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Recently a buddy and I had the idea we would build a still, and you know me, I go research crazy. I found some pot stills for sale for $250, then I saw some others, then I saw "hillbillystills" and so on. I said to myself I bet I can build one hell of a still ....and a few on here caught my eye.
So, I wanted to say hello to everyone here and say thanks for all the great info. Now, if I can just source all the copper part$$$$$
I plan my first build to be a 4" reflux 5 plate with dephlag on a 15gal keg, and I am still working out the details, but that is my plan. Thanks to "navy vet" for his build thread, outstanding work.
Hey mettee! Welcome to the site. As you know you can learn alot from this site, the knowledge is pretty much limitless
here. Just curious what your experience level and background is with distilling.
Fabrication= I have many years of welding, fabrication, machinist experience, etc. I can make almost anything or I try.
When I saw some of these amazing stills I thought I would put some effort into making one for myself. I am hoping it will be a fairly affordable hobby, and I can share it will friends and family. I know the still will be $$$ to start but once its done I hope it will last for years, I will do my part
Might do some things with my still just to set it apart from others I have seen, just something cool looking and artistic maybe. All of this fascinates me to be honest, I lay awake at night designing my still in my head and thinking about how to assemble it and make it better.
All of us who have been doing this for a long while share your enthusiasm. For myself, I decided to master the art by copying the original shiners. They did not have a chemistry lab. The hydrometer had not been invented, nor the other scientific instruments so many have immersed themselves in. My theory is so many of this group have the desire to make award winning spirits, but lacking the skill and experience, dive way too deep into the technical aspects, and fail to acquire the basic skills. Consequently, they build or purchase a rig that belongs on one of the space shuttles.
The old timers had a boiler and a worm. That's all. They soon found out that since they did not have great control over the heat, it was necessary to construct an apparatus between the boiler and the worm that would mediate the frequent boilover that contaminated the worm and any product they had obtained. Thus, the slop box was born. With that device, if they happened to load more wood than they should, the thumper or the slop box would act as a buffer.
Watch the advice from the mentors here. Every one of them recommend a newbe to start with a simple pot still. Every one of them produced rocket fuel at first. Not only was it nasty tasting, it would strip your gullet. Every one of them wondered "how did the old folks drink this crap? ''. Your mentors all had patience - a key to learning this art form. They all ran it too hard. Ran it too long. Overloaded the mash with yeast and got foul tasting stuff. It didn't take long for them to learn the basics and also learn to stick with the basics.
You are going to start with the basic 15 gallon keg. That's perfect. You have researched and discovered some of the problems with the attachment to the keg. Do you need a clamp device for the vapor piping? No!. Purchase a cork from your hardware store, drill a 1 inch hole in it and push the initial vapor line in. Make a clamp that holds the plug out of two strips of oak that span across the top of the keg, pushing the plug down and keeping it tight. If you do it right, there will be no leaking there. Solder a coupling on the riser that prevents the riser from inserting too far into the plug. You want the riser pipe to begin about 2 inches under the plug.
I prefer a propane burner because it's more reliable and easier to control. You will go from ambient to production temperature in one hour. You could do it much faster, but you will find it better to bring it up slow and avoid scorching the beer in the boiler. 2 degrees of rise per minute is perfect. Forget everything you have read about the temperature that must be reached for the alcohol to rise. Because every rig is a little different, the vapor will come when it's ready.
You will discover that it's best to hold the boiler below 206, because there is no reason to load up the vapor with a bunch of water. Forget everything you have read about the alcohol potential in the mash. If you fermented it right, you will obtain roughly 10%, or about 1.5 gallons of usable shine from your first run. You will learn by experience how to select the heart, and that the heart will be roughly 1 half of that. The rest will go into your recycle jug, or pitched. I am convinced that many folks want the space shuttle devices because they want a "neutral" because the corn or grain mash tasted like dog poop. I don't blame them a bit. That's because it was produced by an inexperienced shiner that has not followed the basic rules. You will get 6 or 7 runs from one of the barbecue grill sized propane tanks.
Your product will come out of the worm in a slow drip initially, rapidly coming in a small trickle. You will capture roughly 1 quart every 30 minutes. After running about 1-1/2 hours, you will notice a slow down. The trickle will become intermittent. You will learn that you're in the tails, and you can do whatever you want with it. Send it to the recycle pot or pitch it, because it is unlikely you will want to drink it.
