ALAMBECS

[deecee]

are these the same as a pot still and what can be disstilled from them iv found a few sites where they are very reasonable price im a compleate noobie but have a passion for this what is the easties and cheapest oh safeest way to start up guys thanks darran

[deecee]

i have found a site but dont want to post it very cheap alambecs not sure if they are ok mind

[Hawke]

Alembics are a very good potstill. Mostly for brandy, work well for whiskey.
You need to be sure they are truely made to be used, and anything under 5 gallon is nothing more than a toy.
If they come with a lentle, it adds a bit of reflux for doing a more neutral product.

[deecee]

H what is the least i can setup with 5 g is 25 l thats 40pints of beer whats the out come from that and hell what do i do i brew lager n beer id seen a few alebecs at 5l can i set up what and what sorry to be so vauge but i havnt a clue


regards darran

[deecee]

copper ones H but not sure what to get dont wana spend shit loads

regards

darran

[Hawke]

You should be working toward a 5 to 10% 'beer', so if you had a 5L still you would end up with 1/2 litre maximum alcohol, out of that, maybe 2/5ths would be considered drinkable. Best advice would be to get a 50L keg and build a liebig based potstill. The only real difference between brewing for beer and distilling is the addition of hopps.

[big worm]

one thing to think about is money$$$$ if you keep this hobby either spend it now or spend more later. most wash's are ~ 8-10% abv on a 5 gal wash thats between 0.4-0.5 gal of etho max.... figure in your cuts.
a small stove top boiler is fine to learn on but you will upgrade to something larger if you intend on having a drink now and again.

[CletusDwight]

vagueisonethingbutbloodypunctuateyourposts.

A 25 liter beer or wine fermenter gets you (potentially) 2.5L pure alcohol at 10%.

IMHO You need to strip that down to low wines first, rather than do a single run (Folks might argue but I find it easier )
So if you strip that down to 30%, you'll have 8 liters.

That means you need at least a 10 liter pot to do your spirits run.
That's the minimum size you can get by with and means you'll do 3 stripping runs on the wash, followed by a single spirits run.

[LWTCS]

Best advice would be to get a 50L keg and build a liebig based potstill.

I'm with Hawke.

I hate to put down my lil stove top, but at times it just felt like I was always stilling.

Sometimes space limitations dictate the allowable size of your still.

If you have the space, go for the keg.
,,,,,,as Big Worm recommends, spend it now or spend it later.

Good luck
L.T.

[deecee]

cheers to all guys mucho info there, <<<<<comma

see the lme liquid malt extract can this be used as a wash or is it better to brew a hops free beer at 10% and run this through the still

stripping back ?? not sure what this is

IMHO You need to strip that down to low wines first, rather than do a single run (Folks might argue but I find it easier )
So if you strip that down to 30%, you'll have 8 liters.


iv not got too much room so what would be the best set up and could i be pointed in the right direction to buying or making a wee still

i found this site not shure if its any good or if the pots are useable http://www.copper-alembic.com/index.php?lang=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

H as a noobie iv not a clue what or how to do this Best advice would be to get a 50L keg and build a liebig based potstill


regards darran.

ps i create my own languages and spelling so i appologies for lack off punctuation its a side effect of dyslexia

[LWTCS]

I'm thinking anything bigger than 20 liters on the stove top is too big. At least in my kitchen.

Stripping is to run wash at full power to shed away the bulk of the water. Then a second or spirit run much slower to further refine and get crisper cuts or separation between Fores,Heads,Hearts and Tails.

[Hawke]

That is a good site. A few members have thier stills.
Under 20L makes it easy to miss the cuts, at least for someone like me. 35 years of smoking has killed my nose.

[deecee]

very great full i know what ill ask from the missus for the old birthday

as regarding wash and such i realy have no clue what is the easiest way to make up a wash ready to ditill not realy bothered brandy whisky you know i just wana go through the principle a few time to get the hang of stills then start still what i wana drink

ps i take it the still should be soldered not rivits

ok there are zillions of stills to chose from hmmmmm

[LWTCS]

For a pot still:

See Rads "All Bran" recipe.

Dead simple and very dependable.

[deecee]

now that all bran seems like a fine choice we can get neutral or flavours from the recipie

so what would be the minimum set up and the cost

and what would be the best set up also not to expensive im not after stilling gallons i dont think just yet

is there a sticky or list or minimum reqirment for set up i can peep at with pictures so i know what im looking at

ta guys

darran

[noobsauce]

Yup, its called the search and read options..you arent going to get all the answers from start to finish in 1 post. Sounds like you gotta do some research on this and the HD site before you go any further and you spend some bucks and try/waste some bucks on a wasted, stuck wash or such in a still you dont know how to operate correctly/safely.