Howdy! From IN

[HereComesTrouble]

GM all!

I've been interested in this and sniffing around for awhile now, now i have tons of questions.

I'm a homebrewer as i'm guessing many in here are? I used to have a huge insane setup, but gave it all up when i had too many hobbies and then kids. Now, I'm getting back into it, but on a much smaller scale, with the goal of far more refined beers (belgians only). Also, not too long ago i tried my first home made whiskey by a brewer, and was stunned at its quality and flavor, esp considering the proof. I'd love to do that, bourbon/whiskeys and rums. From what I've seen, i want a pot still and the ability to do it in one run if i can. looking for advice there.

As a total noob (outside of brewing, where i am totally versed), I'm stuck on a few things getting started. 1. A basic efficient design for doing one run rum/whiskey. 2. Some guide on how much product in relation to wash amount and boiler size reccomendations 3. I'm not opposed to making dedicated gear, BUT..I REALLY want to dual purpose my brewing gear...i want to stay married...she's a real catch! i've got a 9 gallon SS pot, coupling/valve on the bottom and open top, 50 foot immersion chiller, and propane burner. Can i configure any of this to be used? Are there any other dual use setups around here to look at?

Thanks to everyone for sharing knowledge.

[theholymackerel]

Welcome, and Howdy!

[Smokehouse Shiner]

Welcome to HD. Lots of brewers here. Samohon has a great simple pot still design around. Check it out. As far as repurposing your brewing gear, yes the ss pot will make an excellent boiler. Albeit on the small side for what I would prefer, it will work. It has a lid I'm assuming? Lot's of threads around about converting stockpots to boilers. Your burner will work too, as long as you have a safe place to run it. Your immersion chiller can't be effectively utilized as a condenser as is, BUT, it would be possible( I've always wanted to do this) to build a dual purpose counter flow chiller/condenser. Just a coiled liebig really. It'd be a fun project. But fun projects won't keep you married will they? She'll come around, especially if she likes good likker. See ya round!

[HereComesTrouble]

She doesn't care about the beer really (probably still remembers the insane brew setup from before), but i told her today i could make dark rum for her and her ears perked up. If i told her i could make her tequila she'd probably marry me again or get a restraining order - tequila and she don't mix well.

I kinda just tossed out the chiller thing thinking there could be a way to use it as a condenser....totally stoked that i could actually do that! It would be like a Transformer! Pot has a cheap lid, i'd probably get/build a dedicated lid for the upper assembly.

Oh, and safe place meaning safetywise or nobody lookin?

[OlympicMtDoo]

Welcom Trouble, Like the other guys said there are lots of good still plans on here and sounds like you'r going to want a pot still, look over some of the plans and designs and you'll be able to see where you can incoproate some of your equiptment and where you need to add a little, just go a little at a time and don't piss the better half off ))) have fun

[Smokehouse Shiner]

I kinda just tossed out the chiller thing thinking there could be a way to use it as a condenser....totally stoked that i could actually do that! It would be like a Transformer! Pot has a cheap lid, i'd probably get/build a dedicated lid for the upper assembly.

Oh, and safe place meaning safetywise or nobody lookin?

IMHO, by the time you buy a new lid, work out how to attach a head, and screw around with binder clips and flour paste you will have spent about as much money and for sure caused your self more trouble and headache than if you had just went ahead and got a 15.5 gallon keg and triclamp. That's pretty much the standard for boilers around here. Much easier to set up and seal than a stockpot and won't look at all out of place with your homebrew decor. Size is another consideration. 9 Gallons sounds like alot for beer but for stillin a full keg is much more practical. Especially if you plan to do all grain. With low ABV all grain washes you will end up beating your head against the wall trying to squeeze a decent amount of whiskey out of that pot. But that doesn't mean it cant be done. Rtalbigr does all grain with reportedly great sucess in a pot smaller than yours.

Would love to see you do the counter flow/coiled liebig. Like I said I've always wanted to, but never have got a round tuit. It'd be the coolest lookin condenser on the block. Might have some problems with sanitaion or rather contamination of your wort when brewing from copper sulfate build up. Happens sometimes with copper condensers. A search on "blue distillate" will turn up more information on the subject.

[Braz]

Welcome from a fellow hoosier.

