My First Impressions

[Stew8]

A wee Christmas update:

This hobby does get under your skin and I’ve spent many happy hours tinkering in my shed. The low and slow has given me time to tidy up while things are happening so I’ve done a few of those procrastination jobs like sort out plumbing connectors, clearing my work bench all the while keeping an eye on the pot.

The quality of the advice and recipes on this forum is outstanding and my output has been surprisingly good. I like to cook so it’s like magic, put a few raw materials together, add heat and voila!

Having brewed cider, wine and beer for years, I’ve a pretty good handle on fermentation and blundered into using a turbo yeast sugar wash with reasonable success, although I’ll not do it again. Birdwatchers sugar wash is the most active fermentation I’ve ever had and my expectation is it to be done in a week rather than the usual two weeks for everything else.

Specific thanks to Odin’s easy gin and cornflake recipe and Taters Kahlua are all superb. The Kahlua has an evaporation issue: Every morning, there is less in the Kahlua bottle and has already required a second batch.

Aging using oak fingers baked and then charred using T-Pee’s method has made Odin’s cornflake, look, smell, and taste awesome! I’ve a few connoisseurs over for the festive season so will get a second, third and fourth opinion. If up to scratch, I may take it “first footing”. (A fantastic Scottish tradition)

Three things on the go:

1. Molasses wash that’s taking forever so I’ve just added tomato paste and will add lemon if it does not pick up, it’s at 4% and should be above 10%.

2. Plum wine. We’ve a freezer full of plums picked this year and needed space for the Christmas food. Removed the stones, added sugar and wine yeast. It’s almost done and I’ll give it a whirl. Had a few left over plums and added soy and honey with ribs slow cooked in the oven. Mmmm – delicious.

3. Birdwatchers sugar wash that is going like a train!!!!

The hardware started off as a 2 gallon stainless stock pot with a modified stainless mixing bowl lid with a 42mm copper boka, however there were a two challenges for the condenser: lack of water supply with pressure and a small bore coil. A copper brake line was used but it’s not man enough. Having read mason jars air cooled condenser, I opted for an air cooled option and have a passable system that works partly because it’s Baltic here and partly because of a Heath Robinson version of the shop bought system. If it’s run low and slow or is unable to cope with higher temperatures. I’m working on it so I can do a hot wash run and will publish more details when I have a fully functional working system.

The lid of the boiler is a stainless mixing bowl with the rim cut off with a grinder. It’s smoothish but needs a flour paste to seal it to the stock pot. Reading the comments, cleaning flour paste up is a pain and I agree if the consistency is wet. Making “flour paste” in a breadmaker to a stiff pizza dough consistency makes it easy to work with and after the run, it comes off easily. In the bread maker, I make a big batch and just leave it in a plastic bag in the shed, which is like a fridge. For those of you in warmer climes, you may need leave it in the fridge.

Merry Christmas

[StillerBoy]

It’s smoothish but needs a flour paste to seal it to the stock pot.

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself..

You may want to make a gasket using mat board wrapped with teflon tape, and use paper clips.. not hard to make, and with care, will last at least six month or more on a weekly use.. https://www.google.ca/search?rls=en-us& ... O8HS0h5aZo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Mars

[Stew8]

Thank you. Worth a go

[fizzix]

This site makes it easy to succeed and I've yet to find a subject that stumps HD Google Search.
I do have the similar complaint as you about evaporation though.

[Lawfish]

Making “flour paste” in a breadmaker to a stiff pizza dough consistency makes it easy to work with and after the run, it comes off easily. In the bread maker, I make a big batch and just leave it in a plastic bag in the shed, which is like a fridge. For those of you in warmer climes, you may need leave it in the fridge.

I agree. My boiler is a 35 quart SS pot, so I have to make a lot of flour paste to seal it. So I mix up a batch of self-rising flour and water to a play-dough like consistency and keep it in a quart jar in the fridge. It's dry enough that I can just roll it on my butcher-block counter into long snakes and press those into the lid of the pot. Self-rising flour is good because it expands as it cooks making leaks less likely.

It's a great hobby. Glad you're enjoying it.

[ben stiller]

A wee Christmas update:
The lid of the boiler is a stainless mixing bowl with the rim cut off with a grinder. It’s smoothish but needs a flour paste to seal it to the stock pot. Reading the comments, cleaning flour paste up is a pain and I agree if the consistency is wet. Making “flour paste” in a breadmaker to a stiff pizza dough consistency makes it easy to work with and after the run, it comes off easily. In the bread maker, I make a big batch and just leave it in a plastic bag in the shed, which is like a fridge. For those of you in warmer climes, you may need leave it in the fridge.

Since the rim of your mixing bowl is cut off I am curious how you hold it down to the pot? Leaving the rim on and using binder
clips looks hokey but really works well. Many here like the cardboard and teflon gasket. I find just wrapping the lid and pot rims
with teflon works great and is reusable. I actually have to "pop" the bowl off after a run since it is stuck to the pot.

[Stew8]

Hey Ben
It’s the weight of the column that keeps it in place. No clips required

Thanks for the positive comments

[Pikey]

As kids we used to make our own "play do" - A little oil and some salt (Quite a lot) added to the paste maskes it better, and it keeps well - but I stopped doing it taht way as the dog kept trying to eat it and it attracts rodents from miles ! - But it works.

