New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

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just_still
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Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:43 pm

New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by just_still »

Hey there home distillers, new guy here, just beginning my distilling journey. I have exactly 2 stripping runs under my belt, and so far I have yet to do a spirit run or make even a single cut.

I've been homebrewing for about 12 years now, and I've entertained the idea of getting into distilling for a while now. I recently decided to leave behind my old propane fired kettle and cooler batch sparge setup, in favor of one of those 10.5 gal Anvil Foundry all-in-one systems. An electric system I can use indoors appealed to me, the garage is just too darn hot here in the lone star state, and I've suffered enough humid, sweaty brew days. The system has it's limitations, but for the most part I like it. I have existing wiring in my kitchen where my oven used to be (remodeled way back) and I installed a 30a plug. I'm using an inline GFCI rated for 240v 30a to keep things safe.

It wasn't long after getting the foundry that I spotted a little Kegland pot still column designed to seamlessly integrate with these little electric boilers, and I ordered it on impulse, before doing really any research. It was at that point, in anticipation of it's arrival, I started to do a some more research on distilling and I discovered Youtube, lol. Thankfully, I also discovered homedistiller.org. So when it finally arrived, I got busy with the vinegar soak, vinegar & sac run (the included instructions said just to rinse with hot water), and I wrapped all of the gaskets in the column and boiler with PTFE tape.

My first wash 75% flaked maize, 15% 6 row malt, & 10% rye. This was a basic bourbon recipe I decided on after a cursory search of bourbon recipes on the google. I've done 2 ferments and strips of this recipe, with a 3rd fermenting currently, and a 4th planned before I run that all again in the spirit run. After reading some techniques on this forum, I decided to incorporate the sour mash technique, and I used some backset from the first strip in the 2nd mash and dumped it back on to the old yeast cake. Also, I discovered the tried and true section of this forum, and I currently have a sweetfeed whiskey and honey bear bourbon wash fermenting too.

Coming from homebrewing, the idea of fermenting on grain and the cavalier attitude towards sanitation is something I immediately rejected, but I'm starting to come around. Trying to lauter all that corn was a PITA.

Even with only 2 strips under my belt on my current setup, I'm already planning beyond it. I picked up an old 1/2 barrel sanke keg from a guy on facebook for $10. I ordered some triclover ferrules and my uncle is a tig welder, he has a machine at his house. He agreed to do the work, all I had to do was get his bottle of argon filled. I'm planning to invert the keg and use the existing 2" ferrule as a bottom drain, with a 1.5" for a 5500w ripple style heating element, and a 6" on the top for easy charging and access for cleaning. I'll reduce that to 2 or 3 inch for a pot still column. The column I haven't decide on yet, but I'm thinking a simple 2 or 3 inch column to reducing elbow to a liebig condenser. Planning to DIY on the copper.

It's funny, I'm used to paying more for purpose made brewing ingredients, and I'd spend hours drooling over all those fancy 3 vessel recirculating herms and rims systems and stainless conical fermenters online. Now I'm looking at old beat up kegs, animal feed, trash cans, and mop buckets lol.

Anyway, thanks for having me on the forum. I'm just getting started and am excited for the journey ahead.
Bendy
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by Bendy »

Hey there just_still,

I am also new. I have done beer in the past, 25 years ago, just using canned ingredients and bottles. Earlier this year I decided to get a second hand still. Boiler and 'Still Spirits' reflux column. I knew that single malt peat whisky was my intention so I soon found a second hand allembic head and liebig condenser. I have done 8 mashes all up now, all peated grain. the first 4 mashes were 30L batches in same size fermenters,

I did 4 stripping runs, although the first two were not so much of a strip as somewhere in between a strip and a spirit. For this reason I did not get as much out of the initial run as I could have, I believe.