What Smokehouse said about getting a 15.5 gallon keg is spot on. I started out with a 44 qt stockpot boiler and eventually converted to a keg. I can't say enough about how much easier things are with the keg boiler and tri-clamp fitting.

I think you are safe from the restraining order thing. Tequila is damned near impossible unless you have a backyard full of agave cactus, and in Indiana I doubt that's the case.

[HereComesTrouble]

Oh i know, I've already done my home work on the tequila thing.
I know you guys REALLY want me to get a keg, lol...my previous brew setup was 3-tiered all converted kegs, etc. My goal for brewing now is "smaller is better" doing 3-4 gallon Belgian batches. $$$ is very tight, and space is even tighter. My brew setup now wil be this 9 gallon kettle and a 5 gallon cooler MT only, mashing in a bag, doing one batch and a dunk sparge.

I REALLY want to keep this equipment down to nothing, and dual purpose. That said, my goal is as high of quality whiskey/rum as i can get, and i would bend on anything if it will get me there. As far as quantity, I'm not looking for a lot, but enough to make it worth the time. I still don't really have a sense on just how much i can get from, lets say one run in this boiler. ( ie. How full you can fill it, how much final 'keeper product' from that).

Isn't a lid as easy as a plate of SS, and a split silicone tube around the pot edge for a seal?
The keg gives me around 6 more gallons of space, surely thats not THAT big of a difference?

[Smokehouse Shiner]

Ok Trouble, I'll answer a few more of your questions here but then it's getting past a simple welcome and so a little off-topic. On the boiler, as I said before your stockpot will work. You can make a high quality whiskey and/or rum in a boiler that size. Whether or not it is big enough to be worth your time is a matter of personal preference and a decision you will ultimately have to make on your own. Many folks here use boilers much smaller than that.

My goal for brewing now is "smaller is better"

It just doesn't work that way with stills. More capacity = less strip runs= less time stillin for the same product amount. A larger boiler also make cuts wider and therefore easier to identify and less smearing. Again I'm not trying to convine you that you NEED to get a keg, just explaining the pros and cons.

I still don't really have a sense on just how much i can get from, lets say one run in this boiler. ( ie. How full you can fill it, how much final 'keeper product' from that).

This information is readily available here and on the parent site, but I'll give you a rough idea. You can fill the boiler no more than 3/4 full. Prolly half full for a rum wash. They tend to foam and puke. So 3/4 of 9 gal. is 6 3/4 gal.. If you have a charge of 6 3/4 gal. of 10% ABV wash thats .675 or a little under 3/4 of a gal. of available alcohol. After cuts you might keep 1/3 of that as "drinkable" product. So around 1 quart of drankin likker for 1 boiler charge.

Isn't a lid as easy as a plate of SS, and a split silicone tube around the pot edge for a seal?

No. I'm gonna shoot you some links here. All of this is considered required reading for this forum. The first is "The Rules We Live By". These are the forum rules. All are important. #8 applies specifically to this question. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =35&t=5090
The second is the New Distiller's Reading Lounge. Lots of great information in here that you will NEED to learn before firing a still.http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=46
The parent site also has tons of good info although some is not quite up to date. Theres a button top center of your screen that will take you there.
Ok happy reading Trouble. Be safe and don't get in a hurry. Stillin takes time and patience. Even before you ever start building a still. Good luck and cheers!
Smoke

[HereComesTrouble]

I appreciate it. I've been reading all of the stuff you mention, read tons from the parent site today, still working on it. Using the calculators, I got 1.25g from a 10% mash, but that was going down to 30% and estimating column packing, maybe i didn't do it right. (I'm leaning toward a Boka or Nixon/Stone with either no packing or tune to suit), I like the idea of being able to tune it to get to one run.

Thanks for your help!!

[Smokehouse Shiner]

I appreciate it. I've been reading all of the stuff you mention, read tons from the parent site today, still working on it. Using the calculators, I got 1.25g from a 10% mash, but that was going down to 30% and estimating column packing, maybe i didn't do it right. (I'm leaning toward a Boka or Nixon/Stone with either no packing or tune to suit), I like the idea of being able to tune it to get to one run.

Thanks for your help!!

You'll spend more time doing a single run and get a lesser quality whiskey from that detuned reflux than doing two runs in a proper pot still.