New to the hobby from NE PA

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Elfmaze
Novice
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:34 am

New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by Elfmaze »

Hey guys! I have been into brewing beer for a number of years and i'm just bringing together the last parts of a 1/2 bbl brewery RIMS build. I have always been drawn to the culture of alcohol more than the drinking of I guess. I enjoyed my years as a bartender hearing the stories of travelers, peoples lives... I always felt that a bit of alcohol lets you meet the real person.

I built my brewery from scratch(mostly, pumps and a few machined parts are hard to do at home) And I have already been looking to the next type of alcohol production, Distillation. Again, I feel odd that it is so en-grained in our culture and yet not many people know where it comes from or how its made.

My Brewery:
Image
Image


I got drawn into this because I saw a "Hillbilly Flute" and it was just a gorgeous piece of copper, almost mesmerizing to watch.

Over time i found more sites including other flute builders that may not be too popular here(?)

I have kegs around, burners, heat controls. fermenting equipment. I feel like i'm already half way there equipment wise.


What i'm looking for:
I have always learned that the more i learn about a topic the less i know about it. And there is definitely a lot to learn here. I would buy Old Dog rounds for the rest of the year for the info i have pulled from his posts so far(as well as other contributors!)

it took nearly five years to build the brewery, I'm not looking to get into another "project" right now. So looking at commercial options mostly. I do like the flute concept for its versatility and WOW factor. I understand that it is very expensive for what it does.

I like that some flute designs break down, much easier to store incognito like if i can place each section into a storage tote with foam around it. Also cleaning looks exponentially easier in a modular version.

Obviously most friends are looking for a "moonshine" type product. I am not one to put things up in barrels for years. But I don't really know what i will enjoy making yet. The ability to make a high proof neutral sounds like a goal and then can be backed down to make a rum or whisky.

I am trying to figure out if the mass produced flutes can be run properly to do everything that i am looking for, Or at least that they can be modified or added to easily down the road to achieve my goals.
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jholmz
Distiller
Posts: 1245
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:18 pm
Location: U.S. Midwest corn belt

Re: New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by jholmz »

welcome to the forums theres a lot of information here to be had. saying that take a look around at whats going on with stills bought from commercial sources and then decide how far your willing to stick your head in the noose for them. here take a look at this thread http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 49&t=46973 . now after looking at that thread and others if you still want to buy its your neck, but, with all the information here you can easily build your own
BillG
Novice
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:57 am

Re: New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by BillG »

Hello Elfmaze!
I'm in Luzerne Cty.
You are really jumping in head first! Best of luck, sure you have big advantage with knowledge gained from beer brewing.
I just joined forum also. Taking it slow towards my goal of "drinkable whiskey".
BillG.
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superdaveva
Swill Maker
Posts: 369
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:07 am
Location: mountains of va.

Re: New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by superdaveva »

Nice work elf, welcome aboard. Looks like your well on your way. Good luck be safe and enjoy
just deal with it bitches
Elfmaze
Novice
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:34 am

Re: New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by Elfmaze »

jholmz wrote:welcome to the forums theres a lot of information here to be had. saying that take a look around at whats going on with stills bought from commercial sources and then decide how far your willing to stick your head in the noose for them. here take a look at this thread http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 49&t=46973 . now after looking at that thread and others if you still want to buy its your neck, but, with all the information here you can easily build your own
That is unfortunate, And assuming agents are members of this forum I probably have given them enough information to find me anyway thru searching the net using my alias. Makes modularity even more important There are ways of dealing with purchase lists. I will however take a look at the DIY groups JIC.
copperlover1
Swill Maker
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:59 am

Re: New to the hobby from NE PA

Post by copperlover1 »

Hello from Wayne county Elfmaze. Lots of information on this site. Good luck and be safe. Make sure you read the new distiller reading lounge.
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