Hi Fellow Home distillers

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DonVenter
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:48 am

Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by DonVenter »

Hi , my name is Donavan, im 35 from Johannesburg south Africa 🇿🇦. I've been doing home Distillation for about 2 months when a local Moonshine shop open and offered a course on fermentation and Distillation. After attending I was fortunate to acquire a small 13l pot still and the rest is history as they say . Everyday I am busy with my Distilling, either making fermentation or doing runs . I started off with sugar wash only and have since used mielie meal crushed corn and even feed Molasses. I'm a novice, beginner, but very eager learner . I'm busy with a online course on gin and hope to gain as much knowledge that is available to me .
Im a frequent visitor to the forum and have used it as a guideline for most of if not all my fermentation and runs.
I would just like to extend my gratitude and extreme thankfulness to this community, you guys are the pioneers in the industry, the vast knowledge and the ability to interact and discuss recipes and procedures is why I feel so confident already in my ability just 2months in . Without knowing or mayb knowing even you have inspired a new generation of distillers to try and create something unique different and kept the heart of the Moonshiner alive :thumbup:
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Truckinbutch
Angel's Share
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by Truckinbutch »

Welcome aboard . My advice would be to focus on one spirit and get good at it . Then move on to the next .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
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NZChris
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Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by NZChris »

Welcome to the forum.

My advice is to focus on each spirit, doing the research for each one, keeping good records for each, and not expecting that what you learned from any one project is automatically applicable to others.

When I built my first still, I knew that I needed a fermenter that could do three or four stripping runs worth of ferment and I reckon that knowledge saved me a lot of time and effort and quickly filled my cellar with a variety of good products.
DonVenter
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Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:48 am

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by DonVenter »

Truckinbutch wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 10:06 pm Welcome aboard . My advice would be to focus on one spirit and get good at it . Then move on to the next .

Thanks for the welcome message.
I've been a keen brandy drinker my entire life , never liked
Gin or vodka or white spirits .
The problem is the aging , I've experimented with essence
And oak chips, but it feels cheap and far from the product
I want .
So I'm trying to give gin a chance as I can make it easier and it's the first course I'm doing aswell .
So for now I'm concentrating on Gin and a good base spirit
I'll try master that before I eventually go back to the brandy I love
DonVenter
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Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:48 am

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by DonVenter »

NZChris wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 10:31 pm Welcome to the forum.

My advice is to focus on each spirit, doing the research for each one, keeping good records for each, and not expecting that what you learned from any one project is automatically applicable to others.

When I built my first still, I knew that I needed a fermenter that could do three or four stripping runs worth of ferment and I reckon that knowledge saved me a lot of time and effort and quickly filled my cellar with a variety of good products.
Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it .
My teacher taught me some good basics ie . Record keeping, sanitation, using proper equipment like meters
And scales and try do everything scientifically. Not a thumb suck . I've also read a few books from the web on distillation and fermentation. But I can say I've gotten the best information here on the forum .
I started with 25l fermentation buckets but have since moved on to 50l
The only reason I tried my hand in Molasses is that my friend a tattoo artist wants me to make him a rum for his tattoo shop , so I said I'd give it a bash since I have a recipe from the forum .
It's stoll fermentating hopefully can post something about it when it's done in the next few days .
What size fermentation vessel do u use ?
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NZChris
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Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by NZChris »

My main pot is 33l and the fermenter I paired it with is 100l. It has been a convenient match for over three decades.

I only pay attention to sanitation when getting fermenters ready. Most of the products I make are finished fermenting so quickly that undesirable bacteria don't get a chance to do any damage before the ABV and acidity inhibit them.
Setsumi
Distiller
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Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 10:23 pm
Location: Central South Africa

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by Setsumi »

Welcom Don. Myself from RSA, central region. HD forum has the best knowledge and people to help. Enjoy the ride and be safe.

Once I got to to all grain wiskey i became a lazy stiller...
My first flute
My press
My twins
My controller
My wife tells me I fell from heaven covered in white. Why did they let me fall?
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Yummyrum
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Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by Yummyrum »

Welcome to the forum Don.
You won’t be Robinson Crusoe wanting to be all scientific ,
DonVenter wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:48 pm My teacher taught me some good basics ie . Record keeping, sanitation, using proper equipment like meters
And scales and try do everything scientifically. Not a thumb suck

But your meters and methodology are going to trip you up when it comes to Rum … especially if you are using a lot of Molasses .

Strangely , a thumb suck can often tell you a while lot more than a bunch of meters …. And stranger still is that folk have been making spirits long before meters . … just say’n .

Pays to keep an open mind in this hobby
DonVenter
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:48 am

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by DonVenter »

Noted ✅
Thanks for the advice, if I've learnt anything from being raised on South Africa is to keep an open mind im not attacking or Have anything against thumb suckers . I just like and have always had an interest in science and the actual science behind most of what I do , I've recently started reading principles of fermentation and finding it a great read .
My Molasses was pretty much a thumb suck as I used my own guide lines

I used 6 litrez of feed Molasses
Added 10 litres hot water
Dissolved that using a drill mixer
Added cold water to fill up the 25 litre container
Once I reached a temperature of 30° degrees Celsius
I than oxygenated the wash
I Added yeast nutrients and yeast ( a rum yeast ) 25g each
It's been fermenting for the last 5 days still have activity in the air lock
Any advice on Rum would be greatly appreciated
DonVenter
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:48 am

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by DonVenter »

NZChris wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 12:36 am My main pot is 33l and the fermenter I paired it with is 100l. It has been a convenient match for over three decades.

I only pay attention to sanitation when getting fermenters ready. Most of the products I make are finished fermenting so quickly that undesirable bacteria don't get a chance to do any damage before the ABV and acidity inhibit them.
Thanks Chris
100l is what I need to strive for .
Im interested in converting my pot to a bigger 30l pot
And also want to buy a column with reflux plates to experiment the different in neutrals and beer stripping runs compared with the pot still.
Are u using a pot or column?
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NZChris
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Location: New Zealand

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by NZChris »

Packed columns are easier and cheaper to build and are better than plates for making neutral. Look up Bokakob.
Setsumi
Distiller
Posts: 1371
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 10:23 pm
Location: Central South Africa

Re: Hi Fellow Home distillers

Post by Setsumi »

Also have a look at CCVM if you ready for the column. As Chris says, platers are for flavour products. Packed colums do neutral better.
My first flute
My press
My twins
My controller
My wife tells me I fell from heaven covered in white. Why did they let me fall?
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