Home Distiller

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 1:25 pm**

It is with great sadness that I come to report the loss of a dear old copper friend, Mr. Liebig.

I was moving a bunch of stuff cross country in my van and I had to stop somewhere to off-load some items.
I had my stillin' gear in there and had to take some of it out of the van to get to the items under it, and I set my potstill's liebig condenser on the ground next to the rear wheel of the van.
It was a public space and I'm sure it is long gone by now. Anyway, it's not like I could go back and ask around "hey, anyone seen my likker still condenser around here?"

Somehow when I packed back up and left I just didn't notice it lying there and drove off without it.
Technically it's not a huge loss, it was a little short, the cap was in need of a bit of resoldering, and the cap was a little small, meaning the opening of the still was a little too small for me to get my arm in there anyway.
But it was my FIRST. My first condenser, through which my very first drops of whiskey trickled. I was inexcusably careless.

I'll miss you my old friend, you served me well.

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 2:07 pm**

MichiganCornhusker wrote:It is with great sadness that I come to report the loss of a dear old copper friend, Mr. Liebig.

I was moving a bunch of stuff cross country in my van and I had to stop somewhere to off load some items.
I had my stillin' gear in there and had to take some of it out of the van to get to the items under it, and I set my potstill's liebig condenser on the ground next to the rear wheel of the van.
It was a public space and I'm sure it is long gone by now. Anywayt, it's not like I could go back and ask around "hey, anyone seen my likker still condenser around here?"

Somehow when I packed back up and left I just didn't notice it lying there and drove off without it.
Technically it's not a huge loss, it was a little short, the cap was in need of a bit of resoldering, and the cap was a little small, meaning the opening of the still was a little too small for me to get my arm in there anyway.
But it was my FIRST. My first condenser, through which my very first drops of whiskey trickled. I was inexcusably careless.

I'll miss you my old friend, you served me well.

I literally shed a tear......

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:01 pm**

rgreen2002 wrote:
MichiganCornhusker wrote:It is with great sadness that I come to report the loss of a dear old copper friend, Mr. Liebig.

I was moving a bunch of stuff cross country in my van and I had to stop somewhere to off load some items.
I had my stillin' gear in there and had to take some of it out of the van to get to the items under it, and I set my potstill's liebig condenser on the ground next to the rear wheel of the van.
It was a public space and I'm sure it is long gone by now. Anywayt, it's not like I could go back and ask around "hey, anyone seen my likker still condenser around here?"

Somehow when I packed back up and left I just didn't notice it lying there and drove off without it.
Technically it's not a huge loss, it was a little short, the cap was in need of a bit of resoldering, and the cap was a little small, meaning the opening of the still was a little too small for me to get my arm in there anyway.
But it was my FIRST. My first condenser, through which my very first drops of whiskey trickled. I was inexcusably careless.

I'll miss you my old friend, you served me well.
Bof us . My metal friends are very dear to me .
Sorry for your loss .

I literally shed a tear......

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:06 pm**

I racked a cloudy wash into my boiler the night before a run, and while it sat over night a small amount of yeast settled to the bottom and scorched during the run.

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:17 pm**

Dammit MCH.... the pictures just make it worse!!!

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:46 pm**

Last night I made a corn,barly malt and rye batch, threw in about 4 times the diammonium phosphate I should have.About (4) 1/2 teaspoons when (1) 1/2 teaspoon would be correct. I looked and some mead recipies call out for more so Im running with it. The Yeast is the Red start DADY.
Next day its chugging like a turbo yeast, I guess it will do its thing.

Got that lesson out of the way... :/

Posted: **Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:02 pm**

Hillbilly Popstar wrote:I racked a cloudy wash into my boiler the night before a run, and while it sat over night a small amount of yeast settled to the bottom and scorched during the run.

Easy mistake to make . After the first 3 for me I only live load and start the fire when I know that I will be able to stay the course . That scorchy shit settles fast without heat .