If you are impatient, you can run the first run wide-ass open. Hot as hell, and produce 3 gallons of poop, to be run again at a much slower, controlled rate. They call this a stripping run. It's your choice, and will have little impact on the final, end product, assuming you take it easy on all subsequent runs.
I don't concern myself with parts per million, ph of anything, or squeezing the dickins out of the mash. I leave the production of absolute rocket fuel to NASA and Jet Labs. I want a product that tastes great, leaves no hangover, that is desirable, and in demand by friends. You will notice another common advice from the mentors here "don't overthink it". That's a tactful way of saying, "slow down, Hoss. Stick with the time proven basics".
Yes sir. I must agree with Texashine. Start simple and learn the art and techniques then expand. Your first car wasn't a race car your first gun was probably a .22. Use your talents to make a really nice pot still and learn how to use it well. Then go from there. Remember, some of the best whiskeys in the world are made in potstills. Welcome to the forum.
Im with texasshine and corene on this one. That was kind of a loaded question I asked earlier about what your experience level is. Mine obviously is still in the novice range but I am being patient and learning the art and craft of distilling on a pot still. I too became enamored by the fancy builds the guys on here have documented and said "I can do that" but then realized after my first run on a pot that I couldnt even make my cuts properly. How could I do that on a fractional still? I couldnt.
I know that with your enthusiasm you are gonna build something nice and be able to make some good product. Just start simple so you dont hate your new hobby. Best of luck to you man!
So I stick with the keg idea. And I am still kicking around the electric heat, because I want to have the option to use both propane and electric if need be. I like the simple control that electric brings to the table, with inherent safety(I will be doing this in my garage).
I was able to do two runs with a friend that has a really simple still, his stuff turned out really well. And another friends that I tried, and his was amazing. They both have very simple stills. So I agree with ya'll in learning to watch for changes and learning to make cuts, and to basically know where I am in the distilling, hearts, tails, etc. And likely I will just make a small 2" column with a simple product condenser and save the flute for when I can do the basics. Admittedly I do a little reading every day, learning more and more, and I will build the stills in the background. Once I am ready to fly with hardware, I still have to perfect a recipe for mash! There is a lot to the art that is for sure
I can achieve the pot still effect with the keg correct?
Last edited by mettee on Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
corene1 wrote:Yes sir. I must agree with Texashine. Start simple and learn the art and techniques then expand. Your first car wasn't a race car your first gun was probably a .22. Use your talents to make a really nice pot still and learn how to use it well. Then go from there. Remember, some of the best whiskeys in the world are made in potstills. Welcome to the forum.
Hoodlums Hooch wrote:Im with texasshine and corene on this one. That was kind of a loaded question I asked earlier about what your experience level is. Mine obviously is still in the novice range but I am being patient and learning the art and craft of distilling on a pot still. I too became enamored by the fancy builds the guys on here have documented and said "I can do that" but then realized after my first run on a pot that I couldnt even make my cuts properly. How could I do that on a fractional still? I couldnt.
I know that with your enthusiasm you are gonna build something nice and be able to make some good product. Just start simple so you dont hate your new hobby. Best of luck to you man!
I very much appreciate the advice you guys have given, I am happy to learn from knowledge you all have.
I think the fancy plate columns were my focus because they can make good product easily and it doesn't take long. So admittedly I was trying to save time and save effort for the outcome of getting good spirits letting the still do the work. I see that that isn't always the best approach with what you guys are saying.
Hoodlums Hooch wrote:Im with texasshine and corene on this one. That was kind of a loaded question I asked earlier about what your experience level is. Mine obviously is still in the novice range but I am being patient and learning the art and craft of distilling on a pot still. I too became enamored by the fancy builds the guys on here have documented and said "I can do that" but then realized after my first run on a pot that I couldnt even make my cuts properly. How could I do that on a fractional still? I couldnt.
I know that with your enthusiasm you are gonna build something nice and be able to make some good product. Just start simple so you dont hate your new hobby. Best of luck to you man!
I very much appreciate the advice you guys have given, I am happy to learn from knowledge you all have.
I think the fancy plate columns were my focus because they can make good product easily and it doesn't take long. So admittedly I was trying to save time and save effort for the outcome of getting good spirits letting the still do the work. I see that that isn't always the best approach with what you guys are saying.
