Love this hobby and want to learn more

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davenowhere
Novice
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:15 pm

Love this hobby and want to learn more

Post by davenowhere »

Hey guys,
I'm from Texas and love Whiskey and what it does for me......My wife would argue but enough about her....
I think I out did myself when I got into this craft. I found a great still maker and went for the 20 gallon still as
my first still. Not a good idea I'm finding out. I should have bought a 5 or 6 gallon to get my feet wet and not
have to pay for 40 or 50 lbs of grains to get a distillation rolling. I've gotten some good runs and bad ones....
didn't take notes, didn't have an ABV hydro and now that I do have one, I'm not even sure how to use it. I can
barely even read whats on it. I don't think it's in chinese but....Lot's to learn and look forward to it. Humbly, with
care & respect.

Best regards,
Dave
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Demy
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3084
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:45 pm

Re: Love this hobby and want to learn more

Post by Demy »

Welcome, take your time and read a lot here on the forum, you will find a lot of information.
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NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Love this hobby and want to learn more

Post by NZChris »

Welcome to the forum.

I'm sure most stills can be made to perform well, but you might have to do things like putting copper where the manufacturer didn't. Bigger is usually better, so you should be ok with what you've got once you know how to make the best use of it.
n_plains_drifter
Swill Maker
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:31 pm

Re: Love this hobby and want to learn more

Post by n_plains_drifter »

Welcome DNW,

Glad to have you. Yes the size of your boiler is both a curse and a blessing. The good news is that once you've got your systems in place and want to ramp up production, so you can lay some spirit down for the future, you'll be all set.

The challenge now is that you've got to produce large amounts of stuff that you're not sure will be what you want. Best advice I can provide is to do some simple sugar washes (e.g. Birdwatchers). They are pretty hard to screw up, and even in 15 gallon batches they should be fairly cheap - think about 22-25 lbs of sugar per.

Are you going to get world class (insert your favorite spirit here)? No, but you'll learn some good things about running your still and making cuts and aging, all things that will serve you well when you are ready to take your best shot at something more complicated.

Best, Drifter
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