Hi From South Africa

New to distillation, or simply new to the HD forums.
** Your first post MUST go here. Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your interest in distilling. Any posts asking distilling questions will be deleted. **

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

I'm Afrikaans speaking so please understand if I don't get the British correct, but I will try :D
I've been doing this distilling thing for about 10 years now, and every time I read up on a topic I realize how much more there is to learn.
I have brewed a few beers from grain in the last 2 years, very interesting hobby but I don't have the space to do it now.
In SA we call Moonshine "Mampoer" and the first time I made a batch was with Plumbs from a tree in my garden and a sorry to say modified pressure cooker for a still. It tasted like the devils toe nails, but the excitement to having distilled my own Mampoer made me show it off to all my friends.
Today I only distill with sugar wash and some maize and seeds( basically 2 KG of Chickenfeed) cooked up for nutrients and flavor.
My Still is the dome of a copper water heater modified to fit a 50 L electric urn and a copper tube in tube for my condenser.
I have just finished building a 1,5 meter re-flux column out of 2" copper pipe, I will update on the efficiency and design later.
I know I will learn a lot here and hope to add some of my knowledge from time to time.
Fanus
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
User avatar
nuntius01
Rumrunner
Posts: 705
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2017 4:51 pm
Location: upper midwest

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by nuntius01 »

welcome, post a pic. glad to have you here
I'm just the bank and the mule

post your still pics here
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 16&t=66917
User avatar
Still Life
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1545
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:24 pm
Location: Great State Of Missouri

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Still Life »

Hello, Fanus!
There's at least 2 more South Africans on the forum here.
Your "British" is excellent.
Nice to have you as a member of the crowd.
Welcome!
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

Still Life wrote:Hello, Fanus!
There's at least 2 more South Africans on the forum here.
Your "British" is excellent.
Nice to have you as a member of the crowd.
Welcome!
Thanks for the welcome.
Here is some of my last run aging on Bourbon oak chips.Image

Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
User avatar
Kareltje
Distiller
Posts: 2176
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Kareltje »

There seems to be an invasion from Suid Afrika lately. :)
Welcome.
Uncle Jesse
Site Admin
Posts: 3924
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 3:00 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Uncle Jesse »

Welcome aboard!

We're in the U.S. and your English comes across just fine!
If only the best birds sang, the woods would be silent.
Worm_Drippinz
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 319
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 6:35 am

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Worm_Drippinz »

Welcome!!!!
papstoker
Novice
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:27 am
Location: Johannesburg, SA

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by papstoker »

Welkom Fanus! The guys are great here.

Waar in die land is jy? Ek is in Johannesburg.

Have you tried making grape brandy? (Brannas) I would love to try it. I did make a pretty passable plum brandy recently. I added sugared plum juice back into some of it to make a plum liquour and my wife has finally liked something from my dabblings.

I also made an surprisingly good whiskey from sorghum (umqombothi/k bier), but King Korn isnt very cheap in the shops.

Enjoy the forums!

Pieter
Never trust a man who don't drink
User avatar
TDick
Distiller
Posts: 1365
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2017 9:25 pm
Location: Sweet Home

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by TDick »

fanusvdv wrote:I'm Afrikaans speaking so please understand if I don't get the British correct, but I will try :D
" It tasted like the devils toe nails, but the excitement to having distilled my own Mampoer made me show it off to all my friends."
:lol:
Fanus
Never heard of devils toe nails before, but lmao!
Welcome..
Down The Rabbit Hole.jpg
Down The Rabbit Hole.jpg (6.14 KiB) Viewed 2325 times
Cheers!
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

papstoker wrote:Welkom Fanus! The guys are great here.

Waar in die land is jy? Ek is in Johannesburg.

Have you tried making grape brandy? (Brannas) I would love to try it. I did make a pretty passable plum brandy recently. I added sugared plum juice back into some of it to make a plum liquour and my wife has finally liked something from my dabblings.

I also made an surprisingly good whiskey from sorghum (umqombothi/k bier :lolno: Ja Ne), but King Korn isnt very cheap in the shops.

Enjoy the forums!

Pieter
Hi Pieter
Thanks for the welcome and Good to hear from you, I'm in Port Elizabeth, Yes the people here has been a real inspiration for me. I read quite a bit and try to implement some of the tried and tested ideas in every new batch that I build, and I must say it is working for me. Funny how we start of with info that may be correct for a certain application but are by no means applicable to another. This site has really taken me a few steps towards distinguishing what to do where, if you know what I mean :D

I found the answer for the sorghum problem and it is Morvite in a sugar wash, No additional nutrients required. just Sugar, Some Back set and 2 Kg Morvite on a 100l wash and it fermented in a week. I think it tasted better than the one with the King Korn. It seems to have all the vitamins and muti to keep the Yeast happy. It is precooked and sterile.