I guess a good question to ask is, what do you want to make? Whiskey ,Brandy , maybe some Vodka. I am working on whiskey so a pot still works very well for me. If you want vodkas or neutral spirits you will probably want to make a reflux still. There are all kinds of stills and I understand very little about all the bells and whistles that are on some of them . Hopefully some of the folks with more experience will chime in here. But there are articles inthe new distillers lounge that describe the type still you need for the type of spirit you are making. At some point in time I will make a reflux column for my still but as of now I am still learning about making a good all grain mash. That is a book of lessons in itself.
Well, I want to be able to make almost anything? Pure shine, whiskey, rum, etc. I may try vodka down the road, way down the road, since I rather drink whiskey or scotch. I have had spirit that was made from sugar mash, and I really liked that a lot, so that as well.
That is another reason I was thinking a reflux column.
And for those that gave the great advice to start small, what do you think of me replicating this:
mettee wrote:Well, I want to be able to make almost anything? Pure shine, whiskey, rum, etc. I may try vodka down the road, way down the road, since I rather drink whiskey or scotch. I have had spirit that was made from sugar mash, and I really liked that a lot, so that as well.
That is another reason I was thinking a reflux column.
And for those that gave the great advice to start small, what do you think of me replicating this:
Now your really going to have to do your homework. Corn whiskey or Scotch. A corn with sugar mash or an all grain barley mash for Scotch. Maybe corn and barley for a Bourbon, maybe an Irish Whiskey. There are so many different types and recipes. Cooking temperatures ,how long to cook how long to malt and at what temperature and for how long .types of yeast and fermenting temperatures. It goes on and on , and each step will add subtle variations to the final product. Then the waiting starts. Aging your whiskey , toasted white oak , again what temperature to toast at and for how long then to char or not to char and how deep of a char. I am impatient and as of now I only have 3 quarts of good Irish whiskey that is over 3 months old but they are looking pretty good, now if I can only keep my hands off of them. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=37735 this is a post I started for a barley mash, I am still learning but there is a lot of input from some more experienced distillers on the thread and lots of good information.
I admit that I realize that I am opening a can of worms with this hobby, but I am 34, I have a lot of years left in me to learn, right?
I wont start with scotch, I know that, likely my first several runs will be a sugar mash, and I will practice multi-distillations and my cuts. I want to get good and finding the points of foreshots, hearts, tails, etc. I know foreshots are simple enough.
I may be way off, maybe sugar is the hardest to learn on.
I admit that I realize that I am opening a can of worms with this hobby, but I am 34, I have a lot of years left in me to learn, right?
I wont start with scotch, I know that, likely my first several runs will be a sugar mash, and I will practice multi-distillations and my cuts. I want to get good and finding the points of foreshots, hearts, tails, etc. I know foreshots are simple enough.
I may be way off, maybe sugar is the hardest to learn on.
I started using grain and sugar, sounds like I have been doing this for awhile but I haven't still very new to this. It seems the sugar washes while easy to make , have a very sharp taste. I am just learning to do all grains mashes and the resulting taste is far better than the sugar washes, in my opinion. They seem to be smoother right out of the condensor. An all grain mash really isn't that difficult , it does take a lot of time to make though. Essentially you are cooking the grain to release the startches, then you will add malted grain at about 150 to release the enzymes that will convert the starch to sugar. Lots of stirring involved! I also use 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid to bring the ph of my water down, so far a PH of 5.5 is a good start for me then pitch your yeast at the proper temperature, and ferment on the grain. after fermentation stops strain out the solids with a 5 gallon paint strainer from H depot , lots of squeezing, let the remaining cloudiness settle for a couple of days and siphon the clear liquid into your pot leaving the solids out and distill. Make your cuts and see what you get. Then make adjustments. I think you will like the results.
...still a bit over my head, no pun intended. I have to start research on recipes once I have the still started, and I will start a ferment or three to practice with when its done. I feel great about the making the column and all the fabrication, but I know I will have to learn how to run it and it wont be easy, even the mash making will be tough I am sure. At least to get it good
I almost have my entire design and layout complete. Just need to get my hands on all the materials and the keg.
If I do a 4 inch column is it better to open the keg to 4 inches, I was going to get a 2 to 4 inch cone adapter. But it seems that many say the 4 in to 4 in will "take off better" and run better? So in a plated column do you want high vapor speed or controlled vapor speed to control entrainment?