Posted: **Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:32 am**

so gone down the still house to do cuts, oh blast it forgot drink in water so back to the house spot a cut jar I meant to take down ,fine fill with water and head back down. So got my table and tea spoon get middle jar tbl spoon of water add plum brandy fine next jar on the other end of that row tast. What that actual f.... stare at what I did though did I mix the spoons up and put the spirit in the large spoon or was it it couldn't fill properly out of the cut jar, so I tipper the water in a whiskey tumbler and re-did it. Burn again confusion sets in far canal surely I didn't mix the spoons again. So grab the tumbler a take a gulp of "water" to mellow the 180 proof burn, penny drops as burn goes to defcon 5 and somehow I have mixed the water jar with a cut jar. Walk back up to the house and make a coffee before going any further

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:40 am**

first full sac run there i am feeling the temp rise the column thinking oooh i can smell something is about to come to fruition when i look and watch as the temperary water hoses droop theyre held with insulation tape that should hold drip drip drip oh dayumn thats some hot hot water there okay so i go to find my steps (father had been painting took my steps) hmmm okay i got this as the temp syphon tube drops out of the reinforced hose i climb up onto the hot keg trying my hardest not to touch the column but alas the scorchy water swung back dripped on my chest then in shock i moved and grabbed the column with my leg and arm THAT IS/WAS a mistake i shall take with me forever it was bloody hot.

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:57 am**

about 10 days ago the wife snuck up behind me and startled me as i was running Rye spirit. I can still read the lettering off the end of the vacuum breaker on my left arm. You're right. that shit is HOT.

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:03 am**

markieb wrote:first full sac run there i am feeling the temp rise the column thinking oooh i can smell something is about to come to fruition when i look and watch as the temperary water hoses droop theyre held with insulation tape that should hold drip drip drip oh dayumn thats some hot hot water there okay so i go to find my steps (father had been painting took my steps) hmmm okay i got this as the temp syphon tube drops out of the reinforced hose i climb up onto the hot keg trying my hardest not to touch the column but alas the scorchy water swung back dripped on my chest then in shock i moved and grabbed the column with my leg and arm THAT IS/WAS a mistake i shall take with me forever it was bloody hot.

bwahahahahah, who would have thunk climbing on the boiler when you're running the still is a bad idea

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 1:53 am**

HA! My god the hilarity!
Like a hot stripper on a pole? Wait, that's not right.....
Like a fireman on a fire pole? Wait, no....

Posted: **Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:41 am**

Here's something New For Ya'll:

Previously Posted Question:
"I just did some leak repair on my still, changing teflon tape, everything is now nice and tight, however, after heating for 1 1/2 hours it gushed tepid thumper water into the receiving container. Turned it off, let it cool started it up again and it did the same thing. I'm using a 5500w element on 110 house current, a 7 gallon still filled with five and the thumper is less then 1/3 filled.....did I just reinvent a pressure cooker or do I need a controller on my element? Yes, all pipes are clear."

I posted that on a different thread and got great advice here and fixed the problem. What I had done, because I was in a rush was, I took both the in and out pipes off the thumper (a total of 4 pieces) and mistakenly put the wrong top piece on the wrong bottom piece which in effect created a pressure problem which blew the thumper water out the liebig pipe. So here's my advice, when working on 2 different problems, tackle them individually and don't be in a rush !!!!

Posted: **Sat Oct 07, 2017 3:03 pm**

So I just finished my last alcohol cleaning run on my new 15 gallon keg thumper setup. The Thumper is set up so I can mash and ferment in it, then move the clear to the boiler and run the thumper with the slop still in it. So everything goes great, I heat up my water to a rolling boil and pour 12 lbs of corn meal for my HBB. Stir, rest, stir rest etc. till it hits around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Pitch the malt stir, rest, stir etc. It settles at 147 degrees. I have my keg fermenter on a hardwood dolly and rolled it inside for the ferment. After 7 hours the temperature gauge was only down to 140 degrees. So I put a fan on it and go to bed. In the morning it's down to 122 degrees. So I open it up and give it a good stir with a pain't mixer and a drill. And go to work. I get home and the temp is 82 degrees. Finally. I get a starter going for my yeast and go back to the bathroom where my keg is. I have the thermometer stuck in a 2 inch try-clamp cover with a 1/2 inch hose barb adapter in the top of the keg.