I would love to do a fruit wash for a brandy some time but my goal at this stage is to make a proper all grain and letting it Oak and age for a year or 2.
Also see my cheap ass solution to Oaking, R42 ($3) for 300 grams, I just toasted it a bit with a blow torch in foil and it works for me.
I do get to travel to JHB from time to time and we may just get a chance to exchange a bottle or two, you know just to boost our ego's by hearing what wonderful distillers we are :roll:
Keep well Buddy
Fanus
Attachments
Oak.jpg
Morvite-.jpg
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

Hey Bamaberry Thanks and I'm half way down that hole, just need to lose some weight my darn mid section is apparently not build for holes :D

Cheers
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
User avatar
Dantuss
Swill Maker
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:15 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Dantuss »

Welcome!
My Build 2" CCVM
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=68341" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
My still up and running 1st and 2nd runs Yahoo!
https://youtu.be/KYZUiHw79vY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
papstoker
Novice
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:27 am
Location: Johannesburg, SA

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by papstoker »

Hey Fanus. Thanks for the tips. Yes, the Cape Smoke works well. I also got some Jack Daniels barrel chips at Hirsch's, but the Cape Smoke was smoother.

I will look into the Morvite - cant say I know it. My most passable whiskey so far was loosely based on the All Bran recipe here in the forum - better than my mielie whiskey and my 2 attempts at Scotch.

I saw an interesting thread on the SA distillique forum about the lisencing of ones still (for R5) that might interest you. The chap worked with the customs and excise people in PE and they were apptly quite helpful.

Ive done a few rums. The first with expensive molasses from Dischem, and the second time I bought 25 l molasses at the co-op for R125.

Woud be good to meet and exchange a bottle or 2, although my attempts are still pretty basic. Have had more success with liqueurs like Kalua, Limoncello and Van der Hum (recipe from 'Kook en Geniet')

Enjoy!
Never trust a man who don't drink
User avatar
nuntius01
Rumrunner
Posts: 705
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2017 4:51 pm
Location: upper midwest

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by nuntius01 »

welcome
I'm just the bank and the mule

post your still pics here
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 16&t=66917
User avatar
bilgriss
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1690
Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2016 2:28 pm
Location: Southeast-ish.

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by bilgriss »

Good to have you hear. I'm looking forward to your contributions.
User avatar
Kareltje
Distiller
Posts: 2176
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Kareltje »

Can you sprout sorghum?
I am trying to make a series of single grain distillates: sprout the grain and then brew the malt with the same grain.
Some grains I buy at a food store, or even a mlll, do not sprout, because they are peeled or shelled or milled.
How about sorghum?
papstoker
Novice
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:27 am
Location: Johannesburg, SA

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by papstoker »

Hi Kareltje.

I imagine ists possible to sprout sorghum. In SA they sell sorghum malt meal in most grocery stores as the black people make African beer with it. The beer is called umqombothi and the malt is called mBele. It smells vile after the first overnjght ferment - I think it is double fermented with the first ferment being a bacterial fermentation with lactibacilus which makes a sour beer and the second with yeast (as I understand it). The final abv is not very high 3.5%. Corn meal also makes up some of the grain bill. The whiskey I made out of this was surprisingly good.

Fanus - I found some Morvite sorghum meal today. Do you mash it or just use it for flavour like a UJSSM?
Never trust a man who don't drink
User avatar
Kareltje
Distiller
Posts: 2176
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:29 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by Kareltje »

Yes, of course sorghum can sprout: it is grown, so it does sprout.
But the barley I buy in my organics shop is peeled or something like that and does not sprout anymore. Same with oats. Wheat and rye do sprout easily.
papstoker
Novice
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:27 am
Location: Johannesburg, SA

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by papstoker »

Sorry. Misread your previous posting. I haven't actually seen raw sorghum grains in any shops. The sorghum Fanus referred to (Morvite) is a fine flour, and the malted sorghum we can buy here is also milled, although roughly.
Never trust a man who don't drink
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

Fanus - I found some Morvite sorghum meal today. Do you mash it or just use it for flavour like a UJSSM?[/quote]

Hi Papstoker
I use it for the taste in the final product and nutrients, the yeast loves it.

Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
User avatar
fanusvdv
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Hi From South Africa

Post by fanusvdv »

Kareltje wrote:Can you sprout sorghum?
I am trying to make a series of single grain distillates: sprout the grain and then brew the malt with the same grain.
Some grains I buy at a food store, or even a mlll, do not sprout, because they are peeled or shelled or milled.
How about sorghum?
Hi Kareltje
I used to do a thing called fodder where i sprouted grains for animal feed. The sorghum sprouted easily but i used the product that the farmers sow in the field, so basically seed grade, and not animal feed. I never tried to malt my own grains to brew with, I guess it is to easy to buy the malt.
Hope this helps

Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see
Post Reply