Hi from Dunedin - New Zealand

[johnboy1234]

Hey what a cool forum, you all sound like a nice bunch of folks.

Ok I am a total newbie who was just given a brand new 25L still with all the accessories(Note: it was stored in a garage for 5 years from new), who loves drinking bourbon quite regularly everyday after 5pm. OK keen as I was, to start saving money asap, I went onto youtube and watched a couple of videos, and away I went and made my 1st wash/mash(funny how they both mean the same thing and are spelt exactly the same except the "w" is turned upside down).

Ok the instructions said 3-5 days for my wash to be ready, which consisted of

23 litres of water at 25C
7kg of sugar instead of 6kg (I thought more would be better, but I have since read it's not)
1 packet of Yeast with nutrients in a sachet for 25L

I mixed it all up in the 25L bucket with lid
Then put the lid on and left it in front of the heat pump running at 21C
1st day nothing happened
2nd day still nothing happened, and checked it and discovered the lid wasn't quite tight enough, so I tightened it and VOILA the air lock thingy started to bubble quite rapidly.
3rd day All good Bubbling away, and I sniffed the air lock and noticed a very slight alcohol/apple smell
4th day (TODAY) apple smell is getting stronger and the bubbling has slowed down to about 1 bubble every 10 secs through the air lock. THEN I get the dumb idea to check to see if the lid is tight enough, and as soon as I touched it, the air lock stopped bubbling and I haven't been able to get it to bubble since.

I opened the the lid to try and reseat it in case it wasnt right, and I could hear the wash fizzing and there is a bit of white foam on the top of the wash, I also stuck the hydrometer in and tested it and it was approx 1 inch below the 990 level you are suppose to get.

My Questions are:
1. How do I get it to bubble again through the air lock?
2. Have I buggered the mix by opening the lid? Can I save it?
3. Did I destroy it by putting too much sugar in?
4. As the kit was in storage for 5 years would the vacuum sealed yeast and nutrients have gone off?

So much to learn, it tough being a novice................Any tips or help gratefully received.

UPDATE JUST COME IN:
GEEZ what an idiot I am, and it took my female partner to figure it out, god I'm an embarrasment to the male race. It turned out I had put the lid on wrong on the wash bucket. It had a round rubber ring that was suppose to go inside the lid, I had it on the outside. Now it's bubbling away again at about 1 bubble evry 14 secs. I guess everything is alright now....is it?

[Titus-a-fishus]

Hey johnboy1234
I can hear the excitement in your post.

So take a deep breath and just relax a bit.
To answer the questions that you haven't already answered yourself (1&2)

3 No you didn't destroy it. Just takes longer and if it was reeeally too much it wouldn't fully ferment out.
It should be just fine.
4 Obviously the yeast is working as it is bubbling away nicely

Welcome to the forum and as we always advise new stillers.... read all you can, use the search function and read more.
Took me ages to get even a slightly clear idea of what was happening.
Do a few washs and distill a bit of shine, it will come to you.
All it takes is time.

Cheers
TAF

[johnboy1234]

Thank You!!! .....Titus-a-fishus for your prompt reply, I can rest easy now that I know I haven't destroyed my 1st batch.....PHEW!

Yes I know the more I read and play around and experiment the more I will understand, I am learning that in a tobacco forum at the moment, I am curing my 1st crop in various different ways with vary results it's fun. Though it's gonnna take a while before I start saving money on ciggies, which by the way are $18 a pack of 30's here in NZ, and bourbon is $35 per litre, hence my sudden desire to start to learn how to make my own ciggies and bourbon. My partner and I spend $280 per week on them. So you can see where my motivation comes from.

Hey it's fun and great to be aboard with you guys and gals, looking forward to my learning curve.

[rad14701]

Greetings, johnboy1234...

Your wash which consists of 7kg of sugar in 23L of water has a potential yield of 17.9 %ABV as opposed to a potential of 15.3% ABV had you stuck with 6kg of sugar... As you do your required reading you will find that getting greedy and pushing for high yield washes is problematic... Not only does the practice have the potential of causing the wash to stall prematurely but it will also potentially impart off tastes and flavors that require more work to remove... Not to mention the fact that the higher you push the %ABV the longer the ferment will take to finish, if it finishes at all... Stick with 14% ABV or lower and you will have much better results overall... Check out the Tried and True Recipe forum for alternatives to turbo washes...

Also do plenty of research about running your still while waiting for the wash to finish and clear...

Good luck...

[LWTCS]

+1

Also,,,,,,280 bucks a week....Whoa.

So some of us may not really be saving money in this hobby because some are addicted to the build process as well as perhaps putting together handy shop environments.

But with a basic stilling outfit you will really be able to get a good return on investment. especially if you get good at making a good quality likker. And you can get a jump start on quality by following Rads advise on the greed factor.

Also, I would recommend that you get a couple of fementing buckets rotating. Try and get yourself something fermenting, something clearing and something ready to charge the still at any point during the week and you will quickly be able to convince yourself to stay away from the trappings of that greed factor.