: Hose barb on a 2” Tri-clamp cap

And Teflon tape wrapped around the thermometer for a tight fit. I figure i’ll take the thermometer out, put the half inch hose on the barb, run the hose into a bucket for my airlock. I take the thermometer out and a stream of mash starts to squirt out of the barb adapter. Oh shit! Hose in hand I slam it on to the barb. At this point the compressed mash is squirting out the hose like a fire hose without anyone holding the end. First it hit my face, then the wall, mirror ceiling, floor toilet, sink and every other fucking place in the bathroom! After a second or 5 I get a hold of the 1/2 inch hose and direct it in the sink. Oh, what a mess I made. Lucky my wife wasn't home. I rolled the keg outside and gave e it a good spray. That was the easy part. I spent the next hour and 1/2 cleaning corn and barley off every surface in the bathroom.
It turns out a natural yeast got to fermenting be for I could pitch mine. I poured in my starter and after a day I think it has overpowered what was fermenting first. Ill let it run its course and hopefully can save my mash. I will pitch my yeast outside from now on.
PS: the next morning I found a dried chunk of mash in my ear.
The dork master:
JBC

Posted: **Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:04 am**

MichiganCornhusker wrote:It is with great sadness that I come to report the loss of a dear old copper friend, Mr. Liebig.

I was moving a bunch of stuff cross country in my van and I had to stop somewhere to off-load some items.
I had my stillin' gear in there and had to take some of it out of the van to get to the items under it, and I set my potstill's liebig condenser on the ground next to the rear wheel of the van.
It was a public space and I'm sure it is long gone by now. Anyway, it's not like I could go back and ask around "hey, anyone seen my likker still condenser around here?"

Somehow when I packed back up and left I just didn't notice it lying there and drove off without it.
Technically it's not a huge loss, it was a little short, the cap was in need of a bit of resoldering, and the cap was a little small, meaning the opening of the still was a little too small for me to get my arm in there anyway.
But it was my FIRST. My first condenser, through which my very first drops of whiskey trickled. I was inexcusably careless.

I'll miss you my old friend, you served me well.
my pot 01.jpg

Happy update: I found it!
I was cleaning out a storage area this weekend and found it tucked in with a bunch of plastic carboys! I didn't leave it on the side of the road after all, only you guys can imagine my happiness!

Posted: **Mon Oct 16, 2017 2:41 pm**

MichiganCornhusker wrote:you guys can imagine my happiness!

Bravo!!!

I pledge the first time I actually get to drink some of this stuff I been slavin' over, it will be to toast the good news!

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2017 3:28 am**

Always nice to find an old friend.

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2017 4:02 am**

I siphoned off a run into my boiler, and had an airgap in the siphon hose.

This caused some frothing which I didn't mat attention to.

And it puked up my column and out my liebig condenser.

Good thing it was only a stripping run otherwise ugh!

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:07 pm**

MichiganCornhusker wrote:
MichiganCornhusker wrote:It is with great sadness that I come to report the loss of a dear old copper friend, Mr. Liebig.

I'll miss you my old friend, you served me well.
my pot 01.jpg
Happy update: I found it!
I was cleaning out a storage area this weekend and found it tucked in with a bunch of plastic carboys! I didn't leave it on the side of the road after all, only you guys can imagine my happiness!

Always a happy moment when you see an friend again!

Posted: **Sat Nov 11, 2017 6:17 pm**

I did not get to read this whole thread, but I figured this one needed to be out there. A few days ago I finished a stripping run, let it breath under coffee filters for a day. My still is in a building outside the house that I do not heat all of the time. I took all of the jars into the house and let them warm up some. I then made my cuts. Man this stuff tasted real good, damn smooth. The best I have made so far. All in all I had slightly over 2 gallons. I had 2 gallon jugs there, so I filled the first one and left a few inches head room. I filled the second completely instead of getting another jar. I went to bed. Somewhere in the night, the second jar expanded and exploded the jug. I whole gallon of damn good 170 proof, gone. Lesson learned. I am just so thankful it was not close to a heater or flame.
Lesson learned, leave head room in your jugs!

Posted: **Sat Nov 11, 2017 7:10 pm**

People have had that happen many times. Gallo jugs seem particularly susceptible as well as Jack Daniels bottles. always bottle warmer than it will ever reach or leave plenty of head room and the cap loose.

Posted: **Sat Nov 11, 2017 7:17 pm**

Over a period of a couple of months I had amassed forty litres of wheat bran low wines ready for the spirit run. Spirit run went well, collecting into one litre amounts once I was in to the hearts. I was mindul SWMBO had arranged for us to go out in the evening. Anyway it was getting late afternoon and I received a few reminders that we were meant to be going out soon...

then I thought I was starting to get the first whiff of tails. "Oh well I might as well shut it down, I've already got 16 litres of hearts in jars".

