Home Distiller

Good point. Ill undo it and take out the last reducer and run it out the end 1/2" Thanks.

Well, winemaking is legal but not all alcohol making is........

Thanks for all the responses guys. Let me answer some of the questions. The column seems to take it all even at high temps the tip on the condensor is actually cold to the touch and the condensor seems more than good. Ome to think of it . it was shaking or rumbling a little every now and then, can s...

Thats the problem, the flame is literally barely on and it likes to stabilize at 201 and higher. At that heat, I get like 3 drops a second, I should be able to run it with three times the heat and that would allow me to get a steady flow. Im all about going slow but two drops a second??? Can you hea...

Yeah the wine ferments in 1000 pound batches in huge bins. It smells but not that bad and the smell is actually very nice (not the wife opinion). The wine in carboys are oaked, done and just bulk aging, last years batches. This years stuff is in the three barrels you see. Just got good news. I won G...

So just ran it for the first time???????????

It didnt really give any more than a couple drips a seconds until 197 degrees? It wanted to run at 201 degrees. At this temp my run was at 32% alc. Is this right??? Any advise. Whiskey at 30% isnt very impressive. Thanks.

Yeah column small on purpose to double or for single flavorful runs. Leak tested good but still need to run a wash through before I know its behavior.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2373352833_fb15f6e9e4.jpg?v=1206889138" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2373350127_66361b7f7b.jpg?v=1206889197" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel=&...

Built to fit in my keg rack. 1 and 1/4" column. steps down to 3/4" right before condensor then down to 1/2 inside condensor. Would love comments on design, thermometer placement, etc. I havent cleaned it up or polished it yet. Thanks. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2373350127_66361b7f...

This one offers free samples and have good prices. http://www.oaksolutionsgroup.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow This one one can typically find online at winemaking and brewing stores. They really only tailor to big operations. www.stavin.com

No chips. Chips are the enemy. Nuggets, beans, sticks, planks, staves etc are what you are looking for. Any oak that is at least 3/8" thick and toasted with fire or infared with a gradient to the toasting color. No convection toasting!!! Oak solutions group and stavin are the two "leaders&...

All great advise. Because of the feedback, Im on a mission to run different yeasts through every wash i do in the next couple of months. With all the experience i should have a better understanding of whats avaiable and what complements what. Thanks again guys.

Heres a thread I wrote on oak barrel alternatives. Its everything you will need to know.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6597

Finally I have an answer... Thanks guys for the help. Wineo, My next step was to redistill it to see if it would go away. Sounds like It won't work. Thanks guys.

This is a seminar I gave a while back and thought I would share it with everyone. Jesse, Feel free to make this a sticky if you would like. Anyone needs any oak info feel free to PM me and I will offer any advise I can. Enjoy. BarrelCreator... Oak Alternatives Why oak chips have given alternatives a...

WHITE OAK ONLY!!! Dont use red oak. Its properties are to harsh and if toasted the hemicellulose you are looking to convert into sugars will be to harsh and tanic. Not to mention the bad volitiles.

Thanks also for the advise Jesse. I have a turbo yeast batch of "JD" recipe whiskey finishing up. I was going to sour mash into the next but on this one I will use the bakers yeast. I can compare the difference and post the results to prove out the theory. Hopefully helping the next guy wi...

Tater. I knew it, and I was on my way to the copper store to buy the material to build the new head right before yu replied. Thanks for the reply and advise. Do you suggest an alternative? Red star bakers yeast was my thought as a default from here on out. I have yeast nutrients "superfood"...

Okay I have ran my reflux still to collect up to 93%. I've ran it at 60% detuned and everywhere in between. Ive made rum, whiskey, sugar washes, juice washes, wine washes, tequila, etc. I seem to get the same overall odor off all the batches. WHAT IS IT??? The only thing I can think of is I have use...

Was hoping that someone could respond to my above concern. I am waiting on a response before trying the next run. Thanks.

Once again thanks for all the advise. I read all the rest of the pot still info on the master page and felt good enough to do a run on the avage nectar batch (not the agave heart batch). If you remember in the thread, I was doing them at the same time to see how they compare against each other and s...

Thanks for the advise. Thats what I will do. Could I ask you to elaborate a bit on the comment "Don't be concerned with the temps, they are completely different than what you are used to." So start drawing off above 174 degrees, dump first 150ml, and run it until what temp. If not can you ...

Okay guys the fermentation is going great. With it coming to an end in the next two days I have read probably 20 threads about detuning a reflux still. I have never done this with mine and it seems the more I read the more confused I am about the different methods everyone swears by. I really need s...

Yeah the pics arent in series. The hyrometer was at 37 brix before I cut it down to 24 and fermented. The press holds about 100 pounds. I use it for winemaking in fact was a little upset is was going to get strained brown and not the usual red. LOL. Lots of fun Ill keep eveyone posted on the ferment...

As promised, pics of the process http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2110/2345756709_3509c151b2_m.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2346585318_6218ebe490_m.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;&...

DAM. I had plenty of the red star bakers yest on hand too. Its hard to get in New Zealand but I have some. Bummer. Do you guys really think it will affect the flavor that much. Well, first mistake. Good thing is the next guy that trys this wont make the mistake if he reads the thread!!! ))

Turbo yeast cause I had it and didnt want to risk a stuck fermentation. Now that I THINK ABOUT IT, IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE BEST DECISION??? Most of the threads out there suggest wine yeast in general like lalvin ec1118 as an example are not recommended for tequila production. (See Tater, I do rea...

Thanks for spoon feeding me................ These sites are for advise right??? For the record, I won't ask for advise before I read so no need to respond back to read because if I post a question I have already read................................

Punkin, Thanks for the reply. Thats why I wanted to document the process in the thread. So everyone can see its doable and the next person who wanted to try has some guidance. Thats what these threads are for right. Networking info . Helping the next guy if possible. Thanks for the support. Ill keep...

tater, any of them explain the exact process with actual agave heart? I dont see any. With all due respect it sometimes feels like you have an autoreply telling everyone to read read read. General references yes but exact answers to my questions no.