Home Distiller

Hi all, Well, got a batch of peach brandy brewing right now as per the "Fruits/Berries" tried and true recipe. The question I have now is once it's distilled, what does everyone do to age it? From the author I have found out that he drinks it white after distilling. However, I have read a ...

Anybody have anything to say to this? Trying to get an idea how long the yeast stay alive after the vigorous fermentation ends and I allow it to clear for a week or so before getting the sour mash going. Will I have to add yeast again or will the yeast in the lees still be fully active after 2 weeks...

Guys, Got another 30 gallons of the same wash going again...the first sweet run tasted that good! Question I have now is about sour mashing. The first time I ran this it took approximately 2 weeks to stop fermenting and clear out. If I give this new batch of wash another 2 weeks will the yeast still...

Ok, ran this stuff last Friday night. Out of a 6 gallon charge I got ~1 gallon (after cuts) of 55%. Taste and smell are delightful! So smooth! Just waiting from my oak aging stix from oak solutions group. Was thinking of putting one medium-plus and one heavy into each 1/2 gallon mason jar. A questio...

Guys, The rum is fermenting quite nicely. Has a beautiful smell coming off of it. Is there any benefit in stirring the ferment to re-distribute all of the stuff (flavors) that are sitting on the bottom right now? Was thinking of doing that once the fermentation nearly stopped then letting it settle ...

This has probably been answered already but I can't find the thread on it. Guys, just bought a 20 Gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck container to use as my primary fermenter. It says on the bottom it is Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) with a "4" in the recycle logo. Is this safe to use as a prima...

Got a HD 20 Amp router speed controller and tried it tonight on my Mile Hi 1500 W electric heating element. Worked like a charm! Found that after heating to the boiling point, I switched it over to variable mode and left it on max and it was absolutely perfect! Have been told that when the dial is s...

Thanks BB as well. Thought he might be looking for a source of toasted/charred wood rather than raw wood.

I hear ya about the freight. I just ordered 2 sets of Oak Flavoring Stix from Oak Solutions Group. The 2 sets were $44 each for a total of $88 and then there was the $78 freight. Talked to them about the freight and even checked a parcel with USPS was like $70. Have read quite a few posts on here ab...

OK.... Just siphoned off the liquid into another pail and will let it sit again for another 3 days before I run it. Smell is wonderful and has a nice mild sour taste to it. Not really yeasty at all. The wash was actually pretty clear until I took some of the liquid from grain bed at the bottom. Sett...

Hey guys,

I just ordered a batch of those PTFE discs from United States Plastics Corporation. Question I have....do you put them under the normal metal snap lid or do you replace the metal snap lid altogether with this and just hold it down with the screw ring? Clarity please....

Thanks Soggy! Appreciate the input! Looked at the link you provided but I am guessing it will be pretty expensive to have something shipped from India. Something local would be ideal. Has anybody on here actually replaced the silicone gasket on their Mile Hi milk can boiler? If so, what did you use?...

Would it actually hurt to give the whole thing a stir up? Just thinking that if I stirred it up it might extract some more flavor from all the corn sitting in the bottom of the fermentor. Won`t be running it now until Friday when I have time again so it will have a lot of time for everything to sett...

Hey guys, I see the 2 inch PTFE triclamp gaskets are pretty available (from Glacier Tanks for example), but what should I use to replace the large silicon gasket between the milk can and the milk can lid? They are currently using Silicone gasket for milk can lids 7 1/4" ID x 8 1/4" OD. Wou...

Oops....sorry...yes! Thanks for the correction! SG is 0.994

Tastes pretty sour to me...kind of makes the lips pucker a bit!

Just checked the SG again...down to .94 now.

Any idea how low it will go...

Hey T-Pee, Checked the wash again....still slowly bubbling. That`s 8 days now. Was wondering if it will slowly keep fermenting for a while due to the pound of malted barley I added to the corn and rye? Would the enzymes in the malted barley slowly keep converting the starches in the corn and rye tha...

Appreciate your help as usual T-Pee! Hard to tell really...it's in a solid plastic pail....can't see inside the liquid layer. There is a grain cap on top and the liquid below looks kind of milky. How much will it clear? How much longer should I wait? Based on the SG's is it ready to run?

Pretty milky looking with lots of floating clumps.

OK....starting wash was 1.06 SG.....now it is 0.98 SG after 6 days. Is is kind of fizzing a bit. Do you guys think i could run it tomorrow?

Hey guys, Got my new 8 gallon 1500W electric pot still from Mile Hi a couple of weeks ago. Ran a couple batches so far. Having a problem with control of the heating element. It is thermostatically controlled. So either full 1500W on...or off. There is no control of how much heat is being added. What...

Thanks Googe! 3L molasses and 3kg sugar.....that's a total of roughly 11 pounds of sugar! How much water do you add to that? I am guessing that it is for more than 5 gallons water like mine? For my 5 gallons water I am putting in approximately 8.5 pounds sugar....that may be a little to much still.....

Hey all, Been doing a LOT of reading about rum here...for days now. Wife wants me to make a batch of medium flavored rum. There are so many variations and opinions. Here I what I am proposing after all my reading. PLEASE tell me if it sounds OK or if I'm missing something! 5 gallons water 1 gallon b...

Yes, I do have and know how to use a hydrometer. Just plan on leaving it until I have time to run the still again next weekend. It won't hurt to leave it for a day or two after it is ready to run will it?

Hey guys, The wash has been fermenting beautifully for 2 days now. Has a nice head of grain on top of it. I will give it a full 7 days before I do a spirit run through my pot still. Question I have ..... should I stir the wash daily or at all after it has started fermentation? There is a large grain...

Hello all, Looking at making a grain flavored sugar wash this weekend, kind of similar to UJSSM, but will not be doing the backset/sour mashing part. Just a single fermentation, then a spirit run in a pot still. This is my first sugar wash ever. Not ready for cooking mashes yet. This is what I am th...

Scratchfeed? Don't know if we have that here in Alberta, Canada.

Hi all! Been searching the site and can't find a recipe for Canadian rye whiskey. Looking for something like crown royal or Canadian club. Ordered my 8 gallon electric pot still from mile hi a couple of days ago and want to make a nice Canadian rye whiskey. Anybody know how to make this stuff? Any h...

Hi all, I live in northern Alberta, Canada. While growing up, I watched my uncle make simple moonshine on the family farm for years. I have finally decided to set up my own still and have some fun. My uncle had a simple cream can with a copper cooling coil attached to it which he heated with a propa...

Hello, I am looking at getting into home distilling. There are many brands of copper Alembic's on the internet. Lately, I have been looking at the ones offered by Mile Hi Distilling. Any comments on the quality of these stills? Where are they made? Any other suggestions for a quality Alembic? I have...