Home Distiller

How high a sg has anyone gone with this?

I just did some coconut syrup I was given with a start of 1.102. This ended up about 12%.
Do you think I could get away with the same for this recipe?

Tom

(Late to the party) Found that oyster shells (from the pet store) are not ground fine enough to react enough to send the ph back up. I run them through a blade type coffee grinder to turn them into powder first. (Was using egg shells before but it is a bit too much hassle collecting and boiling them...

Here is what I have had for a couple years.... https://www.amazon.com/Accuteck-ShipPro-Digital-Shipping-W-8580-110-Black/dp/B00KYA0RC2/ref=sr_1_23?keywords=Postal+scale&qid=1551643721&s=gateway&sr=8-23" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Just...

“Best before” is meant for the plastic.

Edwin: You did not give details on the take off collection? I am going to use a 1/2” copper pipe cap (with tabs cut and bent to prevent marbles from entering) with 1/4 pipe off the bottom and through the side wall. I am still trying to decide the height. From your drawing, yours was 100mm or 8% of h...

Any more than 20% and I would be killing people! Found a simple method.... Add.... 1/4 teaspoon Apple Pie spice 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon ... to an almost full “beer bottle” of 93% and let sit for a few days (shaking a few times) Slowly pour this into a large mason, leaving the spice sediment behind ...

“...cost of booze is pretty cheap...”

Where might that be? (Making a list of places to move)

Here in Canada you have to be rich to have a drinking problem. (Which, ironically is why most drink to begin with)

T

Just wondering how you arrived at 100mm? Was it just an educated guess? (8% of column height) Seems like your results suggest it be placed higher up, possibly at 20 or 30% of column height? I have switched from lava to marbles and need to find some takeoff that would be compatible with marbles and b...

I found that my analog meters were way off when used with a phase cut control. (When is upgraded to a true rms wattmeter I found I was actually at much higher power.) However, since you setup is unique the numbers don’t have to match reality, just be consistent so you can get a feel of what to set t...

I was offered as much coconut palm sugar syrup as I could take. (It appears it comes in totes with over 1000 litre that gets a bit “twangy” and they can not use it) Got about 50 litres and man the stuff is heavy! Was worried as I hear the salt content might make it hard to ferment so treated it like...

Wow, this is high tech!

But inquiring minds want to know.....

How much wort did you get from the 18 lbs of wet grain?
(Some would say a extra pound or two is better than all the effort)

T

With beer there is always overflow unless you use fercap (I can go almost to the top with it)

For sugar washes, I have only 1/4 to 1/2 inch foam, so can fill the drum to the top.

T

In the “all or nothing category”.... I have used “lava” rock and found it “holds” a lot and is a pain to clean. Have switched to marbles and it seems more stable but nit as efficient. What about a bit of both? Half marbles and half lava. I am not sure which would be best on the top? (Possibly marble...

I got an old water bed heater that would nicely wrap around a large olive barrel (150 Litres).

Found I did not need the full 300W so put a diode in series and I have a 150W barrel heater that I plug into my temperature controller.

T

Here is one crazy idea....
(Actually a reverse liquid management)
(Takeoff is on left, level in reservoir can be adjusted)

T

This courtesy Riku’s book....

(Build this into a mason jar cap)
Make one to overflow into second jar, or make a bunch to fill a bunch of jars automatically.

T

Did my stripping run into a corny key. Ran quite long until only a few percent alcohlol was left. This resulted in about 30% at a ph of 4.6. (Also a fair amount of stinky stuff) Added about 1 teaspoon of sodium carbonate (pool ph+) that raised the ph to 7.6. (This must be strong stuff?) This is a 20...

Pikey: I collect co2 from a sanke keg that I ferment beer in. I let it get to about 25psi. (Above that and the yeast get unhappy. Although, once I forgot to open a valve and the pressure went way high) This means that the beer is already carbonated when it is finished fermenting so I can call it “na...

Was using "lava rock" and now trying marbles. Big issue with the rock is how porous it is. When the run is finished we have the rock still full of whatever fraction it was working on. I would have to soak it for days to get the "stink" out. Then I thought that I should be doing t...

I was looking at a 5500W but was concerned that it would burn some of my more wheat based brews. (Previous short 2000w had done this). Found they have a 4400W that I can run wide open without any hot spots. Watching it work I think I would have had issues with a 5500W.

T

I have ruined (bad taste throughout) a batch by getting too greedy and adding jars that are to far into the heads and tails. Now I stick with the hearts and, to satisfy my frugalness, make a separate jug I call "tavern grade" that has the rougher tastes. This I use for the drinks that coul...

Have made several batches of Skeeter Pee but it was never a crowd pleaser. Recently have been kegging frozen lemonade at 5% (from neutral) and about 3 volumes co2 and it has got great reviews. Don't think I will go back!

T

Saves the hole in the kettle, but (being the "cheap is better" bent) worried about the premium?

Are these not about $150 each?

(A hole costs only so much)

T

Like some others I have my wife save me the shells from a dozen eggs.
Boil them for a while (the smell is a bit revolting to some) and then into a small grinder until they are alsmot powder.

Amazingly heavy stuff!

Last time I used about 1g per 3l.

T

Richard: I actually have the takeoff (with the vent) strapped to the side of the reservoir, at the desired height with an adjustable pipe clamp. Thanks for the suggestion of heat loss. I have the column insulated with reflectix, but should do the same with the head and especially the reflux line. (I...

Here is a crazy idea for you...... Have a 2" concentric (Thanks to Rad) that drops in the top. Open up the valve for full reflux until the column stabilises, and then slowly close, watching the reservoir fill. Let it sit to compress the heads and then close a bit more to start taking off. After...

Have you considered a RLM? (Reverse Liquid Management, or reflux management))

It can me run like a LM if you wish but is supposedly self adjusting throughout the run and then just shuts down at the end.

T

UPDATE Wow, I have never had a ferment go so fast! Started 1.075 and got to 1.002 in 36 hours. Was going so fast I had to rip off the reflectix and put a large fan to keep the temperature down. Smelt strongly of banana bread. It has been another 24 hours and there is a very light activity but no rea...

Sorry for bringing this out of the ground.... I have a bunch of coconut sugar syrup that I want to use. There seems to be a problem with the ferment. I read about this sugar.... "Coconut sugar is rich in nutrients. It is especially high in potassium, and containing almost 10,300 milligrams per ...

Sorry to call this back to life after a year.... But I have been given almost 150 pounds of coconut palm syrup with the task of seeing what I can do with it. (There is a thousand more on its way to the drain unless I find a fitting use) It is about 78bix and I am lead to believe that this should mos...