wondering if I'm heading in the right direction

[drum]

I've been reading and watching videos for awhile and have been brewing beer for about 8 years now. I'm interested in trying my hand at distilling. My drink of choice is whiskey and if distilling is anything like what I've discovered to be true about beer brewing, what can be made at home is far better than what can be bought in the store. Like most, I'm sure, I'm trying to get in as economically as possible with hopes of producing something that will encourage me to delve deeper into this craft. I would like to focus on whiskey made from corn and barley.

I'm still a bit green on the terminology surrounding stills but I'm thinking I could start with a simple pot still using a converted 15 gal beer keg and this tower kit from brewhaus https://brewhaus.com/essential-extracto ... i-keg-kit/ (hope it's ok to post this link)

it might take awhile for me to find a keg. I've been reaching out to beer distributors and local craft breweries to try and find a used keg to buy.

Can anyone tell me if this setup would let me learn the ropes and enjoy some success in those goals?

Kind of a dumb (but burning question) - To make a grain based whiskey, would I basically follow the process for making and fermenting a wort for beer (minus the hops), then just strain and distill the wort?

[zed255]

The product you linked is an outdated (read: not great) design for reflux operation, the 'cross tube' style went out with the last of the dinosaurs. I suggest go modular, the Brewhaus is modular which is good, and start with a plain pot still if whiskey is your tipple, getting the parts later to try reflux.

A distillers beer, as you already are aware, will not use hops. You will also mill and mash for maximum conversion. Finer milling and mashing at a little lower temperature for longer. You want a very dry beer, plus you can sparge or ferment on the grain.

[Zeotropic]

As for the keg there are new kegs on amazon for about $150 in the US.

[Expat]

Short answer is absolutely. A keg is... to my way of thinking the very best starting point. Kegs offer lots of options and are actually a fair bit easier IMO than other options e.g. sealing lids. Also, they're large enough that you won't need to start over if you want to o carry on, 15g is easily large enough to supply any individual. Eventually you'll make more than you can consume.

Skip the "tower kit" and build a simple pot head and condenser. Pot stilling is the best path to understanding distillation before you tackle fractional distillation. Since you're already proficient with beer you should be laughing!

Fair warning, distiller's beer (wort) is somewhat different than beer, e.g. no hops, sanitation optional and sometimes discouraged.... Have look around at the AG recipes in the tried and true.

Best of luck!

[Deplorable]

Be careful there drum.
You're on the edge of a very deep [rabbit] hole.
Have fun. Like has been posted, build a simple pot still from an old beer keg and some copper pipe. Start off modular, and you can just keep adding bits and pieces...

[Saltbush Bill]

The Keg is the way to go ...that still in the link is far from perfect out dated many years ago......build or buy a simple pot and you will be happier.

[tombombadil]

You might also consider a similarly sized stainless milk can from Amazon. You would have to make a hole in the lid and add a triclamp adapter but having a bigger opening makes them easier to clean.

[River Rat]

You can make some damn fine whiskey with a simple home made pot still mounted on a keg. My suggestion is to cut a larger opening in the top of the keg (8-12 inches) and make a copper dome or cone to adapt to your column. Then you've got a mash pot and still boiler in one, and it's easy to clean. Good luck and have fun!

[drum]

Thank you everyone for your comments, this is extremely helpful in planning. If I understand correctly, I don't need the top part of that brewhaus column with the waterworks in it. I just need the bottom part and the small pipes coming off of it? That small part, is that called the condenser? Would a worm and water cooling go through that part? Taking out the reflux module of this makes it more tempting to fabricate myself. I'm just trying to figure which kind of condenser I need to look at on that "what kind of condenser do I need" document. The bottom column I could make and I think copper wool goes into it. I'm not sure how I'd put those those parts together but betting I can figure it out from the vast information here, as long as I'm getting the terms right to know what I'm looking for.

I did see some milk cans on Amazon and that large access on the top looked very tempting for cleaning. What drew me to the beer keg approach was the impression a keg would be heavier and thus more stable with a column of metal coming off the top. I had visions of the liquid boiling out of the bottom and then the whole thing becoming top heavy and falling over, crashing, going up in flames, etc..

[Corsaire]

You only need the top bit that hangs off the side. It's called a liebig condenser, is incredibly easy to make and can be quite effective if it's long enough. The one you linked to isn't.

You don't need a fancy reflux still for whisky. A simple pot is well suited to make whisky.
There's tons of build threads here, my advise is spend some time looking at those before paying for sub par designs.

[drum]

Excellent, thank you! I can probably afford to use copper if I can make these myself.

[Deplorable]

Drum,
I run a 13 gallon milk can, and used to run one of them "dual purpose" stills. I built a copper unit, and couldn't be happier.
You can build a completely modular unit for about $250 in materials or less(plus the boiler) and have a great pot still, and with just adding additional spools and a reflux condenser, you have a reflux still for neutrals.
The build threads here have all the information you need to get an idea what to buy and what to expect.

[drum]

@Deplorable - that's a beautiful looking still. For your condenser, is there just a smaller pipe going through the middle of that 2" pipe where the vapor feeds into and then water is cycled through the outside pipe?

[Deplorable]

@Deplorable - that's a beautiful looking still. For your condenser, is there just a smaller pipe going through the middle of that 2" pipe where the vapor feeds into and then water is cycled through the outside pipe?

Thanks drum!
Thats called a shotgun condenser. There are four 1/2 through tubes in a 2 inch water jacket. Very efficient, and compact design, more than capable of any cooling needs for a 2 or 3 inch still.
If you're thinking of building a still and you have the skills to solder, I encourage you to check out the construction subforum here. Lots of great threads to learn and inspire you.