Hey folks. I am new to this forum, and to distilling in general. I have done some brewing, but also like to make herbal extracts, concentrates, and salves/balms etc. When I drink spirits, it is usually Gin or Scotch. All total, including beer etc, I consume alcohol only 2-3 times a week, and only 1-2 standard drinks.
Everclear is darn near impossible to get in these parts. Elsewhere in the country it can be purchased at about $30 for a mickey sized bottle. The way I figure it is that I could have 3-5l for herbal-ism and beverages for less than the cost of 1 1/2 mickeys. (not including the gear, of course)
Well, ever-clear was my intention at first. But the more I read here and elsewhere, the more interesting this becomes. Could be my next hobby!
I am not that tool-wise, and I live in a small townhouse, and social service workers don't make big bucks, so I am looking for a cheap start to see if I enjoy it, even if I don't get the 95% ABV that initially interested me in this. At the very least I will get some cheap homemade gin.
Air stills are a whopping $350 here, and from what I read they take a long time and don't get very good results. The T500 is about $600 and looks like it will produce what I want, but space is an issue. Stove-top units are not an option as the water is not close enough.
Regardless, I want a cheaper start to see if I enjoy the process, before putting a chunk of money into it. If I can use kitchen items to start, that would be best. I am thinking of a sous vide bath holding a 5l growler, connected to a worm or even a lab style condenser (about $40). This could be set up near the sink. I will post my idea for feedback.
Pleased to meet you!
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Re: Pleased to meet you!
Welcome to HD VitaMan. Do a bit more looking around before pushing the button on the stills you referenced.
Re: Pleased to meet you!
Thanks acfixer69 
I have been lurking around for about a week and based on what I read I decided against the air-still type units. The cheap Chinese pot-stills would be an option if I could place them near my water supply....the Portuguese copper alembics are beautiful, but my budget would only get me a tiny one, and I do want to produce more than a glass at a time and eventually want to produce higher test hooch.
Like I mentioned, I am not tool-wise or handy or have a shop space to work, so home builds are not really an option. If I can throw something together with what I already have, I could at least get an idea whether or not I want to invest more.
I have been lurking around for about a week and based on what I read I decided against the air-still type units. The cheap Chinese pot-stills would be an option if I could place them near my water supply....the Portuguese copper alembics are beautiful, but my budget would only get me a tiny one, and I do want to produce more than a glass at a time and eventually want to produce higher test hooch.
Like I mentioned, I am not tool-wise or handy or have a shop space to work, so home builds are not really an option. If I can throw something together with what I already have, I could at least get an idea whether or not I want to invest more.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Pleased to meet you!
Id beware the cheap chinese things.....you get what you pay for.....there are a lot of rubbish still available out there......and a few very good ones.
Re: Pleased to meet you!
Welcome, if your everclear's the same as what we get as pure alcohol over here it's not very good...
Don't pull the trigger on a still too fast, lots of options there, even if you aren't the building type.
Don't pull the trigger on a still too fast, lots of options there, even if you aren't the building type.
Re: Pleased to meet you!
Welcome, I also don't drink much (maybe less than you) but I like distillation and what goes around. If I can I resort to self-construction.
Re: Pleased to meet you!
Hi Corsaire. Our everclear is 95% ABV.
It's not for drinking, not in my case anyways. I use it to make herbal tinctures, extracts, and concentrates. Tinctures don't/won't taste good, they will taste strongly of the herbs. Through experience I have discovered that 75% dark rum has too much water in it to be an effective solvent and picks up alot of water soluble stuff, plus the colour is always dark and tastes strongly of rum.
Where I live I need an Rx to get everclear, otherwise you have to get a friend to bring a small bottle back from another part of the country and he only goes once per year. Imagine trying to get a prescription for 95% to make herbal meds from an industry that wants you to take pharmaceuticals!
A mickey limits me to 1 very small batch of one formula. If it were easy to get and cheap I could be a whole lot more productive, hence my interest in distilling.
But now it looks more interesting than just an adjunct to herbology! I am reading with interest what can be done, and the thought of eventually making my own drinkable gin and whisky is intriguing!
Honestly though, 25l of wash in a reflux 2-3 times per year will produce more than I need for the year. 12l, 6x per year or 10l, 8x per year would give me a chance to really experiment and learn, so a 2-3 gal still would suit me best
It's not for drinking, not in my case anyways. I use it to make herbal tinctures, extracts, and concentrates. Tinctures don't/won't taste good, they will taste strongly of the herbs. Through experience I have discovered that 75% dark rum has too much water in it to be an effective solvent and picks up alot of water soluble stuff, plus the colour is always dark and tastes strongly of rum.