A couple of days later and I'm doing the blending. I was patting myself on the back for having picked the cut between heads and hearts on the day but what about the tails? That final jar tastes pretty good so I chucked it in the final blend. Made the blend and measured the final ABV, a temperature corrected 75% !@&#*^!

I'd shut the run down too early, I had not gone deep enough to the tails to get to the really tastey low purity output. The final spirit, six months with medium roast French Oak dominos plus one month in a two litre oak cask, is a lovely smooth lightly flavoured drink but I can only sip and wonder how it might have tasted if I hadn't rushed to shut down the run and gone deeper in to the tails.

Moral of this story, always set aside enough time to properly complete the run!

Next spirit run with the wheat bran recipe I will push right through the tails and get in to the sweet water.

Posted: **Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:12 pm**

cranky wrote:People have had that happen many times. Gallo jugs seem particularly susceptible as well as Jack Daniels bottles. always bottle warmer than it will ever reach or leave plenty of head room and the cap loose.

lesson well learned! thanks cranky

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:23 pm**

I was moving a 25 l glass carbouy full of ready for ferment mash out of the kitchen sink, my hands were wet the glass was wet when I tried to lift it with one hand on the bottom it slipped and fell about 10 inches back into the sink. Cut my left pinky finger almost off with the charred glass. I had mash and glass on the floor kitchen counter fridge stove ceiling and lots of it. Along with a barely hanging there finger that was bleeding I had to rush my self to the hospital. There was no one home at the time because the Misses wouldnt approve of my new kichen skills so I was on my own. After 3 hrs in emerg I was able to get my finger sewed back on and rush home clean up the mess before anyone got home. Will I ever use glass carboy for mash. Never again. The ones I do have are in milk crates and never get moved. For now on I only use plastic fermenters.

Posted: **Thu Nov 23, 2017 1:23 am**

close call there, luckily you walked away fairly clean from it, could have been much worse.

Posted: **Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:01 am**

Damn, diesel! Glad it wasn't worse.

Posted: **Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:46 pm**

Who the hell did you invite to the pinky party to take pics???????! If you took the pic, I salute you sir.....that's a hell of a selfie !! All my injury pic's are done by professionals, they're called "X-rays" LOL

Posted: **Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:58 am**

My other got away unscathed luckily. Probably the second worst injury I ever had. Don't ask about the worst.

Posted: **Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:52 pm**

I'm using a bunch of plastic fermenters connected to a single airlock through hoses and then vent the airlock exhaust through the wall into the great outdoors....all nice and well until I decide to do a smaller ferment batch so that half of the fermenters are empty and diconnected. To prevent the exhaust from entering the room through the unused tubes I block them with a piece of play dough. Do I remember to remove the blockage the next time I connect the whole batch?? No of course not....they manage to stay put. So I happily connect a full batch of sugar wash that is ready to erupt into fermentation with the blocked hoses and walk away. Through a leap of faith I return just in the moment when disater is about to strike and find a bundle of swollen fermenters hissing loudly in the corner looking like they are just about to detonate and flood my workshop with an unholy mess of sticky fermenting sugar wash. I quickly manage to vent off the excess, remove the blockages and prevent the worst from happening. A bit of mash foams over the top from the quick release of pressure, but that was a really close call

And of course there have been numerous cases of forgetting to change the receiver in time.....forgetting to make cuts in time....forgetting the needle valve open when heating up the still....forgetting to turn on the cooling water in time....and a single curious case when the outlet hose of the still manged to fling off from it's resting position while I was changing receiver vessels and flinging a shot of 96% spirits straight into my left eye! Oh boy did that give me a case of the "redeye", but no permanent damage done...I guess the "The Great Architect" protects fools and drunks

Oh yeah....and then I remember the wonderful decicion to do a TIG weld on a condenser with nothing more than a t-shirt covering my rump. What could go wrong, it's just a quick seam.....I looked and felt like I had hugged a nuclear furnace the next day. Still remember the wonderful smell of UV radiation burnt skin....
And the time I trusted my colleagues with a bottle of my sharpest "action" on a corporate party and left with confidence in their sacred vow to "consume with responsibility". Yeah...our department received a ban for all future events as a result of the merry hell that broke loose after their "responsible consumption" of this beverage.
Mistakes may have been made!

Posted: **Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:19 am**

I fell asleep yesterday during stripping run. By the time I woke up the collection jar was almost full and still was full reflux. Don't go to bed while distilling I guess.

Home Distiller

Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Re: Tell us about your mistakes.