which still??

[joeydeere]

ive been looking around for a still to start on and ive narrowed it down to 2.

1. http://www.milehidistilling.com/3_Gallo ... /16011.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

2. http://www.milehidistilling.com/POT_STI ... /16021.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

my plans were for whiskey but i imagine that you guys have a better idea about these so im open for any pointers

thanks

[LWTCS]

I recon Milehigh has a good reputation.
And those stills look good from here.

But if you are patient,, you can build a still as good or better for less.

Need to get some copper in the vapor path anywho.

[WalkingWolf]

Tell us Joey, are you up for making a still??

I'm relatively new here and new to distilling as well. Hell, I'm new to soldering, pipe work, etc. . . . you get the picture. I went out and "bought" a still. I learned to solder by rebuilding the still into a servicable unit. Then proceeded to build a real still and am 90% finished my build. I can't even figure out how to post a *^#%$)*&^$ picture of the S.O.B. What I'm saying is ya aint gotta be no engineer, machinist, fabricator type. Ya just need some common sense and "want to". If ya got the - want to - you got at your disposal all the information you could possibly need, plenty of experienced hands to give advice.

If you don't feel like building your own at this time, Milehi has been a real good company to deal with. Took my calls, answered questions, good products, shipped on time.

ps. Milehi is not who I bought my first "still" from.

WalkingWolf

[pomiataa]

Knowledge makes good alcohol. The still is just a tool. Someone here wrote, “You can make good alcohol with any still, with the proper cuts”. Since you have to read anyway, why not starting with. This will answer most of your questions. Even the ones that you don’t know you’ve got yet.
Asking general questions here will result in controversial answers.

[stock doc]

Joey,
I have the 3 gallon MileHi rig and it works just fine. Do some searching here for Beerswimmer and Snuffy posts regarding
the Coolant Management (CM) reflux still. It does require very minor mods to fine tune it for proper cuts.
Insulate the column, covering up that pretty chrome look, and find some very precise valves for water flow to both the column and condenser.
This type of still, CM, takes some work through out the entire run but it's good practice to refine your skills in this hobby.
First real upgrade for me is a larger boiler.... 15 gallon SS keg which works with the MileHi column just need two adapters.
Also, don't fall for the Turbo Yeast products, look in the recipe section here for a basic sugar wash like WPOSW.
Good luck.

Doc

[joeydeere]

well i just got my still in the mail and i fell for the "starter kit" i got a 25lb bag of pure sugar from good ol' walmart and im trying to find some recipies that are simple and wont kill a beginner.... but i bet you guys hear that alot

any suggestions on how to start the mashing process and the process from mashing to destilling??

thanks again

[olddog]

If you go to the index page, you will find the tried and true recipes, also read about making cuts, this is essential to getting a good result. Also the new distillers reading lounge is a good place to start.


OD

[Fastill]

Go to the tried and true page for sugar wash recipes and if you have access to corn look real hard at UJSSM recipe. This is an old recipe that has stood the test of time and if you have any problems with it, it didn't cost an arm and a leg to try, not much time invested and it ferments well, fast.

[Whitedog]

Both of those you posted are pot stills. If your going to spend the money, get the dual purpose and you can run it either way. Its only like $20 difference and it comes with the copper.

http://www.milehidistilling.com/Mighty_ ... /16033.htm

[olddog]

Better still build your own, for a cheaper better product.

[joeydeere]

well im going with 4.2 lbs of corn and 4.2 lbs of sugar with 3 gallons of water to start fermenting

is this to much for the 3 gallon still or how full do i fill it?

and its a recipe for a sour mash sooo...

[olddog]

You should fill your boiler to about 2/3rds of it's capacity, to prevent surging and boil overs, you need to leave a bit of headroom.



OD

[Fastill]

well im going with 4.2 lbs of corn and 4.2 lbs of sugar with 3 gallons of water to start fermenting

is this to much for the 3 gallon still or how full do i fill it?

and its a recipe for a sour mash sooo...

If you start with 3 gal. of water, the corn will soak up almost a gallon of that, and you want to leave the corn wet while stillin' so running 2 gal. off the top should work out almost perfect. Then I would add 4 lbs of sugar, 1-1/4 gal of water and 3/4 gal of backset to your corn in the fermenter and let'er roll again. Just run as 2 gallon batches.

[olddog]

Yep running 2 gallons in a 3 gallon still would be fine.

[joeydeere]

how much yeast would you say?

