New Zealanders -

[bastardsquad]

that was me chris nz. 1bottler. passed it onto a work colleague who drinks rum. will know on monday when he reports in

"If" he reports in lol.

[pounsfos]

ahh so here they all are

It'sinteresting how many of us are on here and how many are in the north Island

from memory (noit including me), I think I have found 3 other south island fellas, so we are slowly growing

as for good brew shops, an old admin of this site, owns a brew shop in invercargill, seems to still know a thing or 2

I'm dunedin area now though so hopefully sometime this week, will be able to get out and check out the 2 brew shops here, see if they know anything or are worth talking to.

[jase1977]

Up date..... I distilled a flagon of corn spirit at 85% off 17 lts. Now for the interesting bit

1. I burnt down some Manuka, into charcoal and burnt chunks

2. I put the spirit through a filter containing the charcoal, which came out in a wonderful color.

3. I had cut the burnt bits of wood into chunks and placed them into two flagons, I cut the spirit down to 35% and filled the flagons up.

I had a taste and was getting a real smoking flav to it. smooth too.

[pounsfos]

Hey Jase

Chuck up a picture or 2 for us (try to keep size small or link to a hosting site.

Let us see your creations

Others feel free to do this

[googe]

Hi kiwis, I'm just wondering if anyone from the Wellington area can help me?. Is it hard to get molasses?, also, is scrap copper something thats easy to find?. Thanks for any help, will be moving over soon and need to start researching.

[Teddysad]

I suspect Wellywood is a bit light on stockfood suppliers

Over the hill to Wairarapa would likely be the closest. Else a catering supplies outfit for treacle

Cant advise on copper sorry

[NZChris]

I see your problem. It's unlikely you can buy bulk in Wellington city as it is sold as stock feed. I'm lucky enough to have a PGG Wrightson about two minutes drive away. They have it for about $63 for 28kg, but you would have to go for a long drive to get it http://pggwrightson.co.nz/Services/FindStore Farmlands is about the same price but it's no closer to you. http://www.farmlands.co.nz/store-directory.html You could try getting it couriered.

You can buy bulk on TradeMe. There are a couple of sellers at the moment.

Try calling scrap metal dealers in your area. Ask what is a good day to visit because some of them are not very helpful if they are busy. Does a plumber drink at your local?

[googe]

Thanks fellas, yeah I reckon the Wairarapa might be the go, thanks. Will look at some stock.feed joints over there. Thanks for the treacle idea. $63 for 25kg?, holy crap that's over double the price here lol. Had a look on trademe, they have 14kg for $35, not in Wellington area though . I can imagine courering molasses would be expensive. I'm gunna have to drink alot less rum over there lol. We're not there yet Chris, hopefully around Easter, just waiting for the next lot of redundancies at work then we're off. Thanks for the heads up on scrap joints. my dream is to sit in the front yard distilling in the open and when a cop drives past, give him a thumbs up . Thanks again fellas.

[NZChris]

Get a job in a sugar mill. I wish I'd known what I do now when I was working in Babinda.

[george_bryant_nz]

Hey there,

Checking in from Raumati (Kapiti coast, up from Wellington).

Have been making a bit of beer as I started. Mrs purchased a turbo air still which was so so but overly small. Have just bought myself a copperhead still with a dual boiler that I got with reflux and lot heads.

In the last runs I have done I've only ever used turbo yeast, clearing agents etc etc. over that now and have out down a bird watchers tomato paste wash, should be ready in a few days.

I am really keen to make some rum and whiskers. Currently just use flavor essence bottles, have used jack Daniels chips which I was impressed with and just put down some gobbler chips too.

I will need a lot of advice and assistance, all good to ask here? If anyone can please give me a rum recipe with wash and dis tilling instructions I would really appreciate it.

George

[Teddysad]

George Look at the tried and proven recipe section

They do work
Ted

[frozenthunderbolt]

I particularly recommend Blackbeard's rum - it is simple and easy to follow with a great range of products.
Pugi rum is good, but a bit more involved

[mikepiet]

Hello All,

Transplanted Yank here currently living in Rotorua. Just wanted to say hi to everyone.

Just got an Air Still (yeah yeah I know...but all I could afford for entry into the game). Was gonna go the Triple Distilled Turbo route till I started reading the forums here and elsewhere.

So instead decided my first distill would be a TPW. It has been fermenting for 24 hours now and is bubbling through the airlock like no tomorrow. Smells nice too, bit like bread baking.

For technical info the recipe used was the following:
5Kg white sugar
200 gms Leggo non-salt tomato paste
1/4 tsp citric acid
80 gms Edmonds Active Yeast All purpose
Water to produce a 25 liter wash.
Original Gravity 0f 1.650 (without yeast added)

Maintaining temps of between 22-28 degrees, and as I said, bubbling away like mad.

Got the Air Still and Companion pack from Hauraki by mail. Companion pack was a freebie on Special. All came by courier the day after the order. So I have nothing but good comments for them.

So far have stopped into 2 brew stores and the local Rotorua Bin Inn.

