Home Distiller

Hi, METALHEAD81. Could you let us know exactly how you make and fit the barrel heads, and any problems. I would love to just buy some barrels from Badmotivator but the freight cost is the killer for me. I probably don't have the skills to fashion the heads but I know of a cooper who might do it. An...

I spent the day making a circle cutting jig for my bandsaw and giving this a try. I apparently sold my dowling jig at a garage sale but honestly didn’t like the idea of flour glue anyway so I did a tongue and groove for connecting my staves. I planed the wood which was rough sawn 5/4 down to 1” and ...

As I read through this thread , in my travels I grabbed some Bain Marie’s from the local restaurant supply and secured some 4 quarter 1/4 sawn white oak locally. Then the topic of tannins and seasoning came up and turned this quick weekend project into a year long waiting game while my wood seasons....

So after reading this thread a I tried the original recipe exactly as it is written and I ended up with about 800ml of product at 42 abv. I did a second batch with the exact same recipe but I ran the corn through a blender first and there was a significant difference in the mash as well as the fini...

So after reading this thread a I tried the original recipe exactly as it is written and I ended up with about 800ml of product at 42 abv. I did a second batch with the exact same recipe but I ran the corn through a blender first and there was a significant difference in the mash as well as the finis...

In my search for a good rye recipe I found a George Washington rye recipe that I started with and has evolved into something very close to this. 8 lbs rye, 5 Lbs corn and 2 barley and same technique. I did 3 batches, stripped and then did a spirt run with a little backset from the last run to adjust...

I tried this yesterday to the letter and got 1.031 SG. I pitched some DADY yeast and it’s happily bubbling. Well see what the final yield looks like. Going to do it again today and grind the corn to meal in a blender first and see how much of a difference it makes. If that doesn’t give better result...

Is this okay to use on all grains? Corn, rye, barley ect? and can it be used to squeeze grains before fermentation and/or after? I have been hand squeezing a BIAB after mashing and before fermentation. Just wanted to see if it causes any negative change in flavor it fermentation if it was done befor...

I did this as my first all grain. Simple enough. I used 10 lbs 6 row malted barley. I am still exploring flavors so I decided to keep it simple To see what it tastes like. The mashing process was straight forward but I do not have any proper sparging setup so I did the first mash in 3 gallons for 90...

By comparison, the bakers yeast does do fine with the birdwatchers recipe in my house. I ferment in buckets with air locks up against my radiators in a back room. It’s slow but it gets the job done in 12-14 days. I’ve made 4 batches of that with various sugars, turbinado, brown, white, and all finis...

You could always try to find a way to keep your ferments warm. There are many options there as well True I have a heating pad I’ve been using. I wonder which is more cost effective though. A yeast that is happy at my room temp or heating water for 7-14 days with a hot blanket or fish tank heater.

My last thread on the cornflake whisky was as much of train wreck as the drink itself. What a failure that batch was. I’m currently running my second attempt that’s 22 days in the fermenter and what a difference. Flavor is so much better than the straight sugar washes I’ve practiced on. Albeit I’m s...

Show me the quote where someone said George is ALL wrong [/quote] C'mon that's an easy one. "Trucker sorry to have to tell you this, I'll put it more bluntly that NZChris did , George is an idiot, following him or his advice will lead you down paths that are just plain out wrong . Hes already ...

It's so entertaining to me how many people come in here in their first year and exclaim how this is the most informative and best source of information for distilling, and in the same breath list reasons we should change it to something else. Knowledge is hard earned. The reason you can't put every...

It sort of cleared when I racked it. With a mash/wash like this, should I: A. wait for the ferment to end then treat it like a wine and stir the crap out of it with ALL of the corn flakes in it, then rack it and let it settle? B. Or a mix of both perhaps. Ferment till done, rack what clears and tos...

Message received. Thanks

I read it, and I thought I was learning something and having a meaningful conversation but then you responded with a condescending attitude so now I guess I didn't learn anything at all.

It sort of cleared when I racked it. Most of the heavy stuff hit the bottom but the rest never separated. I usually (from beer making) try not to mess around with the wort with stirring and shaking, especially after the primary fermentation. I siphon off whatever liquid is on top without disturbing ...

But what did it TASTE like? Geoff Honesty not as good as I was hoping but I do understand its a fermented mush. It kinda sorta just a little smells like vomit but its not terribly offensive. The taste wasnt bad like spoiled milk or anything, just not something I would drink. But was there any resid...

I just pulled one...Says 0.995-6

So did I mess it up by chilling it? <— Yes, probably. Should I pull it from the fridge and let it warm up or leave it and see what happens? <— Naw, not worth the effort. But next time, don’t get so anxious to get it to the boiler. “Patience is the hardest thing to put in a bottle”. LEARN from your ...

Boiler is propane heated <— OK, so a little of solids carrying over to the boiler may be tolerable and avoid a scorch. Started with 1.075 or so SG <— OK, so that’s a reasonable start such that it should be nearly done now. Nearly done. Final gravity was 1.01 <— OK, you are getting close, but not qu...

The Baker wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:02 am But what did it TASTE like?

Geoff

Honesty not as good as I was hoping but I do understand its a fermented mush. It kinda sorta just a little smells like vomit but its not terribly offensive. The taste wasnt bad like spoiled milk or anything, just not something I would drink.

Boiler is propane heated Started with 1.075 or so SG Final gravity was 1.01 Ferment seemed done to me because the bubbling stopped. When I checked the SG and saw 1.01 it kinda seemed like the hydrometer was sitting on flakes and getting an off reading which is why I racked it. I figured it would set...

Iv'e got 2 sugar wash runs under my belt which went simply well so I decided to try the corn flakes whisky. I followed the directions for a 5 gallon batch, it fermented in about 5 days then stopped so I racked it into glass and let the temp drop but the cornflakes just don't want to sink or separate...

Might be a little off topic, but what do you guys do for gas. I bought a little stick/mig/tig welder with the intent of tig welding some stainless still parts. (after a ton of practice) Went to Airgas the other day and found it costs about 4 bills to get set up with a new tank and a fill. So my que...

I pitched one package in 1.03 dextrose/dap mix in a mason jar with an airlock and it’s bubbling fine. I reserved some sugar water as suggested and I’ll build up a colony. This should work fine for my next batch. It’s this or a package of turbo that I would really like to not use.

You want the easiest way ... cook up a batch and use what you have on hand. The yeast will bud and reproduce and, when done, will flocullate and compact on the bottom of the fermenter. Collect and reuse in your next batch. You can repeat that for many, many generations. The amount I have is so far ...

Interesting. I don’t have DME but I do have corn sugar and DAP handy. Should conceivable work as well no?

Gonna need a TIG welder. 150-200 amp range. I have a Miller dynasty 200 for my home shop but any DC TIG welder with a similar output would work. 220v would be best as it’s less likely to trip a breaker on 115v. Miller, Lincoln, esab all great machines with good customer support. Some cheaper machine...