ounces of pure ethanol in wash
You will never extract all of this during distillation. Plan on yielding 70-85% of the pure ethanol in the wash.
Once you have pitched your yeast try to keep the wash in a temperature controlled environment ideally between 70-80 deg F.
When you feel that you have finally grasped the tried and true recipes, the All Grain mash is your next accomplishment. AG takes good planning and knowledge to make. If you plan on making an AG here are some terms you need to get familiar with:
Malt: malting is the process of germinating a grain in order to release enzymes which convert starches into sugars.
Diastatic Power(DP): The DP of a malted grain describes the amount of enzymes the grain has that will convert starch to sugar.
Adjuncts: Grains used in mash that are not malted, therefore will rely on the DP of other grains to convert their starches to sugar. Adjuncts are commonly used to impart flavor.
Starch Conversion: Grains contain starches, in order to make these grains fermentable, these starches must be converted to sugars. Starches can only be accessed by enzymes after they are geletanized.
Geletanization: The process of heating a grain to a certain point(which varies according to the type of grain),this breaks down the starches into smaller simple chains which are convertible.
All Grain mashes will require some math to plan which grains and how much will be needed. Any of your malts used will have DP. To calculate the conversion by weight of adjuncts use this formula.
DP/30 = adjunct lbs this will convert (using 30 is acceptable but to ensure you have enough DP you can use 35)
Lets say we are using a 6 row brewer's malt with a DP of 160. Our formula will look like this.
160/30 = 5.33
This means that for every 1 lb of 6 row brewers malt, we can convert 5.33 lbs of adjuncts.
After you have decided your grain bill, make sure to use this formula to calculate if you have enough DP to convert all of your adjuncts to maximize yield.
In order for the enzymes in your malts to convert starches the starches have to be made available to them through geletanization. When preparing grains for geletanization use 1.5-2 qts of water per lb grains. Each grain will have a different temperature of geletanization. For example, corn will geletanize at roughly 180 deg F. This temperature must be maintained for a period of time generally between 30-90 mins, in order to break down the starches. You can use iodine to check for starches by removing a teaspoon full of the mash and dropping a small amount of iodine onto the spoon. If the iodine shows no change, you have converted the starches. Discard the sample when finished.
If you are using multiple adjuncts in a grain bill, chances are they will geletanize at different temperatures. Start by geletanizing the adjunct that requires the highest temp. Then cool the mash by adding cool water needed by weight of your next adjunct. Repeat geletanization until iodine test is passed again. Your malts are very important to your mash, and the enzymes they have are needed to break down your other grains. With this being said, these enzymes will begin to die off at 150 deg F. Do not add your malts to mash until it is below 150 deg F. Once you have malts in you need to hold the mash between 130-150 deg F for a period of time. Everything I have read says at least 1 hr. The best method I have heard is to take your 150 deg mash, add malts, turn off heat, and place in a cooler. The cooler should keep the mash above 130 deg for 2 hrs or more.
Many people say they just leave the mash in the cooler until the next day. After you have prepared your mash and let it rest, add your desired water. Take a SG. Pitch yeast, make sure mash is between 70-80 deg F ideally. Let the mash ferment until bubbling slows to 1 bubble a minute, and the mash has a very bitter or sour taste. There should be little to no sweetness. Take FG and calculate ABV if you choose.
Racking, Chilling, Clearing
Many people employ these practices to ensure that little to no solids make it into their still. Solids in the still create a risk for scorching of the mash, especially if using propane as a heat source. Racking is the process of siphoning off as much of the liquid in your fermenter as possible without getting any solids. Some of the sediment that is in your fermenter will contain dead yeast, which may produce off flavors in final product especially if scorched. When racking, siphon from fermenter to another clean and sanitized vessel. Racking can be done in the last portion of your ferment or after ferment has finished. If you choose to rack once you should probably rack into your still as well to remove any additional solids that were missed.
Chilling is exactly that, chilling your mash to encourage clearing.
Clearing is when your liquids complete separate from the very line solids that are in the mash. If you rack only the cleared liquids into still, you may sacrifice some yield, but will end up with a better product. Some mashes will not totally clear, ingredients, yeast, and environment all play roles in this. Rack whatever amount you feel comfortable with.
“On The Grain”
Some people choose to distill “on the grain”. This means they will include most of the grains left in the mash when they distill. It is claimed that on the grain distillations create better flavors, at the risk of scorching.
Running Your Still
Each still will operate differently and produce different results. The main objective is to retrieve as much of the alcohol in your mash as possible. The problem is we want it to be the best of that alcohol. This is achieved by making proper cuts and controlling temperature during the run. Ethanol vaporizes at 172 deg F. This temperature reflects 100% ethanol. Lets say our mash is 10%ABV. That means that only 10% of your fluid in the still is ethanol, the rest being mostly water(some solids). That means that the vaporization of the fluid is going to occur closer to 212 deg F(the boiling point of water). Suggestions say that you can run you still at high temperatures until you near the vaporization point, and then should decrease temperature. Having an alcometer will also be very beneficial in tracking proof.