Be safe. Don't sell and don't tell.
Do your research you'll only need store bought sampling to remind yourself why you don't need store bought.

[Smokehouse Shiner]

Be safe. Don't sell and don't tell.

He lives in NZ Larry. It's ok to tell there. But don't sell. And be safe. Welcome to the forum JohnnyBoy! The New distillers Reading Lounge has lots of good information. Check it out. Cheers!

[Bushman]

Greetings, johnboy1234...

Your wash which consists of 7kg of sugar in 23L of water has a potential yield of 17.9 %ABV as opposed to a potential of 15.3% ABV had you stuck with 6kg of sugar... As you do your required reading you will find that getting greedy and pushing for high yield washes is problematic... Not only does the practice have the potential of causing the wash to stall prematurely but it will also potentially impart off tastes and flavors that require more work to remove... Not to mention the fact that the higher you push the %ABV the longer the ferment will take to finish, if it finishes at all... Stick with 14% ABV or lower and you will have much better results overall... Check out the Tried and True Recipe forum for alternatives to turbo washes...

Also do plenty of research about running your still while waiting for the wash to finish and clear...

Good luck...

Welcome to the forum, Rad's comments hold true for many of us we sacrificed quality for quantity this changes through experience. We all want to make something we are proud of, greed is the hardest part to get over.

So some of us may not really be saving money in this hobby because some are addicted to the build process as well as perhaps putting together handy shop environments.

I also agree with LWTCS it is a great hobby and I am always looking for deals that make my shop a better work environment.

[LWTCS]

Haha. Right!. New Zealand. Big giant letters that say as much.

[Samohon]

Welcome to HD johnboy1234...

All great advice, follow it wisely and you'll be making great shine in no time...

Have fun but do it safely...

[johnboy1234]

Hey THANKS everyone for the feedback it's great you guys answer so quickly and with good advice. YEA I know I should not have put in the extra KG of sugar, but I had it left over, as I had read somewhere that I needed 7kg, but that was wrong. So when I poured in the 5kg bag I had a 2kg bag to go, thinking mmh maybe I shouldn't pour the whole 2kg in, then went ah stuff it throw it all in, probably through laziness/ignorance rather than greed, as 40% is plenty strong enough for me. Any way I have learnt my lesson, hopefully I won't be punished for 1st offence.

Yes good idea to read up about the still while waiting for the wash, in fact yesterday I decided to do a trial run with just plain water, to see how it worked and also give it a good flushout before use. I 3/4 filled the still with water and plugged in both power leads and KAPOW!!! ZAP ZZZZZZizzzle the multiboard I was using blew up and started smoking. Scared the number 2's out of me.

Anyway it was an old multiboard so I got a newish one and tried that, hoping that I hadnt blown up the still, PHEW it worked, everything worked as it was suppose to. Once it heated up to about 90C the water started to drip out, and using the cold tap to regulate the temperature worked really well too. So it looks like I am all ready for when the wash is finished, which could be late today or tomorrow sometime, I know I have to have the temp at 78C when doing the wash inthe still.

When the wash has stopped bubbling, I intend to check it with the hydrometer and hopefully it will be at 990 or there abouts.
Then I will take the bucket outside (bloody cold 5C) and let it settle for 2 days. After that it should be ready for the still, which apparently will take me approx 5 hrs to make 3-3+1/2 litres of 90%

When that has finished I will then run the 3-3+1/2 litres of 90% thru this carbon filter attachment I have, then dilute it with water so its 40%, then I will add the bourbon flavouring, finally I will taste it. If it tastes crap I will add some ageing soothing cream that came with the kit.

Is the above what I should be doing?

[frozenthunderbolt]

Hey THANKS everyone for the feedback it's great you guys answer so quickly and with good advice. YEA I know I should not have put in the extra KG of sugar, but I had it left over, as I had read somewhere that I needed 7kg, but that was wrong. So when I poured in the 5kg bag I had a 2kg bag to go, thinking mmh maybe I shouldn't pour the whole 2kg in, then went ah stuff it throw it all in, probably through laziness/ignorance rather than greed, as 40% is plenty strong enough for me. Any way I have learnt my lesson, hopefully I won't be punished for 1st offence.

Yes good idea to read up about the still while waiting for the wash, in fact yesterday I decided to do a trial run with just plain water, to see how it worked and also give it a good flushout before use. I 3/4 filled the still with water and plugged in both power leads and KAPOW!!! ZAP ZZZZZZizzzle the multiboard I was using blew up and started smoking. Scared the number 2's out of me.

Anyway it was an old multiboard so I got a newish one and tried that, hoping that I hadnt blown up the still, PHEW it worked, everything worked as it was suppose to. Once it heated up to about 90C the water started to drip out, and using the cold tap to regulate the temperature worked really well too. So it looks like I am all ready for when the wash is finished, which could be late today or tomorrow sometime, I know I have to have the temp at 78C when doing the wash inthe still.

