Making Bourbon - help appreciated

[Bevan]

Appreciate the advice, Kiwikeg
I'm in no hurry - learned many times in a short space of time that if you're in a hurry with this gig then you need to find another sport - was just concerned that I'd cocked it up. Can't afford a heat-pad right now so I'll do my next ferment in the house (currently in the garage which is like a witches tit at night)
Ta, again

[Washashore]

Putting your fermenter in a small space with a 40 watt light bulb works wonders.

[Damoz]

Very interesting thread Bevan! I am in exactly the same situation as you... Beam drinker from way back and decided to get my own still to give it a crack myself. Ended up with the Turbo 500 on a shop owners advice and now it seems like it's not the way to go for bourbon. I was told "it'll be good, just make the spirit and add the flavour..." but my first run (even twice filtered in the EZ filter) tasted like dirty cats piss cordial. I've done some experimenting with charring oak and using different essences but my next run is going to be what you're doing now... thanks for posting these detailed instructions everyone and keep them coming. I'm a rookie as well so the more detail the better, i'll be following this one closely!

[rad14701]

Damoz, that shop owner gave you piss poor advice because he was only interested in making a buck... Making neutral spirits and adding essences is not the way to make flavored spirits... And that Turbo 500 cannot be run as a pot still... You need a simple pot still and a decent recipe using standard yeast...

[Damoz]

Damoz, that shop owner gave you piss poor advice because he was only interested in making a buck... Making neutral spirits and adding essences is not the way to make flavored spirits... And that Turbo 500 cannot be run as a pot still... You need a simple pot still and a decent recipe using standard yeast...

So you mean that the Turbo stills and supplies he makes his money off ISN'T actually the best way for me to make and clear my wash?!? My fault I suppose, a little reading on my part before hand would have been good... ah well... me and Bevan will just have to stick to our Turbo 500's and be the pioneers of awesome reflux bourbon!!

[zouthernborne]

What you should do is get a SS stock pot and about 12 feet of copper tubing and run your bourbon the way it should be run. Running a neutral and then adding flavors is all good, but I wouldn't dare call it bourbon. If so, you might as well just grab a bag of sugar and leave grain alone. But if you are thinking of sipping from the holy grail, where bourbons and scotches and the like tend to rest, then you should pot still some grain wash and save that reflux for vodka. Just my two cents.

[MitchyBourbon]

Yup,

Build yourself a pot still. Keep it simple. Use the turbo 500 for neutral and the pot still for flavored liquors.

[Damoz]

PM me if you like... but to summarize what the Seppos are trying to say...to put it in nuzilind that u can understand(i hope )
1-Send your flatmate down to King Dicks to buy a 20pack of cruisers rtds
2- find some flanges to plow the cruisers
3- plow the flanges or share with your flat mates
4- number empty cruiser bottles from 1 to 20.
5- run still and collect in bottles from 1 to 20 in order
6- dump bottle number 1 into gas tank of car (heads)
7- cap bottles loosley so bugs cant get in but fumes can get out.
8- wait a few days
9- take a sip of bottle 10- tastes strong but okay- take water- rinse spit
10- work up and down bottles any that taste shit put aside there will be 2or3 bottles from about bottle 16 that taste like cardboard this is the TAILS
11- there will be bottles from 2 to 5-6 that taste like meths these are FORESHOTS
12- everything in between is HEARTS and therefore drinkable.
13- cut hearts bottles to 40% ABV
14- invite m8s around to drink your moonshine
15- on your next still run add the tails and foreshots jars to your wash immediatly before distilling.

I am happy to assist in any of the above activitys

I am considering setting up a monthly get together of like minded distillers in west auckland if you like i will PM you when we get a venue sorted.

hope this helps

KK

Hi KK
Im from Aus so a couple of questions...

1) What are 'cruisers rtds'?
2) What are 'flanges' amd how do I get them to 'plow the cruisers'? Is this some sort of farming technique?
3) How do I then go about 'plowing the flanges', and what about if I don't have flat mates, only the wife? Will she be able to help instead? I'm just a little confused because at first it seems the 'flanges' were 'plowing' the 'cruisers', but now you have me 'plowing' the 'flanges' so not sure that the correct things are being 'plowed' at the correct times. I'm still stuck at step 1.

LOL... Just kidding mate... I like your post, you call it like it is! In your offer to assist in any of the activities, i'm sure that included step 3 also!! I'm a first time masher as well so following this one rather closely and hope that Bevan can shed some lite with his experience on putting this mash into a Turbo 500.

[Kiwikeg]

streuth Damoz. today is youse lucky day coz i am fleunt in strine language and drinking culture too.

step 1. go down to the bottle shop.
step 2. on way to bottle shop beg money from all the kiwis who have taken all youse jobs.
step 3. buy a box of VB (make sure youse pronounce this VB with the proper nasal twang ''Veeeeebeeee")
step 4. sit around drinking the VB stubbies and whinge alot.
step 5. Repeat from step 1

[MitchyBourbon]

Does VeeeeeeeBeeeeeee stand for Visual Basic?

[Kiwikeg]

220px-VB-stubbie.jpg

[Damoz]

It's funny how everyone outside of Aus thinks that we're bogans who drink VB, Fosters or XXXX!! How ironic that it's only in NZ could I get one of these!!

(In NZ speak): We shildn't hijeck Bevan's thrid ay bro, he us doing what um doing and um waiting for some replies to see hiw he wint!