Home Distiller

While we're talking heat efficiency, what's the best height for your boiler above the flames? I'm running it so the flames are just touching the steel. Or should I just sit the boiler down as far as it'll go without obviously cutting down on the airflow?

Does anyone know whether there is a simple test for the presence of methanol, rather than trying to quantify it?

If there was, I bet you a miraculous polypipe still this group would have told the world about it long ago.

You've examined one of these Holstein rigs, schnell?

I crossposted this to Yahoo Distillers. Apologies to those who read both groups but I want to gather a wide variety of opinions. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/message/44670" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow I found a nice piece of pipe. Look...

The Rubbermaid Brutes are nice- food grade, lids that fit well but are not airtight, and you can get a dolly to move them around. I've been using Brutes too. They're cheap as hell and I bought an industrial role of resinite instead of the lids. When I find the right sized bicycle tube, I'll get som...

What Dndrhead said, except you can toss the whole mash in if you feel like it or it won't settle down quick enough. It won't burn in the boiler but it might not taste as smooth. As for turbos, I've never seen them but if you have one pack of yeast and three packs of other stuff, I guess you can save...

Here's additional proof from our cousins in the craft that more copper is better (not that anyone ever doubted it) from the American Distilling Institute forums. Interesting discussion about copper reactions and the toxin ethyl carbamate in whisky and stone fruit brandies. Basically, put the most co...

Thanks for the tip. I'm trying it if I can find a local supplier. Poking around the web I've found 5" for about the price of 3" type M here. Anyone know at how thin is 16oz in mm/inches? Assuming the downspouts are just copper and not alloyed, copper/sulfur interactions thinning the tube w...

Eternal: Perhaps I erred in saying "most" but the slant plate designs I have seen operate on a "catch as catch can basis". Obviously, a slant plate that captures all condensate falling, blocks the column, which also blocks vapour rising. The Boka design in the home page section ...

Frankly, adding to the Wiki is too much work for me. Perhaps a wiki page called "Useful thoughts from forum members" with a collection of links might be appropriate.

Sorry to the OP for leading your thread off-topic.

This site could really use "best-of" page. Separate the timeless noob questions, the crap ideas, the chit-chat and put everything good in its own category. That would be a substantial read. Something like Woodweb Knowledge Base, which are indexed and edited forum posts on every conceivable...

By Steve Earle. MP3 Link: http://www.ieattapes.com/library/Steve%20Earl%20-%20Copperhead%20Road.mp3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Well my name's John Lee Pettimore Same as my daddy and his daddy before You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here He onl...

We all serve our vodka in skulls, right? Well, Dan Aykroyd quadruple-distills his and then he filters it through diamonds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZs29am4msg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Omnicritic John Hodgman is bold enough to review Ayk...

i was under the impression that those cone bottom fermenters don't need to be racked because you'll just suck the lees right out of the bottom. Maybe this used tank buying guide would be helpful to you. http://www.probrewer.com/resources/usedtanks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return f...

There are a lot of distilling-related videos on the internet but most aren't worth their own thread. Post them here as you find 'em and we'll all be saved some work. Podcast about Old New Orleans Rum. Notable only for a few shots of their massive stripping stills. ONO rum is then fed into a stainles...

I'm thinking I'll go the barrel and pump route this winter instead of wasting all that municipal water. I'm planning on making a good long section of 1/2" with copper fins, sticking it outside my apartment building, and routing the hot return through it before it goes back to the barrel. I'll g...

But really, whose been caught? Do you folks know anyone personally?

Of course, I'm writing from Canada where we don't have quite the same history as you Americans behind what we do, especially in the area of law enforcement. Perhaps I'm not taking this seriously enough.

Seems like most of the reflux would drip right back into the boiler.

Make Magazine # 11 has a six page article on craft distiller Lance Winters. Not a lot of technical detail but an inspiring story nonetheless.

Maybe they have a plant near you.

http://www.abmauri.com/abmauri/abmauri. ... we-are.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

This torrent has eighty books about distilling, wine, beer, and general boozy history.

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3973157" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Does the activated carbon available from places like brewhaus.com have fine particulate matter? I've sourced some carbon locally but I suspect (based on a small sample) it is too powdery. After rinsing the stuff rigorously my filtered spirits have a sight grey tinge and fine particles are obviously ...

The distance between plates probably doesn't matter except in extreme circumstances where the distillate hitting the bottom plate would cool significantly in the fall or splash around a lot. The only reason to worry about it is if you've got a short length of pipe and need optimize the packing heigh...

Well, I cut the plate slits for my 1.5" bok funny and the gap is less than 1/4" on one side and about 1/4" on the other. It chokes like crazy. If I were going to do it again I'd do two things: make straight cuts cause they look nicer and increase the gap so my still would actually wor...

Anyone doing any stilling in Montreal, drop me a PM.

Just hand em a scrawled note "held hostage by bees please help," and waddle to the door with your 50kgs of sugar.

Not being a chemically literate type guy, can anyone offer an opinion as to the feasibility for the home distiller of this methanol color test? Beware - link is an automatic pdf download. http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/reprint/39/4/693/a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" re...

Y'all using gas power - what safety measures are you taking?

Thanks for the torrent link. It can now be watched on a full size tv without being grainy and pixelated. I downloaded and watched tonight, it's very good. Do you have a torrent link for part 1? If you're a member of tvtorrents.com, a search for "distilleries" should bring up the first part.

If so, please speak up. I'm taking a survey.

Transgendered ok too.