When the wash has stopped bubbling, I intend to check it with the hydrometer and hopefully it will be at 990 or there abouts.
Then I will take the bucket outside (bloody cold 5C) and let it settle for 2 days. After that it should be ready for the still, which apparently will take me approx 5 hrs to make 3-3+1/2 litres of 90%

When that has finished I will then run the 3-3+1/2 litres of 90% thru this carbon filter attachment I have, then dilute it with water so its 40%, then I will add the bourbon flavouring, finally I will taste it. If it tastes crap I will add some ageing soothing cream that came with the kit.

Is the above what I should be doing?

It will get you some booze, probably not brialliant though given the stress on the yeast.
Depnding on your rig, see if you can take out some of the packing that is currently in your collumn and replace it with (cleaned) copper pot scrubber - preferably at the bottom of the collumn. It will help clean up the flavour some.
Alternatively run your still fast with very little reflux, and collect it all except the for shots 200-400ml that contain methanol and realy rank shit. Then mix the distilled low wines with some bicarbonate of soda - i'de use about a heaped teaspoon per liter and shake it daily for a week.
Strain it off any soda and then re-run it through your still (diluted to no more than 40% with clean water) as i described above and, if you make good cuts, you should get something a bit better again.
Then the 'burbon' you get from it will depend on the quality of the essence you use - check out the resources section for reviews of differnt essences and do read "the beginners guide to cut" - i thinkit is in the new distillers reading lounge.
You will feel like you are throwing away 1/2 or more of your hard won booze, but it will be worth it for the difference in quality.

[smoothshinejack]

Hey Johnboy...Out Doctors Point Way here, just north of Dunners.
I snuck in a first post yesterday before joining this morning.
I'm considering replacing my Euro 5, with what you have, ie the 30. Have you produced anything yet?
The 5 works well, nice, clean spirit, but tiny amount, ie 1, 40% bottle as against the 30's, 6 bottles...in theory at least.
Let me know how you get on.
Regards.

[johnboy1234]

It will get you some booze, probably not brialliant though given the stress on the yeast.
Depnding on your rig, see if you can take out some of the packing that is currently in your collumn and replace it with (cleaned) copper pot scrubber - preferably at the bottom of the collumn. It will help clean up the flavour some.
Alternatively run your still fast with very little reflux, and collect it all except the for shots 200-400ml that contain methanol and realy rank shit. Then mix the distilled low wines with some bicarbonate of soda - i'de use about a heaped teaspoon per liter and shake it daily for a week.
Strain it off any soda and then re-run it through your still (diluted to no more than 40% with clean water) as i described above and, if you make good cuts, you should get something a bit better again.
Then the 'burbon' you get from it will depend on the quality of the essence you use - check out the resources section for reviews of differnt essences and do read "the beginners guide to cut" - i thinkit is in the new distillers reading lounge.
You will feel like you are throwing away 1/2 or more of your hard won booze, but it will be worth it for the difference in quality.

Thanks frozenthunderbolt for the advice, I am sure it is sound, but I am going to have to do a lot of learning b4 I even understand all of your message, I have no idea what cuts or shots are, or how to strain off soda. I will have to do a bit more reading in this forum. I do however have a copper pot scrubber in the column, thats how the kit arrived.

Also I am no taste expert as I don't drink straight bourbon, I add coke water and ice, so if it tastes a little bit sharp I can always put more coke in I guess, as long as the alcohol works on me, I'm not too fussed. Though if it still is undrinkable I will try your method. I'm just very impatient and can't wait to try it. Thanks for the good advice, hopefully I won't need to do all that and loose half my batch, I'll let ya's know.

[johnboy1234]

Hey Johnboy...Out Doctors Point Way here, just north of Dunners.
I snuck in a first post yesterday before joining this morning.
I'm considering replacing my Euro 5, with what you have, ie the 30. Have you produced anything yet?
The 5 works well, nice, clean spirit, but tiny amount, ie 1, 40% bottle as against the 30's, 6 bottles...in theory at least.
Let me know how you get on.
Regards.

Hi smoothshinejack

No I haven't produced any booze yet, I am at the tailend of preparing my wash, it bubbles once every 50 secs now, so it can't be too far away, probably tomorrow it will be ready. Then I have to wait 2 days for it to clear and then I will put it in the euro30, fingers crossed I havent buggered it by putting too much sugar in.

I will let you know how it turns out, but I did a test run with just water the other day, and the still all worked OK.

[smoothshinejack]

Hi again johnboy.
I hope it is ok within the site to carry on conversations in this room?
The other still I am looking at is a Turbo 500, a different design, which according to the sales blurb uses vastly less water and probably power.
It is a $100 dearer but does provide extras. I am on tank water so that aspect would be a plus by itself.
We have so many options here in NZ, it's difficult to choose.
Cheers.

[johnboy1234]

Im sorry I know nothing about the Turbo 500, as I was given my euro30 for free from the father in law. Though the Turbo 500 sounds pretty good, if I was buying I'd pay the extra $100, especially if I had a water supply problem.

Cheers
Johnboy