I messed around with water flow. I could, and still can't get 2.5L per min through the liebig condenser. I think it is probably a bit gimmicky and that the small outlet is why...it seems to reduce the flow of the magnetic drive pump...either I use my normal house pump (I'm on tank water) or get a more powerful dedicated pump for it. I did a full spirit run from those 4 batches to get around 5.3L of 73% spirit. This is now in a 6L ex bourbon-sherry seasoned - charred oak barrel....and I'm trying very hard not to taste it every two days LOL.

I currently have two 60L fermenters ready to run. I think I have my head around the little gimmicky still and even though I cannot get the 2.5L/min I think I can dump a few bags of ice in my holding tank and help the issue. I bought a couple of second hand oak barrels that had some port in them...5L each and hoping that I can get more spirit out of my second 4 mashes (x2 Ferment barrels). I know for a fact though that my alcohol content will be less in these last 4 washes.

I too, like you, want to construct a keg boiler. Your post got my attention for this reason. I will be looking for some ferrules and have some 2" copper pipe lined up from the local salvage yard...I'm thinking of making my own shotgun condenser, as much as I would loike to make my own liebig condenser, I think it would probably be a little hard! All the best with your project!

Bendy :thumbup:
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jayka
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Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:25 pm

Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by jayka »

just_still wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:05 pm
It wasn't long after getting the foundry that I spotted a little Kegland pot still column designed to seamlessly integrate with these little electric boilers, and I ordered it on impulse, before doing really any research.
Hey just still,

I started with a kegland pot still. It's great. You will probably want to get a power controller as I find the 500w switch too low for a spirit run and the 1900w is to high. Used to take me all day to do a 20lt spirit run with the 500w switch. Now it only takes 6hrs. With heat up.

The kegland pot is a great way to get into it. You can always build a still later when you have some experience under your belt. That's what I'm doing.

Anyway I'm sure your gonna love it!
Sooner or later the people who run the planet all end up choosing one drink....
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TXChiliMayo
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by TXChiliMayo »

Welcome, from another Lone Stare noob. It's so ingrained when homebrewing to be extremely sanitary, it was hard for me also, but it get's easier when you eventually scale up. Beer is full volume production from ferment, but distilling is such a small fraction of what you actually ferment so you realize if you had to sanitize every brute trash can or drum, you'd eat up all your $ just buying chems. Just keep remembering that you're processing the beer alot further.

I just wish I could find a way to recirculate my cooling water back into my house piping so I don't have high water bills when running my still in the heat all day. Plant's are happy, but the bill is not happy.
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jayka
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by jayka »

TXChiliMayo wrote: Wed Oct 28, 2020 6:02 am I just wish I could find a way to recirculate my cooling water back into my house piping so I don't have high water bills when running my still in the heat all day. Plant's are happy, but the bill is not happy.
Get yourself a pond pump and a water tank 200/500lt should do it depending on how much your distilling in one hit.
Sooner or later the people who run the planet all end up choosing one drink....
The Baker
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by The Baker »

You could pump it into a reservoir that you could use as an alternate for flushing the toilets.

Geoff
The Baker
just_still
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by just_still »

jayka wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:27 pm
You will probably want to get a power controller as I find the 500w switch too low for a spirit run and the 1900w is to high.

Anyway I'm sure your gonna love it!
I'm actually impressed with it's performance, running my boiler at full power (1800w), cooling water running through at just a trickle, and it's knocking down all the steam. The distillate isn't even hot, just warm. I'm kind of surprised by how efficient it is, the coil inside of there can't be very big.

I'm just using the kegland column/condenser part, I didn't buy the boiler. It fits on my Anvil Foundry boiler which has digital power controls, 0-100% in 1% increments.
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jward
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by jward »

just_still wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:05 pm Coming from homebrewing, the idea of fermenting on grain and the cavalier attitude towards sanitation is something I immediately rejected, but I'm starting to come around. Trying to lauter all that corn was a PITA.
Yup, I can't hardly read a recipe without wanting to add at least a quick boil.
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Bushman
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Re: New Distiller Here, Hello!!!

Post by Bushman »

We need to move this conversation to the appropriate thread as we have moved away from the Welcome.
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