Making Cuts
Cuts are the fractions of alcohol that are produced throughout your run. Cuts are determined generally by taste and smell. The types of cuts to be made are: Fore shots, Heads, Hearts, and Tails. Fore shots are the first drips that will come from the still. Fore shots generally contain higher amounts of methanol because it has a lower vaporization temp than ethanol. As a rule you should collect 1oz per gallon in boiler, or more to be safe. Fore shots have a horrible smell and taste. Next you will be collecting heads.
The heads will be the highest proof of your run. They will also have a very chemical like smell and taste. Although they will be the highest proof they should be set aside, the use of heads in your final blend will have a negative impact on the taste.
Hearts will begin to flow. Hearts are the best part of your run. They will be lower in proof, but will have a smooth and flavorful taste. They will also be the cleanest part of your run.
Once the hearts have subsided you will notice a quick drop in proof, you have now entered the tails. The tails are some of the most flavorful spirits you will collect. The problem with tails is there lackluster proof and the presence of large quantities of fussel oils which will produce off flavors of your spirit. Knowing when to stop collecting is a bit of a grey area some people say stop at 60 proof, and some say go all the way to 30 proof. This is a preference, but tails can be reused.
The best method for making cuts is to take small samples of the spirit as it runs. Line all the samples up at the end and taste each. Ideally you will be able to tell the distinct flavors of each and these flavors should guide you as to which samples should be kept. Keeping a portions of heads will provide an increase in proof, but may offer a chemical like taste to the spirit. Keeping tails will impart a bit more flavor to the spirit but can cause off flavors and cloudiness as a result of fussel oils. The determination of samples to keep is up to the distiller.
The best product will be the hearts though. Regardless the fore shots should be thrown out completely. Cuts can sometimes be tough to determine due to what is called “smearing”. Smearing is most relative to when heads are not fully vaporized early in the run causing those chemical like attributes to be distributed into the heart of a run also. Smearing is most commonly caused by running too fast, too hot. As the distiller you must find the delicate balance between too slow and too fast. The type of still you run also has an influence of smearing. Pot stills are notorious for smearing especially in smaller volumes. Reflux stills tend to distinguish the cuts a little better but are known for stripping flavors as well. Making cuts will not be needed if you plan on re-distilling the product. The fore shots should still be removed.
If you plan on running your spirit only once, you should make your cuts, determine your blend, and save the remainder or the heads and tails as “feints”. When you acquire enough feints to make a full run, you should try this. A feints run will offer up a slightly higher proof from the heads with some of the flavors of the tails. Feints run should still be segmented into cuts and blended properly, discarding fore shots. Some good advice on blending: keep your samples separated, cover them with a coffee filter and let them sit for a day or two before tasting and blending. Some of the samples that had an off taste may clean up with some airing.
As shown on the parent site, Ian smiley suggests these numbers for making cuts in relation to percentage of total distillate collected: fore shots= 3%, heads= 17%, hearts= 58%, tails= 22%. You can use this as a guide with all your samples separated still.
Stripping Run
A stripping run can be made in which you throw out only fore shots and keep remaining distillate to a certain %. You will take the distillate from multiple stripping runs and combine them to make one “spirits” run
Spirits Run
Spirits runs are made in order to achieve a higher proof, cleaner distillate. Take the distillates from your previous stripping runs and combine them. Dilute this distillate to no more than 40%ABV. Concentrated ethanol vapor above 40% tends to be highly flammable, just risk that is not needed. As you make your spirits run you should proceed at very low heat to ensure that you are obtaining maximum distillate within each cut. Take small samples again, and you will use the same guide to make cuts. This distillate will be a much higher proof so consider that when looking for the right flavors. The final distillate can be blended and diluted to a more palatable proof later.
General Notes
When beginning your home distillation journey, this forum can be a complete “distillation for dummies”. The information is here, sometimes it can be tough to find. Use the Google search bar on the main page. The knowledge that people in this forum posses is unmeasurable, take what they have to say into consideration it will be beneficial to you. Try your best to keep plastics out of the process. Food grade plastic devices are acceptable for fermentation, but that is pretty much it. Under certain conditions plastics can leech harmful things into your product. Sanitation is important to the success or your products. Bacteria can have negative effects on your mash efficiency as well as taste. The most important part of distilling is safety. We are working with flammable vapors under pressure. This hobby is not worth being hurt over. If you have any questions, start a topic and don’t be afraid to ask, you may even get varying answers or methods, cause there is more than one way to skin a cat!
