Home Distiller

I like Reposado. I am thinking of doing a sweet potato mash and adding blue agave syrup to a SG of about 1.065. Fermentation with SafTeq Blue at a temp of at least 85 degrees F. Keep an eye on the PH for the first couple of days and adjust as needed. Same with yeast nutrient - some on day one, more ...

This is great information for those of us just starting out. Thanks!

Distilling season is coming up in November for me. Looking to try this recipe a few time to see what it tastes like. Seems pretty simple. Most people seem to be using all bran cereal or corn flakes or the like. I read through and tried searching for "grape nuts" to see if anyone has tried...

Johnson County is (or used to be) "dry" so there are a fair number of folks there that think that any alcohol is evil and home-made even more so. Still, I suspect there was someone with a personal axe to grind involved in this.

I would think this is a good step down the road to legalization of hobby distilling.

I think a number of states avoid the whole question of distilling and just go after the product, making it illegal to possess liquor that has not been purchased from a source holding a valid permit. The presence of a still would just be evidence that the liquor was not purchased lawfully.

First, the fitting has been replaced with a copper coupling. For what its worth the one I removed looks to be plated inside and out, and I don't see any silicon or plastic. However, I think the ring that slips over the copper tubing is just brass. Fortunately I only used it for a cleaning run and sa...

I almost forgot: I can think of no reason, whether I was doing anything illegal or not, why I would consent to a search of my home or car. The officer, if he appears at my door, is going to have to stay on the porch until he shows me the warrant the Constitution requires him to have before he starts...

I don't know a lot about distilling at this point, but I know a little about criminal investigations and the law (in the USA only, let me hasten to add). I know of no case where an accused person has improved matters by answering any questions before talking to his lawyer. An experienced investigato...

I used to have an air still and I did some double distillations trying to make an Irish-style whiskey. I wasn't trying to get to the proof levels you're talking about, but I can't say I had any safety concerns. As long as the vapor path stays clear there's not going to be a pressure explosion, and t...

I appreciate the warning on the underlying brass, and I fully get that. The fitting will be replaced with a copper coupling as soon as UPS gets it here.

Thank you.

Just FYI, per the National Institute of Health (NIH): "Chromium is a mineral that humans require in trace amounts, although its mechanisms of action in the body and the amounts needed for optimal health are not well defined. It is found primarily in two forms: 1) trivalent (chromium 3+), which ...

bearriver: You may have read what I have posted, but you give no indication of having understood it. At what point have I disregarded the universal safety concerns to which you refer? The criticism/ban of pressure cookers appears to be based on the assumption they are aluminum and/or use rubber/sili...

I don't recall chrome plated fittings being advised by anyone in building a still... Ever... :problem: How do some people walk through this world learning everything the hardest way possible? I guess you could say I'm somewhat skeptical of what I read on forums like this one. Trust but verify - tha...

Can anyone provide a link to some sort of respected authority on the subject of pressure cooker gaskets leaching dangerous chemicals into the distillation process? Assuming one intended to use a stainless steel pressure cooker with a gasket that has been FDA approved for use with acidic thinks like...

No aluminum or rubber! My little stainless pressure cooker now has a ptfe rope gasket in place of the rubber one it came with (that took more than a little jury rigging and playing around!). I removed the safety pressure blowout in the lid, enlarged the hole and put in a chrome-plated compression fi...

brewmaster, just wondering how it turned out?

I'll probably be the only advocate for the counter top Airstill, but it works for me... Stainless Airstill.jpg Make sure you get one of the highest wattage you can find. I've used one and I agree - they work OK for small batches, but you definitely need high wattage. On the model I had I'd spend 2 ...

What is the wash temperature...??? That doesn't sound like enough honey to slow the entire yeast colony... Gerber no longer makes the barley flavor... However, Malt-O-Meal still makes its "original" style hot cereal, which is wheat farina, malted barley, calcium carbonate and assorted vit...

As far as I can tell, the way pot became "legal" in some states (note: it is still a controlled substance under federal law, it's just that the feds decline to prosecute pot cases unless huge dollars are involved) was by lobbying efforts not unlike those being undertaken by the HDA. That m...

I meant ptfe of course - don't know why I keep screwing that up. But I ordered a hunk, and already have a stainless pressure cooker so we'll see how it goes.

Just for fun, looking into whether braided pfte rope discussed elsewhere on this forum can be fashioned into a replacement for the rubber gasket. I foresee some issues, but we'll see.

OK, understood, topic closed.

Can anyone provide a link to some sort of respected authority on the subject of pressure cooker gaskets leaching dangerous chemicals into the distillation process? Assuming one intended to use a stainless steel pressure cooker with a gasket that has been FDA approved for use with acidic thinks like ...

We are asked to post: A little about yourself • A little about what you want to do, and or what you would like to gain from the site/forum. I REALLY JUST WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CRAFT • A little about what still you currently have, or what you are wanting to make/buy AFTER GETTING A WARNING LET...