Where I live I need an Rx to get everclear, otherwise you have to get a friend to bring a small bottle back from another part of the country and he only goes once per year. Imagine trying to get a prescription for 95% to make herbal meds from an industry that wants you to take pharmaceuticals!
A mickey limits me to 1 very small batch of one formula. If it were easy to get and cheap I could be a whole lot more productive, hence my interest in distilling.
But now it looks more interesting than just an adjunct to herbology! I am reading with interest what can be done, and the thought of eventually making my own drinkable gin and whisky is intriguing!
Honestly though, 25l of wash in a reflux 2-3 times per year will produce more than I need for the year. 12l, 6x per year or 10l, 8x per year would give me a chance to really experiment and learn, so a 2-3 gal still would suit me best
Re: Pleased to meet you!
After a lot of consideration, particularly space, I decided on the air-still as a start. There are some nice looking 3 gal stills available, but getting them up here would end up costing a grand, and I don't have room for an electric like the t500.
I already decided on trying the kale wash, but I fermented what came in the kit: the dreaded turbo yeast, without turbo carbon as it somehow wasn't included. And the clearing agent came a few days late so it was sitting there for a while. Yup, nasty. Even after filtering. A second distillation seemed better, but marginaly so. Before I finished a drink I was not liking it. I ran it a third time before I got something worth drinking. Then the carbon came, along with a packet of yeast, so that is brewing now. We'll see if the carbon makes a big enough difference. -oh- both times I am aiming for 14.5-15% wash
I think that I would rather do 5 litre batches of clean kale wash and distill only once. I don't drink every day so if I do that a couple times per month and experiment with flavor a few jars at a time, I might start to get good at it. A couple of runs a month should keep me busy enough.
So a few notes, for my own record:
First distillations gave me a 700 and a 600 ml jar, both of them about 50% ABV, same ABV as the wine I did when I first got the machine.
I collected more but everything after that smelled like a hot spring.
Second distillation: the previous batches, the funky stuff, some of last weeks brandy, the last of the wash and a bit of water went in. This yielded a 700ml jar at 70% and a 500ml jar at just over 40%.
Third distillation: the previous yield topped up with water. Yielded 2 500ml jars, one at 70% and the other at about 45%. Much cleaner.
SO we will see what turbo yeast does with carbon, then it is a kale wash from there.
Oh yeah- my first blueberry drink is quite nice, and the gin mix is passable too!
I already decided on trying the kale wash, but I fermented what came in the kit: the dreaded turbo yeast, without turbo carbon as it somehow wasn't included. And the clearing agent came a few days late so it was sitting there for a while. Yup, nasty. Even after filtering. A second distillation seemed better, but marginaly so. Before I finished a drink I was not liking it. I ran it a third time before I got something worth drinking. Then the carbon came, along with a packet of yeast, so that is brewing now. We'll see if the carbon makes a big enough difference. -oh- both times I am aiming for 14.5-15% wash
I think that I would rather do 5 litre batches of clean kale wash and distill only once. I don't drink every day so if I do that a couple times per month and experiment with flavor a few jars at a time, I might start to get good at it. A couple of runs a month should keep me busy enough.
So a few notes, for my own record:
First distillations gave me a 700 and a 600 ml jar, both of them about 50% ABV, same ABV as the wine I did when I first got the machine.
I collected more but everything after that smelled like a hot spring.
Second distillation: the previous batches, the funky stuff, some of last weeks brandy, the last of the wash and a bit of water went in. This yielded a 700ml jar at 70% and a 500ml jar at just over 40%.
Third distillation: the previous yield topped up with water. Yielded 2 500ml jars, one at 70% and the other at about 45%. Much cleaner.
SO we will see what turbo yeast does with carbon, then it is a kale wash from there.
Oh yeah- my first blueberry drink is quite nice, and the gin mix is passable too!
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stillanoob
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Re: Pleased to meet you!
Vita, the introduction post is supposed to be just for that, to introduce yourself. As to your latest doings, you should start another thread for that.
Ditch the turbo yeast and shoot for 10% or less ABV washes. Then you won't need the carbon because it will actually taste good. High ABV washes are penny wise and pound foolish. It stresses the yeast and as you found, doesn't taste good.
Ditch the turbo yeast and shoot for 10% or less ABV washes. Then you won't need the carbon because it will actually taste good. High ABV washes are penny wise and pound foolish. It stresses the yeast and as you found, doesn't taste good.