I hope that people like myself can find this guide to be useful and less time consuming than doing multiple searches of the NET for the info. I want to thank the people who have helped me so far in my short journey.
If anyone has corrections or anything to add let me know, maybe put this in the new distillers reading lounge?
This post was edited on 3/5/2013. I changed some layout, to make for a little easier reading.(Under the guidence of RAD. thank you, sir)
Last edited by zacwest52285 on Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:59 am, edited 6 times in total.
Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Re: my first...informational post
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The only barrier to truth is the assumption you already have it
My Stuff
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=36697
My Stuff
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=36697
- Truckinbutch
- Angel's Share
- Posts: 8107
- Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Very well formatted and stated . I think it deserves at least a sticky to keep it in front of every newbie that comes here .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Very helpful to this newbie, thanks.
"But why is the rum gone" Captain Jack Sparrow
"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." Ted Nugent
"He who makes no mistakes, makes nothing."
"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." Ted Nugent
"He who makes no mistakes, makes nothing."
-
- Rumrunner
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:56 pm
- Location: Alberta
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Very well written, and well explained.
I like that it touches on almost the whole process, but also leaves enough out that it's not just a jumble of information.
Now for the tricky part. Making new members read it....
Good job.
I like that it touches on almost the whole process, but also leaves enough out that it's not just a jumble of information.
Now for the tricky part. Making new members read it....
Good job.
Hangover? I don't get no stinking hangover!
-
- Rumrunner
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:56 pm
- Location: Alberta
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
I would vote to call this thread "hobby distillation for dummies" in honor of what a lot of newbies seem to be looking for. It would possibly grab their attention and curiosity.
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Hangover? I don't get no stinking hangover!
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
AWESOME JOB!
Very well written. To the point. You cut away a lot of the chaff, leaving a lot of the VERY good stuff. I am tearing up here! LOL!
All joking aside, great job!! Gold star for you.
Acutabove
Very well written. To the point. You cut away a lot of the chaff, leaving a lot of the VERY good stuff. I am tearing up here! LOL!
All joking aside, great job!! Gold star for you.
Acutabove
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:58 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Thanks guys, I just know that I spent many a tireless eveninging searching for info. I could have went more in depth of each process, but the fact of the matter is some things are up to the distiller and must be learned hands on. There have been previous posts similar to this. I guess I just offered up some of the info that I REALLY wanted to know. I think that some of the calculations are beneficial and the more you research all grain recipes the more you can utilize them. Hope this will help jump-start the process for others like us. 

Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
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- Bootlegger
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 12:28 am
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Might be useful to add my newbie shopping list as well.
Not to toot my own horn.
Link is in my signature
Not to toot my own horn.
Link is in my signature

If someone suggests you do some research. Don't think of it as an insult, consider it a challenge.
Novice Distllers Shopping List http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=37201
Novice Distllers Shopping List http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=37201
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- Novice
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:05 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Very good info. Your post just tells me how much I'm yet to learn on all grain mashs. It's something that interests me because my Dad and I love good Scotch.
I've read a bit about that, but there's so much more to learn. Thanks for sharing.
I've read a bit about that, but there's so much more to learn. Thanks for sharing.

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- Novice
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:35 pm
- Location: Standing here looking at my still. Where are you?
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
+1 for a sticky
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
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when your bottles empty a watched air lock never stops bubbling...quick enough.
- Soft batch
- Swill Maker
- Posts: 220
- Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:42 pm
- Location: NE Ohio
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Nice job!
another + for the sticky!

Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Thank you for the work -- makes it a little easier to understand it all
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:58 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Would also like to make an edit to DP calculation. When figuring malted grain needed, you need enough DP to convert both adjuncts and the malted grain as well(by weight)
2 lbs malted barley
8lbs cracked corn
10x30=300
2 lbs malted barley
8lbs cracked corn
10x30=300
Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:58 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Good to see this thread revived a bit [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]
Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
I vote for sticky
Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both. Lamb Of God
KCSO- keep calm, shine on
KCSO- keep calm, shine on
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- Novice
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:33 am
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:58 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
This never got made a sticky I see.... No respect I tell ya!
Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Thanks for work, good read for a newb like me.
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:58 pm
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
I'm back!!!! Had to read my own post for a refresher lol
Enter witty quote that changes people's lives here.
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
Fellow newbies, this is a good read http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 32&t=37471
- ga flatwoods
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 3192
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:40 pm
- Location: SE GA Flatwoods
Re: From a newbie to the newbies(renamed)
Well, welcome back then. Cranks spoonfeeding for newbies is the "go to" now for such shortcuts.
GA Flatwoods
GA Flatwoods
The hardest item to add to a bottle of shine is patience!
I am still kicking.
Ga Flatwoods
I am still kicking.
Ga Flatwoods