Home Distiller

Thank's... good choice

@barney
Maybe your condenser is too short for the job?

Just curious, how much did you pay for the barrel?

Run it, it will be fine.

It sound reasonable, but to little means not enough flavor and to much is to much, so, it is up to experimental data. I'm curious about your
results, please keep us informed.

@Odin It is rich in tannin, no doubt about it, but this is not the only aspect, there are several other substances with a uncommon taste. I have little personal experience (just two batches) so I can't give you a sound explication, just some intuitive advice: even if you cure it >30 days in sun (I d...

Ro, Yeah, being too late was a fear I had. I decided to go ahead and try it anyhow. Like 1.5 liter. Not a big spoil. And if it doesn't work out fine, I will restart next year. Only that time in the beginning of July and not halfway august. BD, It is black, but with a green hint indeed. Odin. Just d...

Devonhomebrew wrote:little bit of a noob what is that?

there are no philosophical difference between a pot still and a reflux still, just the amount of "the said reflux". Read the HD forum as much as you can.

Devonhomebrew wrote:i have no intentions on moving to reflux at all

you will always have a parasitic reflux.

after i have added the apple juice and sugar After that there are no easy solutions. If you really need a proofing, you will need a laboratory miniature still (1...3 liter), distill a known amount of your shine , measure the volume and ABV of the resulting ethanol solution, calculate the absolute e...

Devonhomebrew wrote:gonna settle with 45* there abouts coz well boiller isnt very high

good choice, because despite the heavy polemics, there are no absolute numbers. Just make the angle to fit your needs. You may adjust the riser
for parasitic reflux if it is neccesary.

the final color will be dark brown/black regardless of the age of walnuts.

EDIT
I know that taste is better with the young ones from personal experience. What I heard is that the tannin & juglone make the difference.

@Kerfuffles
When you are young everything is about speed and fast outcome, believe me I speak for myself as well, but unfortunately this is not good for HD.
I made some very bad tasting brandy when I was 20 year old/young. Take it easy and read the forum.

welcome and at the very least, double your age by making some good 'shine

distilling ethanol in a closed airspace is not a good setup, but if you really need a practical solution, a good amount of water will do the trick. EDIT in a ventilated room or in the backyard it is a tradition in my country to test the tail cut by testing the combustibility of the distillate trying...

Devonhomebrew wrote:What proof will i get with a nice 5.5% cider without a thumper in a pot still

just to be clear: you can obtain 80% ABV with 2 distillation in a pot still or 30% depending on your cuts. If you need a better aprox. please
give the amount of cider and your settings/target for it.

@Odin
It is much to late for walnuts, I said they must be easy to slice with a sharp knife and don't present any woody parts in section. Sorry, but don't be sad
the world will not end in 2012... wait for 2013.About the taste; it is very strange and almost pharmaceutical.

it depends on when your make the cut for tail

as rad14701 said, your have a "bottleneck" with the diameter of the worm, but you can improve the overall yield/time by making the jonctions with a a bigger diameter. The riser is more important for the "neutrallity" of your likker.... The higher it is, more parasitic reflux you...

as rad14701 said, your have a "bottleneck" with the diameter of the worm, but you can improve the overall yield/time by making the jonctions with a a bigger diameter. The riser is more important for the "neutrallity" of your likker.... The higher it is, more parasitic reflux you ...

Welcome ....you will surpass your mentor if you will read this forum with attention, I vouch for this.

@BD
your walnuts seems to be OK, judging from your photo.

@Odin
nice to see you again, and yes, last year I made aprox. 10 liter and it was consumed (with friends) in the spring of this year.I must tell that after
filtering, it is important to age for at least 6 months.

@ tom sawyer If you use a pot still, distilling beer is not as bad as it looks, because it is easy to clean . About the final product it will never be a neutral spirit, but I find that some of my friends enjoy the taste . It is consumed in Germany as "bier schnapps" and yes, it have a stro...

He is talking about a cork stopper to plug the end of a 2" pipe. Not make a gasket. And what kind of natural adhesive would they use? To answer the ops question. Because they want find a better product that's cheap enough for them to make money on. Just like you can't find one. My local home b...

Blind Drunk, can you still slice the walnuts or are the shells set? .... Very good question, because this is the criteria for optimum walnut for nocino/diö palinka/walnut brandy....well it is not a brandy but a liqueur: - the walnuts must be green and easy to slice with a sharp knife, and must not ...

no, i buy the cork sheet and I have many "hollow punch" for different diameters

you can by a cork sheet - from 1 to 10 mm (i use 2 or 3 mm) ...it is made from compressing cork bits with a natural resin.

I distill in my backyard and if there are no leaks between pot, pot-head and/or condenser,
my pot still can't be "sniffed" from 2 meter away. The smelly part is fermenting and
of course when tossing the leftover from the first run.

Welcome to HD forum !