Home Distiller

Deplorable wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2024 5:45 pm
*Edit* 4 thousand posts!

Nice. That equates to 1,000 posts/yr. with a lot of advice and experience shared.

NorthWoodsAb wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 8:47 pm
Fuck me, it's been a long day.

Had to chuckle Northwoods. Great story.

Why kind of mash efficiency do you get with YLAY? Too tough to figure out. Calculating brewhouse efficiency requires a starting gravity to measure against, and YLAL doesn’t do that. It’s logical to believe the yeast in YLAY begin consuming sugars as soon as they become available, long before the en...

There are at least 5 stave mills within 100 miles of me. I've contacted all of them and no one will sell a small amount, or even cutoffs or rejects. That's a bummer. Try Gibbs. I got cutoffs when I ordered a barrel. Just know that they are cut from curved staves and when jointed flat are a tad thin...

Check your LME cans for the recommended amount of water to achieve the starting gravity you want. Also, know that LME has a certain percentage of unfermentables and is prone to puke. Adding dextrose to an LME wash like you did with a previous corn mash, you will thin out the best flavor profile you ...

MM,

If you do a little digging there are some cool threads on double retorts including dimensions and how they are to be loaded to manipulate the acids for ester development.

Try Google searches like this one:

homedistiller double retorts

Good luck.

I gave this a try. It didn’t work for me. :cry: I used one tip to replace the stainless steel mesh setup. System pressure went up 4X what it usually runs as measured on manometer column. I had to stack a lot of weight onto the PRV to contain pressure. Steam was breaking through the mash prior to co...

The whole prohibition period is a hard thing to comprehend …. in my lifetime. Luckily, I was too young to be affected by Prohibition, what some refer to as the single biggest misstep the US Gov't has ever made. Instead of promoting abstinence, the implementation of Prohibition famously fueled the e...

Welcome in, Will. You will be the envy of many members as you learn to produce your own grain to glass whiskies.

Sounds like a great approach, 8Ball. I'm interested to hear how it distills out.

A few more photos from North Carolina Moonshine - An Illicit History. First race I've seen with snow.

Informative intro, TBB. Your 2” kit will take you to lofty heights as you increase your knowledge.

Welcome to HD. Enjoy the journey.

That boiler will work fine as a mash tun and a fermenter as well as boiler. But, like Moose points out, your challenge then becomes the prohibitively small mash/ferment volumes. Most milk cans come with a port for an element. Many members have kicked themselves for buying an 8gal milk can to save $4...

On the grain: Pro: more flavour, slightly lower fg. Con: pain to handle or move, grain needs to be squeezed to minimise loss. More chance of scorching from solids. So you’re going to need to squeeze the grain either way unless you’re Distilling on grain. I don’t see how fermenting on the grain give...

Redundancy not needed. The bulk of condensing on a reflux still is performed by the RC. Your shotgun PC is more than enough to do it’s job.

I stay close to the still, so for me, its easy to use ears, nose and touch. First, the boiler starts to make agitated 'stirring' noises, then fruity (apple/sweet corn) aromas start coming out the condenser. As soon as my boiler's heat migrates up the riser to the stillhead and it grows really hot, f...

I don't know how to search a specific users post, or I would have before I commented. :thumbup: If you have a member's screen name handy, just click on it. The member's post activity is listed mid-page on the right hand side. If you do not have a screen name handy, simply scroll down to the bottom ...

No. Unfortunately I don't think we will be hearing from Stillerboy again. Last time we talked he told me he felt his time was better spent elsewhere. He helped me immensely and I'm sure many others. I personally will miss him. +1 Yeah, Mars’s style has always been direct, mostly because of his pass...

Not all wheat contains the same potential starch/sugar. Testing of wheat from a brewers resource would tell you a lot.

I think at a minimum you need a 6" access port and a 2" drain if you're going to do on grain... you need to be able to get I there and clean it. I'm sure it's doable with just the sankey, but youll be hating life. +1 I put a 6" ferrule on my steam keg thinking one day it could be use...

Bolverk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2024 9:54 am So you want a 15g pot and 3 thumpers?

Rickyaifd, what spirit are you planning to make with 3 thumpers?

Next time you’re feeling ‘oatey’, you might consider using rolled oats. Not only are they less expensive than steel cut, they come pre-gelatinized and make conversion happen a bit quicker.

Dunno. I let my ferments completely clear before stripping to avoid any yeast notes after aging. Others (including Eric) have reported their on-grain strips run fine.

I’m curious, would a pair of nozzles opposite each other to induce a swirling motion be helpful? Or angle them down at 45 degrees or so for better mixing? Or does it even matter? With the silicone tips, I found that my angled nozzles caused water to swirl, full grain mashes, no. I tried to 'help' t...

Sometimes I see folks asking 2.0 or even advanced 3.0 questions. When the answers they actually need are basic Homedistilling. +1 To be fair, it may be that some new folks don't know what they don't know and are unsure where to start. Other times, it appears these posts are simple requests to 'fill...

Deplorable wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 4:34 pm I installed a 2nd AC on my 5th wheel, and when SWMBO finishes cooking this wonderful bacon I'm smelling I'm going to make a 5th of bacon washed bourbon. Today is day 4 of no alcohol for me.

Your homemade bacon?

Great looking rig, Theo.

I did a yeast starter last night as outlined in one of TB's posts. Reading up more on the S-04, not only is the attenuation a bit low, but it seems to have a small hearts cut also. I am debating on pitching WB-06 once the S-04 finishes since it has a much higher attenuation. Hoping this would give ...

Great story, PM. Hat’s off for nurturing your children and keeping them engaged. I think every set of parents has enjoyed their own variation of bucket lickers and socket droppers.

Kudos for your diligence in filling a 25gal barrel.

I use a yeast from Wilderness Trail (Ferm Solutions FSI-917) on my bourbon and I like the results, but I may need to try S-04. That’s good to hear. Summer temps here are too high for S-04/US-05 so I picked up some FSI-900. It’s touted to work well into the high 80’s and above, but don’t know what t...