[Mud Mechanik]

What kind of yeast do you have?

[joeydeere]

good old turbo yeast 24 hour i but in 12 tablesspoons

[Mud Mechanik]

That does sound a little excessive for a 3 gallon wash, but I have read on this site where more has been used, it is all personal preference. I ferment 20 to 30 gallon batches and use 7 or 8 teaspoon fulls of distillers yeast, and my ferments last for about 3 weeks with no temperature excursions from the conversion. I would however like to speed them up by adding more yeast but I am afraid of off tastes that may be converted also. As long as the yeast remains healthy and happy, you should end up with a good batch to run. MM

[joeydeere]

what about the recipie on the bag of turbo yeast itself

it says it makes 6.5 gallons...add 5.8 gallons warm water to 13lbs sugar and put the whole package ofe turbo yeast (7.20 oz or 204g) into the fermenter and stir for 1 minute and let it ferment.

does that sound like a reasonable recipe? i guess i was under the impression that the corn just added flavor? so i was thinking about doing this but cutting that recipe a little below have seeing as i only have a 3 gallon still. but would that be ok to start adding flavor? as in mixing juices or fruit in the fermenter?

THanks again for all the advice, your keeping me going!

[Mud Mechanik]

How Much Yeast to Use
Jack advises ...
To use the best brewing guidelines- use 2 to 4 grams of dried yeast per gallon of mash.
If the alcohol is in the 5% or less range - use 2 grams per gallon.
in the 5 to 7%abv range; use 3 grams per gallon.
In the 8 to 10%abv range use 4 grams per gallon.
You will know when you have pitched the right amount of yeast because the high kraeusen stage (the tall foamy cap) will have formed in four hours or less. If it takes longer than 4 hours- don't worry too much. If it takes longer than 24 hours to form- you aren't using enough yeast.

Higher than 4 grams per gallon will get you some sulfur flavors that can be hard to get rid of, so only use the 100 grams of dry yeast per 5 gallons (20 litres) rule for a pure sugar mash that is destined to be carbon polished and turned into vodka or a "base spirit" for liqueurs, etc.

If buying that much dry yeast is a problem, you can make a starter. Make a small "mini batch" of your mash - using the same ingredients at the same concentration (no less than 500ml no more than 2,000ml for a 5 gal/20liter batch) and put it into a sanitized glass flask, bottle, jug, etc. Do this one or two days before you plan to make the main (5 gal/20L) batch. Add the small (typically 5 gram) packet of yeast to the starter, and when it is at high kraeusen, add it to the main batch. Yeast "learns" to feed on sugars when it wakes up from that little packet- it takes yeast seven generations to learn how to digest a different kind of sugar- therefore you MUST make your starter out of the same stuff you are going to make the main mash out of (this is why waking up your yeast in orange juice is a bad idea). Also, yeast is sensitive to sugar concentrations- so the starter MUST be the same strength or weaker than the main batch in order to prevent osmotic pressure from causing the formation of mutant yeast cells (a big cause of off flavors).

The temperature the yeast is used at also can cause the flavor to degrade. Most whiskey mashes use an ale yeast- the ideal temperature range is 60 to 70 degrees F. Lower temps will slow down the yeast- if sanitation is good- this is not a problem. If a higher temp is reached - the yeast will undergo "stress" reactions that cause excessive ester and higher alcohol formation- this will result in a solvent- like flavor that can carry over into the finished spirit. Lager yeasts tend to form a lot of sulfur compounds at the begining of the ferment- during the lagering stage the yeast reabsorbs these sulfur compounds, leaving a crisp clean lager flavor in the beer- since you don't want to store a whiskey mash for 2 months in the fridge- it's best to use an ale yeast.

When you are fermenting wine (for brandy or drinking)- it is best to use 2 grams of dry yeast per gallon and no more (two of the five gram packets per 5gal/20L batch). It's true that you would think to use 4 grams per gallon since the alcohol is so high (typically 10% or more)- but, with wine, in order to preserve the delicate aroma of the fruit you are fermenting, you need to have a slow, cool (60-70F) ferment to prevent the CO2 from driving off all of the more delicate flavors. A fast ferment in a wine will find the CO2 "scrubbing" the delicate flavors out, leaving you with a bland acidic wine that tastes pretty rough.
Note though that you can over-pitch a wort with too much yeast. Jack warns ..



This is off of the parent site regarding amounts of yeast, very good information...MM