[Yummyrum]

Living in a relatively warm climate it is interesting to here how others survive and operate in freezing areas .
One issue I have here is trying to keep washes cool enough but Rum is one wash that really likes it hot . It will do best around 35°C. Molasses varies around the world . Fortunately ours is good but generally due to all the minerals in it , it is basically a pH buffer of around 5 . It takes a huge amount of acid to budge it .A squeeze of lemon will be a drop in the ocean ....... but I wonder how you think addng lemon juice will help the Rum ? Sticking some heat under it will definitely kick it along

[corene1]

Hey Ben
It’s the weight of the column that keeps it in place. No clips required

Thanks for the positive comments

Do you think it wise to just use gravity to hold your column in place? What if it were to get bumped or tilted during a run and you had to deal with hot alcohol vapor being released? Just my thoughts though.

[Oldvine Zin]

+1 to what corene said. It could get messy quick, and if you are heating with gas it might get exciting!

Glad to hear that you are having fun with this hobby and the plum honey soy ribs sounds fantastic, but please be safe and keep reading and learning.

OVZ

[Stew8]

Yup you guys are right to highlight the safety side for f things.
I’ve been working in mkII to make it safer.
Thanks

[Stew8]

Update mkII safety improvements

The flour dough used to seal the lid to the pot sets solid so at the end of the run, quite a force is required to remove the lid. That does not help at the start when the dough is soft. The backup is a ratchet strap that hooks to the top of lyne arm goes up over a roof truss and is tied (not ratcheted) to a sturdy hook on the wall. This reduces movement at the to of the still and the risk significant of an accidental bump knocking the lid (et al) off the pot. It’s also handy to store the upper section of the still; it now hangs from the rafters ( first attempt at photos....)

Support at the top

[The Baker]

Stew8 said, 'The flour dough used to seal the lid to the pot sets solid so at the end of the run, quite a force is required to remove the lid. '

On my little 20 litre stock pot still with a small liebig, I help break the seal with a bottle opener under the edge of the lid!

Geoff

[Stew8]

As a natural slacker and lazy b@stard, I did not take off the dough immediately after the end of the last run.....
BEWARE; it turns into a mixture of Neodymium, superglue and cement. I’d recommend taking it off while it’s hot....

[Shine0n]

As a natural slacker and lazy b@stard, I did not take off the dough immediately after the end of the last run.....
BEWARE; it turns into a mixture of Neodymium, superglue and cement. I’d recommend taking it off while it’s hot....

You're fitting in good already, ha ha

I did the paste or years and finally wrapped a copper sheet cutout to size and did quite a few turns of the Teflon tape and it's lasted for almost 2 years now.

Should probably get another bowl and keep the lip on it as it will seal better and you could use binder clips to hold in place. Much safer that a way.

Shine0n

[Old Town]

As a natural slacker and lazy b@stard, I did not take off the dough immediately after the end of the last run.....
BEWARE; it turns into a mixture of Neodymium, superglue and cement. I’d recommend taking it off while it’s hot....

You're fitting in good already, ha ha

I did the paste or years and finally wrapped a copper sheet cutout to size and did quite a few turns of the Teflon tape and it's lasted for almost 2 years now.

Should probably get another bowl and keep the lip on it as it will seal better and you could use binder clips to hold in place. Much safer that a way.

Shine0n

Or just bump it up in size and get you a beer Keg with some tri-clamp's

[Oldvine Zin]

Or just bump it up in size and get you a beer Keg with some tri-clamp's

A lot easier that way
OVZ

[Shine0n]

Without a doubt the kegs are the way to go, my gasket I was referring too was in between the riser and keg.

The triclamp if ordered in a set will come with a ferrule and gasket (teflon) which is hard as hell and works pretty good but some of those cheap triclamps will break at the threaded fitting for tightening when putting too much ass on it.

I've found that while heating up have it nice and snug and as it heats up more it will soften up and you can finish the tightening.

Try and source a keg (legally) and make a boiler with it, you won't regret it and make it even better get 2 and have a thumper too. Makes life easier to do a larger run instead of 10 small ones.

[Stew8]

No doubt the keg is the way to go. Looking T traditional designs I’m looking at making a copper boiler, either in the style of a submarine, less than 10/15 gal, or an oval pot still.Why?
With a two burner setup it would makes sense to have an oval/rectangle to sit over both burners.

I should really be fixing my Morris minor but this new hobby has taken over. I’m tasting plum brandy and molasses rum. Bot fresh out the still and tasting better with every glass.....

Thanks for your advice, I’m really enjoying the forum

[Stew8]

No doubt the keg is the way to go. Looking T traditional designs I’m looking at making a copper boiler, either in the style of a submarine, less than 10/15 gal, or an oval pot still.Why?
With a two burner setup it would makes sense to have an oval/rectangle to sit over both burners.

I should really be fixing my Morris minor but this new hobby has taken over. I’m tasting plum brandy and molasses rum. Bot fresh out the still and tasting better with every glass.....

Thanks for your advice, I’m really enjoying the forum