Stopped by:
Grow and Brew in Silverdale, Auckland. Nice little shop - about half growing and half brewing/distilling. Prices a bit higher than Hauraki, but not outlandish. Main focus on brewing rather than distilling.
Brew Your Own Liquor in Hamilton - Very very well stocked store focused on distilling equipment and supplies. Prices in line with Hauraki. Very knowledgeable and helpful owner - took a lot of time and gave a lot of advice.
Bin Inn - local Rotorua - prices somewhat high, limited distilling equipment and supplies

Anyway, hope this info is of help to some, and I I said just wanted to introduce myself. Will let everyone know as the fermentation and distillation of the first wash progresses.

Best To All,

Mike P

[Bushman]

Welcome to HD mikeplet, for those members not familiar with TPW (Tomato Paste Wash) a more familiar name on this forum is Birdwatchers however TPW was it's original name.

[Skunkey]

Hi guys, I'm in Auckland. Have been to a few brew shops and my preferred is Brewers Coop in Penrose. They are all pretty knowledgeable, got my T500 from Hauraki Home Brews, but Penrose is closer to me than Albany and the selection is better IMO.

Just recently found a deal on sugar from an Indian emporium type of store in Panmure on Jellicoe rd. $30 for 25Kg. Anyone know of any better deals around?

[mikepiet]

Thanks for the welcome Bushman.

2 Small updates for anyone interested.

Tried to go to a brew shop I saw listed on the Still Spirits website (the makers of the Air Still), called Brewers Paradise in Mt. Maunganui - but all I could see was a bar, there were no signs advertising a brewshop - so basically just passed by as was with family. If anyone has any knowledge of this place I'd appreciate and update.

2nd - the Birdwatchers TPW is still bubbling away mightily - been 55 hours since I started the mash - anxiously awaiting the results of this first attempt.

Anyway - a Happy New Years to all.

Best to All,

Mike P

[NZChris]

Hi Mike. Welcome to the forum.

The Yellow Pages list a Brewers World at 107 Newton Rd, the Mt., but I seldom go that way and have never seen it. I'll try and get over there and have a look at it next year.

On the rare occasions when I do need something from a HB supplier, I use an Indian grocer in Katikati, the Tauranga Bin Inn and Liquor 4 Less. Switched on Gardener has a bit of HB stock too.

Cheers
Chris

[mikepiet]

Hi Chris,

Thanks also for the welcome. Yup thats the one - like I said I went past and saw not a hint about a brew shop. Don't go out of your way, I just posted it so no one makes the drive for nothing.

Happy 2014

update on wash - 75 hrs and still bubbling. 27.5 degrees. Anticipation....

[pounsfos]

hehe those Birdwatcher recipes can take 2 weeks to ferment sometimes, but at your temps you should be right, trust me it's worth the wait.

[mikepiet]

Hi again everyone,

Just wanted to post an update on that first TPW/Birdwatchers.
As this was my very first distillation of any type I wanted to try a few different things.
Decided to end the ferment on the 8th day when I was only getting one bubble every 5 or 6 seconds - put that down to residual CO2 in the wash rather than actual ongoing fermentation. FG at that point was .992 yielding an ABV of 9.41%.

Added Turbo Clear (though I didn't use any carbon in the was) have no idea if it had any effect.

Brought the temps in the water bath the fermenter was in to 17.5 - 22 for 24 hours.

Ran half the 24 liters through 3 separate distills in the airstill discarding the first 50 mills from each, then collecting 100 mills in bottle 1, 250 each in bottles 2-5, then 150 mills in bottle 6.

Could definitely taste heads and hearts though not so much tails through each collection bottle. From 3 runs yielded about 1.5 liters of 40% (after dilution) hearts which I bottled.

For the remaining 12 liters I ran 3 stripping runs collecting 1350 mills per run. Added enough tails from the first 12 liters to make 4 liters total.

Then ran a spirit run on those 4 liters.

Did the same cuts on the spirit run that I did on the earlier run. Net result about 1.75 liters of 40% (after dilution) hearts which I bottled. However the spirit run provided such a superior product as compared to the first test (stripping run only) that I will never only do a single distill again. Would encourage anyone new to this like me, to try this so you can see for yourself the necessity of doing both a stripping and a spirit run.

All in all I'm very pleased with the results of my first distill, and the knowledge I've gained. Much of it as a result from all the reading I've done here on the forum.

Second wash is currently bubbling away - day 5. Only difference is I added a pinch of epsom salts to this one.

Just thought I'd let folks know and hopefully provide some info for other newbies.

All the best,

Mike P

[NZChris]

Great to hear you had a good result from an airstill.

I seldom bother to taste stripping runs now, just a slurp of hearts if it's something I haven't made before. No cuts, just toss the fores and strip to 20%-40%, or when it smells like cardboard. The real skill comes when cutting the spirit run and it sounds like you got that right first time.

I have made some single pass product, but only by request from Europeans wanting fruit schnapps. Plum was very nice. I made the guy do the cuts by nose, (he's not a distiller), and he did a good job, so I do believe single pass pot runs do have their place.

