Stiller Beginner

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Canson803
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Stiller Beginner

Post by Canson803 »

First off, I've been making homemade wine for almost a year now and have some pretty good outcomes with my different types of wines. Now I want to start making homemade shine. I've been doing a lot of research as far as types of stills, thumpers, cutting, prep, etc. I'm wanting to start with 5gal batches. I'm told that for every 1 gallon of distilled shine, I need to throw away 10mL, so 5gal=first 50mL thrown away. Due to being poisonous. So my questions are as follows: Is the previous statement true? Oh forgot to mention, using cracked corn, sugar, and distilled water to make my wash. 2) Would using a thumper be worth the trouble of making and adding into the system if I'm only making my shine strictly for personal consumption? Any answers/advice is greatly appreciated. This may not be the correct thread to post this, so sorry in advance. Right now I'm just doing research on the topic before I even start buying any equiptment to start making shine. I like to have as much info as possible before I start a new hobby. Thank you all.
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Tokoroa_Shiner
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by Tokoroa_Shiner »

Welcome to HD. More in depth answers to your questions can be found by doing the right research, but I'll have a go and some simple answers to start you off.

The first bits that come out of the still are called the fore shots. Most people tend to throw away between 50 - 150ml. Some even up to 200ml.

I would also advise against using distilled water for your fermenting. Not only does it not have any oxygen in it. But it also has no minerals for the yeast. Save it to cut your final product.

Try running with no thumper until you are sure you want to go that route. You may not want it in the end.

Also. Try UJSSM as your whiskey recipe.

Have fun and stay safe.
Must read topics for new members

The Rules By Which We Live By
Safety And Related Issues
New Distillers Reading Lounge

Have Fun, Keep Safe and Shine On
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S-Cackalacky
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by S-Cackalacky »

+1 on Tokor'oa_Shiner's post. The material that you need to read first is found in the 3 links in my signature. The more you read, the better you will understand the distillation processes. From fermentation to refining the distillate is much more complex than it appears on the surface.

Good luck to you and stay safe.
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
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W Pappy
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by W Pappy »

Spot on boys I don't know about the thumper part tho lol.Hey you got ta start somewhere hell you may not like doin this here stuff ain't no problem hookin a thumper up to ya rig latter on. I take out no less than 200ml on them fores on a 5 gal run.No room for greed in this hobby you ain't drinkin dem heads either so what the hell if ya in there a bit..
Buy the ticket and ride the lightnin boys !!!
Impatience is the root of all bad things in my book of makin likker!
The sound of a thumper is the heart beat of the rebel" Warden Pappy"
Canson803
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by Canson803 »

Thank you for the info. And the links. I do have one more question that falls in personal opinion category. My friend gave me a 15.5 gal beer keg, and mentioned I could turn it into a still. I did some research on how to build one using this keg. But my question is, would quality be an issue if all I want to run 5 gal batches? Steam is gonna rise no matter what, but it just seems a little too big of a vessel for what I'm wanting to do.
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W Pappy
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by W Pappy »

It's really not too big I don't think your realize just how little you get out of 5 gal after cuts.Most guys go looking for a keg pretty quickly after getting into this hobby keep that keg!! I have a 15.5 for my boiler and another 15.5 for my thumper.
Buy the ticket and ride the lightnin boys !!!
Impatience is the root of all bad things in my book of makin likker!
The sound of a thumper is the heart beat of the rebel" Warden Pappy"
rad14701
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by rad14701 »

An unmolested keg makes a great boiler... It will give you the opportunity to do 5 or 10 gallon runs... I'd suggest skipping the thumper until you have a decent grasp of everything else and then add a thumper into the mix if you feel the need... Most members here with pot stills and thumpers tend to switch the thumpers in and out of the configuration depending on what they are making... Start out simple and then complicate things down the road...
Canson803
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Re: Stiller Beginner

Post by Canson803 »

Thanks for all the info and advice. Thinking of sticking to my original plan and keep it very simple at first then move up from there. Hopefully depending on work and the size of my "honey-do-list" I'll be making my first batch of wash this weekend. Again thanks to all, ALOT of great info and advice here.
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