Home Distiller

Yes, it is a pot still. The Scotland style swan neck is 8 feet high and is well insulated in the distillation area and the hydrometer on the distillate output shows 90+% on the first 200ml that come out. Just because I don't have a heat source big enough to run my still "balls to the wall" when str...

I've done both in a limited time, and there's no question in my mind that my barrell aged ujsm is better than my stick aged ujsm, it just is...noticeably. I also agree with what Hack said, that you can make and age some fine whiskeys at home just using toasted sticks. There's no need to buy an expen...

I have a '70 VW Kombi van which we used to use on skydiving weekends. It needs a bit of work on the engine and I can't be stuffed working on cars anymore, but I love the fucker. Going to drive it over to a VW guy shortly and let him do it for me. blanik Of course ya have. :lol: What'sAnOldHippyWith...

Well you went wrong when you decided to buy the airstill it is truely crock of ****! Time to either build you own or go out and buy a still. I have upgraded to the commercial essencia express still and carbon filter package that the local store owner talked me into buying. It would be a much better...

Or a good little storage vessel for finnished spirits or strip.

I'm running a spirit run of Ujsm right now and the smell of the alcohol i am collecting is quite strong in the shed, i can smell it outside the shed a bit and the missus can smell it from 8-10 feet away. You really have got a handle on it if your producing alcohol with no scent. 8) AllTheVeryBestOfL...

Stripping runs always start below 70% for this potstiller, usually round 64-60%.

I strip to 20%.

I don't get 90% on a spirit run, usually only starts around the 82-84% mark with a charge of 40-50% low wines....

I'm on the 12th floor of a hi-rise condominium in Arlington, VA with a nice view of the Potomac and DC. I run my still (I think it was a Desti Labs still bought from eBay in 1998 and modified - still head bolted on top of a stainless steel bowl mounted on top of a turkey fryer, sealed with flour/wa...

The Chemist wrote:

kenfyoozed wrote: Is there any way to actually test if there are "bugs"?

Yeast are bugs...or is that 'yeast am bugs'? 'Yeast is bugs'?

here i am thinking yeast is a plant....

You can buy unions the same as that in stainless here in Oz. That's what i use to attach the liebigs on my VM stills.
I solder 3/4 copper pipe into the half inch threaded stainless unions.

Evolution at work.

pro65 wrote:Minime can you please say that in plain english. I don't know exactley what you are talking about.

If ya don't want to get into the heavy theory or the quest for perfection, you acn turn your power down a little and try equalising for at least half an hour, squeeze it out to an hour if ya like...

If you can pull 95+ it'll be just fine through your reflux still.

The old timers here are potstillers without the benefit of rectification...

Dirty feet is an infection.

If you want a less violent fermentation, try boiling the germ for less time.

If i recall the thread correctly, some suggested the violent fermentation would not be acheived without the ninety minute boil.


Try a thirty minute boil.

nathan wrote:I filled my pot still too full about 3/4. i let it boil and it started distilling water, the only thing that smelled like alcohol was the vapor it emitted. what a pain. i'm an idiot sometimes.

Vapour?????

Just google up your cubic conversion question and you'll get 50,000 web based widgets that will do it for you.... :roll: For a 25l ferment you should be aiming for a 35-40l boiler i think. Elements can be obtained from electrical wholesalers. Screw in types are best, you just weld on a socket, and s...

dixiedrifter wrote:Nice thing about those tri-clovers is you can weld in a 6 or even 8 inch ferrule on top and just cut it out with a plasma cutter and your just as good.

Yep, a hundred ways to skin this cat.

Getting the first fruit off my Pineapple guava right now. I was late spraying and the fruit flies have spoiled the bulk of it (only about twenty fruits all up anyway), but i will be more prepared this coming year. looking forward to your results from your experiments here. I was thinking of a simple...

The fizzing is merely the release of trapped Co2 in the wash. 1050 is fairly high, but i have had em finnish that high before. There could be a few things going on, could be a small leak in your seal allowing the small amount of Co2 created by a very slow fermentation to escape without bubbling. Tha...

not this again....

Can someone please dig up the multipage thread where we did this last time and post a link so theses guy's can have a read.....


I can't find it, but it'll save 50 posts

Sounds like plastic?

also, if its aluminum, youll be able to cut through it like butter but SS will take 4.32 years Should be a law against cutting the keg. I had so much trouble on my first still (reflux) because I cut a hole in the top. Sealing is a bit of a pain and mounting the column to the stainless dog bowl was ...

Sounds like it was written by schoolkids, for schoolkids.


A very long essay of bad information

No worries mate, may actually be an internal inspection outlet, just sounded like a boundary shaft to me.

No worries then. It's actually incorrect information, but if they're happy with you building over it well and good. The water board will need access to your boundary shaft if their side gets blocked with tree roots, your plumber will need access as well if roots or other blockages occur upstream fro...

What you are talking about sounds like a Boundary Shaft. That's the last point of your sewer (including your kitchen drain :roll: ) before it becomes council property. the boundary shaft and associatted plumbing belongs to the council, if you build over it illegally and they want access to it, they ...

Dnderhead wrote:I found flaked grain is not much difference than cracked, just takes less cooking.

How much less cooking?

Should be near cooked already right?

Interested in the answer.

Watch out on the citric acid in the fermenter. I've had it kill my yeast off. ~bd~ I've added as much as 5 litres of pure pressed juice and three litres of pulp from citrus fruit to a 40l wash and the yeast were happy as Larry. (sse Limewash in recipes section) How much citric acid did ya put in th...

I fiind four 60 litre fermenters filled to 40 for 1 charge of different things like rum and sugars and allgrains etc and a large ninety litre one filled to 70l for two ujsm strips keep me going and don't interfere with my homely lifestyle. :shock: How many sheng you fermenting at a time?!?! How muc...

If ya just use a strainer as you would for rice or something, there's no hassle with the straining and the small amount of grain, yeast and crap will not burn. The only time i have had anything burn in my pot still heated by gas is when i have rushed a stuck or unfinnished ferment and burnt the suga...