[mikepiet]

Hi NZ Chris,

Thanks.
Just had to try it to prove to myself. Thats why I suggested that other first timers do the same.
Because of doing it that way, I am absolutely a convert to the stripping-spirit runs method. Definitely won't be doing any more single pass runs.

When this second wash is ready I plan on doing it pretty much the way you outlined above.

All the best,

Mike P

[Loosely]

Hi guys. I'm in Welly, running a T500 with a copper column (which is a thing of beauty). My particular interests at the moment are gin and Italian bitters.

After my first run or two with turbo yeasts (came with the still - can't waste these things, can you?) I've been using Birdwatcher's. It gives a good result, but I'm finding the washes seem to take an age to finish (one went eight weeks before I got fed up and ran it anyway). I don't think temperature is an issue; the ferments run around 26 or so degrees, sometimes helped with a heat pad. For my newest one I'm using 'proper' yeast (SN9 from the Newtown brewshop) rather than good old Edmond's. It's bubbling happily, so I'll see what happens. Any suggestions gratefully received, of course.

Somebody in this thread asked back in November about finding molasses in Wellington. It may be too late for you, but Davis Trading in Petone has 14kg buckets. I don't remember the price, but I'm sure it was significantly lower than a couple of bottles of rum. I'll be trying a molasses run after the current wash finishes.

It's good to have our own local community within the HD 'family'. Let's keep talking to each other.

[mikepiet]

Hi Loosely,

8 weeks?? That's very weird. I'm currently doing stripping runs on my second Birdwatchers/TPW wash. I let it go for 7 days, till the bubbling died down to a single bubble every 5 or 6 seconds. At that point I opened it up and tested the SG which came out to .987, let it go another day (bubbles up to about once every 8 seconds or so), tested the SG again and I had .985. Let it go one more day - SG still .985, so I began cooling it down to clear. Total fermentation time 9 days, with a couple more to clear.
Everything on here that I have read says that once the SG has remained the same for a few consecutive readings (days) then its done.

Mike P

Anyway, best of luck to you and welcome.

[NZChris]

Welcome to the forum Loosely.

I've always had a helluva job trying to ferment the sugars in the molasses available in NZ. The rum has always tasted great and it was only a yield and viscosity issue for me until I started using dunder on this run. I've even tried adding that godawful turbo yeast. Worked out that my last ferment only produced alcohol from the added sugar. I'll do some small experimental ferments on the dunder and molasses this week.


I think we need a Kiwi Birdwatchers recipe. My only batch took forever. What's your recipe Mike? Brand names and all.

[Loosely]

Thanks, Mike and Chris.

It's good to know I'm not entirely alone in having slow Birdwatcherses (if that's the plural!). Yes please, Mike; your exact recipe would be very welcome. My slow ones don't completely stop, they just bubble really slowly (after - as far as I can tell - a nicely enthusiastic start). I've been measuring SG weekly and I'm wondering if letting air in this frequently is a mistake. Any thoughts on this? I read in one of the threads recently (don't ask me which one!) about fermentation moving from an aerobic to an anaerobic phase, hence my suspicion. How often do others take an SG measurement?

[mikepiet]

Hi Guys - ok exact recipe,

10 liters water at 37 degrees
200 grams Leggos non-salt tomato paste
5KG sugar
1/4 teaspoon citric acid
pinch epsom salt
80 grams Edmonds Active Yeast - all purpose

Dissolve sugar, tomato paste, citric acid, and epsom salt into the 10 liters - dissolve really well

Add enough water to bring to 25 liters at 30 degrees.

Sprinkle yeast on top

Sit back and wait - all ferments have been done in 7 - 9 days.

Oops - better half calling - gotta run,

Best of luck,

Mike P

[NZChris]

Thanks Mike. I'll try that in a couple of years when I run out. I tossed up between Leggos and Watties and 'own brand' and chose Watties. Just as well I am patient cos it wasn't a quick fermenter.



Ah ha. I just heard the loverly 'poink!' sound of a nuclear whiskey cooling down. One more nuke to go.

[frozenthunderbolt]

Hi Guys - ok exact recipe,

10 liters water at 37 degrees
200 grams Leggos non-salt tomato paste
5KG sugar
1/4 teaspoon citric acid
pinch epsom salt
80 grams Edmonds Active Yeast - all purpose

Dissolve sugar, tomato paste, citric acid, and epsom salt into the 10 liters - dissolve really well

Add enough water to bring to 25 liters at 30 degrees.

Sprinkle yeast on top

Sit back and wait - all ferments have been done in 7 - 9 days.

Oops - better half calling - gotta run,

Best of luck,

Mike P

That's pretty good, drop the sugar to 4kg and add a crushed Vit.B complex pill and it will go even quicker.

[Loosely]

Thanks, Mike. I'll give that a try.

I wonder whether part of my problem is not really believing the amount of tomato paste the official Birdwatcher's recipe specifies (yeah, like I know better!). I just use one of the Leggos twin pots, which is (I think) 140g.

I've been using dextrose rather than 'normal' sugar. How much difference would that make (if any)?