Ebay still ... made brandy

[ospreyvineyard]

Hi I am new here and just got my first still from eBay. I own a vineyard and orchard so I have loads of fruit to make wine from. So I decided to go a step further and distill some of the wine. First batch was made from a carboy of Cabernet Sauvignon that I had pressed out right away to make a rose. 22 liters of wine got me 5 liters of distill before I shut it off. @ 54 % I then brought it down to about 40% and added about 1 half a cup of fresh cab sauv juice/ per liter that I had saved last fall during the press in the freezer. It now has a very nice fruit flavor up front with a hint of sweetness.

Great website and forum thanks for the good reading.

[HookLine]

Hi and welcome.

Sounds like you have some nice brandies to look forward to.

Still looks good. But ditch the plastic hose carrying the distillate from the bottom of the product condenser to the glass jug. Copper or stainless are the recommended materials. (If it was just used for a test run with water, then ignore me. )

[rad14701]

Welcome to the HD forums, ospreyvineyard...

Nice little unit you've got there... Along with the concern mentioned by HookLine I'd also be suspect of whatever gasket or seal is being used where the SS bowl is attached to the original pot lid... Do you know what is being used there...??? Are those SS rivets or screws, or just standard ones that will quickly rust in a high temperature ethanol and water environment...??? I'm also wondering about the adapter between the SS bowl and the column... Only copper and/or SS are acceptable in the vapor path...

Good luck... Stay safe...

[ospreyvineyard]

Screw are used and there is a sort of rubber seal on the lid. will change the clear hose...

[ospreyvineyard]

[quote="rad14701"]Welcome to the HD forums, ospreyvineyard...
. Along with the concern mentioned by HookLine I'd also be suspect of whatever gasket or seal is being used where the SS bowl is attached to the original pot lid... Do you know what is being used there...??? Are those SS rivets or screws, or just standard ones that will quickly rust in a high temperature ethanol and water environment...??? I'm also wondering about the adapter between the SS bowl and the column... Only copper and/or SS are acceptable in the vapor path...

ss screws are used.. the seal is a redish and rubbery stuck to the lid. The column inside the ss bowl is held with the same nut as on the top. Looks to be NOT ss or copper. I will find a ss nut for that.

Thanks for input and help

[ospreyvineyard]

Not a big boozer. but I love to make my own and enjoy a few. I have some apple cider resting in a keg from last year. any tips on distilling that?

cheers

[Husker]

that 'red' is probably RTV sealant. You are going to be better served to scrape that off, and use something like flour dough paste to seal with. You will be doing yourself a favor. Same thing with the connector of the column. If you can get it switched over to SS or copper, you will certainly be doing yourself a favor.

Changing out that silicone/pvc tube connected to the take-off on your condenser is pretty much a must do. It will leech all sorts of nasty crap into your product.

H.

[ospreyvineyard]

that 'red' is probably RTV sealant. You are going to be better served to scrape that off, and use something like flour dough paste to seal with. You will be doing yourself a favor. Same thing with the connector of the column. If you can get it switched over to SS or copper, you will certainly be doing yourself a favor.

Changing out that silicone/pvc tube connected to the take-off on your condenser is pretty much a must do. It will leach all sorts of nasty crap into your product.

H.

ah yes just doing some reading on the flour seal. I like that... No more runs until I make those changes. you guys are the best...thanks

[Husker]

ah yes just doing some reading on the flour seal. I like that... No more runs until I make those changes. you guys are the best...thanks

The flour sealant does take a 'little' extra work (some setup, and some cleanup). But it is cheap, and works much better than you would initially 'think' it does, and is safe. The high temp RTV 'might' be safe. Hard to say, since there are no comprehensive studies showing one way or the other if used in a hot, high proof ethanol vapor environment. Thus, we would rather see people hedge their bets on the safe side.

Flour paste ---->> safe (but have to apply for each run, and clean up after each run)
RTV seal ----->> 'could' be safe, but who the f knows for sure. (no matter WHAT ppl will tell you they 'think' they know).

H.

[Slow & Steady]

Not a big boozer. but I love to make my own and enjoy a few. I have some apple cider resting in a keg from last year. any tips on distilling that?

cheers

Yum,Yum... A great Apple Brandy. I double distill mine but I'm careful not to run to high of an ABV %. Strip it hard, fast and long. It will have a lot of flavor but don't let the ABV get over 30% for your low wines or you will loose to much flavor on your subsequent spirit run. If it is higher than 30% ABV add water to bring it back down. Then do your spirit run. The apple/brandy flavor comes over more toward the end of the hearts and a little into the tails, actually the flavor is a complex collection of congeners and you may want to collect your spirit run into those 200ml jars I see sitting there on your counter then blend them a couple days after the run. Apple Brandy lends itself to charred oak and toasted apple aging but you might want to keep some of the clear spirit as a Calvados or Eau-de-Vie if it comes out really good. I knocked the bung out of a barrel I filled this spring and gave it a taste today... Yum, Yum... A Great Apple Brandy in the making.

S&S

[Bumblingblockhead]

I've got a question for for you, ospreyvineyard. Do you know if the solder used to put that thing together is the non-toxic, no-lead variety?